Information for wireless communication repeater equipment

Abstract

Various aspects relate to exchanging beam-related information for a repeater device. A network access node configures a repeater device to transmit synchronization signal blocks using different beams. The network access node determines the number of beams that the repeater device can use for its operation. The repeater device indicates how many beams it supports, how many antenna arrays it has, and a mapping of beam indices to antenna array indices. The repeater device indicates which beam pairs cannot be used for simultaneous transmission and / or reception and / or which beam groups can be used for simultaneous transmission and / or reception. The network access node determines which beam pairs the repeater device cannot use for simultaneous transmission and / or reception and / or which beam groups the repeater device can use for simultaneous transmission and / or reception based on signal measurements and / or beam configuration feedback from the repeater device.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to co-pending non-provisional patent application No. 17 / 402,375 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 13, 2021, provisional patent application No. 63 / 065,915 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 14, 2020, provisional patent application No. 63 / 067,790 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 19, 2020, provisional patent application No. 63 / 070,194 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 25, 2020, and provisional patent application No. 63 / 138,046 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 15, 2021, all of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and for all applicable purposes as if fully set forth below. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to exchanging beam information, open-loop configuration, and identification of wireless communication repeater devices.

[0004] introduction

[0005] Next-generation wireless communication systems (e.g., 5GS) may include a 5G core (e.g., 5GC) network and a 5G radio access network (RAN), such as a new radio (NR)-RAN. NR-RAN supports communication via one or more cells. For example, a wireless communication device (such as a user equipment (UE)) may access a first cell of a first network access node (such as a gNB) and / or access a second cell of a second network access node. In some instances, a relay device may be located between the UE and the network access node. The relay device may relay traffic and control between the UE and the network access node in both uplink and downlink directions.

[0006] A network access node may schedule access to a cell to support access by multiple UEs. For example, a network access node may allocate different resources (eg, time and frequency domain resources) for different UEs operating within the cell of the network access node.

[0007] In 5G New Radio wireless communication networks, resources can be shared between the access network and the backhaul network. For example, the wireless spectrum can be used for both the access link (e.g., the link between the network access node and the UE) and the backhaul link (e.g., the link between the network access node and the core network). In such an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, the shared wireless carrier can be time-divided into multiple frames, subframes, and time slots. In some IAB network configurations, one or more time slots can be allocated for access communications, while other time slots can be allocated for backhaul communications.

[0008] A brief overview of some examples

[0009] The following is an overview of one or more aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to define the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a form that serves as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0010] In one example, a method of wireless communication at a repeater device in a wireless communication network is described. The method includes receiving a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device; selecting a second number of beams to be used to transmit the SSBs, wherein the second number of beams is less than or equal to the first number of SSBs; receiving at least one SSB transmission; and transmitting the at least one SSB transmission via the second number of beams.

[0011] In another example, a repeater device is described. The repeater device includes a relay unit, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the relay unit and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to: receive a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the relay unit of the repeater device; select a second number of beams to be used to transmit the SSBs, wherein the second number of beams is less than or equal to the first number of SSBs; receive at least one SSB transmission; and transmit the at least one SSB transmission via the second number of beams.

[0012] According to another example, a method for wireless communication at a network access node in a wireless communication network is described. The method includes generating a first configuration indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by a repeater device; transmitting the first configuration to the repeater device; determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs; generating a second configuration after determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs, the second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device; and transmitting the second configuration to the repeater device.

[0013] In another example, a network access node is described. The network access node includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to: generate a first configuration indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by a repeater device; transmit the first configuration to the repeater device via the transceiver; determine that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs; after determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs, generate a second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device; and transmit the second configuration to the repeater device via the transceiver.

[0014] These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be more fully understood upon reviewing the following detailed description. Other aspects, features, and examples of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the following description of specific exemplary aspects in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although various features may be discussed below with respect to certain examples and drawings, all examples may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more examples may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more such features may also be used in accordance with the various examples discussed herein. Similarly, although various examples may be discussed below as device, system, or method examples, it should be understood that such examples may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an example of a radio access (RAN) network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of wireless resources in an air interface utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink channels within a 5G New Radio (NR) subframe according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system supporting beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a radio access network (RAN) node and a wireless communication device using beamformed signals in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram providing a high-level illustration of one example of a network configuration including an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network with communications between a network access node and four UEs using beamformed signals in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of IAB node functionality within an IAB network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 10 is a diagram providing a high-level illustration of one example of a network configuration including an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio protocol architecture in a control plane according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network including a network access node, a relay device, and a UE according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating example components of a repeater device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 14 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of repeater device signaling according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 15 is a schematic illustration of example paths for a repeater device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 16 is an illustrative example of propagation of control and data associated with DL transmission from a network access node to a UE via a relay device, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 17 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary couplings between various nodes of a wireless communication network including a repeater device, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 18is a schematic diagram of a MIMO repeater device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a bidirectional MIMO repeater device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a single-input single-output (SISO) repeater device according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a repeater device employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 22 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a relay device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 23 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a relay device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 24 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a relay device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network access node employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 26 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 27 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 28 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 29 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication network that communicates between a network access node and a first UE via a first relay device using beamformed signals, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 30A and 30Bis a graph comparing cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) on the vertical axis and data rate (in bits / s / Hz) on the horizontal axis as a function of whether “side control information” is provided to a repeater device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 31 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling of a wireless communication network including a network access node, a relay device, and a UE according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a repeater device employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 33 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process at a relay device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 34 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process at a relay device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 35 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network access node employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 36 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 37 is a call flow diagram illustrating signaling between a relay device, a network access node, and a core network node according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 38 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process at a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0054] Figure 39 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of an initial access procedure between a network access node and a relay device according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 40 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of a dedicated RACH procedure in a wireless communication network including a network access node and a relay device, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 41is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of initial UE message signaling in a wireless communication network including a network access node and a core network (CN) access and mobility management function (AMF) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0057] Figure 42 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of radio capability signaling in a wireless communication network including a network access node and a CN (AMF) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0058] Figure 43 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of a Next Generation (NG) setup procedure in a wireless communication network including a network access node and a CN (AMF) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 44 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling configuration information in a wireless communication network including a wireless communication device, a network access node, and a CN (AMF) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 45 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a wireless communication device employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 46 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0062] Figure 47 is a flow chart illustrating an example process at a wireless communication device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0063] Figure 48 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network access node employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 49 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0065] Figure 50 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0066] Figure 51 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0067] Figure 52 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a network access node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0068] Figure 53 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a core network node employing a processing system according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0069] Figure 54 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a core network node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0070] Figure 55 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process at a core network node in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0071] Detailed description

[0072] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid overstating such concepts.

[0073] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz band” in various documents and articles. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in various documents and articles, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0074] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "sub-6 GHz" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "millimeter wave" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies.

[0075] Although various aspects and examples are described in this application by explaining some examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that additional implementations and use cases can be generated in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovation described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, each feature and / or use can be generated via an integrated chip example and other devices based on non-module components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication equipment, computing equipment, industrial equipment, retail / shopping equipment, medical equipment, devices that enable artificial intelligence (AI), etc.). Although some examples may or may not be specifically for each use case or application, the wide applicability of the described innovation may occur. The scope of each implementation can range from chip-level or module components to non-module, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovation. In some practical environments, the equipment incorporating the various aspects and features described may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described examples. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily include several components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, and the like, of various sizes, shapes, and configurations.

[0076] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to repeater devices. Radio frequency (RF) repeater devices can be non-regenerative relay nodes that amplify and forward all RF signals they receive. There are various configurations for RF repeater devices. For example, RF repeater devices can be configured based on the power characteristics and spectrum that the RF repeater device is designed to amplify. Other configurations, including single-band and multi-band RF repeater devices, can be established based on the specific requirements that the RF repeater device is to provide. For example, one RF repeater device can be mounted on a tower with no obstructions on either side of the RF repeater device, while a second RF repeater device can be mounted on an exterior wall or an exterior corner of an office building. The first RF repeater device may operate satisfactorily with an omnidirectional beam, while the second RF repeater device may require a fixed sector beam to operate satisfactorily. In most examples, the RF repeater device is always on and always amplifies and forwards received RF signals. Additionally, RF repeater devices with full-duplex capability do not differentiate between resources scheduled for uplink or downlink. Accordingly, the main advantages of RF repeater devices are their low cost, their relative simplicity, their ease of deployment, and the fact that they do not increase latency because they are essentially direct-through devices. RF repeater devices (as distinguished from the smart repeater devices referenced herein) have been the simplest and most cost-effective way to improve network coverage. However, RF repeater devices amplify both signal and noise equally and therefore contribute to interference (pollution) in wireless communication networks.

[0077] The smart repeater device can obtain side control information via a control interface to a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, an evolved Node B (eNB), a g Node B (gNB), a base station). However, this requires the smart repeater device to establish a communication link (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) connection) with the network access node. The establishment of the RRC connection can be similar to the way a user equipment (UE) establishes an RRC connection with a network access node. Such an establishment has at least two implications. First, the implementation of a smart repeater device becomes more complex compared to the implementation of an RF repeater device. In fact, the implementation of a smart repeater device may require a user equipment (UE) modem. Second, the operation of the smart repeater device is managed / configured by the network access node, which results in increased processing and control signaling overhead for the network access node.

[0078] The present disclosure relates to enhancements to RF repeater devices (e.g., layer 1 repeater devices) that obtain relevant and useful side control information without establishing a link (e.g., an RRC connection) with a network access node. Various aspects and features of the present disclosure can provide the same or similar performance benefits as those enjoyed by smart repeater devices, but without the implications described above. However, according to some aspects, a network access node can identify the presence of a nearby open-loop repeater device and can provide some information to the open-loop repeater device. However, the amount of information and / or detail may be minimal compared to the amount of information and / or detail that the same network access node would give to the smart repeater device (to control the smart repeater device).

[0079] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across a wide variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Figure 1 By way of illustrative example and not limitation, various aspects of the present disclosure are described with reference to a wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and at least one scheduled entity 106. The at least one scheduled entity 106 may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) 106 in the following discussion. The RAN 104 includes at least one scheduling entity 108. The at least one scheduling entity 108 may be referred to as a network access node (BS) 108 in the following discussion. The wireless communication system 100 enables the UE 106 to perform data communications with an external data network 110, such as, but not limited to, the Internet.

[0080] The RAN 104 may implement any suitable wireless communication technology or technologies to provide radio access to the UE 106. As one example, the RAN 104 may operate in accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, commonly referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 104 may operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, commonly referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as the Next Generation RAN, or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0081] As illustrated, the RAN 104 includes multiple network access nodes 108. Broadly speaking, a network access node is a network element in a radio access network that is responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from a UE in one or more cellular cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a network access node may be referred to variously by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio network access node, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), a transmit reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. In some examples, a network access node may include two or more TRPs that may or may not be co-located. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies within the same or different frequency bands. In an example where the RAN 104 operates according to both LTE and 5G NR standards, one of these network access nodes may be an LTE network access node, while the other network access node may be a 5G NR network access node.

[0082] RAN 104 is further illustrated as supporting wireless communications for multiple mobile devices. A mobile device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) in 3GPP standards, but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE may be a device (e.g., a mobile device) that provides a user with access to network services.

[0083] Within the present disclosure, a "mobile" device does not necessarily need to have mobile capabilities and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment refers broadly to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include several hardware structural components sized, shaped, and arranged to facilitate communication; such components may include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, transmit chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, and the like electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile devices, cellular (cell) phones, smart phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide variety of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT).

[0084] Additionally, the mobile device may be a car or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio, a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multicopter, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer and / or wearable device (such as glasses), a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smartwatch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. Additionally, the mobile device may be a digital home or smart home device, such as a home audio, video, and / or multimedia device, an appliance, a vending machine, a smart lighting device, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. Additionally, the mobile device may be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device that controls electricity, lighting, water, etc. (e.g., a smart grid), an industrial automation and enterprise device, a logistics controller, and / or agricultural equipment, etc. Furthermore, the mobile device may provide connected health or telemedicine support, such as remote health care. Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth supervisory devices, whose communications may be given priority treatment or prioritized access over other types of information, for example, in the form of prioritized access for critical service data transmission and / or associated QoS for critical service data transmission.

[0085] The wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a network access node (e.g., network access node 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., similar to UE 106) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating at a network access node (e.g., network access node 108). Another way to describe this scheme can be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a network access node (e.g., network access node 108) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions originating at a UE (e.g., UE 106).

[0086] In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a network access node 108) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs 106). That is, for scheduled communications, multiple UEs 106 (which may be scheduled entities) may utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

[0087] The network access node 108 is not the only entity that can serve as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can serve as a scheduling entity, thereby scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). For example, a UE can communicate directly with other UEs in a peer-to-peer or device-to-device manner and / or in a relay configuration.

[0088] like Figure 1 As illustrated in FIG, a scheduling entity 108 may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more UEs 106). Broadly speaking, a scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including downlink traffic 112 and, in some examples, uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more UEs 106) to the scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE 106) is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114 (including, but not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., grants), synchronization or timing information), or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network, such as the scheduling entity 108. In addition, the scheduled entity (from the UE 106) may transmit uplink control information 118, including one or more uplink control channels, to the scheduling entity 108. The uplink control 118 information may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions.

[0089] Additionally, uplink and / or downlink control information and / or traffic information may be transmitted on a waveform that may be divided into frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols in time. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a time unit in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform in which each subcarrier carries one resource element (RE). A time slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Within the present disclosure, a frame may refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, wherein each frame includes, for example, 10 subframes of 1 ms each. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any appropriate scheme may be utilized to organize the waveform, and the various time divisions of the waveform may have any appropriate duration.

[0090] Generally speaking, the network access nodes 108 may include a backhaul interface for communicating with a backhaul portion 120 of the wireless communication system 100. The backhaul portion 120 may provide a link between the network access nodes 108 and the core network 102. Furthermore, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnection between the respective network access nodes 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed using any suitable transport network, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and the like.

[0091] The core network 102 may be part of the wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to a 5G standard (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to a 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC), or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0092] Now refer to Figure 2 , by way of illustrative example and not limitation, a schematic illustration of an example of a radio access network (RAN) 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure is provided. In some examples, the RAN 200 may be similar to the one described above and in Figure 1 The same as RAN 104 explained in .

[0093] The geographic area covered by the RAN 200 may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells), which may be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identity broadcast over the geographic area from an access point or network access node. Figure 2 Cells 202, 204, 206, and 208 are illustrated, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same network access node. Radio links within a sector may be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within the cell may be formed by antenna groups, where each antenna is responsible for communicating with UEs in a portion of the cell.

[0094] Various network access node arrangements can be used. For example, Figure 2, two network access nodes (network access node 210 and network access node 212) are shown in cells 202 and 204. A third network access node (network access node 214) is shown controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, the network access node may have an integrated antenna or may be connected to the antenna or RRH 216 by a feeder cable. In the illustrated example, cells 202, 204, and 206 may be referred to as macro cells because network access nodes 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. Additionally, network access node 218 is shown in cell 208, which may overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 208 may be referred to as a small cell (e.g., a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, a home network access node, a home NodeB, a home eNodeB, etc.) because network access node 218 supports cells with relatively small sizes. Cell sizing can be done based on system design and component constraints.

[0095] It is understood that the RAN 200 may include any number of wireless network access nodes and cells. In addition, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. The network access nodes 210, 212, 214, 218 provide wireless access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, the network access nodes 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be similar to those described above and in Figure 1 The scheduling entity 108 illustrated in FIG.

[0096] Figure 2 Further included is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220, which may be a drone or a quadcopter. UAV 220 may be configured to function as a network access node, or more specifically, as a mobile network access node. That is, in some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​a cell may be mobile depending on the location of a mobile network access node, such as UAV 220.

[0097] Within the RAN 200, cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. In addition, each network access node 210, 212, 214, 218, and 220 may be configured to provide connectivity to the core network 102 (see FIG. 1 ) for all UEs in the corresponding cell. Figure 1) access point. For example, UEs 222 and 224 may be in communication with network access node 210, UEs 226 and 228 may be in communication with network access node 212, UEs 230 and 232 may be in communication with network access node 216 via RRH 216, UE 234 may be in communication with network access node 218, and UE 236 may be in communication with mobile network access node 220. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240, and / or 242 may be in communication with the mobile network access node described above and in Figure 1 2. In some examples, UAV 220 (e.g., a quadcopter) can be a mobile network node and can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with network access node 210.

[0098] In a further aspect of the RAN 200, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without relying on scheduling or control information from a network access node. Sidelink communications may be used, for example, in device-to-device (D2D) networks, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networks, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, and / or other suitable sidelink networks. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 238, 240, and 242) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communications through a network access node. In some examples, UEs 238, 240, and 242 may each act as a scheduling entity or a transmitting sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and communicate sidelink signals 237 therebetween without relying on scheduling or control information from a network access node. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​a network access node (e.g., network access node 212) may also communicate sidelink signals 227 on a direct link (sidelink) without communicating the communications through network access node 212. In this example, network access node 212 may allocate resources to UEs 226 and 228 for sidelink communications.

[0099] In order to achieve a low block error rate (BLER) for transmissions over the air interface while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding can be used. That is, wireless communications generally utilize suitable error-correcting block codes. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is split into code blocks (CBs), and an encoder (e.g., CODEC) at the transmitting device then mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Utilizing this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, thereby enabling correction of any bit errors that may occur due to noise.

[0100] Data coding can be implemented in a variety of ways. In earlier 5G NR specifications, user data was encoded using quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different basemaps: one basemap was used for large code blocks and / or high code rates, and the other basemap was used for other cases. Polar coding was used based on nested sequences to decode control information and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition were used for rate matching.

[0101] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented using any suitable channel code. Various implementations of network access nodes and UEs may include suitable hardware and capabilities (eg, encoders, decoders, and / or CODECs) to utilize one or more of these channel codes for wireless communications.

[0102] In the RAN 200, the ability of a UE to communicate independently of its location while moving is known as mobility. Physical channels between the UE and the RAN 200 are typically established, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF). In some scenarios, the AMF may include a security context management function (SCMF) and a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication. The SCMF may manage the security context for both control and user plane functionality, in whole or in part.

[0103] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the RAN 200 may utilize either DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to implement mobility and handover (i.e., the transfer of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may perform a handover or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, a UE 224 may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to the geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from a neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength or quality of its serving cell 202 for a given amount of time, the UE 224 may transmit a report message indicating this condition to its serving network access node 210. In response, UE 224 may receive the handover command, and the UE may undergo handover to cell 206 .

[0104] In a network configured for UL-based mobility, the UL reference signal from each UE can be used by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, network access nodes 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., a unified primary synchronization signal (PSS), a unified secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a unified physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the unified synchronization signals, derive carrier frequency and slot timing from these synchronization signals, and transmit uplink pilots or reference signals in response to the derived timing. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 224) can be received concurrently by two or more cells within the RAN 200 (e.g., network access nodes 210 and 214 / 216). Each of these cells may measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the network access nodes 210 and 214 / 216 and / or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE 224. As the UE 224 moves within the RAN 200, the RAN 200 may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signals transmitted by the UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the RAN 200 may handover the UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell with or without notifying the UE 224.

[0105] Although the synchronization signal transmitted by network access nodes 210, 212, and 214 / 216 may be uniform, the synchronization signal may not identify a specific cell, but may identify a zone including multiple cells operating on the same frequency and / or having the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next-generation communication networks implements an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network because the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network can be reduced.

[0106] In various implementations, the air interface in the RAN 200 may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum generally provides exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum by a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulator. Unlicensed spectrum provides shared use of a portion of the spectrum without the need for a government-granted license. While generally still subject to some technical regulations to access unlicensed spectrum, any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, where technical regulations or restrictions may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators and / or multiple radio access technologies (RATs). For example, a license holder of a portion of licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties, e.g., with access obtained under conditions determined by the appropriate license holder.

[0107] Each device communicating in the RAN 200 may utilize one or more multiplexing techniques and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of each device. For example, the 5G NR specification utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) to provide multiple access for UL transmissions from the UEs 222 and 224 to the network access node 210, and provides multiplexing for DL ​​transmissions from the network access node 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224. In addition, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification provides support for discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes and may be provided using time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), or other appropriate multiple access schemes. Furthermore, multiplexing of DL transmissions from network access node 210 to UEs 222 and 224 may be provided using time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

[0108] Each device in the RAN 200 may also utilize one or more duplexing algorithms. Duplexing refers to a point-to-point communication link in which both endpoints can communicate with each other in both directions. Full-duplex means that both endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex emulation is often achieved for wireless links using time division duplexing (TDD). In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using time division multiplexing. That is, in some scenarios, a channel is dedicated to transmission in one direction, while at other times, it is dedicated to transmission in the other direction, where the direction can change very quickly, for example, several times per time slot. In wireless links, full-duplex channels generally rely on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, as well as appropriate interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex emulation is often achieved for wireless links using frequency division duplexing (FDD) or space division duplexing (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within a paired spectrum). In SDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from each other using spatial division multiplexing (SDM). In other examples, full-duplex communication can be achieved within an unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplexing.

[0109] Will refer to Figure 3 Various aspects of the present disclosure are described using an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform schematically illustrated in FIG. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described below. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure may focus on OFDM links for clarity, it will be appreciated that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0110] Now refer to Figure 3 , illustrates an expanded view of an exemplary subframe 304 showing an OFDM resource grid 302. However, as one skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application may differ from the examples described herein depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction in units of OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction in units of subcarriers of a carrier.

[0111] Resource grid 304 can be used to schematically represent the time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple antenna ports available, a corresponding plurality of resource grids 304 may be available for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs) 306. An RE (which is 1 subcarrier x 1 symbol) is the smallest discrete portion of the time-frequency grid and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more information bits. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply as a resource block (RB) 308, which may contain any suitable number of contiguous subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include 12 subcarriers, independent of the parameter design used. In some examples, depending on the parameter design, an RB may include any suitable number of contiguous OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within this disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (such as RB 308) corresponds entirely to a single communication direction (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0112] A set of contiguous or non-contiguous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), subband, or bandwidth part (BWP). A set of subbands or BWPs may span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more subbands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Thus, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of resource grid 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest unit of resource that can be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the data rate for that UE. These RBs may be scheduled by a network access node (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or may be self-scheduled by the UE implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0113] In this illustration, RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, with some subcarriers illustrated above and below RB 308. In a given implementation, subframe 302 may have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 308. Furthermore, in this illustration, RB 308 is shown as occupying less than the entire duration of subframe 302, but this is merely one possible example.

[0114] Each 1ms subframe 302 may include one or more adjacent time slots. As an illustrative example, Figure 3In the example shown in , a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310. In some examples, a time slot may be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, with a nominal CP, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. Additional examples may include mini-slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). In some cases, these mini-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted using resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks may be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0115] The expanded view of one time slot 310 illustrates the time slot 310 including a control region 312 and a data region 314. Generally speaking, the control region 312 may carry control channels, while the data region 314 may carry data channels. Of course, a time slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The structure illustrated in is merely exemplary in nature and different slot structures may be utilized and may include one or more for each of the control region and the data region.

[0116] Although not in Figure 3 Although not illustrated in FIG, each RE 308 within an RB 306 may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including a control channel, a shared channel, a data channel, etc. Other REs 306 within an RB 308 may also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals may be used by a receiving device to perform channel estimation for the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within the RB 308.

[0117] In some examples, time slot 310 may be used for broadcast, multicast, groupcast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communications may refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a network access node, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or groupcast communications are delivered to multiple intended recipient devices. Unicast communications may refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to a single other device.

[0118] In the example of cellular communication over a cellular carrier via a Uu interface, for downlink transmissions, a scheduling entity (e.g., a network access node) may allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., within a control region 312) to carry downlink control information, including one or more downlink control channels (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)), to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including, but not limited to, power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters) for downlink and uplink transmissions, scheduling information, grants, and / or RE assignments. The PDCCH may further carry hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgements (ACKs) or negative acknowledgements (NACKs). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, wherein the integrity of packet transmissions may be verified on the receiving side for accuracy, for example, using any suitable integrity check mechanism, such as a checksum or cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK may be transmitted, while if it is not, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to the NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may enable chase combining, incremental redundancy, and the like.

[0119] The network access node may further allocate one or more REs 306 (e.g., in the control region 312 or the data region 314) to carry other DL signals, such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); a channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and a synchronization signal block (SSB). The SSB may be broadcast at regular intervals based on a periodicity (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 milliseconds). The SSB includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE may utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell.

[0120] The PBCH in the SSB may further include: a master information block (MIB), which includes various system information and parameters for decoding system information blocks (SIBs). The SIB may be, for example, system information type 1 (SystemInformationType1) (SIB1), which may include various additional system information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink parameter design), system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell barring indicator, cell reselection indicator, raster offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of remaining minimum system information (RMSI) transmitted in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The network access node may also transmit other system information (OSI).

[0121] In an UL transmission, a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) may utilize one or more REs 306 to carry UL control information (UCI) to a scheduling entity, the UL control information comprising one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). UCI may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include sounding reference signals (SRS) and uplink DMRS. In some examples, UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for a scheduling entity to schedule an uplink transmission. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity may transmit downlink control information (DCI), which may schedule resources for uplink packet transmission. UCI may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) (such as a CSI report), or any other suitable UCI.

[0122] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 (e.g., within the data region 314) may also be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for DL ​​transmissions or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for UL transmissions. In some examples, one or more REs 306 within the data region 314 may be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS.

[0123] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via a Proximity Services (ProSe) PC5 interface, the control region 312 of a time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), which includes sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiator (transmitter) sidelink device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) to a set of one or more other receiver sidelink devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). The data region 314 of the time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), which includes sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiator (transmitter) sidelink device within resources reserved by the transmitter sidelink device on the sidelink carrier via the SCI. Other information may further be transmitted on each RE 306 within the time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be transmitted from the receiver sidelink device to the transmitter sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the time slot 310. Additionally, one or more reference signals may be transmitted within slot 310, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS, and / or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0124] These physical channels are typically multiplexed and mapped onto transport channels for processing by the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. Transport channels carry blocks of information, referred to as transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which may correspond to the number of information bits, may be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of RBs in a given transmission.

[0125] Figure 4 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a downlink (DL) channel within a 5G New Radio (NR) subframe according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In this example (e.g., for slot configuration 0), each slot may include 14 symbols. The first arrowed line indicates a subset of the system bandwidth RB 402 (e.g., Figure 3 In some examples, the symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols.

[0126] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) 404 may carry DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE may include nine resource element (RE) groups (REGs), where each REG may include four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0127] A primary synchronization signal (PSS) 406 is shown in symbol 2 of the subframe. The PSS 406 can be used by the UE to determine subframe and symbol timing and the physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) 408 is shown in symbol 4 of the subframe. The SSS 408 can be used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 410 carrying a master information block (MIB) as discussed herein can be logically grouped with the PSS 406 and SSS 408 to form an SS / PBCH block 412. The MIB can indicate the number of RBs in the system bandwidth, the system frame number (SFN), and other information. As indicated by the second arrowed line, the length of the SS / PBCH block 412 in this example is 20 RBs 414.

[0128] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 416 carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted via the PBCH (such as system information blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages. In addition, in some examples, the PDSCH 416 may carry DCI (eg, control related information).

[0129] The MIB in the PBCH may include system information (SI), along with parameters for decoding system information blocks (SIBs). In some examples, this SIB is a system information type 1 SIB (referred to as SIB1) that includes additional SI. Examples of SI conveyed in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing, system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), and search space for SIB1. Examples of SI conveyed in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum SI for initial access.

[0130] The following briefly discusses the initial access procedure for UEs using the above information. As discussed above, the network access node can transmit synchronization signals (e.g., including PSS and SSS) in the network to enable the UE to synchronize with the network access node, and transmit SI (e.g., including MIB, RMSI, and OSI) to facilitate initial network access. The network access node can transmit PSS, SSS, and / or MIB via SSB on the PBCH, and can broadcast RMSI and / or OSI on the PDSCH.

[0131] A UE attempting to access the RAN can perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS of a network access node from the RAM (e.g., the PSS of the cell of the network access node). The PSS enables the UE to synchronize with the periodic timing of the network access node and can indicate the physical layer identity value assigned to the cell. The UE can also receive the SSS from the network access node, which enables the UE to synchronize with the cell at the radio frame level. The SSS also provides a cell identity value, which the UE can combine with the physical layer identity value to identify the cell.

[0132] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE may receive SI from the network access node. System information may take the form of the MIB and SIB discussed above. System information includes necessary or critical information for the UE to access the network, such as downlink (DL) channel configuration information, uplink (UL) channel configuration information, access class information, and cell barring information, as well as other less critical information. The MIB may include SI for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE may receive RMSI and / or OSI.

[0133] SI includes the functions that enable the UE to determine how to perform calls to the RAN (e.g. Figure 2 RAN 200). In some examples, SIB2 includes random access configuration information (e.g., RACH configuration), which indicates the resources to be used by the UE to communicate with the RAN during initial access. The random access configuration information may indicate, for example, the resources allocated by the RAN for a PRACH procedure. For example, the RACH configuration may indicate the resources allocated by the network for the UE to transmit a PRACH preamble and receive a random access response. In some examples, the RACH configuration identifies a monitoring opportunity (MO) that specifies a set of symbols (e.g., in a PRACH slot) scheduled by the network access node for the PRACH procedure. The RACH configuration may also indicate the size of a random access response window during which the UE is to monitor for a response to the PRACH preamble. In some examples, the RACH configuration may further specify that the random access response window starts a specific number of subframes after the end of the PRACH preamble. After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE may then perform a random access procedure for initial access to the RAN.

[0134] Figure 4 FIG4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G NR subframe. In this example (e.g., for slot configuration 0), each slot may include 14 symbols. The first arrowed line indicates a subset of the system bandwidth RB 402 (e.g., Figure 3In some examples, the symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols.

[0135] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) 404 may carry DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE may include nine resource element (RE) groups (REGs), where each REG may include four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0136] A primary synchronization signal (PSS) 406 is shown in symbol 2 of the subframe. The PSS 406 can be used by the UE to determine subframe and symbol timing and the physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) 408 is shown in symbol 4 of the subframe. The SSS 408 can be used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) 410 carrying a master information block (MIB) as discussed herein can be logically grouped with the PSS 406 and SSS 408 to form an SS / PBCH block 412. The MIB can indicate the number of RBs in the system bandwidth, the system frame number (SFN), and other information. As indicated by the second arrowed line, the length of the SS / PBCH block 412 in this example is 20 RBs 414.

[0137] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 416 carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted via the PBCH (such as system information blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages. In addition, in some examples, the PDSCH 416 may carry DCI (eg, control related information).

[0138] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system supporting beamforming and / or multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communication according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects of the present disclosure, a scheduling entity and / or a scheduled entity may be configured for beamforming and / or MIMO technology. In a MIMO system, a transmitter 502 includes multiple transmit antennas 504 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and a receiver 506 includes multiple receive antennas 508 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N×M signal paths 510 from the transmit antennas 504 to the receive antennas 508. Each of the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506 may be implemented, for example, in a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or any other suitable wireless communication device.

[0139] The use of such multi-antenna technology enables the wireless communication system 500 to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to transmit different data streams (also referred to as layers) simultaneously on the same time-frequency resources. These data streams can be transmitted to a single UE to increase the data rate or to multiple UEs to increase the total system capacity, the latter being called multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data streams by different weights and phase shifts) and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE with different spatial signatures that enable each UE to recover one or more data streams intended for that UE. On the uplink, each UE transmits a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the network access node to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0140] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the rank of the transmission. In general, the rank of a MIMO system (e.g., a wireless communication system 500 supporting MIMO) is limited to the lower of the number of transmit or receive antennas 504 or 508. Additionally, the channel conditions at the UE and other considerations (such as the available resources at the network access node) may also affect the transmission rank. For example, the rank (and therefore, the number of data streams) assigned to a particular UE on the downlink may be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) transmitted from the UE to the network access node. The RI may be determined based on the antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and the measured signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) on each receive antenna. The RI may indicate, for example, the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The network access node may use the RI together with resource information (e.g., available resources and the amount of data to be scheduled for the UE) to assign a transmission rank to the UE.

[0141] In a time division duplex (TDD) system, UL and DL are reciprocal, with each using different time slots of the same frequency bandwidth. Therefore, in a TDD system, the network access node can assign a rank for DL ​​MIMO transmission based on UL SINR measurements (e.g., based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) or other pilot signal transmitted from the UE). Based on the assigned rank, the network access node can then transmit a CSI-RS using a separate channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) sequence for each layer to provide multi-layer channel estimation. Based on the CSI-RS, the UE can measure the channel quality across layers and resource blocks and feed back a channel quality indicator (CQI) and rank indicator (RI) value to the network access node for use in updating the rank and assigning REs for future downlink transmissions.

[0142] In one example, if Figure 5 , a rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration transmits one data stream from each of transmit antennas 504. Each data stream follows a different signal path in signal paths 510 to each receive antenna 508. Receiver 506 can then reconstruct the data streams using the signals received from each of receive antennas 508.

[0143] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at a transmitter 502 or a receiver 506 to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitter 502 and the receiver 506. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals communicated via antennas 504 or 508 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array) so that some of these signals experience constructive interference and other signals experience destructive interference. To create the desired constructive / destructive interference, the transmitter 502 or the receiver 506 can apply amplitude and / or phase offsets to the signals transmitted or received from each of the antennas 502 or 506 associated with the transmitter 504 or the receiver 508.

[0144] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, particularly for systems above 6 GHz or mmWave, beamformed signals can be used for most downlink channels, including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Additionally, broadcast control information (such as SSBs, slot format indicators (SFIs), and paging information) can be transmitted in a swept beam pattern so that all scheduled entities (UEs) within the coverage area of ​​a transmit and receive point (TRP) (e.g., a gNB) can receive the broadcast control information. Furthermore, for UEs equipped with beamforming antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used for uplink channels, including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). However, it should be understood that beamformed signals can also be used by enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) gNBs for sub-6 GHz systems.

[0145] A network access node (e.g., a gNB) may generally be capable of communicating with a UE using transmit beams (e.g., downlink transmit beams) of varying beamwidths. For example, the network access node may be configured to utilize a wider beam when communicating with a UE in motion and a narrower beam when communicating with a stationary UE. The UE may further be configured to utilize one or more downlink receive beams to receive signals from the network access node.

[0146] In some examples, to select one or more serving beams (e.g., one or more downlink transmit beams and one or more downlink receive beams) for communicating with a UE, the network access node may transmit a reference signal, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), a tracking reference signal (TRS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), on each of the multiple beams (e.g., on each of the multiple downlink transmit beams) in a beam-sweeping manner. The UE may measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) on each beam (e.g., measure the RSRP on each of the multiple downlink transmit beams) and transmit a beam measurement report to the network access node, the beam measurement report indicating the layer 1 RSRP (L-1 RSRP) of each of the measured beams. The network access node may then select one or more serving downlink beams (e.g., a downlink transmit beam and a downlink receive beam) for communicating with the UE based on the beam measurement report. The resulting selected downlink transmit beam and downlink receive beam may form a downlink beam pair link. In other examples, when the channel is reciprocal, the network access node may derive specific beam(s) for communicating with the UE (e.g., specific downlink beam(s)) based on uplink measurements of one or more uplink reference signals, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0147] Similarly, an uplink beam (e.g., uplink transmit beam(s) at the UE and uplink receive beam(s) at the network access node) may be selected by measuring the RSRP of a received uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) or downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) during uplink or downlink beam sweeping. For example, the network access node may determine the uplink beam by uplink beam management at the network access node measured via SRS beam sweeping or by downlink beam management at the UE measured via SSB / CSI-RS beam sweeping. The selected uplink beam may be indicated by a selected SRS resource (e.g., a time-frequency resource for transmission of the SRS) when uplink beam management is implemented, or by a selected SSB / CSI-RS resource when downlink beam management is implemented. For example, the selected SSB / CSI-RS resource may have a spatial relationship with the selected uplink transmit beam (e.g., an uplink transmit beam for PUCCH, SRS, and / or PUSCH). The resulting selected uplink transmit beam and uplink receive beam may form an uplink beam-pair link.

[0148] Figure 6is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a radio access network (RAN) node (e.g., a network access node 604) and a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE 602) using beamformed signals according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network access node 604 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. Any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). UE 602 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0149] exist Figure 6 In the illustrated example, the network access node 604 is configured to generate multiple beams 606a-606h, each associated with a different beam direction. Additionally, the UE 602 is configured to generate multiple beams 608a-608e, each associated with a different beam direction. The network access node 604 and the UE 602 may use a downlink beam management scheme and / or an uplink beam management scheme to select one or more beams 606a-606h on the network access node 604 and one or more beams 608a-608e on the UE 602 for communicating uplink and downlink signals therebetween.

[0150] In an example of a downlink beam management scheme for selecting downlink beams, the network access node 604 may be configured to sweep or transmit on each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams 606a–606h during one or more synchronization time slots. For example, the network access node 604 may transmit a reference signal (such as an SSB or CSI-RS) on each beam in a different beam direction during the synchronization time slot. The transmission of beam reference signals may occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via radio resource control (RRC) signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNB via downlink control information (DCI)). It should be noted that while some beams are illustrated as being adjacent to each other, such an arrangement may differ in different aspects. For example, downlink transmit beams 606a–606h transmitted during the same symbol may not be adjacent to each other. In some examples, the network access node 604 may transmit more or fewer beams distributed in all directions (eg, 360 degrees).

[0151] In addition, the UE 602 is configured to receive downlink beam reference signals on a plurality of downlink receive beams 608a-608e. In some examples, the UE 602 searches for and identifies each of the downlink transmit beams 606a-606h based on the beam reference signals. The UE 602 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the downlink receive beams 608a-608e to determine the respective beam quality of each of the downlink transmit beams 606a-606h, as measured on each of the downlink receive beams 608a-608e.

[0152] UE 602 may generate and transmit a beam measurement report to network access node 604, including a corresponding beam index for each downlink transmit beam 606a-606h and beam measurements for each downlink transmit beam 606a-606h on each downlink receive beam 608a-608e. Network access node 604 may then select one or more downlink transmit beams on which to transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to UE 602. In some examples, the selected downlink transmit beam(s) have the highest gain from the beam measurement report. In some examples, UE 602 may further identify the downlink transmit beam selected by the network access node from the beam measurements. Transmission of the beam measurement report may occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via MAC-CE signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., triggered by the gNB via DCI).

[0153] The network access node 604 or the UE 602 may further select a corresponding downlink receive beam on the UE 602 for each selected serving downlink transmit beam to form a corresponding downlink beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving downlink transmit beam. For example, the UE 602 may utilize beam measurements to select a corresponding downlink receive beam for each serving downlink transmit beam. In some examples, the selected downlink receive beam to be paired with a particular downlink transmit beam may have the highest gain for that particular downlink transmit beam.

[0154] In one example, a single downlink transmit beam (e.g., beam 606d) on the network access node 604 and a single downlink receive beam (e.g., beam 608c) on the UE may form a single downlink BPL for communication between the network access node 602 and the UE 602. In another example, multiple downlink transmit beams (e.g., beams 606c, 606d, and 606e) on the network access node 604 and a single downlink receive beam (e.g., beam 608c) on the UE 602 may form respective downlink BPLs used for communication between the network access node 604 and the UE 602. In another example, multiple downlink transmit beams (e.g., beams 606c, 606d, and 606e) on the network access node 604 and multiple downlink receive beams (e.g., beams 608c and 608d) on the UE 602 may form respective downlink BPLs used for communication between the network access node 604 and the UE 602. In this example, a first downlink BPL may include a downlink transmit beam 606c and a downlink receive beam 608c, a second downlink BPL may include a downlink transmit beam 608d and a downlink receive beam 608c, and a third downlink BPL may include a downlink transmit beam 608e and a downlink receive beam 608d.

[0155] When the channel is reciprocal, the downlink beam management scheme described above can also be used to select one or more uplink beams for uplink communication from UE 602 to network access node 604. For example, the downlink beam formed by beam 606d and beam 608e can also serve as an uplink beam. Here, beam 608c is used as an uplink transmit beam, while beam 606d is used as an uplink receive beam.

[0156] In an example of uplink beam management, the UE 602 may be configured to sweep or transmit on each of a plurality of uplink transmit beams 608a-608e. For example, the UE 602 may transmit an SRS on each beam in a different beam direction. In addition, the network access node 604 may be configured to receive uplink beam reference signals on a plurality of uplink receive beams 606a-606h. In some examples, the network access node 604 searches for and identifies each of the uplink transmit beams 608a-608e based on the beam reference signals. The network access node 604 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the uplink receive beams 606a-606h to determine the corresponding beam quality of each of the uplink transmit beams 608a-608e, as measured on each of the receive beams 606a-606h.

[0157] The network access node 604 may then select one or more uplink transmit beams on which the UE 602 will transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to the network access node 604. In some examples, the selected uplink transmit beam(s) have the highest gain. The network access node 604 may further select a corresponding uplink receive beam with respect to the network access node 604 for each selected serving uplink transmit beam to form a corresponding uplink beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving uplink transmit beam. For example, the network access node 604 may utilize beam measurements to select a corresponding uplink receive beam for each serving uplink transmit beam. In some examples, the selected uplink receive beam to be paired with a particular uplink transmit beam may have the highest gain for that particular uplink transmit beam.

[0158] The network access node 604 may then notify the UE 602 of the selected uplink transmit beam. For example, the network access node 604 may provide an SRS resource identifier (ID) that identifies the SRS to be transmitted on the selected uplink transmit beam. In some examples, the network access node 604 may apply each selected uplink transmit beam (and corresponding uplink receive beam) to an uplink signal (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, etc.) and transmit to the UE 602 the corresponding SRS resource ID associated with the selected uplink transmit beam applied to each uplink signal. When the channel is reciprocal, the uplink beam management scheme described above may also be used to select one or more downlink BPLs for downlink communication from the network access node 604 to the UE 602. For example, an uplink BPL may also be used as a downlink BPL.

[0159] Refer to above Figures 1 to 6 The channels or carriers described in are not necessarily all of the channels or carriers that can be utilized between the scheduling entity and the scheduled entity, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers can be utilized in addition to those channels or carriers illustrated, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

[0160] In some wireless communication networks, the functionality of a network access node and / or other components of the network may be distributed across multiple entities. Figure 7is a schematic diagram providing a high-level illustration of an example of an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network 702, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In this illustration, a wireless communication network 700 (including the IAB network 702) is coupled to a remote network 704 (such as a primary backhaul network or a mobile core network). In such an IAB network 702, wireless spectrum can be used for both access links and backhaul links. In some examples, the wireless spectrum can utilize millimeter wave (mmWave) or sub-6 GHz carrier frequencies.

[0161] The IAB network 702 may be similar to Figure 2 As shown in the RAN 200, an IAB network 702 may be divided into a number of cells 706, 708, 710, 712, and 714, each of which may be served by a corresponding IAB node 716, 718, 720, 722, and 724. Each of the IAB nodes 716-724 may be an access point, a network access node (BS), a base station (BS), an eNB, a gNB, or other node that utilizes wireless spectrum (e.g., radio frequency (RF) spectrum) to support access by one or more UEs located in the cells 706-714 served by the IAB nodes 716-724.

[0162] exist Figure 7 In the example shown in FIG, IAB node 716 communicates with UEs 726 and 728 via wireless access links 730 and 732, IAB node 718 communicates with UE 734 via wireless access link 736, and IAB node 722 communicates with UE 738 via wireless access link 740. IAB nodes 716-724 are further interconnected via one or more wireless backhaul links 742, 744, 746, 748, 750, and 752. Each of the wireless backhaul links 742-752 can utilize the same wireless spectrum (e.g., radio frequency (RF) spectrum) as access links 730, 732, 736, 740 to backhaul access traffic to / from remote network 704. This can be referred to as wireless self-backhauling. Such wireless self-backhauling can enable the rapid and easy deployment of highly dense small cell networks. That is, rather than requiring each new gNB deployment to be equipped with its own hardwired backhaul connection, the wireless spectrum used for communications between gNBs and UEs may be used for backhaul communications between any number of IAB nodes to form the IAB network 702.

[0163] exist Figure 7In the example shown in , IAB node 716 communicates with IAB node 720 via wireless backhaul link 742, IAB node 720 communicates with IAB node 722 via wireless backhaul link 744, IAB node 722 communicates with IAB node 724 via wireless backhaul link 746, IAB node 724 communicates with IAB node 718 via wireless backhaul link 748, IAB node 718 communicates with IAB node 716 via wireless backhaul link 750, and IAB node 718 communicates with IAB node 720 via wireless backhaul link 752. Figure 7 As shown in FIG, each of the IAB nodes 716-724 may be connected to two or more other IAB nodes via respective wireless backhaul links 742-752 for robustness.

[0164] Some or all of the IAB nodes 716-724 may also be connected via wired backhaul links (e.g., fiber optic, coaxial cable, Ethernet, copper wire, etc.) and / or microwave backhaul links. Thus, the IAB network 702 may support both wired / microwave and wireless backhaul traffic. At least one of these IAB nodes may be a border IAB node, also referred to herein as an IAB donor node, which also provides a communication link 754 to the remote network 704. The IAB node 724 is an example of an IAB donor node. For example, the IAB node 724 may include a wired (e.g., fiber optic, coaxial cable, Ethernet, copper wire), microwave, or other suitable communication link 754 to the remote network 704.

[0165] To facilitate wireless communications between IAB nodes 716-724 and between IAB nodes 724-724 and UEs served by IAB nodes 716-724, each of IAB nodes 724-724 can be configured to operate as both a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity. Thus, an IAB node (e.g., IAB node 716) can utilize the same wireless spectrum to transmit access traffic to / from the UE and then backhaul that access traffic to / from the remote network 704. For example, to backhaul access traffic to / from IAB node 718, IAB node 718 can communicate with IAB node 720 to transmit the backhaul access traffic via wireless backhaul link 742, IAB node 720 can communicate with IAB node 722 to transmit the backhaul access traffic via wireless backhaul link 744, and IAB node 722 can communicate with IAB node 724 to transmit the backhaul access traffic via wireless backhaul link 746. In this example, IAB nodes 720 and 722 may each operate as a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity to backhaul access traffic to / from IAB node 716. As such, communications between an IAB node pair may be individually scheduled by one of the IAB nodes within the IAB node pair.

[0166] In other examples, an IAB node may schedule wireless backhaul communications between other IAB node pairs. For example, IAB node 724 may operate as a scheduling entity for IAB network 702, while IAB nodes 716, 720, and 722 each operate as a scheduled entity to backhaul access traffic to and from IAB node 716. In this example, IAB node 724 may schedule wireless backhaul communications between each IAB node pair (e.g., between IAB node 716 and IAB node 720, between IAB node 720 and IAB node 722, and between IAB node 722 and IAB node 724). As another example, IAB node 722 may serve as a scheduling entity to schedule wireless backhaul communications between IAB nodes 716 and 720, and also between IAB node 720 and IAB node 722. IAB node 722 may then operate as a scheduled entity to allow IAB node 724 to schedule wireless backhaul communications therebetween.

[0167] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 800 with communications between a network access node 802 and four UEs (a first UE 810, a second UE 814, a third UE 822, and a fourth UE 826) using beamformed signals in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The network access node 802 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. The four UEs (a first UE 810, a second UE 814, a third UE 822, and a fourth UE 826) may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entities, gNBs, base stations) shown in any of FIG. Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44. The first RF repeater device 806 and the second RF repeater device 818 may correspond to any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device). Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0168] exist Figure 8In the example shown, the network access node 802 can be configured to generate multiple beams 804a, 804b, each beam being associated with a different beam direction. Only two beams in two directions are shown to avoid confusing the drawing. The network access node 802 can transmit and / or receive on one or two beams in the multiple beams 804a, 804b. The corresponding beams in the multiple beams 804a, 804b can be directed to various angles (e.g., azimuth). The first UE 810 and / or the second UE 814 can each be at a certain distance from the network access node 802. Additionally or alternatively, there may be structures or obstacles (not shown) between the direct line of sight between the network access node 802 and the first UE 810 and / or between the network access node 802 and the second UE 814.

[0169] The first RF repeater device 806 may be located between the network access node 802 and the first UE 810 and / or between the network access node 802 and the second UE 814. The first RF repeater device 806 may have an omnidirectional beam 808 or may be custom configured to point a wide beam (not shown) in one direction without the need for steered beam capabilities.

[0170] The first UE 810 may have an omnidirectional beam 812. The second UE 814 may have an antenna array (not shown) that allows the second UE 814 to perform beamforming and steer the beam in various directions (e.g., azimuth). Beamforming may allow the second UE 814 to form a narrow directional beam 816 (one of multiple directional beams shown to avoid cluttering the drawing) in multiple directions, and / or form a wide directional beam (not shown) in multiple directions, and / or form an omnidirectional beam (not shown).

[0171] The first RF repeater device 806 can amplify and forward (e.g., transmit) RF signals exchanged between the first UE 810, the second UE 814, and the network access node 802. The amplification and forwarding can be bidirectional. The bidirectional link between the network access node 802 and the first RF repeater device 806 can be referred to as a fronthaul link. The bidirectional links between the first RF repeater device 806 and the first UE 810 and between the first RF repeater device 806 and the second UE 814 can each be referred to as an access link.

[0172] The second RF repeater device 818 may be located between the network access node 802 and the third UE 822 and / or between the network access node 802 and the fourth UE 826. The second RF repeater device 818 may have an omnidirectional beam or may be custom configured to point a wide beam (not shown) in one direction without the need for steered beam capability.

[0173] The third UE 822 may have an omnidirectional beam 824. The fourth UE 826 may have an antenna array (not shown) that allows the fourth UE 826 to perform beamforming and steer beams in various directions (e.g., azimuth). Beamforming may allow the fourth UE 826 to form a narrow directional beam 828 (one of multiple directional beams shown to avoid cluttering the drawing) in multiple directions, and / or form a wide directional beam (not shown) in multiple directions, and / or form an omnidirectional beam (not shown).

[0174] The second RF repeater device 818 can amplify and forward (e.g., convey) RF signals exchanged between the third UE 822, the fourth UE 826, and the network access node 802. The amplification and forwarding can be bidirectional. The bidirectional link between the network access node 802 and the second RF repeater device 818 can be referred to as a fronthaul link. The bidirectional link between the second RF repeater device 818 and the third UE 822 and the bidirectional link between the second RF repeater device 818 and the fourth UE 826 can each be referred to as an access link.

[0175] As described, the first RF repeater device 806 and the second RF repeater device 818 can each amplify and forward RF signals (e.g., analog signals in the physical (PHY) layer). The first RF repeater device 806 and the second RF repeater device 818 may be referred to herein as RF repeater devices, analog repeater devices, and / or layer 1 repeater devices. They can operate in the analog domain, receive RF signals via their respective omnidirectional beams 808, 820, pass RF signals through their RF amplifier chains (not shown), and transmit (e.g., forward) amplified RF signals via their respective omnidirectional beams 808, 820. One benefit of RF repeater devices (such as the first RF repeater device 806 and the second RF repeater device 818) can be low cost. RF repeater devices have analog RF chains and components and typically do not have digital processing chains. They may not have the ability to steer antenna beams. These RF repeater devices can be used for coverage / capacity enhancement in, for example, 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) deployments. However, millimeter wave communication systems are susceptible to blocking due to higher penetration loss and reduced diffraction. Densification of coverage can be useful in millimeter wave systems that may have a large number of nodes. Therefore, RF repeater devices (such as the first RF repeater device 806 and the second RF repeater device 818) can provide a cost-effective solution for densification in millimeter wave systems.

[0176] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of IAB node functionality within an IAB network 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 9In the example shown in FIG, an IAB node is shown coupled to a core network 904 via a wired connection. This IAB node may be referred to herein as an IAB donor node 902, which may be, for example, an enhanced gNB including functionality for controlling the IAB network 900. In some examples, the IAB donor node 902 may include a central unit (CU) 906 and a distributed unit (DU) 908. The CU 906 may be configured to operate as a centralized network node (or central entity) within the IAB network 900. For example, the CU 906 may include radio resource control (RRC) layer functionality and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functionality to control / configure other nodes within the IAB network 900 (e.g., IAB nodes and UEs). In some aspects, RRC signaling may be used for various functions, including, for example, setting up and releasing user data bearers. In some examples, RRC signaling messages may be transmitted over signaling bearers (e.g., SRB1 and SRB2).

[0177] The DU 908 may be configured to operate as a scheduling entity to schedule scheduled entities (e.g., other IAB nodes and UEs) of the IAB donor node 902. For example, the DU 908 of the IAB donor node 902 may operate as a scheduling entity to schedule IAB nodes 910 and 912 and UEs 914 and 916. Thus, the DU 908 of the IAB donor node 902 may schedule communications with the IAB nodes 910 and 912 via respective backhaul links, and schedule communications with the UEs 914 and 916 via respective access links. In some examples, the DU 908 may include radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functionality to enable operation as a scheduling entity.

[0178] Each of the IAB nodes 910 and 912 may be configured as a layer-2 (L2) relay node including a corresponding DU 920 and a mobile terminal (MT) unit 918, such that each L2 relay IAB node 910 and 912 can operate as a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity. For example, the MT unit 918 within each of the L2 relay IAB nodes 910 and 912 is configured to operate as a scheduled entity that can be scheduled by the IAB donor node 902. Each MT unit 918 within the L2 relay IAB nodes 910 and 912 may facilitate communication with the IAB donor node 902 via a corresponding backhaul link. Additionally, the DU 920 within each of the L2 relay IAB nodes 910 and 912 may operate similarly to the DU 908 within the IAB donor node 902 to act as a scheduling entity to schedule one or more corresponding scheduled entities (eg, other IAB nodes and / or UEs) of the L2 relay IAB nodes 910 and 912.

[0179] For example, the DU 920 of the L2 relay IAB node 912 may serve as a scheduling entity to schedule communications with the UE 922 via the access link, while the DU 920 of the L2 relay IAB node 910 may serve as a scheduling entity to schedule communications with the MT unit 918 of the L2 relay IAB nodes 926 and 926 via the corresponding backhaul links and communications with the UE 928 via the access link. Each of the L2 relay IAB nodes 924 and 926 may further include a corresponding DU 920, which may serve as a scheduling entity to communicate with the corresponding UEs 930 and 932. Thus, in Figure 9 In the network topology illustrated in FIG, since the IAB donor node 902 can be configured to control each other node in the IAB network, the IAB donor node 902 is the parent IAB node of the child IAB nodes 910, 912, 924, and 926. In addition, the IAB node 910 can further be the parent IAB node of the child IAB nodes 924 and 926. For example, the CU 906 and DU 908 within the IAB donor node 902 can serve as the parent IAB node of the child IAB nodes 910, 912, 924, and 926, while the DU 920 within the IAB node 910 can serve as the parent IAB node of the child IAB nodes 924 and 926. The MT unit 918 within the IAB nodes 910, 912, 924, and 926 can further serve as the child IAB node.

[0180] In a mobile IAB network, one or more of the L2 relay IAB nodes 910, 912, 924, and / or 926 may be moving within the IAB network 900. For example, the L2 relay IAB node (e.g., IAB node 924) may be a mobile IAB node installed on a bus, train, taxi, platoon vehicle, or other movable object.

[0181] In some examples, the IAB node can operate in Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network - New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) mode to simultaneously connect to an LTE network access node and an NR network access node to receive data packets from both the LTE network access node and the NR network access node.

[0182] As mentioned above, the functionality of a network access node and / or other components of the network may be distributed across multiple entities. Figure 101 is a diagram providing a high-level illustration of an example of a network configuration including an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In this illustration, a network entity, such as a network access node 1002 (e.g., a BS, eNB, gNB), may be coupled to a remote network 1004, such as a primary backhaul network or a mobile core network. In the wireless communication network 1000, wireless spectrum may be used for a forward link 1006 between the network access node 1002 and a relay device 1008 and for an access link 1010 between the relay device 1008 and a UE 1012. As described in the examples herein, a relay device, such as relay device 1008, may also be referred to as a relay, a relay device, etc. The forward link 1006 and the access link 1010 may each be performed over a Uu radio interface or some other suitable wireless communication interface. In some examples, the wireless spectrum may utilize millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz carrier frequencies.

[0183] The wireless communication network 1000 may include other network access nodes, UEs, and relay devices (not shown). The network access node 1002 and other network access nodes may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. The relay device 1008 and other relay devices may correspond to any relay device described herein, such as, for example, Figure 7-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. UE 1012 and other UEs may be similar to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44 (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device).

[0184] exist Figure 10In the example of FIG, a network access node 1002 (e.g., a network access node) may be referred to as a donor node because the network access node 1002 provides a communication link to the remote network 1004. The donor node may include a wired (e.g., fiber optic, coaxial cable, Ethernet, copper wire), microwave, or another suitable link to the remote network 1004. The donor node may broadcast (e.g., transmit, broadcast, unicast, multicast) different sets of control information (e.g., configurations, configuration settings, configuration information) specific to a repeater device (hereinafter referred to as "repeater device control information") in respective different angular directions. Respective repeater devices arranged in respective different angular directions relative to the donor node may receive respective sets of repeater device control information broadcast in respective different angular directions occupied by the respective repeater devices. According to some aspects, the donor node may broadcast different sets of respective repeater device control information (e.g., configurations, configuration settings, configuration information) in two or more different respective directions relative to the network access node.

[0185] The network access node 1002 may be an enhanced gNB that includes functionality for controlling the wireless communication network 1000. In some examples (e.g., Figure 10 ), the network access node 1002 may include a central unit (CU) 1014 and a distributed unit (DU) 1016. The CU 1014 may be configured to operate as a centralized network node (or central entity) within the wireless communication network 1000. For example, the CU 1014 may include radio resource control (RRC) layer functionality and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functionality to control / configure other nodes (e.g., relay devices and UEs) within the wireless communication network 1000. In some aspects, RRC signaling may be used for various functions, including, for example, setting up and releasing user data bearers. In some examples, RRC signaling messages may be transmitted on signaling bearers (e.g., SRB1 and SRB2).

[0186] DU 1016 may be configured to operate as a scheduling entity to schedule scheduled entities (e.g., relay devices and / or UEs) of network access node 1002. For example, DU 1016 may operate as a scheduling entity to schedule relay device 1008 and UE 1012. In some examples, DU 1016 may include radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functionality to enable operation as a scheduling entity.

[0187] The F1 interface (not shown) provides a mechanism for interconnecting the CU 1014 (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) and the DU 1016 (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers). In some aspects, the F1 interface can provide control plane and user plane functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC messaging, etc.). The F1AP is an application protocol for the F1 interface, which in some examples defines the signaling procedures for the F1 interface. The F1 interface supports F1-C on the control plane and F1-U on the user plane.

[0188] To facilitate wireless communication between the network access node 1002 and a UE (e.g., UE 1012) served by the network access node 1002, the relay device 1008 may be configured to operate as a scheduled entity. The relay device 1008 may include a mobile terminal (MT) unit 1018 to implement the scheduled entity functionality. For example, the MT unit 1018 may include UE functionality connected to the network access node 1002 and scheduled by the network access node 1002.

[0189] The repeater device 1008 may also include a repeating unit 1020 (RU) that relays signals between the network access node 1002 and the UE 1012. A repeating unit such as the repeating unit 1020 may also be referred to as a relay unit, a remote unit, etc. The functionality of the repeating unit 1020 and other repeater device functionalities will be discussed below. Figure 2-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40 are described in more detail.

[0190] Figure 11 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio protocol architecture 1100 in a control plane according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The radio protocol architecture 1100 may be a radio protocol architecture for a 5G wireless system. The radio protocol stack may be implemented in a device operating in a 5G wireless network. Figure 11 The control plane protocol stacks of the network access node 1102, the relay device 1114, and the UE 1130 are depicted. The network access node 1102 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. Any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). UE 1130 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44. The relay device 1114 may correspond to any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device). Figure 7-21, 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. Figure 11 As illustrated in FIG, the radio protocol architecture 1100 includes three layers: Layer 1 (L1), Layer 2 (L2), and Layer 3 (L3). L1 1142 is the lowest layer, L2 1144 is above L1 1142, and L3 1146 is above L2 1144.

[0191] With respect to the repeater device 1114, the implementation of the protocol stack may be divided between a relay unit (RU) 1118 in L1 1142 and a mobile terminal (MT) 1116 in L2 1144 and L3 1146. In L1 1142, the PHY layer 1120 of the RU 1118 may operate as a relay, relaying modulated RF analog signals (e.g., digital content on an analog carrier) in both uplink and downlink directions between the physical (PHY) layer 1104 of the network access node 1102 and the PHY layer 1132 of the UE 1130.

[0192] There are at least two types of relay procedures that can be used by the relay device 1114 to relay traffic (e.g., user data signals and control signals) between the network access node 1102 and the UE 1130 through the relay device 1114. The first relay procedure can be referred to as a layer 1 relay procedure, which can be implemented by a layer 1 relay. The second relay procedure can be referred to as a layer 2 relay procedure. The referenced layer is an indication of the layer of the protocol stack used to organize data flows within and between devices. An example of a protocol stack can be a 5G protocol stack, which has a physical layer as its lowest layer, also referred to as layer 1.

[0193] According to various aspects described herein, the repeater device 1114 can be configured as a layer 1 relay that operates according to layer 1 relay procedures. When operating as a layer 1 relay, the repeater device 1114 can receive a signal as a modulated RF waveform at a receiver coupled to a receive antenna array, amplify the signal, and retransmit the signal from a transmitter coupled to a transmit antenna array. Therefore, a layer 1 relay can be referred to as an amplify-and-forward relay. Generally speaking, a layer 1 relay may not require a large amount of upper layer functionality to perform amplify-and-forward type functions and may be less complex and less costly than a layer 2 relay.

[0194] A repeater device, such as the repeater device 1114, may be configured to operate as a layer 2 relay. When operating as a layer 2 relay, the repeater device 1114 may receive a signal as a modulated RF waveform at a receiver coupled to a receive antenna array, demodulate and decode the signal to obtain a digital representation of the signal, re-encode and re-modulate the signal, amplify, and then forward the signal from a transmitter coupled to a transmit antenna array. Thus, a layer 2 relay may be referred to as a decode-and-forward type relay. Generally speaking, a layer 2 relay is more complex than a layer 1 relay and may require a greater amount of upper layer functionality (compared to a layer 1 relay) to perform decode-and-forward type operations. Thus, a layer 2 relay may be more complex and costly than a layer 1 relay.

[0195] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the repeater device 1114 may be configured as, and referred to as, a smart repeater device. A smart repeater device may apply some upper layer functionality to a layer 1 relay, but may not provide the level of functionality that would otherwise be required when operating as a layer 2 relay. For example, while a smart repeater device may not use higher level functionality to demodulate, decode, encode, and remodulate signals, the smart repeater device may use this higher level functionality in conjunction with various synchronization signal block (SSB) information and transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states to sense the channel, implement MIMO functionality, select various beams, and may adjust the transmit power of a modulated RF waveform being amplified and forwarded by the relay unit 1118 of the smart repeater device.

[0196] In the control plane, the various layers of each of the network access node 1102, the relay device 1114, and the UE 1130 are similar and will be described once to avoid repetition. These layers include the PHY layer 1104, 1120, 1132 at the L1 layer 1142; the medium access control (MAC) layer 1106, 1122, 1134, the radio link control (RLC) layer 1108, 1124, 1136, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer 1110, 1126, 1138 at the L2 layer 1144; and the RRC layer 1112, 1128, 1140 at the L3 layer 1146.

[0197] The PHY layers 1104, 1120, 1132 may be responsible for transmitting and receiving data on physical channels (e.g., within time slots). A MAC SDU may be placed within a MAC PDU for transmission to the PHY layers 1104, 1120, 1132 on transport channels. The PHY context may indicate the transport format and radio resource configuration (e.g., bandwidth part (BWP), parameter design, etc.). Functions of the PHY layers 1104, 1120, 1132 may include, for example, error detection on transport channels and indication to higher layers, forward error correction encoding / decoding of transport channels, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) soft combining, rate matching of coded transport channels to physical channels, mapping of coded transport channels to physical channels, power weighting of physical channels, modulation and demodulation of physical channels, frequency and time synchronization, radio characteristic measurements and indication to higher layers, MIMO antenna processing, transmit diversity, digital and analog beamforming, and RF processing.

[0198] The MAC layer 1106, 1122, 1134 can provide services to upper layers and obtain services from the PHY layer 1104, 1120, 1132. The PHY layer 1104, 1120, 1132 provides transport channels to the MAC layer 1106, 1122, 1134 to support the transmission of services for data transfer over the radio interface. The MAC layer 1106, 1122, 1134 provides logical channels to the RLC layer 1108, 1124, 1136. Logical channels exist between the MAC and PHY layers, while transport channels exist between the PHY and radio layers. Therefore, the MAC layer 1106, 1122, 1134 can be the interface between higher-layer logical channels and PHY layer transport channels. The functions of the MAC layer 1106, 1122, 1134 may include, for example, beam management random access procedures, mapping between logical and transport channels, and concatenating multiple MAC SDUs belonging to a logical channel into a transport block (TB).

[0199] The RLC layer 1108, 1124, 1136 may provide segmentation and reassembly of upper layer data packets, error correction via automatic repeat request (ARQ), and sequence numbering independent of PDCP sequence numbering. The RLC context may indicate whether an acknowledgement mode (e.g., using a reordering timer) or a non-acknowledgement mode is used for the RLC layer 1108, 1124, 1136.

[0200] The PDCP layers 1110, 1126, and 1138 may provide packet sequence numbering, in-order delivery of packets, retransmission of PDCP protocol data units (PDUs), and delivery of upper-layer data packets to lower layers. PDUs may include, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) packets, Ethernet frames, and other unstructured data (i.e., machine-type communications (MTC), hereinafter collectively referred to as "packets"). The PDCP layers 1110, 1126, and 1138 may also provide header compression for upper-layer data packets to reduce radio transmission overhead, security by encrypting data packets, and integrity protection for data packets. The PDCP context may indicate whether PDCP duplication is used for, for example, a unicast connection.

[0201] The RRC layers 1112, 1128, and 1140 of the L3 layer 1146 may be responsible for establishing and configuring signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs) between the network access node 1102 and the UE 1130 and / or between the network access node 1102 and the relay device 1114, paging initiated by the 5G core network (5GC) or the next generation RAN (NG-RAN), and broadcasting system information related to the access stratum (AS) and non-access stratum (NAS). The RRC layers 1112, 1128, and 1140 may further be responsible for QoS management, mobility management (e.g., handover, cell selection, inter-RAT mobility), UE 1130 measurement and reporting, and security functions.

[0202] In the user plane (not shown), the radio protocol architecture of the network access node 1102, the relay device 1114, and the UE 1130 is substantially similar for the L1 layer 1142 and the L2 layer 1144 and will not be repeated to avoid repetition. The user plane protocol stack does not include the RRC layers 1112, 1128, 1140. The user plane protocol stack does include, for example, a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer (not shown) in the L3 layer 1146. The SDAP layer (not shown) can provide mapping between 5G Core (5GC) Quality of Service (QoS) flows and data radio bearers and perform QoS flow ID marking in both downlink and uplink packets.

[0203] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication network 1200 including a network access node 1202, a relay device 1204, and a UE 1206 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network access node 1202 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. Any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station) shown in any of the above. The relay device 1204 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. UE 1206 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0204] Compared to other types of radio waves used for communication (e.g., sub-6 GHz communications), millimeter wave communications have higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths. Therefore, millimeter wave communications may have a shorter propagation distance and may be more easily blocked by obstacles than other types of radio waves. For example, wireless communications using sub-6 GHz radio waves may be able to penetrate the walls of a building or structure to provide coverage from a network access node that uses sub-6 GHz radio waves to communicate to an area on the opposite side of the wall. However, millimeter waves may not be able to penetrate the same wall (e.g., depending on the thickness of the wall, the material that the wall is composed of, etc.). Therefore, repeater devices can be used to increase the coverage area of ​​a network access node, extend coverage to UEs that do not have line of sight to the network access node (e.g., due to obstacles), and the like.

[0205] For example, obstacles between the UE and the network access node may block or otherwise reduce the quality of the link between the network access node and the UE. However, the relay device can be placed so that there are no obstacles or few obstacles between the relay device and the UE and between the relay device and the network access node. Therefore, the communication between the network access node and the UE via the relay device can have a higher quality than direct communication between the network access node and the UE.

[0206] In some examples, the relay device can perform directional communication by using beamforming to communicate with a network access node via a first beam pair (e.g., a forward link beam pair) and communicate with a UE via a second beam pair (e.g., an access link beam pair). The term "beam pair" can refer to a transmit (Tx) beam used by a first device for transmission and a receive (Rx) beam used by a second device for receiving information transmitted by the first device via the Tx beam.

[0207] refer to Figure 12 , the repeater device 1204 includes an MT unit 1208 and a RU 1210, as described above Figure 10 and 11As discussed. The MT unit 1208 can communicate with the network access node 1202 via a forward link. In some examples, the forward link can implement a Uu interface with reduced functionality, which can be modified to support repeater device functionality. The forward link can provide a control path 1212 between the MT unit 1208 and the network access node 1202 (e.g., a DU in the network access node 1202, not shown). In some examples, the control path 1212 can carry UL and DL signals to configure the repeater device 1204. The control path 1212 can be implemented using a relatively small bandwidth portion (BWP) within the band, where these BWPs are allocated for UL transmissions and / or DL ​​transmissions between the network access node 1202 and the UE 1206. In some examples, the forward link can operate in the FR2 frequency range.

[0208] RU 1210 can provide relay (e.g., receiving, amplifying, and transmitting) functionality to enable signals from network access node 1202 to reach UE 1206 and / or enable signals from UE 1206 to reach network access node 1202. In some examples, RU 1210 can be an analog pass-through device (e.g., without store and forward capability). In other examples, RU 1210 can include store and forward functionality. Signals to and from network access node 1202 can be carried as data on outbound link 1216 and access link 1218. Access link 1218 provides a data path that carries analog UL signals and DL signals to and from UE 1206. In some examples, access link 1218 can operate in the FR2 frequency range.

[0209] The RU 1210 and access link 1218 can be controlled by the network access node 1202 (e.g., a DU in the network access node 1202, not shown). For example, the network access node 1202 can schedule UL transmissions and DL transmissions on the access link 1218 (e.g., by transmitting control information to the UE 1206). In addition, the network access node 1202 can control the operation of the RU 1210 through the MT unit 1208. For example, the network access node 1202 can configure the MT unit 1208 via the control path 1212 described above so that the MT unit 1208 configures the RU 1210. To this end, the MT unit 1208 can generate control signaling carried by the control signaling path 1214 for controlling the operation of the RU 1210.

[0210] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating example components of a repeater device 1300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The repeater device 1300 may correspond to Figure 7-21, 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. In some examples, the repeater device 1300 can be a millimeter wave repeater device that communicates via millimeter wave transmissions (e.g., rather than sub-6 GHz transmissions).

[0211] The repeater device 1300 may include a relay unit (RU) 1302, one or more antenna arrays (or antennas, antenna panels, etc.) (such as a receive (Rx) array 1304 and a transmit (Tx) array 1306), and a MT unit 1308, as discussed herein. The RU 1302 may include an amplifier 1310 for amplifying signals received via the Rx array 1304 and transmitting the amplified signals via the Tx array 1306. The MT unit 1308 may include a baseband processor 1312 for processing signals received from a network access node (not shown) on a control path as described above, controlling the operation of the RU 1302 as needed (e.g., via control signaling on a control signaling path 1314), and transmitting signals to the network access node via the control path.

[0212] The antenna array (e.g., RX array 1304, Rx array 1306) may include multiple antenna elements that can be configured for beamforming. The antenna array may be referred to as a phased array because the phase values ​​and / or phase offsets of the antenna elements may be configured to form beams, wherein different phase values ​​and / or phase shifts are used for different beams (e.g., in different directions). In some aspects, the antenna array may be a fixed receive (RX) antenna array that can only receive communications but not transmit communications. In some aspects, the antenna array may be a fixed transmit (TX) antenna array that can only transmit communications but not receive communications. In some aspects, the antenna array may be configured to act as an RX antenna array and / or a TX antenna array (e.g., via TX / RX switching, MUX / DEMUX, etc.). The antenna array may be capable of communicating using millimeter waves and / or other types of RF analog signals.

[0213] Amplifier 1310 may include one or more components capable of amplifying an input signal and outputting an amplified signal. For example, amplifier 1310 may include a power amplifier, a variable gain component, etc. In some aspects, amplifier 1310 may have a variable gain control. In some examples, the amplification level of amplifier 1310 may be controlled by baseband processor 1312 (e.g., under the direction of the network access node).

[0214] The baseband processor 1312 may include one or more components capable of controlling one or more other components of the repeater device 1300. For example, the baseband processor 1312 may include a controller, a microcontroller, a processor, etc. In some aspects, the baseband processor 1312 may control the level of amplification or gain applied to the input signal by the amplifier 1310. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 1312 may control the antenna array by controlling a beamforming configuration for the antenna array (e.g., one or more phase values ​​for the antenna array, one or more phase offsets for the antenna array, one or more power parameters for the antenna array, one or more beamforming parameters for the antenna array, a TX beamforming configuration, an RX beamforming configuration, etc.), controlling whether the antenna array functions as a receive antenna array or a transmit antenna array (e.g., by configuring interactions and / or connections between the antenna array and a switch), etc. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processor 1312 may power up or power down one or more components of the repeater device 1300 (e.g., when a network access node does not need to use the repeater device to serve a UE). In some aspects, the baseband processor 1312 may control the timing of one or more of the above configurations.

[0215] The baseband processor 1312 may include components capable of communicating with a network access node via a control path. In some aspects, the baseband processor 1312 may communicate with the network access node using one or more in-band radio frequencies (e.g., radio frequencies included within the operating frequency bandwidth of the antenna array). In this case, the network access node may configure a baseband wireless communication port (BWP) within the operating frequency bandwidth of the antenna array (e.g., an in-band BWP) such that the BWP carries a control interface associated with the repeater device 1300.

[0216] In some examples, baseband processor 1312 may include one or more components for digital signal processing (e.g., a digital signal processor, a baseband processor, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), etc.). In this manner, baseband processor 1312 may demodulate, decode, and / or perform other types of processing on control information received from a network access node.

[0217] Switches 1316, 1318, 1320, and 1322 may each include one or more components that enable the repeater device 1300 to relay signals received via the receive antenna array or to transmit RF analog signals generated by the repeater device 1300 (e.g., generated by the MT unit 1308). For example, in one configuration, the switches 1316, 1318, 1320, and 1322 may be configured to couple the RU 1302 to the receive array 1304 and the transmit array 1306. In another configuration, the switches 1316, 1318, 1320, and 1322 may be configured to couple the MT unit 1308 to the receive array 1304 and the transmit array 1306. In some examples, the position of each of the switches 1316, 1318, 1320, and 1322 may be controlled by the MT unit 1308.

[0218] Adder 1324 (e.g., a multiplexer) may include functionality to combine the signal from amplifier 1310 with the signal from MT unit 1308. For example, the signal for the data path may be provided on the frequency band of the BWP allocated for data transmission, while the signal for the control path may be provided on the frequency band of the BWP allocated for control transmission. In some examples, a demultiplexer 1328 may be used (e.g., to demultiplex the control path from the incoming signal).

[0219] Figure 14 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example of relay device signaling 1400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the network access node 1402 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. In some examples, the relay device 1404 may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). Figure 7-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. In some examples, UE 1406 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0220] At 1408, the network access node 1402 and the relay device 1404 may perform initial access procedures and establish an RRC connection. This communication may use a specified (e.g., configurable) BWP over the Uu link as discussed above. The initial BWP may be used as a default. In some examples, the Uu link may use a single component carrier (CC). The MT unit of the relay device 1404 may perform procedures similar to those of the UE (e.g., access, radio link management (RLM), and beam management (BM)). These procedures may be simplified and / or modified versions of RF and radio resource management (RRM) procedures known to those skilled in the art.

[0221] The network access node 1402 and the relay device 1404 can identify the beams that they will use to communicate with each other. Additionally, in some examples, the network access node 1402 and the relay device 1404 can exchange configuration information, capability information, and other information.

[0222] At 1410, the network access node 1402 and the repeater device 1404 may perform an RU integration procedure. For example, the network access node 1402 may learn the capabilities of the RU (not shown) of the repeater device 1404. Here, the repeater device 1404 (e.g., the MT (not shown) of the repeater device 1404) may identify itself as a repeater device and share its functionality. The shared information may include, for example, beam-related information and the latency required to implement the configuration.

[0223] At 1412, the network access node 1402 and the relay device 1404 may perform radio link management and radio resource management procedures. For example, the network access node 1402 may specify beam information and allocate resources.

[0224] At 1414, the network access node 1402 and the relay device 1404 may perform an RU configuration procedure. Here, the network access node 1402 may send a control message to configure the operation of the RU. For example, the network access node 1402 may send configuration information for the RU of the relay device 1404 to the MT of the relay device 1404. Thus, in some examples, the RU configuration procedure may control (as represented by line 1416) the operation of the first RU 1404a for DL ​​traffic and control (as represented by line 1418) the operation of the second RU 1404b for UL traffic. The configuration may include, for example, beamforming configuration and TDD configuration (e.g., Rx & Tx (forward) beamforming) and / or time domain resource allocation (e.g., resources used to adopt the indicated configuration). RU-specific DCI formats (scrambled by the RU-RNTI) may be defined to provide the required configuration. In addition to dynamic configuration (e.g., default mode), semi-persistent configuration and periodic configuration may also be supported. Configuration via MAC-CE or RRC (eg, for semi-persistent / periodic mode) may also be supported.

[0225] At 1420, the network access node 1402 may transmit DL traffic for the UE 1406 and DL traffic for the MT (of the relay device 1404) to the relay device 1404. Subsequently, at 1422, the first RU 1404a may forward (e.g., relay) the DL traffic for the UE 1406 to the UE 1406. Here, the relay device 1404 may demultiplex the DL traffic for the MT from the DL traffic from the network access node 1402. The DL traffic for the MT may or may not be multiplexed with the DL traffic for the UE 1406 on the same resources.

[0226] At 1424, UE 1406 may transmit UL traffic to relay device 1404. At 1426, second RU 1404b may forward (e.g., relay) the UL traffic from UE 1406 along with the UL traffic from the MT (of relay device 1404) to network access node 1402. Here, relay device 1404 may multiplex the UL traffic from the MT with the UL traffic transmitted to network access node 1402. The UL traffic from the MT may or may not be multiplexed on the same resources as the UL traffic from UE 1406. Relay device 1404 may relay signals to and from multiple UEs, e.g., including UE 1406 and other UEs (not shown).

[0227] Figure 15is a diagram illustrating an example of a signaling path in a wireless communication network 1500 between a network access node 1502, a relay device 1504, a first UE 1506, and a second UE 1508 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the network access node 1502 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37, and / or 39-44. In some examples, the relay device 1504 may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). Figure 7-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. In some examples, the first UE 1506 and the second UE 1508 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0228] exist Figure 15 1508. In the example of FIG. 1504, the repeater device 1504 has established a first beam pair 1510 (B1) to a first UE 1506 and a second beam pair 1512 (B2) to a second UE 1508. The network access node 1502 and the repeater device 1504 (e.g., an MT unit of the repeater device) can communicate via an in-band control path 1514 as discussed herein. Data sent to and / or received from the first UE 1506 via the first beam pair 1510 and data sent to and / or received from the second UE 1508 via the second beam pair 1512 can be sent on a data path 1516. In some examples, the data can be sent as analog RF communications in an FR2 spectrum.

[0229] Figure 16 is an illustrative example of propagation of control and data associated with DL transmissions from a network access node to a UE via a relay device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Similar timing may apply to UL transmissions from a UE to a network access node via a relay device in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the network access node 802 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. In some examples, the relay device may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). Figure 7-21, 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. In some examples, the UE may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0230] The network access node may transmit relay device control information (R control) 1602, which may be received by the relay device a time later (as represented by R control 1604). Objects associated with the network access node, the relay device, and the UE may be shifted laterally to the right along the time axis due to propagation delay (e.g., the time it takes for an RF signal to propagate from its source to its destination through the air medium). As discussed herein, this relay device control information may configure the relay device for an upcoming DL transmission to the UE.

[0231] The amount of time N spent waiting for the repeater device to process repeater device control information (e.g., to configure the repeater device's DLRU) R After an equal or greater time period 1606, the network access node may transmit UE control information (UE Control) 1608. This UE control information may be received by the relay device a time later (as represented by UE Control 1610). The relay device may forward the UE control information to the UE, and the information may be received at the UE a time later (as represented by UE Control 1612).

[0232] Subsequently, the network access node may transmit UE data 1614, which may be received by the relay device a time later (as represented by UE data 1610). The relay device may then forward the UE data to the UE and the UE data may be received at the UE a time later (as represented by UE data 1618).

[0233] The above description and Figure 1-16 The channels, carriers, traffic, control and protocol layers illustrated in the text are not necessarily all of the channels, carriers, traffic, control and protocol layers that can be utilized between the network access node, the relay device and the UE, and a person skilled in the art will recognize that other channels, carriers, traffic, control and protocol layers, as well as other aspects illustrated and described above, can be utilized in addition to those illustrated and described above (such as other traffic, control and feedback channels).

[0234] Figure 171 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary couplings between various nodes of a wireless communication network including a repeater device 1702 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As depicted, the repeater device 1702 can be used to repeat signals between different types of devices in different examples. These devices include, but are not limited to, network access nodes, integrated access and backhaul devices, other repeater devices, user equipment, and general wireless devices. A network access node 1701 (in Figure 17 1) and the repeater device 1702 (in Figure 17 The repeater device 1702 may be a smart repeater device as described herein. The repeater device 1702 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0235] The network access node 1701 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44.

[0236] In a first configuration 1700, a relay device 1702 may be controlled by a network access node 1701. The relay device 1702 may receive control signaling from the network access node 1701, including control information, associated with traffic relayed between the network access node 1701 (BS1) and a user equipment 1703 (UE 1) via the relay device 1702. In the first configuration 1700, the network access node 1701 may be considered a first wireless communication device (WD1) and the user equipment 1703 may be considered a second wireless communication device (WD2). As used herein, the term "wireless communication device" may generally refer to a network access node, an integrated access and backhaul device, a relay device, a user equipment, an IoT device, a V2X device, or generally any device that utilizes a wireless spectrum to communicate with another device.

[0237] In a second configuration 1720, a relay device 1702 may be controlled by a network access node 1701 (BS1). Relay device 1702 may receive control signaling from network access node 1701, including control information, associated with traffic relayed between a first wireless communication device 1704 (WD1) and a second wireless communication device 1705 (WD2) by relay device 1702. In the second configuration 1720, first wireless communication device 1704 may be a device other than a network access node (e.g., network access node 1701), and second wireless communication device 1705 (WD2) may be a device other than a UE (e.g., user equipment 1703). In the second configuration, traffic (including user signaling and control signaling) may be relayed between the first wireless communication device 1704 and the second wireless communication device 1705 by relay device 1702. Network access node 1701 and relay device 1702 may exchange control information in the control signaling. Traffic between the first wireless communication device 1704 and the second wireless communication device 1705 may or may not be delivered (replicated, bicast, multicast) to the network access node 1701 .

[0238] In a third configuration 1730, a relay device 1702 may be controlled by a network access node 1701 (BS1). The network access node 1701 may or may not be the first wireless communication device 1704 (WD1). For ease of reference, an alternative identification / location of the network access node 1701 is shown in dashed lines. The relay device 1702 may receive control signaling from the network access node 1701, including control information, associated with traffic relayed between the first wireless communication device 1704 and the second wireless communication device 1705 via the relay device 1702. In the third configuration 1730, the first wireless communication device 1704 may be represented as at least one or more of the following: the network access node 1701, one or more wireless communication devices 1706, one or more network access nodes 1708, 1710, one or more integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes 1712, 1714, or one or more relay devices 1716, 1718. The second wireless communication device 1705 may be represented as at least one or more of: one or more UEs 1703 , one or more wireless communication devices 1707 , one or more network access nodes 1709 , 1711 , one or more IAB nodes 1713 , 1715 , or one or more relay devices 1717 , 1719 .

[0239] Beam information for wireless communication repeater devices

[0240] Various aspects described herein may involve exchanging beam-related information between a network access node and a relay device. In some examples, beam information may not initially be communicated between the network access node and the relay device (e.g., to simplify relay device-related operations and / or reduce relay device-related signaling). In some examples, the relay device may send beam information to the network access node (e.g., to enable the network access node to better configure the relay device). In some examples, the network access node may determine (e.g., estimate) beam information related to the relay device (e.g., by monitoring signals associated with communications between the network access node and the UE via the relay device).

[0241] According to some aspects, a network access node may select the number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) that a relay device may transmit before receiving an indication from the relay device regarding how many beams the relay device can support (e.g., transmit) (e.g., without first receiving the indication). By not requiring the relay device to indicate how many beams it can support, less signaling may be required between the network access node and the relay device. Furthermore, the network access node and the relay device may not need to perform operations associated with transmitting and receiving specific signaling (because an RRC connection may not be established). Consequently, power savings may be achieved at the network access node and the relay device, and overall system throughput may be increased.

[0242] Figure 18 1 is a schematic diagram of a MIMO repeater device 1800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The MIMO repeater device 1800 may have a single input or multiple inputs. Input signals from one or more subarrays 1801 (e.g., a subarray set) selected by a set of switches 1802 may be combined (e.g., by an adder or multiplexer 1804), amplified (e.g., by an amplifier 1806), and then divided (e.g., by a demultiplexer 1808) for transmission via a single output or multiple outputs (e.g., via the subarray set 1801) selected by the set of switches 1802. The MIMO repeater device 1800 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0243] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a bidirectional MIMO repeater device 1900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The bidirectional MIMO repeater device 1900 includes a Figure 18The two repeater device circuits (referred to as the first switch 1902 and the second switch 1904) of the MIMO repeater device 1800 (e.g., independent RF chains). The bidirectional MIMO repeater device 1900 can have multiple input terminals in a first direction, where the input signals are combined, amplified, and then divided for transmission via multiple output terminals (e.g., as described above in conjunction with Figure 18 The bidirectional MIMO repeater device 1900 may have multiple inputs in the second direction, where the input signals are combined, amplified, and then split for transmission via multiple outputs (e.g., as described above in conjunction with Figure 18 discussed).

[0244] In the above example, different input devices and / or output devices can be employed by configuring corresponding subarrays 1901 of one or more antenna arrays. In some examples, a first switch 1902 can be used to configure a specific set of subarrays for transmission and a second switch 1904 can be used to configure a specific set of subarrays for reception. By sending connectivity information of the arrays to a network access node, the network access node can be able to configure the arrays for transmission and / or reception (e.g., configuring the RU via the MT). The bidirectional MIMO repeater device 1900 can correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0245] Figure 20 2 is a schematic diagram of a single-input single-output (SISO) repeater device 2000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The SISO repeater device 2000 can have a single input (e.g., a first port) that is amplified by an amplifier 2002 and then transmitted via a single output (e.g., a second port). In other examples, the SISO repeater device 2000 can have multiple inputs and multiple outputs (e.g., where only one input / output pair can be selected at any given time). Figure 20 In the example of , a single input and a single output are coupled to multiple antenna arrays. Figure 20 In the example of , some arrays (FH arrays) 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 may be designated for front-haul link communications, while other arrays (AL arrays) 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 may be designated for access link communications. Figure 20In the example of FIG. 1 , the plurality of antenna arrays may be divided into four forward link arrays (FH arrays) 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and four access link arrays (AL arrays) 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017; however, the number of antenna arrays and the ratio between the FH arrays and the AL arrays are provided for illustration and not limitation. A single input may be fed from a first switch 2004 coupled between the amplifier 2002 and the plurality of antenna arrays 2010-2017 (e.g., at Figure 20 In the example of FIG, the first switch 2004 may be a single-pole eight-throw switch). The single output may feed a second switch 2006 coupled between the amplifier 2002 and the plurality of antenna arrays 2010-2017 (e.g., in FIG). Figure 20 In the example of , the second switch 2006 may be a single-pole eight-throw switch). The first switch 2004 and the second switch 2006 may be or be replaced by multiplexer / demultiplexer circuits or other distribution circuits known to those skilled in the art. Here, different array pairs may be selected at a given time for communication on the outbound link and communication on the access link. Figure 20 In the example of FIG. 2 , the output of the first FH array 2016 is selected by the first switch 2004, amplified by the amplifier 2002, and output to the second AL array 2012 via the second switch 2006. The configuration shown is exemplary and non-limiting. The SISO repeater device 2000 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0246] Figure 21 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a relay device 2100 employing a processing system 2114 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the relay device 2100 may be a device configured to wirelessly communicate with a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station), a user equipment (e.g., a UE, a scheduled entity, a wireless communication device), and / or a core network node, all of which may be configured to communicate with a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station), a user equipment (e.g., a UE, a scheduled entity, a wireless communication device), and / or a core network node. Figure 1-55 In some implementations, the processing system 2114 may provide some or all of the functionality of the MT unit. In some implementations, the repeater device 2100 may correspond to Figure 1-55 Either the repeater device or the scheduled entity.

[0247] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 2114. The processing system 2114 may include one or more processors 2104. Examples of processors 2104 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalities described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the repeater device 2100 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 2100 as utilized in the repeater device 2104 may be used to implement the functions described herein (e.g., in Figure 22-24 , 33-34 and / or 46-47) processes and procedures.

[0248] In some examples, the processor 2104 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, while in other implementations, the processor 2104 may include several devices distinct and separate from the baseband or modem chip (e.g., which in such scenarios may work together to achieve the embodiments discussed herein). As mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components outside of the baseband modem processor may be used in implementations, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0249] In this example, the processing system 2114 may be implemented using a bus architecture, generally represented by bus 2102. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 2114, the bus 2102 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus 2102 communicatively couples together various circuits, including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 2104), memory 2105, and computer-readable media (generally represented by computer-readable media 2106). The bus 2102 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and, therefore, will not be described further.

[0250] The bus interface 2108 may provide an interface between the bus 2102 and the transceiver 2110 (e.g., which may alternatively be implemented as an RU) and between the bus 2102 and the interface 2130. If implemented as an RU, the transceiver 2110 may represent transmit functionality and / or receive functionality. The transceiver 2110 may further be coupled to one or more antennas / antenna arrays 2120. The transceiver 2110, in conjunction with the one or more antennas / antenna arrays 2120, may provide a communication interface or means for communicating with various other equipment over a wireless transmission medium. In some examples, the repeater device 2100 may include two or more transceivers 2110, each configured to communicate with a corresponding network type (e.g., terrestrial or non-terrestrial). The interface 2130 may provide a communication interface or means for communicating with various other equipment and devices (e.g., other devices housed in the same equipment as the repeater device 2100 or other external devices) over an internal bus or an external transmission medium (such as an Ethernet cable). Depending on the characteristics of the equipment, the interface 2130 may include a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, control features, etc.). Of course, such a user interface is optional and may be omitted in some examples (such as IoT devices). In addition, the bus interface 2108 may further provide an interface between the bus 2102 and the power supply 2128.

[0251] The processor 2104 is responsible for managing the bus 2102 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 2106. The software, when executed by the processor 2104, causes the processing system 2114 to perform the various functions described below for any particular implementation. The computer-readable medium 2106 and / or the memory 2105 may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the processor 2104 when executing the software.

[0252] One or more processors 2104 in the processing system 2114 can execute software. Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, an instruction set, code, a code segment, program code, a program, a subroutine, a software module, an application, a software application, a software package, a routine, a subroutine, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a procedure, a function, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terminology. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 2106.

[0253] Computer-readable medium 2106 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic tapes), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Computer-readable medium 2106 may reside in processing system 2114, be external to processing system 2114, or be distributed across multiple entities including processing system 2114. Computer-readable medium 2106 may be embodied in a computer program product or article of manufacture. For example, a computer program product or article of manufacture may include the computer-readable medium in packaging material. In some examples, computer-readable medium 2106 may be part of memory 2105. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0254] The repeater device 2100 may be configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 22-24 , 33-34 and / or 46-47). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 2104 as utilized in the repeater device 2100 may include circuit systems configured for various functions.

[0255] For example, the processor 2104 may include a communication and processing circuitry 2141. The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station), user equipment (e.g., a UE, a scheduled entity, a wireless communication device), a core network node (e.g., a 5G core network node), and / or any other entity (such as, for example, local infrastructure or an entity communicating with the relay device 2100 via the Internet (such as a network provider)). The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various processes associated with wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may further include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various processes associated with signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission) as described herein. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be configured to relay uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuit system 2141 may include uplink traffic 116 and uplink control 118 (e.g., similar to downlink traffic 112 and downlink control 114) and relay downlink traffic and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink traffic 112 and downlink control 114). In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 may include two or more transmit chains / receive chains. Each of the two or more transmit chains / receive chains may be configured to process signals of different RAT (or RAN) types. The communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 2151 stored on the computer-readable medium 2106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0256] In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be configured to receive and process downlink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 2110 and the antenna array 2120. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be configured to receive a corresponding reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) on each of the multiple downlink beams from the network access node via at least one first antenna panel of the antenna array 2120 during a downlink beam sweep. The communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be further configured to transmit a beam measurement report to the network access node.

[0257] In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be further configured to generate and transmit uplink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 2110 and the antenna array 2120. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be configured to transmit a respective reference signal (e.g., an SRS or DMRS) on each of the plurality of uplink beams to the network access node via at least one second antenna panel of the antenna array 2120 during an uplink beam sweep.

[0258] The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be further configured to control the antenna array 2120 and the transceiver 2110 to search for and identify multiple downlink transmit beams during a downlink beam sweep. The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be further configured to obtain, for each of the identified downlink transmit beams, multiple beam measurements on each of the multiple downlink receive beams via the antenna array 2120. The communication and processing circuitry 2141 may be further configured to generate a beam measurement report using the communication and processing circuitry 2141 for transmission to a network access node.

[0259] The communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be further configured to identify one or more selected uplink beams based on beam measurements obtained from the downlink beam reference signal. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be configured to compare, for each of the serving downlink transmit beams, the corresponding RSRP (or other beam measurement) measured on each of the downlink receive beams to identify the serving downlink receive beam, and further use the serving downlink receive beam as the selected uplink transmit beam. Each serving downlink receive beam may have the highest measured RSRP (or other beam measurement) for one of the downlink transmit beams.

[0260] The communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be configured to generate one or more uplink transmit beams for transmission in an uplink beam sweep. Each uplink transmit beam can carry an uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) for measurement by the network access node. The communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be further configured to identify the selected uplink transmit beam(s) selected by the network access node based on the uplink beam measurements. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 can be configured to receive an indication of the selected uplink transmit beam(s) from the network access node.

[0261] In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be configured to generate a scheduling request and transmit it (e.g., via UCI in the PUCCH) to the network access node to receive an uplink grant for the PUSCH. The communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be further configured to generate an uplink signal and interact with the transceiver 2110 to transmit the uplink signal. The uplink signal may include, for example, a PUCCH, a PUSCH, an SRS, a DMRS, or a PRACH. The communication and processing circuit system 2141 may be further configured to interact with the transceiver 2110 to monitor downlink signals and decode downlink signals. The downlink signal may include, for example, a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a CSI-RS, or a DMRS.

[0262] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may obtain information from a component of the repeater device 2100 (e.g., from a transceiver 2110 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may output the information to another component of the processor 2104, to the memory 2105, or to the bus interface 2108. The information may include, for example, beam information 2115 that may be stored in the memory 2105. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may receive the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may include functionality for receiving.

[0263] In some implementations where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may obtain information from (e.g., from another component of the processor 2104, the memory 2105, or the bus interface 2108), process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may output the information to the transceiver 2110 (e.g., transmitting the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling appropriate for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may send one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may send the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2141 may include functionality of a means for sending (e.g., a means for transmitting).

[0264] The processor 2104 may include a beam configuration circuitry 2142 configured to perform operations related to beam configuration as discussed herein. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for receiving a configuration. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for selecting the number of beams to use. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for determining the number of antenna arrays. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for determining a mapping. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for transmitting a mapping. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for generating an indication. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may further be configured to provide functionality for transmitting an indication. The beam configuration circuitry 2142 may be further configured to execute beam configuration software 2152 included on the computer-readable medium 2106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0265] The processor 2104 may include a beam processing circuit system 2143 configured to perform operations related to beam processing as discussed herein. The beam processing circuit system 2143 may be further configured to provide the functionality of a device for receiving an SSB transmission. The beam processing circuit system 2143 may be further configured to provide the functionality of a device for transmitting an SSB transmission. The beam processing circuit system 2143 may be further configured to execute beam processing software 2153 included on the computer-readable medium 2106 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0266] Figure 22 2 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 2200 (e.g., a method) at a repeater device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, the process 2200 may be performed by Figure 21 In some examples, process 2200 can be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0267] At block 2202, a repeater device may receive a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 21The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and the transceiver 2110, can receive an SSB configuration from the gNB and can provide means for receiving a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device.

[0268] In some examples, the first configuration may include SSB indices. In some examples, the SSB indices may be mapped to resources to be used by the repeater device for SSB transmission. In some examples, the SSB indices may be mapped to beam information to be used by the repeater device for subsequent transmissions. In some examples, the beam information may include spatial quasi-colocation information for the first number of SSBs.

[0269] At block 2204, the repeater device may select to transmit the SSBs using a second number of beams, wherein the second number of beams may be less than or equal to the first number of SSBs. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may determine that it cannot support K SSBs. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may provide means for selecting a second number of beams to be used to transmit SSBs, where the second number of beams may be less than or equal to the first number of SSBs.

[0270] In some examples, selecting to transmit the SSB using a second number of beams may include determining the second number of beams based on how many beams the repeater device can generate. In some examples, selecting to transmit the SSB using the second number of beams may include identifying beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay the SSB; and determining the second number of beams based on the beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay the SSB. In some examples, selecting to transmit the SSB using the second number of beams may include identifying beams that have been successfully used by the repeater device to communicate with at least one user equipment; and determining the second number of beams based on the beams that have been successfully used by the repeater device to communicate with the at least one user equipment.

[0271] At block 2206, the wireless communication device may receive at least one SSB transmission. Figure 21 The beam processing circuitry 2142 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2143 and the transceiver (e.g., RU) 2110 can receive SSB on the fronthaul link. Figure 21 The beam processing circuitry 2143, along with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and transceiver (eg, RU) 2110, as shown and described, may provide a means for receiving at least one SSB transmission.

[0272] At block 2208, the repeater device may transmit the at least one SSB transmission via a second number of beams. The repeater device may transmit the at least one SSB transmission via a relay unit (RU) of the repeater device. For example, the above combination Figure 21 The beam processing circuitry 2143 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and the transceiver 2110 can forward the SSB on the access link or generate the SSB and transmit the SSB on the access link. Figure 21 The beam processing circuitry 2143, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and the transceiver 2110, as shown and described, may provide means for transmitting the at least one SSB transmission via a second number of beams.

[0273] In some examples, the at least one SSB transmission may include a plurality of SSB transmissions, and transmitting the at least one SSB transmission may include sequentially relaying the plurality of SSB transmissions via a second number of beams. In some examples, the at least one SSB transmission may include SSB information, and transmitting the at least one SSB transmission may include generating a plurality of SSB transmissions from the SSB information, and transmitting the plurality of SSB transmissions via the second number of beams.

[0274] In some examples, process 2200 may further include generating an indication that the repeater device will use a second number of beams to transmit the SSBs, and transmitting the indication to the network access node. In some examples, process 2200 may further include receiving a second configuration after transmitting the indication, wherein the second configuration specifies a second number of SSBs to be used by the repeater device.

[0275] Figure 23 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 2300 (e.g., a method) at a relay device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, the process 2300 may be performed by Figure 21 In some examples, process 2300 can be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0276] At block 2302, the repeater device may determine the number of antenna arrays for the repeater device. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may access capability information for the repeater device. Figure 21The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may provide a means for determining the number of antenna arrays for the repeater device.

[0277] At block 2304, the repeater device may determine a mapping of beam indices to array indices of the antenna arrays. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may have access to capability information and / or current antenna array configuration for the repeater device. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may provide means for determining a mapping of beam indices to array indices for the antenna arrays.

[0278] At block 2306, the relay device may transmit an indication of the number of antenna arrays and the mapping of beam indices to array indices to the network access node. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and the transceiver 2110 can transmit the indication to the gNB via the fronthaul link. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and transceiver 2110, as shown and described, may provide a means for transmitting an indication of the number of antenna arrays and the mapping of beam indices to array indices to a network access node.

[0279] In some examples, process 2300 may further include identifying at least one beam pair that cannot be used to relay the transmission between the network access node and the user equipment; and transmitting an indication of the at least one beam pair to the network access node. In some examples, relaying the transmission between the network access node and the user equipment may include: concurrently receiving a first transmission from the network access node and transmitting the first transmission to the user equipment; or concurrently receiving a second transmission from the user equipment and transmitting the second transmission to the network access node.

[0280] In some examples, identifying the at least one beam pair may include identifying a beam from a common antenna array of the antenna arrays. In some examples, identifying the at least one beam pair may include determining that the repeater device cannot transmit from a first antenna array of the antenna arrays while concurrently receiving from a second antenna array of the antenna arrays. In some examples, process 2300 may further include performing signal measurements while concurrently transmitting from the first antenna array and receiving from the second antenna array, wherein determining that the repeater device cannot transmit from the second antenna array of the antenna arrays while concurrently receiving from the first antenna array of the antenna arrays is based on the signal measurements.

[0281] In some examples, process 2300 may further include receiving a beam configuration from the network access node; determining whether all beam pairs from the beam configuration can be used to relay transmissions between the network access node and the user equipment; generating an acknowledgment based on determining whether all beam pairs from the beam configuration can be used to relay the transmission, the acknowledgment indicating whether the repeater device supports the beam configuration; and transmitting the acknowledgment to the network access node.

[0282] In some examples, process 2300 may further include receiving a first beam configuration from the network access node; determining that at least one beam pair from the first beam configuration cannot be used to relay transmissions between the network access node and the user equipment; and transmitting a negative acknowledgment to the network access node, the negative acknowledgment indicating that the relay device does not support the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2300 may further include receiving a second beam configuration from the network access node after transmitting the negative acknowledgment.

[0283] Figure 24 2400 (e.g., a method) at a relay device for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, the process 2400 may be performed by Figure 21 In some examples, process 2400 can be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0284] At block 2402, a repeater device may generate an indication of at least one beam group that can be used for concurrent transmission and reception (or concurrent transmission or reception) of the repeater device. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described may determine which beam groups may be used for concurrent transmission and reception (or concurrent transmission or reception). Figure 21 The illustrated and described beam configuration circuitry 2142 may provide a means for generating an indication of at least one beam group that can be used for concurrent transmission and reception (or concurrent transmission or reception) of the repeater device. In some examples, the indication may specify that a first beam group of the at least one beam group can be used for concurrent transmission and reception (or concurrent transmission or reception).

[0285] At block 2404, the relay device may transmit the indication to the network access node. Figure 21The beam configuration circuitry 2142 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and the transceiver 2110 can transmit the indication to the gNB via the fronthaul link. Figure 21 The beam configuration circuitry 2142, along with the communication and processing circuitry 2141 and transceiver 2110, as shown and described, may provide a means for communicating the indication to the network access node.

[0286] In some examples, process 2400 may further include identifying the at least one beam group by identifying beams from different antenna arrays. In some examples, process 2400 may further include performing signal measurements while concurrently transmitting and receiving via the at least one beam group, and identifying the at least one beam group based on the signal measurements.

[0287] In some examples, process 2400 may further include receiving a beam configuration from the network access node; determining whether all beam groups from the beam configuration can be used for concurrent transmission and reception; generating an acknowledgment based on determining whether all beam groups from the beam configuration can be used for concurrent transmission and reception, the acknowledgment indicating whether the repeater device supports the beam configuration; and transmitting the acknowledgment to the network access node.

[0288] In some examples, process 2400 may further include receiving a first beam configuration from the network access node; determining that the at least one beam group from the first beam configuration cannot be used for concurrent transmission and reception; and transmitting a negative acknowledgment to the network access node, the negative acknowledgment indicating that the relay device does not support the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2400 may further include receiving a second beam configuration from the network access node after transmitting the negative acknowledgment.

[0289] In some examples, process 2400 may further include transmitting connectivity information for at least one antenna array supporting the concurrent transmission and reception. In some examples, the connectivity information may include: a MIMO repeater device configuration, a bidirectional MIMO repeater device configuration, or a single-input single-output (SISO) repeater device configuration. In some examples, the connectivity information may include at least one of: an indication of the number of antenna arrays at the repeater device, an indication of how the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for transmission, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for reception, or a combination thereof.

[0290] Figure 25is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a network access node 2500 (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station) employing a processing system 2514 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the network access node 2500 can be a device configured to wirelessly communicate with a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE, a wireless communication device) and a relay device and / or an IAB node, and can also be configured to communicate with one or more core network nodes (e.g., a 5G core network node), as in Figure 1-55 In some implementations, the network access node 2500 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44.

[0291] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 2514. The processing system 2514 may include one or more processors 2504. The processing system 2514 may be connected to Figure 21 , including a bus interface 2508, a bus 2502, a memory 2505, a processor 2504, and a computer-readable medium 2506. In addition, the network access node 2500 may include an interface 2530 (e.g., a network interface) that may provide a means for communicating with at least one other equipment within the core network, with at least one radio access network, with at least one UE, with at least another network access node, with at least one relay device, and / or with at least one IAB node.

[0292] The bus interface 2508 can provide an interface between the bus 2502 and the transceiver 2510 and between the bus 2502 and the interface 2530. The transceiver 2510 can be further coupled to one or more antennas / antenna arrays 2520. The transceiver 2510, in combination with one or more antennas / antenna arrays 2520, can provide a communication interface 2530 or device for communicating with various other equipment over a wireless transmission medium. The interface 2530 can provide a communication interface or device for communicating with various other equipment and devices (e.g., other devices housed in the same equipment as the network access node or other external devices) over an internal bus or an external transmission medium (such as an Ethernet cable). Depending on the characteristics of the equipment, the interface 2530 may include a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, control features, etc.). Of course, such a user interface is optional and may be omitted in some examples. In addition, the bus interface 2508 can further provide an interface between the bus 2502 and the power supply 2528.

[0293] The network access node 2500 may be configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 26-28 , 36, 38, and / or 49-52). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 2504, as utilized in the network access node 2500, may include circuitry configured for various functions. The processor 2504 is responsible for managing the bus 2502 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 2506. When executed by the processor 2504, the software causes the processing system 2514 to perform the various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 2506 and memory 2505 may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 2504 when executing the software.

[0294] The processor 2504 may be configured to generate, schedule, and modify resource assignments or grants of time-frequency resources (e.g., a set of one or more resource elements). For example, the processor 2504 may schedule time-frequency resources within a plurality of time division duplex (TDD) and / or frequency division duplex (FDD) subframes, slots, and / or mini-slots to carry user data traffic and / or control information to and / or from a plurality of relay devices.

[0295] Processor 2504 may be configured to schedule resources for downlink signal transmission. Downlink signals may include, for example, PDCCH, PDSCH, CSI-RS, or DMRS. Processor 2504 may further be configured to schedule resources that may be used by the relay device to transmit uplink signals. Uplink signals may include, for example, PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, DMRS, or PRACH. Processor 2504 may further be configured to schedule resources that may be used by the relay device to transmit and / or receive sidelink signals.

[0296] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 2504 may include a communication and processing circuit system 2541. The communication and processing circuit system 2544 may be configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a user equipment (UE), a repeater device, or other wireless communication device, a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), other network access nodes or scheduling entities, or any other entity (such as, for example, local infrastructure or an entity that communicates with the network access node 3500 via the Internet (such as a network provider)). The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may further include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission) as described herein. In addition, the communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be configured to receive and process downlink traffic and downlink control (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to communicate with one or more transceivers 2510 to encode and transmit downlink signals. The communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to communicate with one or more transceivers 2510 to monitor and decode uplink signals. The communication and processing circuitry 2541 may further be configured to execute communication and processing software 2551 included on the computer-readable medium 2506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0297] In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may be configured to receive and process uplink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 2510 and the antenna array 2520. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may be configured to receive a respective reference signal (e.g., an SRS or DMRS) from the repeater device on each of the plurality of uplink beams during an uplink beam sweep.

[0298] In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to generate and transmit downlink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 2510 and the antenna array 2520. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be configured to transmit a respective downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) on each of the multiple downlink beams to the repeater device via at least one first antenna panel of the antenna array 2520 during a downlink beam sweep. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to receive beam measurement reports from the repeater device.

[0299] The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to receive uplink signals on one or more uplink receive beams via one or more uplink transmit beams applied to the uplink signals. For example, the communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be configured to receive uplink signals on one or more uplink receive beams via at least one second antenna panel of the antenna array 2520. The uplink signals may include, for example, PUCCH, PUSCH, SRS, DMRS, or PRACH.

[0300] The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to control the antenna array 2520 and the transceiver 2510 to generate multiple downlink transmit beams during the downlink beam sweep. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to use the communication and processing circuit system 2544 to receive beam measurement reports from the repeater device. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be further configured to identify one or more selected uplink beams based on these beam measurements. In some examples, the communication and processing circuit system 2541 may be configured to compare the corresponding RSRP (or other beam measurement) measured on each of the downlink receive beams for each of the serving downlink transmit beams to identify the serving downlink receive beam, and further identify the serving downlink receive beam as the selected uplink transmit beam. Each serving downlink receive beam may have the highest measured RSRP (or other beam measurement) for one of the downlink transmit beams.

[0301] The communication and processing circuit system 2541 can be configured to receive one or more uplink transmit beams in an uplink beam sweep. Each uplink transmit beam can carry an uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) for measurement by the communication and processing circuit system 2541. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 can be further configured to obtain, for each of the uplink transmit beams, a plurality of beam measurements on each of the plurality of uplink receive beams of the antenna array 2520. The communication and processing circuit system 2541 can be further configured to select a selected uplink transmit beam and a corresponding uplink receive beam that form a corresponding uplink BPL based on the uplink beam measurements.

[0302] In some implementations where communication involves receiving information, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may obtain information from a component of the network access node 2500 (e.g., from a transceiver 2510 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for an applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may output the information to another component of the processor 2504, to the memory 2505, or to the bus interface 2508. The information may include, for example, beam information 2515 that may be stored in the memory 2505. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may receive one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may receive the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may include functionality for receiving.

[0303] In some implementations where communication involves sending (e.g., transmitting) information, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may obtain information from (e.g., from another component of the processor 2504, the memory 2505, or the bus interface 2508), process (e.g., encode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may output the information to the transceiver 2510 (e.g., transmitting the information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling appropriate for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may send one or more of a signal, a message, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may send the information via one or more channels. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 2541 may include functionality of a means for sending (e.g., a means for transmitting).

[0304] The processor 2504 may include a beam configuration circuitry 2542 configured to perform operations related to beam configuration as discussed herein. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for generating a configuration. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for transmitting a configuration. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for determining that a repeater device is transmitting on less than all SSBs. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for receiving an indication. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for selecting a beam configuration. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for identifying a beam group. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may further be configured to provide functionality for transmitting an indication. The beam configuration circuitry 2542 may be further configured to execute beam configuration software 2552 included on the computer-readable medium 2506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0305] The processor 2504 may include a beam processing circuit system 2543 configured to perform operations related to beam processing as discussed herein. The beam processing circuit system 2543 may further be configured to provide the functionality of a means for transmitting an SSB transmission. The beam processing circuit system 2543 may further be configured to provide the functionality of a means for transmitting a beam configuration. The beam processing circuit system 2543 may further be configured to execute beam processing software 2553 included on the computer-readable medium 2506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0306] Figure 26 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 2600 (e.g., a method) at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, process 2600 may be performed by Figure 25 In some examples, process 2600 may be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0307] At block 2602, a network access node may generate a first configuration indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by a repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may select the set of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described can provide means for generating a first configuration for indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device.

[0308] In some examples, the first configuration can include SSB indices. In some examples, these SSB indices can be mapped to beam information that the repeater device may use for subsequent transmissions. In some examples, the beam information can include spatial quasi - co - location information for the first number of SSBs.

[0309] At block 2604, the network access node can transmit the first configuration to the repeater device. For example, the beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described above, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510, can transmit the configuration to the MT of the repeater device via the fronthaul link. Additionally, the beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described above, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510, can provide means for transmitting the first configuration to the repeater device. Figure 25 shown and described above, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510, can provide means for transmitting the first configuration to the repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described can provide means for transmitting the first configuration to the repeater device.

[0310] In some examples, process 2600 can further include transmitting at least one SSB transmission to the repeater device after transmitting the first configuration.

[0311] At block 2606, the network access node can determine that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs. For example, the beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described above can determine that K'<K is received, determine that message 1 is not received on some beams, etc. Additionally, the beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described above can provide means for determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs. Figure 25 shown and described above can determine that K'<K is received, determine that message 1 is not received on some beams, etc. Additionally, the beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described above can provide means for determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described can provide means for determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs.

[0312] In some examples, determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs can include receiving an indication that the repeater device is using a second number of beams to transmit SSBs. In some examples, determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs can include determining that there is no communication with user equipment on at least one beam associated with the first number of SSBs. In some examples, determining that the repeater device is transmitting fewer than all of the first number of SSBs can include determining that no random access message is received on at least one random access channel (RACH) occasion having the first number of SSBs.

[0313] At block 2608, the network access node may generate a second configuration after determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs, the second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may select a second set of SSBs (e.g., a smaller set of SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may provide means for generating a second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device upon determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs.

[0314] At block 2610, the network access node may transmit a second configuration to the relay device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510 can transmit the configuration to the MT of the relay device via the fronthaul link. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542, along with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and transceiver 2510, as shown and described, may provide a means for transmitting the second configuration to the repeater device.

[0315] In some examples, process 2600 may further include receiving capability information from the relay device; estimating a number of beams supported by the relay device based on the capability information; and determining a first number of SSBs based on the number of beams supported by the relay device. In some examples, the capability information may include at least one of: a maximum number of configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states per component carrier, a maximum number of configured spatial relations, a maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resource sets, a maximum number of SRS resources per resource set, or a combination thereof.

[0316] Figure 27 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 2700 (e.g., a method) at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, process 2700 may be performed by Figure 25 In some examples, process 2700 may be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0317] At block 2702, the network access node may receive an indication of the number of antenna arrays of a repeater device and a mapping of beam indices to array indices of those antenna arrays. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510 can receive capability information or configuration information from the MT of the relay device via the fronthaul link. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and transceiver 2510, may provide a means for receiving an indication of the number of antenna arrays of a repeater device and a mapping of beam indices to array indices of those antenna arrays.

[0318] At block 2704, the network access node may select a first beam configuration for the relay device based on the indication. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may select the set of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 25 The illustrated and described beam configuration circuitry 2542 may provide means for selecting a first beam configuration for the repeater device based on the indication.

[0319] At block 2706, the network access node may transmit a first beam configuration to the relay device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510 can transmit the configuration to the MT of the relay device via the fronthaul link. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510, as shown and described, may provide a means for transmitting a first beam configuration to a repeater device.

[0320] In some examples, process 2700 may further include identifying at least one beam pair that cannot be used by the repeater device to relay transmissions between the network access node and the user equipment, wherein identifying the at least one beam pair is based on the indication, wherein selecting the first beam configuration may include avoiding including the at least one beam pair in the first beam configuration. In some examples, identifying the at least one beam pair may include identifying a beam from a common antenna array of the antenna arrays based on the indication.

[0321] In some examples, identifying the at least one beam pair can include determining that the repeater device cannot transmit from a first one of the antenna arrays while concurrently receiving from a second one of the antenna arrays. In some examples, process 2700 can further include performing signal measurements while the repeater device concurrently transmits from the first antenna array and receives from the second antenna array, wherein determining that the repeater device cannot transmit from the first one of the antenna arrays while concurrently receiving from the second one of the antenna arrays can be based on the signal measurements.

[0322] In some examples, process 2700 may further include receiving a measurement report from a user equipment based on a signal measurement performed by the user equipment while the repeater device is concurrently transmitting from the first antenna array and receiving from the second antenna array, wherein determining that the repeater device cannot transmit from the first antenna array among the antenna arrays while concurrently receiving from the second antenna array among the antenna arrays is based on the measurement report.

[0323] In some examples, process 2700 may further include receiving an acknowledgment from the relay device indicating whether the relay device supports the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2700 may further include receiving a negative acknowledgment from the relay device indicating that the relay device does not support the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2700 may further include selecting a second beam configuration for the relay device after receiving the negative acknowledgment; and transmitting the second beam configuration to the relay device.

[0324] Figure 28 is a flow chart illustrating an example process 2800 (e.g., a method) at a network access node for communicating beam information in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all embodiments. In some examples, process 2800 may be performed by Figure 25 In some examples, process 2800 may be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0325] At block 2802, a network access node may identify at least one beam group of a repeater device that can be used for concurrent transmission or reception. Figure 25The beam configuration circuit system 2542 shown and described can receive an indication of the at least one beam group from the repeater device; identify the at least one beam group based on the configuration information received from the repeater device, or identify the at least one beam group based on the signal measurements or measurement reports. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may provide a means for identifying at least one beam group of a repeater device that can be used for concurrent transmission or reception.

[0326] In some examples, identifying the at least one beam group may include receiving an indication of the at least one beam group from the repeater device. In some examples, the indication may specify that a first beam group of the at least one beam group can be used for concurrent transmission and reception. In some examples, identifying the at least one beam group may include identifying beams from different antenna arrays of the repeater device.

[0327] At block 2804, the network access node may select a first beam configuration for the repeater device specifying the at least one beam group. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may select the set of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described may provide means for selecting a first beam configuration specifying the at least one beam group for the repeater device.

[0328] At block 2806, the network access node may transmit a first beam configuration to the relay device. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542 shown and described together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510 can transmit the configuration to the MT of the relay device via the fronthaul link. Figure 25 The beam configuration circuitry 2542, together with the communication and processing circuitry 2541 and the transceiver 2510, as shown and described, may provide a means for transmitting a first beam configuration to a repeater device.

[0329] In some examples, process 2800 may further include performing signal measurements while the repeater device is concurrently transmitting and receiving via the at least one beam group, wherein identifying the at least one beam group is based on the signal measurements.

[0330] In some examples, process 2800 may further include receiving an acknowledgment from the relay device indicating whether the relay device supports the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2800 may further include receiving a negative acknowledgment from the relay device indicating that the relay device does not support the first beam configuration. In some examples, process 2800 may further include selecting a second beam configuration for the relay device after receiving the negative acknowledgment; and transmitting the second beam configuration to the relay device.

[0331] In some examples, process 2800 may further include receiving connectivity information for at least one antenna array that supports the concurrent transmission and reception, wherein selecting a first beam configuration for the repeater device is based on the connectivity information. In some examples, the connectivity information may include: a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) repeater device configuration, a bidirectional MIMO repeater device configuration, or a single-input single-output (SISO) repeater device configuration. In some examples, the connectivity information may include at least one of: an indication of the number of antenna arrays at the repeater device, an indication of how the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for transmission, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for reception, or a combination thereof.

[0332] Accordingly, and in summary, initially, the DU of a network access node (e.g., gNB) may configure the RU of a relay device to transmit or relay K SSBs. For example, the DU may send an SSB index to the relay device indicating which SSBs the DU is to transmit. Here, each SSB index is associated with corresponding spatial quasi-colocation (QCL) information indicating the beam to be used to transmit the corresponding SSB.

[0333] In implementations where the repeater device does not include store and forward functionality, the network access node may transmit each SSB to the repeater device. Upon receiving each SSB, the repeater device relays the SSB using the corresponding designated beam.

[0334] In implementations where the repeater device includes store and forward functionality, the network access node may transmit one set of SSB information to the repeater device. The repeater device may then continuously transmit the SSB (based on the SSB information) using the corresponding designated beam for each transmission.

[0335] In some examples, these K SSBs can be used as a (spatial QCL) reference for other communications by the RU. For example, the network access node can indicate a specific SSB index for subsequent transmissions (e.g., data transmissions). In this case, the RU will be configured to use the same beam as that used for the corresponding SSB for the transmission.

[0336] In different examples, the network access node can select the initial number K in different ways. As an example, the network access node can select the K parameter based on the expected traffic in the area of the repeater device (e.g., based on current or historical scheduling). As another example, the network access node can select the K parameter based on historical information about the repeater device (e.g., the typical number of supported beams). In other examples, other techniques can be used to select the initial parameter K.

[0337] In some scenarios, after receiving the parameter K, the repeater device can determine that it can only support K' beams to transmit the SSB, where K' <= K. For example, the repeater device may not have enough resources (e.g., insufficient number of antenna arrays, insufficient number of antenna arrays, insufficient number of transmit chains and / or receive chains, insufficient processing capacity, etc.) to transmit K SSBs. As another example, the repeater device can determine that not all beams can be used for the relay function. For example, cross-beam interference or other interference may limit the number of beams that the repeater device can currently use. As another example, the beam used for the backhaul link may not be available for relaying the SSB. In any of these cases, the repeater device can select K' SSBs out of the K SSBs (where K' < K) and transmit those K' SSBs.

[0338] In some examples where K' < K, the repeater device can notify the network access node that the repeater device has selected to use K' beams. For example, the repeater device can send an indication of the parameter K' to the network access node (e.g., via UCI, RRC message, media access control element (MAC-CE), or some other suitable signaling). The network access node can then reconfigure the repeater device with a smaller number of SSBs.

[0339] In other examples, the repeater device may not notify the network access node that the repeater device has selected to use K' < K beams. In this case, the network access node can determine that some of the assigned SSBs are not being used and / or are not helping the communication performance. The network access node can then reconfigure the repeater device with a smaller number of SSBs.

[0340] The network access node can determine in different ways in different examples that some of the assigned SSBs are not being used by the repeater device and / or are not helping the communication performance.

[0341] In some examples, the network access node can monitor RACH opportunities associated with a beam to determine whether the beam is not being used by the repeater device or to determine whether the signal quality associated with the beam is relatively poor. For example, if the network access node has not received any random access preambles (e.g., message 1) on the beam (e.g., over a period of time), the network access node can infer that the repeater device is not using the beam. As another example, if the network access node has received relatively few (e.g., less than a threshold number) random access preambles (e.g., message 1) on the beam (e.g., over a period of time), the network access node can infer that the signal quality associated with the beam is poor. In either case, the network access node can drop the corresponding SSB from the beam configuration for the repeater device.

[0342] In some examples, the network access node can measure signals associated with transmissions made by the relay device and / or transmissions made by UEs served by the relay device. If these measurements indicate that the signal quality associated with certain beams is relatively poor (e.g., below a threshold quality), the network access node can drop the corresponding SSB from the beam configuration for the relay device.

[0343] In some examples, the network access node can monitor measurement reports from UEs served by the relay device. If these measurement reports indicate that the signal quality associated with certain beams is relatively poor (e.g., below a threshold quality), the network access node can drop the corresponding SSB from the beam configuration for the relay device.

[0344] In some examples (e.g., where the MT and RU share outbound resources), the network access node may estimate the beam information of the relay device based on the capability signaling of the MT. For example, in order to infer how many beams the RU can generate / support, the network access node may monitor one or more of the maxNumberConfiguredTCIstatesPerCC (maximum number of configured TCI states per CC) parameter, the maxNumberConfiguredSpatialRelations (maximum number of configured spatial relations) parameter, the maxNumberSRS-ResourceSet (maximum number of SRS resource sets) parameter, the maxNumberSRS-ResourcePerSet-BM (maximum number of SRS resources per set-BM) parameter, or a combination of two or more of these parameters, or other suitable parameters. Here, in general, the parameters to be monitored may include those parameters for which there is a relationship between the magnitude of the parameter and the number of beams supported by the relay device.

[0345] In some aspects, the present disclosure relates to a relay device indicating to a network access node the number of arrays at the relay device and / or the mapping of beam indices to these array indices. For example, the relay device may send this information in a capability message or dynamically (e.g., in a UCI, RRC message, MA-CE, etc.). This information may be sent along with other information, such as the number of beams that the relay device can generate on the service side, the number of layers supported by the relay device (e.g., coarse, fine, finer, etc.), the mapping of beam indices to layer indices, and spatial QCL information between beams.

[0346] The present disclosure relates in some aspects to a relay device indicating to a network access node that a beam pair cannot be used for relay operation. For example, the relay device may send this information in a capability message or dynamically (e.g., in a UCI, RRC message, MAC-CE, etc.)

[0347] The repeater device may identify beam pairs that cannot be used for repeated operation in different ways in different examples. In some examples, the default assumption may be that beams on the same array may not be used for simultaneous transmission and reception (e.g., full-duplex operation). As another example, there may be constraints for multiple array antennas (e.g., the repeater device cannot receive from array X and forward on array Y). As yet another example, the repeater device may perform measurements to determine which beam combinations are inoperative or unreliable (e.g., due to interference, permanent beam-blocking obstacles, transient obstacles, etc.).

[0348] In some examples, (e.g., in the case where the repeater device does not provide the above information), the network access node (e.g., DU) can determine this information based on the repeater device configuration information, signal measurements, or feedback from the repeater device. For example, the network access node can determine that the base station has acquired a pair of beams on the same array based on antenna array information about the repeater device. As another example, based on RACH messaging, signal measurements, or measurement reports (e.g., as discussed above), the network access node can determine that a particular beam combination does not work or provides poor communication quality (e.g., below a threshold quality). As yet another example, upon receiving a beam configuration from the network access node, the repeater device can send back an acknowledgment indicating whether the configuration is supported by the repeater device (e.g., currently supported). For example, if the configuration specifies that the repeater device has determined that a beam pair that is not suitable for simultaneous transmission and reception is for simultaneous transmission and reception, the repeater device can send a negative acknowledgment (NAK) to the network access node. Otherwise, the repeater device can send a positive acknowledgment (ACK) to the network access node. In either of the above scenarios, upon determining that a beam pair of a relay device cannot be used for the intended purpose, the network access node may refrain from including the beam pair in the beam configuration for the relay device.

[0349] The present disclosure relates in some aspects to a relay device indicating to a network access node beam groups that cannot be used for simultaneous transmission and / or simultaneous reception (e.g., including carrier aggregation and / or full-duplex operation). For example, the relay device may send this information in a capability message or dynamically (e.g., in a UCI, RRC message, MAC-CE, etc.).

[0350] A repeater device may identify beam groups that can or cannot be used for simultaneous transmission and / or reception in different ways in different examples. In some examples, the default assumption may be that beams on different arrays can be used for simultaneous transmission and reception. As another example, there may be constraints for multiple array antennas (e.g., a repeater device cannot receive from array X and forward on array Y). As yet another example, a repeater device may perform measurements to determine which beam groups are inoperative or unreliable (e.g., due to interference, permanent beam-blocking obstacles, transient obstacles, etc.).

[0351] In some examples, (e.g., in the case where the repeater device does not provide the above information), the network access node (e.g., DU) can determine this information based on the repeater device configuration information, signal measurements, or feedback from the repeater device. For example, the network access node can determine that the network access node has acquired a group of beams on different arrays based on antenna array information about the repeater device. As another example, based on RACH messaging, signal measurements, or measurement reports (e.g., as discussed above), the network access node can determine that a particular beam group is not working or provides poor communication quality (e.g., below a threshold quality). As yet another example, upon receiving a beam configuration from the network access node, the repeater device can send back an acknowledgment indicating whether the configuration is supported by the repeater device (e.g., currently supported). For example, if the configuration specifies that the repeater device has determined a beam group that is not suitable for simultaneous transmission and reception to perform simultaneous transmission and reception, the repeater device can send a negative acknowledgment (NAK) to the network access node. Otherwise, the repeater device can send a positive acknowledgment (ACK) to the network access node. In either of the above scenarios, upon determining that a beam group of a relay device cannot be used for the intended purpose, the network access node may refrain from including the beam group in the beam configuration for the relay device.

[0352] If bidirectional forwarding (simultaneous UL and DL) is supported, the relay device may send array connectivity information to the UE. The connectivity information may include, for example, at least one of: an indication of the number of antenna arrays at the relay device, an indication of how the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be combined for beamforming, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for transmission, an indication of which of the antenna arrays can be used for reception, or a combination thereof.

[0353] II. Open-loop configuration of RF repeater equipment

[0354] A network access node may schedule access to a cell to support access by multiple UEs. For example, a network access node may allocate different resources (e.g., time domain and frequency domain resources) for different UEs operating within the cell of the network access node. In order to extend the coverage of a wireless network, a repeater device may be used to relay communication traffic between two nodes. Current repeater devices appear to fill both ends of the spectrum. At one end are repeater devices that may have fixed and non-configurable antenna modes, amplification settings, output power settings, and treat uplink and downlink resources in the same manner. At the other end of the spectrum are so-called smart repeater devices, which have greater configurability but rely on network access nodes for control. Improvements to repeater device technology, including technology that may allow repeater devices to configure themselves with little or no interaction with network access nodes, may enhance the performance and flexibility of wireless communication networks that employ repeater device technology.

[0355] According to various aspects described herein, a repeater device can be configured as an open-loop repeater device. An open-loop repeater device can combine the amplification and forwarding aspects of layer 1 relaying with the forwarding aspects of layer 1 relaying performed by upper layers of a protocol stack (such as a 5G protocol stack), such as, for example, Figure 14The open-loop repeater device may be combined with at least some functional enhancements provided by the MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, L2 1444, and L3 1446 of the network access node. The open-loop repeater device may obtain side control information, or at least some aspects of the side control information, from an over-the-air broadcast by the network access node. The open-loop repeater device may not be directly controlled by the network access node and may not establish (do not establish) an RRC connection with the network access node. The open-loop aspect reduces the processing overhead of the network access node, and the network access node may not need to actively control the open-loop repeater device, as it would need to control an intelligent repeater device. The open-loop aspect can reduce control signaling overhead for the network access node and the open-loop repeater device, as the network access node may not need to direct any control signaling to the open-loop repeater device; instead, the open-loop repeater device obtains (e.g., collects, harvests) information from the Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) block (also known as RMSI), and may also obtain information from other system information (OSI) in any one or more of the SIB2-SIB9 system information blocks. According to some aspects, the open-loop repeater device can exchange information with the network access node using the first two steps (Message 1 and Message 2) of a 4-step contention-based RACH procedure, or the two steps (Message A and Message B) of a 2-step contention-based RACH procedure. However, the open-loop repeater device may not need to establish an RRC connection with the network access node. The exchanged information can be used, for example, to configure one or more circuits of the open-loop repeater device. This configuration can, for example, implement beamforming to provide directionality to the receive and transmit hardware and / or functionality of the open-loop repeater device. This configuration can, for example, implement transmitter power control to prevent, for example, signals transmitted from the open-loop repeater device from interfering with signals received by a nearby UE or a second network access node. This configuration can, for example, implement features that turn one or more receivers and / or transmitters on or off when such receivers and / or transmitters are not needed. The decision to turn a receiver and / or transmitter on or off can be based on knowledge of the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, or DL) of the scheduled resources. These and other features and aspects are described in more detail below.

[0356] Figure 29 is a diagram illustrating a wireless communication network 2900 for communicating between a network access node 2902 and a first UE 2914 via a first relay device 2906 using beamformed signals in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The network access node 2902 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2, 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. The first UE 2914 and the second UE 2926 may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44. Any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of the first relay device 2906 and the second relay device 2918 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0357] exist Figure 29 In the example shown in , the network access node 2902 can be configured to generate multiple beams 2904a-2904g, each beam being associated with a different beam direction (e.g., azimuth). The network access node 2902 can transmit and / or receive on any one or more beams in the multiple beams 2904a-2904g. The corresponding beams in the multiple beams 2904a-2904g can be steered to various angles (e.g., azimuth). The first UE 2914 and / or the second UE 2926 can each be at a certain distance from the network access node 2902. Additionally or alternatively, there may be structures or obstacles (not shown) between the direct line of sight between the network access node 2902 and the first UE 2914 and / or between the network access node 2902 and the second UE 2926.

[0358] The first relay device 2906 can be located between the network access node 2902 and the first UE 2914. In some aspects, a relay device can be referred to as a "smart relay device" when, for example, it is controlled by another device (such as the network access node 2902). The control can provide "side control information" to the smart relay device, which facilitates dynamic or semi-static configuration of the smart relay device using, for example, beamforming information, power control information, and / or transmitter and receiver on / off information combined with knowledge of, for example, whether a given resource is scheduled for uplink or downlink operation. The smart relay device can receive the side control information in a closed-loop manner; that is, the network access node 2902 can have direct control over the smart relay device. However, as described herein, the first relay device 2906 can receive the side control information by acquiring information from the over-the-air master information block and system information block parameters, without being directly controlled by the network access node 2902. In this context, the first repeater device 2906 may not be a smart repeater device, but instead the first repeater device 2906 may be an "open-loop repeater device" (hereinafter referred to as the first repeater device 2906).

[0359] The first repeater device 2906 may have an antenna array (not shown) that allows the first repeater device 2906 to perform beamforming and steer one or more of the plurality of beams 2908a-2908g in various directions (e.g., azimuths). Beamforming may allow the first repeater device 2906 to form narrow directional beams 2908a-2908g in multiple directions and / or form wide directional beams (not shown) in multiple directions and / or form an omnidirectional beam (not shown).

[0360] The first UE 2914 may have an antenna array (not shown) that allows the first UE 2914 to perform beamforming and steer beams in various directions (e.g., azimuth). Beamforming may allow the first UE 2914 to form a narrow directional beam 2916 in multiple directions (one of multiple directional beams shown to avoid cluttering the drawing), and / or form a wide directional beam in multiple directions (not shown), and / or form an omnidirectional beam (not shown). Figure 29 In the example of , the narrow directional beam 2916 of the first UE 2914 is aligned or substantially aligned with the directional beam 2908c of the first relay device 2906.

[0361] The first relay device 2906 can amplify and forward (e.g., transmit) RF signals exchanged between the first UE 2914 and the network access node 2902. The amplification and forwarding can be bidirectional. The bidirectional link between the network access node 2902 and the first relay device 2906 may be referred to herein as a fronthaul link. The bidirectional link between the first relay device 2906 and the first UE 2914 may be referred to herein as an access link.

[0362] A second repeater device 2918 (e.g., an RF repeater device) may be located between the network access node 2902 and the second UE 2926. The second repeater device 2918 may be configured with an omnidirectional beam 2920 or may have a fixed directional beam (not shown) (e.g., where a fixed directional beam may be a wide beam pointing in one direction (not shown) without the ability to be steered (mechanically or electrically). The second repeater device 2918 may not be provided with a steerable beam configuration and may not adapt over time. The second repeater device 2918 may not distinguish between uplink and downlink resources. The second repeater device 2918 may not have a high complexity. The second repeater device 2918 may be implementation-based. That is, the second repeater device 2918 and other devices of its type may, for example, be implemented to adapt to a specific geographic location.

[0363] The second UE 2926 may have an antenna array (not shown) that allows the second UE 2926 to perform beamforming and steer beams in various directions (e.g., azimuth). Beamforming may allow the second UE 2926 to form a narrow directional beam 2928 (one of multiple directional beams shown to avoid cluttering the drawing) in multiple directions, and / or to form a wide directional beam (not shown) in multiple directions, and / or to form an omnidirectional beam (not shown). In the example of FIG. 29 , the narrow directional beam 2928 of the second UE 2926 is aligned or substantially aligned with the second repeater device 2918, and therefore aligned or substantially aligned with the omnidirectional beam 2920 of the second repeater device 2918.

[0364] The second relay device 2918 can amplify and forward (e.g., amplify and repeat) the RF signals exchanged between the second UE 2926 and the network access node 2902. The amplification and forwarding can be bidirectional. The bidirectional link between the network access node 2902 and the second relay device 2918 can be referred to as a fronthaul link. The bidirectional link between the second relay device 2918 and the second UE 2926 can be referred to as an access link herein.

[0365] As described, the first repeater device 2906 and the second repeater device 2918 can each amplify and forward RF signals (e.g., analog signals in the physical (PHY) layer). One difference between the first repeater device 2906 and the second repeater device 2918 is the ability of the first repeater device 2906 to use beamforming to improve the signal strength and signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) of traffic in over-the-air communications between the first repeater device 2906 and the network access node 2902. Additionally, the first repeater device 2906 can be aware of the direction of the traffic it receives (e.g., uplink, downlink, and flexible).

[0366] By way of illustration, in the context of time domain duplex (TDD) operation and multi-beam operation, Figure 29The first four time slots 2934 (time slots n-3, n-2, n-1, and n) of the resource grid are depicted. First relay device 2906 can obtain the directionality of each symbol in each of these four time slots 2934 by decoding cell-specific information transmitted by network access node 2902. Thus, first relay device 2906 can know in advance the location within the time-frequency resources of each uplink (UL) symbol 2936, flexible symbol 2938, and downlink symbol 2940 for any given time slot 2934 in a frame (not shown). Knowing the directionality (DL, flexible, UL) can allow first relay device 2906 to save power, for example, by only receiving in the direction of a UE (e.g., first UE 2914) during resources reserved for uplink communications. In other words, first relay device 2906 can save power and enjoy other benefits by not transmitting in the direction of a UE (e.g., first UE 2914) during resources reserved for uplink communications. During the uplink resource period, the first relay device 2906 may use beamforming techniques to form a first directional beam 2908c in the direction of the first UE 2914 and a second directional beam 2908g in the direction of the network access node. The first relay device 2906 may configure itself (in an open-loop manner) based on information received from the network access node 2902 without establishing an RRC connection with the network access node 2902. The first relay device 2906 may configure itself, for example, by coupling the antennas of its antenna array(s) to the input and output of an amplifier chain, respectively, to amplify and forward uplink traffic (if any) from the first UE 2914 to the network access node 2902 in a directional orientation configuration.

[0367] Similarly, the first relay device 2906 can save power and enjoy other benefits by not transmitting in the direction of the network access node (e.g., network access node 2902) during the resources reserved for the downlink. During the downlink resources, the first relay device 2906 can use beamforming techniques to form a first directional beam 2908c in the direction of the first UE 2914 and a second directional beam 2908g in the direction of the network access node. The first relay device 2906 can configure itself (in an open-loop manner) based on information received from the network access node 2902 without establishing an RRC connection with the network access node 2902. The first relay device 2906 can configure itself, for example, by coupling the antennas of its antenna array(s) to the input and output of the amplifier chain, respectively, to amplify and forward downlink traffic (if any) from the network access node 2902 to the first UE 2914 in a directional configuration. In general, the first relay device 2906 may be multi-beam adaptive over time and may be fully aware of the DL / UL split; ie, fully aware of which resources are scheduled for DL ​​and which resources are scheduled for UL.

[0368] In contrast, the second repeater device 2918 may not decode any cell-specific information. The second repeater device 2918 may receive RF signal traffic via its omnidirectional beam 2920, pass the RF signal traffic through its amplifier chain (not shown), and transmit (e.g., forward) the amplified RF signal traffic via the omnidirectional beam 2920 of the second repeater device 2918. Furthermore, the second repeater device 2918 may not be aware of the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of the RF signal traffic because the second repeater device 2918 may not have obtained this information from any signaling from the network access node 2902.

[0369] By way of illustration, in the context of time domain duplex (TDD) operation and multi-beam operation, Figure 29The second four time slots 2930 (time slots n-1, n, n+1, and n+2) of the resource grid are depicted. From the perspective of the second repeater device 2918, each codeword in each of the second four time slots 2930 is an uncertain codeword 2942 (i.e., the second repeater device 2918 may not make any effort to determine whether any given codeword is reserved for downlink, flexible, or uplink resources). Therefore, the second repeater device 2918 can always receive and transmit omnidirectionally. This has at least one disadvantage, such as wasting transmitted signal energy by directing the transmitted signal energy primarily in directions other than the second UE 2926. With respect to the second repeater device 2918, the outbound link bidirectional communication with the network access node 2902 and the access link bidirectional communication with the second UE 2926 can always be transmitted and / or received via the second repeater device 2918 omnidirectional beam 2920.

[0370] Figure 30A and 30B 3000 and 3001 are graphs comparing cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) on the vertical axis and data rates (in bits / second / Hz) on the horizontal axis as a function of whether "side control information" is provided to a repeater device, according to aspects of the present disclosure. As described above, side control information can allow the repeater device to, for example, use directional beams for fronthaul and access links, improve operation by having knowledge of the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of resources on a per-symbol and / or per-slot basis, and adjust the transmitter power of the repeater device.

[0371] Some evaluations indicate that when side control information becomes available, a significant performance advantage can be achieved over relay devices that do not have side control information. Advantages can be observed, for example, in timing information. Knowledge of the DL / UL split at the slot and symbol level can also provide advantages. As another example, side control information can provide spatial transmit and / or receive information. The transmit and / or receive information can be used to ensure that directional transmit and receive beams are pointed in a direction commensurate with the location of each served UE and network access node for each scheduled resource.

[0372] Figure 30A and 30B Traces (curves) without side control information 3002 , 3003 and traces with side control information 3004 , 3005 are depicted. Figure 30A and 30B Minimum useful rates 3006, 3007 are also depicted. Figure 30A and 30B The results for "indirect UEs" are depicted, which are UEs served by the relay device. Figure 30AThe downlink (DL) rate of the indirect UE is depicted. Figure 30B The uplink (UL) rate of the indirect UE is depicted.

[0373] As in Figure 30A and 30B As used in [1], the cumulative distribution function (CDF) is the probability (given on the vertical axis) that the UL or DL ​​rate will take a value less than or equal to the rate given on the horizontal axis. For example, in Figure 30A , for a CDF of 0.7 (i.e., a 70% probability), the graph 3000 indicates that there is a 70% probability that the DL rate of an indirect UE without side control information 3002 will be less than 0.9 bits / second / Hz, while for the same 70% probability, the DL rate of an indirect UE with side control information 3004 will be less than 6.2 bits / second / Hz. This represents a rate improvement for an indirect UE with side control information 3004 relative to an indirect UE without side control information 3002. By way of another example, in Figure 30A , for a CDF of 0.5 (i.e., a 50% probability), graph 3000 indicates that there is a 50% probability that the DL rate of an indirect UE without side control information 3002 will be less than 0 bits / second / Hz (i.e., the rate is less than the minimum useful rate 3006), while for the same 50% probability, the DL rate of an indirect UE with side control information 3004 will be less than 3.4 bits / second / Hz. This again represents a rate improvement for an indirect UE with side control information 3004 relative to an indirect UE without side control information 3002.

[0374] For UL rate, for example, Figure 30B , for a CDF of 0.7 (i.e., a probability of 70%), graph 3001 indicates that there is a 70% probability that the UL rate of an indirect UE without side control information 3003 will be less than 0.5 bits / s / Hz, while for the same 70% probability, the UL rate of an indirect UE with side control information 3005 will be less than 4.4 bits / s / Hz. This represents a rate improvement for an indirect UE with side control information 3004 relative to an indirect UE without side control information 3002. By way of another example, in Figure 30B , for a CDF of 0.5 (i.e., a 50% probability), graph 3001 indicates that there is a 50% probability that the UL rate of an indirect UE without side control information 3003 will be less than 0 bits / second / Hz (i.e., the rate is less than the minimum useful rate 3007), while for the same 50% probability, the UL rate of an indirect UE with side control information 3005 will be less than 1.6 bits / second / Hz. This again represents a rate improvement for an indirect UE with side control information 3005 relative to an indirect UE without side control information 3003.

[0375] Figure 31 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling 3100 of a wireless communication network including a network access node 3102, a relay device 3104, and a UE 3106 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network access node 3102 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44. The relay device 3104 may correspond to any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station). Figure 7-21 , 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40. UE 1406 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any UE (e.g., scheduled entity, wireless communication device) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 29, 31 and / or 44.

[0376] exist Figure 31 In the example of FIG, the network access node 3102 may first broadcast a master information block (MIB) 3108a, 3108b. The relay device 3104 and the UE 3106 may each receive the MIB 3108a, 3108b. The MIB 3108a, 3108b may be transmitted on a broadcast channel (BCH) transport channel and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) physical channel. The MIB 3108a, 3108b may include parameters required for decoding a system information block type 1 (SIB1) and other information. For example, the MIB 3108a, 3108b may be used to convey information (such as side control information) from the network access node 3102 to the relay device 3104. Some parameters carried by a MIB (such as MIBs 3108a and 3108b) may include, for example, a parameter "cell barred," which can be used to inform a relay device (such as relay device 3104) that a network access node (such as network access node 3102) has barred one or more wireless communication devices (such as UE 3106) from camping on the cell associated with the MIB. The cell barred parameter may indicate to the relay device 3104 that one or more circuits of the relay device 3104 may be configured not to communicate radio frequency (RF) traffic received at the relay device 3104 from one or more wireless communication devices (such as UE 3106) in uplink resources associated with the cell.

[0377] The network access node 3102 may then broadcast other system information (OSI) 3112a, 3112b. The OSI 3112a, 3112b may include any of SIB2-SIB9. The relay device 3104 and the UE 3106 may each receive the OSI 3112a, 3112b.

[0378] When the relay device 3104 and the UE 3106 have all the relevant information, one or both may enter a contention-based random access procedure. The existing RACH procedure may be referred to as a 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120. First, the UE 3106 may transmit a contention-based PRACH preamble, also referred to as message 1 3124. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 responds with a random access response (RAR) (also referred to as message 2 3128). The RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a timing advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling PUSCH transmissions from the UE 3106. In response to message 2 3128, the RAR includes an ID for contention resolution and transmits message 3 3130. Message 3 3130 may also be referred to as an RRC connection request. Upon receiving message 3 3130, the network access node 3102 transmits a contention resolution message with a contention resolution ID, also referred to as message 4 3132. The UE 3106 receives message 4 3132, and if the UE 3106 finds its contention resolution ID, it sends an acknowledgement on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), which completes the 4-step random access procedure.

[0379] From the perspective of the relay device 3104, the 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120 is similar; however, if the relay device 3104 enters the RACH procedure 3120, the relay device 3104 may choose not to establish an RRC connection with the network access node 3102. Accordingly, an open-loop relay device (such as the relay device 3104) may not request (does not request) an RRC connection 3134 and may not participate (does not participate) in contention resolution.

[0380] Furthermore, entering the 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120 is optional for the relay device 3104 (as indicated by the dashed lines of the relay device 3104 Message 1 3122PRACH preamble and the network access node 3102 Message 2 3126RAR). However, the relay device 3104 may find the first two steps of the 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120 useful for exchanging information with the network access node 3102. For example, the relay device 3104 may use the Message 1 3122PRACH preamble to communicate information upstream to the network access node 3102, while the network access node 3102 may use the Message 2 3126RAR to communicate information downstream to the relay device 3104. First, the UE 3106 may optionally transmit the Message 1 3124PRACH preamble to the network access node 3102. After detecting the preamble, the network access node 3102 may respond with message 2 3126RAR. Message 2 3126RAR may include the detected preamble ID, a timing advance command, a temporary C-RNTI (TC-RNTI), and an uplink grant for scheduling PUSCH transmissions from the relay device 3104; however, if provided, the relay device 3104 may not use the uplink grant.

[0381] In 5G, an alternative to the 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120 is available. The alternative may be referred to as a 2-step contention-based RACH procedure 3140. The 4-step RACH procedure utilizes two round trips between, for example, the UE 3106 and the network access node 3102. The 2-step contention-based RACH procedure 3140 can reduce latency and control signaling overhead by using only one round trip between the UE 3106 and the network access node 3102 or between the relay device 3104 and the network access node 3102. The round trip reduction can be achieved by combining Message 1 and Message 3 of the 4-step contention-based RACH procedure 3120 into a single message (referred to as Message A).

[0382] The relay device 3104 may optionally transmit message A 3142 upward to the network access node 3102. Message A 3142 may include a PRACH preamble and other data. Of course, the UE 3106 may also transmit message A 3144 upward to the network access node 3102. The network access node 3102 may respond to the relay device 3104 with message B 3146. The network access node 3102 may respond to the UE 3106 with message B 3106. Messages B 3146 and 3148 may include the content previously associated with messages 2 and 4.

[0383] Figure 3232 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a relay device 3200 employing a processing system 3214 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the relay device 3200 may be a device configured to wirelessly communicate with a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station), a user equipment (e.g., a UE, a scheduled entity, a wireless communication device), and / or a core network node, all of which may be configured to communicate with a network access node (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station), a user equipment (e.g., a UE, a scheduled entity, a wireless communication device), and / or a core network node. Figure 1-55 In some implementations, the processing system 3214 may provide some or all of the functionality of the MT unit. In some implementations, the repeater device 3200 may correspond to Figure 7-21 , any of the RF repeater devices of 29, 31, 32, 37, 39 and / or 40.

[0384] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 3214. The processing system 3214 may include one or more processors 3204. The processing system 3214 may be connected to Figure 21 3208, including a bus interface 3208, a bus 3202, a memory 3205, a processor 3204, and a computer-readable medium 3206. In addition, the repeater device 3200 may include additional features such as an interface 3230, a transceiver 3210, an antenna / antenna array 3220, and / or a power supply 3228. The interface 3230, the transceiver 3210, the antenna / antenna array 3220, and the power supply 3228 may be coupled to the bus interface 3208. The stated features of the repeater device 3200 may be substantially similar to Figure 21 Accordingly, to avoid repetition, the same reference numerals and similarly named features of the repeater device 2100 are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 32 The description does not provide a description of similarly numbered and similarly named features that may still exist in repeater device 3200.

[0385] In various examples, the repeater device 3200 can be configured to perform the Figure 1-55 That is, the processor 3204 as utilized in the repeater device 3200 may be used to implement the functions described herein (e.g., in Figure 22-24 , 33-34 and / or 46-47) processes and procedures. The processor 3204 as utilized in the repeater device 3200 may include circuit systems configured for various functions.

[0386] For example, the processor 3204 may include communication and processing circuitry 3241. The communication and processing circuitry 3241 of the repeater device 3200 may be configured for various functions and processes and may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various functions and processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein. Figure 21 Some of the various functions, processes, and corresponding hardware components described may be similar to those described above. Figure 32 Various similarly named functions, processes, and corresponding one or more hardware components associated with the communication and processing circuit system 3241 of the repeater device 3200. Accordingly, to avoid repetition, the Figure 32 The description of the communication and processing circuit system 3241 does not provide any information about what may still exist in the communication and processing circuit system 3241. Figure 32 3241 of the Communications and Processing Circuitry System and Figure 21 The communication and processing circuit system 3241 may be configured to execute communication and processing software 3251 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0387] In some aspects of the present disclosure, processor 3204 may include side control information decoding circuitry 3242 configured for various functions, including, for example, decoding cell-specific information received from a network access node. In some examples, side control information decoding circuitry 3242 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with decoding cell-specific information received from a network access node. Side control information decoding circuitry 3242 may be further configured to execute side control information decoding software 3252 stored on computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0388] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3204 may include a relay device configuration circuit system 3243 that is configured for various functions, including, for example, configuring the relay device 3200 using cell-specific information or configuring the relay device 3200 using cell-specific information without establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the network access node using the cell-specific information. In some examples, the relay device configuration circuit system 3243 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes related to configuring the relay device using cell-specific information or configuring the relay device 3200 using cell-specific information without establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the network access node using the cell-specific information. The relay device configuration circuit system 3243 may be further configured to execute relay device configuration software 3253 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0389] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3204 may include a system information (SI) acquisition circuit system 3244, which is configured to perform various functions, including, for example, obtaining a master information block (MIB), remaining minimum system information (RMSI) identified by the MIB, and / or system information transmitted in a system information block (SIB), the SIB including resources identified by at least one of the MIB or the remaining minimum system information (RMSI), wherein the RMSI may be different from the SIB. In some examples, the SI acquisition circuit system 3244 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes related to obtaining the MIB, the RMSI identified by the MIB, and / or system information transmitted in the SIB, the SIB including resources identified by at least one of the MIB or the RMSI, wherein the RMSI may be different from the SIB. The system information (SI) acquisition circuit system 3244 may be further configured to execute system information (SI) acquisition software 3254 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0390] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3204 may include a downlink control information (DCI) format circuit system 3245, which is configured to perform various functions, including, for example, obtaining cell-specific information transmitted as a payload of a DCI format, and receiving a series of DCI formats to dynamically change the configuration of a repeater device. In some examples, the downlink control information (DCI) format circuit system 3245 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes related to the following operations: obtaining cell-specific information transmitted as a payload of a DCI format, and receiving a series of DCI formats to dynamically change the configuration of a repeater device. The downlink control information (DCI) format circuit system 3245 may be further configured to execute downlink control information (DCI) format software 3255 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0391] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3204 may include a random access channel (RACH) processing circuit system 3246, which is configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), the SSB identifying the direction of the relayed radio frequency traffic (e.g., UL, flexible, DL), wherein the network access node can convey information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble can be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of corresponding information that is pre-established to convey the corresponding information from the repeater device to the network access node. In yet another example, the repeater device can determine the identity of the corresponding information to be conveyed to the network access node by selecting one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. In some examples, the RACH processing circuit system 3246 can include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes related to the following operations: transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), the SSB identifying the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of the relayed radio frequency traffic, wherein the network access node can communicate information to the repeater device in a RACH response to the predetermined RACH preamble. In some examples, the predetermined RACH preamble can be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles associated with a plurality of corresponding information that is pre-established to communicate the corresponding information from the repeater device to the network access node. In yet another example, the repeater device can determine the identity of the corresponding information to be communicated to the network access node by selecting one of the plurality of predetermined RACH preambles. The RACH processing circuit system 3246 can be further configured to execute RACH processing software 3256 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0392] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3204 may include a power measurement circuitry 3247 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, measuring the power of resources in an access link during at least one of a measurement window configured by the network access node or within a resource set configured by the network access node. Furthermore, the power measurement circuitry 3247 may be configured to measure the power level of a broadcast channel carrying cell-specific information from a given network access node; compare the power level to a predetermined lower threshold and a predetermined upper threshold; and configure the repeater device based on the comparison. Furthermore, the power measurement circuitry 3247 may configure the repeater device to convey the RF traffic when the power level is greater than the predetermined lower threshold and less than the predetermined upper threshold. In some examples, the power measurement circuitry 3247 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with measuring the power of resources in an access link during at least one of a measurement window configured by the network access node or within a resource set configured by the network access node. In addition, the power measurement circuitry 3247 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with measuring the power level of a broadcast channel carrying the cell-specific information from a given network access node; comparing the power level to a predetermined low threshold and a predetermined high threshold; and configuring the repeater device based on the comparison. In addition, the power measurement circuitry 3247 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with configuring the repeater device to convey the RF traffic when the power level is greater than the predetermined low threshold and less than the predetermined high threshold. The power measurement circuitry 3247 may be further configured to execute power measurement software 3257 stored on the computer-readable medium 3206 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0393] Figure 33 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process 3300 (e.g., a method) at a relay device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all examples. In some examples, the process 3300 may be performed by Figure 32 In some examples, process 3300 can be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described herein.

[0394] At block 3302, the relay device may decode cell-specific information received from a network access node. Figure 32The side control information decoding circuitry 3242, along with the transceiver 3210 and antenna / antenna array 3220, shown and described, may provide a means for decoding the cell-specific information received from the network access node.

[0395] At block 3304, the relay device may configure itself (i.e., configure the relay device) using the cell-specific information. At block 3305, the relay device may configure itself (i.e., configure the relay device) using the cell-specific information without establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a network access node. For example, the relay device configuration circuitry 3243 may provide means for configuring itself (e.g., configuring the relay device) using the cell-specific information and / or may provide means for configuring itself (i.e., configuring the relay device) using the cell-specific information without establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a network access node. Blocks 3304 and 3305 may be alternatives to each other.

[0396] In block 3306, the repeater device may forward signals between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device according to the configuration. In one example, the network access node may be one of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device. For example, the above combination Figure 32 The communication and processing circuitry 3241 , along with the transceiver 3210 and antenna / antenna array 3220 , as shown and described, may provide a means for forwarding signals between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to the configuration.

[0397] In some examples, the network access node can be one of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device. The cell-specific information received from the network access node can be beam-specific information. The cell-specific information can be specific to a single relay device or a group of relay devices. In some aspects, the cell-specific information can be received on a specific beam directed to the location of the relay device. In some aspects, the cell-specific information can be valid for a given time period or for an upcoming limited set of resources.

[0398] According to some aspects, example process 3300 at the relay device in the wireless communication network may further include periodically verifying the cell-specific information by at least one of: acquiring new cell-specific information, re-acquiring previously decoded cell-specific information, or re-reading the decoded cell-specific information received from the network access node. Example process 3300 may include setting a timer to trigger the periodic verification of the cell-specific information.

[0399] According to some examples, the information that varies from cell to cell may be transmitted from the network access node and used to establish an RRC connection between the network access node and a wireless communication device. However, in some examples, the information that varies from cell to cell may not be used to establish an RRC connection between a repeater device and a network access node. In some examples, the signals forwarded by the repeater device may be beamformed. In some examples, the signals forwarded by the repeater device may be in analog form and have not yet been processed in the repeater device into a digital form at an intermediate frequency or baseband. In some examples, the information that varies from cell to cell may provide resources and configuration information for receiving repeater device control information. Resource information may include time division duplex mode (TDD mode), repeater device switch information, frequency information of the network access node, or a combination thereof. Frequency information may be at least one of the following: for example, center frequency information, or channel bandwidth. In some examples, the information that varies from cell to cell may include restriction information that is not desired to be transmitted.

[0400] In some examples, the cell-specific information may be system information, which may be transmitted in a master information block (MIB), in a remaining minimum system information (RMSI) identified by the MIB, and / or in a system information block (SIB) message that is specific to the repeater device. The cell-specific information may be, for example, system information that may be transmitted in a system information block (SIB), the SIB including resources identified by at least one of a master information block (MIB) or a remaining minimum system information (RMSI), wherein the RMSI is not the SIB. In another example, the cell-specific information may be transmitted as a downlink control information (DCI) format or a payload of a media access control-control element (MAC-CE). The DCI may be a group-common DCI, and the DCI format may be associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a beamforming configuration. In one example, the repeater device may also receive a series of DCI formats to dynamically change the configuration of the repeater device.

[0401] In one example, the repeater device may be one of a plurality of repeater devices arranged in a plurality of different corresponding directions relative to a network access node, a first repeater device among the plurality of repeater devices may receive a first DCI format message that configures the first repeater device among the plurality of repeater devices to disable the repeater device from receiving and transmitting, and a second repeater device among the plurality of repeater devices may receive a second DCI format message that configures the second repeater device among the plurality of repeater devices to enable the repeater device from receiving and transmitting.

[0402] According to some aspects, at least one of the following is performed: the cell-specific information may be broadcast to a plurality of relay devices including the relay device or the cell-specific information may be provided to the plurality of relay devices including the relay device as a group common configuration.

[0403] In one example, the cell-specific information may be relay device-specific control information (referred to herein as relay device control information). The relay device-specific control information may be transmitted as a payload of a downlink control information (DCI) format associated with a common radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) that distinguishes the DCI format from other DCI formats associated with other RNTIs associated with the wireless communication devices.

[0404] Countries or regions around the world may have regulations and / or guidelines regarding unwanted emissions from wireless devices. Transmissions from repeater devices (such as those exemplified herein) may be subject to these regulations and / or guidelines. The repeater device may be configured to increase or decrease the transmit power to maintain compliance with the local unwanted emission limits specified in such regulations and / or guidelines. For example, the unwanted emission limits may be provided as a function of frequency or frequency band. According to one example, the repeater device may receive a message conveying information about restrictions on unwanted emissions. The message may be transmitted to the repeater device by a network access node. The message may allow network control of unwanted emissions of the repeater device. In one example, when the repeater device receives information that varies from a cell to a network access node, the information that varies from cell to cell may include information about restrictions on unwanted emissions. The repeater device that receives such information that varies from cell to cell may be configured to increase and / or decrease its transmitted power to keep the transmitted power of the repeater device at or below the limit specified in the received information about restrictions on unwanted emissions.

[0405] In one aspect, the repeater device may be a layer 1 relay unit. In another aspect, the repeater device may be identified by a predetermined random access channel (RACH) preamble and / or resources that may be different from the wireless communication device's RACH preamble and / or resources. According to this aspect, process 3300 may also include transmitting a predetermined RACH preamble and / or predetermined resources associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), the SSB identifying the direction (e.g., UL, flexible, DL) of the relayed radio frequency traffic. In this aspect, the network access node may communicate information to the plurality of repeater devices in a RACH response to the predetermined random access channel (RACH) preamble and / or predetermined resources. The predetermined RACH preamble and / or the predetermined resource may be one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles and / or predetermined resources associated with a plurality of corresponding information that is pre-established to communicate the corresponding information from the repeater device to the network access node. In this aspect, the relay device may determine the identity of corresponding information to be communicated to the network access node by selecting one of a plurality of predetermined RACH preambles and / or predetermined resources. In one example, the information may correspond to at least one of: a power configuration of the relay device or a measured power of a resource in an access link. The measured power of the resource in the access link may be measured within at least one of: a measurement window configured by the network access node or within a resource set configured by the network access node.

[0406] In one example, the relay device may communicate the information to the network access node by at least one of: selecting a predetermined RACH preamble and / or predetermined resources, including the information in a payload of a first RACH message, including the information in a payload of a third RACH message, or setting a transmitter power of the relay device to one of a plurality of predetermined transmitter power levels, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined transmitter power levels conveys a different respective information segment. In some aspects, the network access node may communicate the information to the relay device in one of a RACH response or a fourth RACH message.

[0407] According to one aspect, changes to the configuration of the relay device may be made without establishing a control interface between the relay device and the network access node. That is, an RRC connection may not be established between the relay device and the network access node.

[0408] According to another aspect, the repeater device may configure itself (e.g., the repeater device may be configured to) communicate radio frequency traffic received at the repeater device based on a control signal of the cell-specific information. The control signal may be broadcast from the network access node and directed exclusively to multiple repeater devices, including the repeater device, within a broadcast reception range of the network access node. The control signal may configure the multiple repeater devices to not communicate radio frequency traffic associated with the cell. In one aspect, the control signal may provide a synchronization signal block (SSB)-specific (SSB-specific) indication, wherein the repeater device may determine whether to communicate or not to communicate based on a detected SSB from the network access node and the provided SSB-specific indication. In one aspect, the control signal may instruct the network access node transmitting the cell-specific information to prohibit one or more wireless communication devices (e.g., one or more UEs) from camping on the cell associated with the cell-specific information. In this example, a repeater device (e.g., one or more circuits of the repeater device) may configure itself (i.e., the repeater device) to not communicate radio frequency traffic received at the repeater device from one or more wireless communication devices in uplink resources associated with a cell. In this example, the repeater device may determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) index value associated with the control signal and configure the output power of a transmitter of the repeater device based on the SSB index value. According to some aspects, the repeater device may configure the output power of the repeater device by at least one of configuring a maximum output power of the transmitter, configuring a maximum amplification gain of the transmitter, or configuring a first power assigned to first traffic transmitted in an uplink and a second power assigned to second traffic transmitted in a downlink, wherein the first power is different from the second power. In some examples, the repeater device may configure itself to not communicate radio frequency traffic received at the repeater device associated with the SSB index value in uplink resources associated with the cell. In this example, the repeater device may additionally determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) index value associated with the control signal; map the SSB index value to one of the plurality of beams of the network access node according to a predetermined mapping relationship; and configure the repeater device to not convey the radio frequency traffic received at the repeater device in resources associated with one of the plurality of beams. In one aspect, the repeater device may further measure the power level of a broadcast channel carrying the cell-specific information from a given network access node; compare the power level with a predetermined low threshold and a predetermined high threshold; and configure the repeater device (i.e., configure itself) based on the comparison. In one aspect, the repeater device may configure the repeater device to convey the radio frequency traffic when the power level is greater than the predetermined low threshold and less than the predetermined high threshold.Still further, the repeater device may determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) index value associated with the control signal, and configure the repeater device (i.e., configure itself) to communicate the radio frequency traffic associated with the SSB index value in the uplink resources.

[0409] In some aspects, the repeater device may further determine a synchronization signal block (SSB) index value associated with the cell-specific information, and configure a transmitter of the repeater device based on the SSB index value. In some examples, configuring the transmitter may further include at least one of configuring the transmitter with a maximum transmitter output power, configuring the transmitter with a maximum amplification gain, or configuring a first power assigned to first traffic transmitted in an uplink and a second power assigned to second traffic transmitted in a downlink, wherein the first power is different from the second power. Configuring the transmitter may further include at least one of configuring the transmitter with a maximum transmitter output power, or configuring the transmitter with a maximum amplification gain.

[0410] In one example, the cell-specific information may indicate resources of at least one symbol in at least one time slot, and configuring the repeater device using the cell-specific information further includes configuring the repeater device to exclusively communicate traffic in the indicated resources during the at least one symbol in the at least one time slot. In another example, the resources may be at least one of uplink resources, downlink resources, or flexible resources, and the repeater device may further replace the flexible resources with the uplink resources or the downlink resources based on control information or control configuration signaling received by the repeater device.

[0411] Figure 34 3400 (e.g., a method) at a relay device in a wireless communication network according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of the present disclosure, and some of the illustrated features may not be required to implement all examples. In some examples, the process 3400 may be performed by Figure 32 In some examples, process 3400 can be performed by any suitable equipment or means for performing the functions or algorithms described herein.

[0412] At block 3402, the relay device may decode cell-specific information received from a network access node to obtain at least one of a measurement window or a resource set. Figure 32The side control information decoding circuitry 3242, along with the transceiver 3210 and antenna / antenna array 3220, shown and described, may provide a means for decoding the cell-specific information received from the network access node.

[0413] At block 3404, the repeater device may measure the power received during at least one of the measurement window or the resource set as a function of direction. Figure 32 The power measurement circuitry 3247 shown and described, together with the transceiver 3210 and antenna / antenna array 3220, may provide a means for measuring the direction-dependent power received during at least one of the measurement window or the set of resources.

[0414] At block 3406, the repeater device may configure downlink resources of the repeater device based on the received power. Figure 32 The repeater device configuration circuitry 3243, along with the communication and processing circuitry 3241, shown and described may provide a means for configuring the downlink resources of the repeater device based on the received power.

[0415] At block 3408, the repeater device may forward signals between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device according to the configuration. Figure 32 The communication and processing circuitry 3241 shown and described, along with the transceiver 3210 and antenna / antenna array 3220, can provide a means for forwarding signals between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device according to the configuration. In one example, the network access node is one of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device.

[0416] According to one aspect, the relay device may compare the received direction-dependent power with a predetermined threshold.The relay device may then configure downlink resources in at least one beam corresponding to at least one direction in which the received power is less than the predetermined threshold.

[0417] In one example, the relay device may be a layer 1 relay unit. In another example, the change to the configuration of the relay device may be made in the absence of an RRC configuration established between the relay device and any network access node including the network access node. In yet another example, at least one of the measurement window or the resource set is communicated to the relay device in control signaling in a random access channel (RACH) configuration that varies from relay device to relay device. The RACH configuration that varies from relay device to relay device may be a plurality of relay devices including the relay device that are broadcast from the network access node and directed exclusively to a broadcast reception range of the network access node. In some examples, the relay device may be identified by a predetermined RACH preamble and / or predetermined resources.

[0418] Figure 35 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a network access node 3500 (e.g., a scheduling entity, a gNB, a base station) employing a processing system 3514 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the network access node 3500 can be a device configured to wirelessly communicate with a scheduled entity, a UE, a wireless communication device, other network access nodes, a relay device, and / or an IAB node, as in Figure 1-15 In some implementations, the network access node 3500 may correspond to Figure 1 、 2 , any of the network access nodes (e.g., scheduling entity, gNB, base station) shown in any of 5-12, 14-17, 25, 29, 31, 37 and / or 39-44.

[0419] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using a processing system 3514. The processing system 3514 may include one or more processors 3504. The processing system 3514 may be connected to Figure 25 The processing system 2514 (or Figure 21 3504, and includes a bus interface 3508, a bus 3502, a memory 3505, a processor 3504, and a computer-readable medium 3506. In addition, the network access node 3500 may include additional features such as an interface 3530, a transceiver 3510, an antenna / antenna array 3520, and / or a power supply 3528. The interface 3530, the transceiver 3510, the antenna / antenna array 3520, and the power supply 3528 may be coupled to the bus interface 3508. The stated features of the network access node 3500 may be substantially similar to Figure 25 Similar numbered and similarly named features of the network access node 2500 (or Figure 212100). Accordingly, to avoid repetition, the Figure 35 The description does not provide a description of similarly numbered and similarly named features that may still exist in network access node 3500.

[0420] The transceiver 3510, in combination with one or more antennas / antenna arrays 3520, can provide a device for communicating with various other equipment on a wireless transmission medium. The interface 3530 can provide a communication interface or device for communicating with various other equipment and devices (e.g., other devices housed in the same equipment as the network access node 3500 or other external devices) on an internal bus or external transmission medium (such as an Ethernet cable). Depending on the characteristics of the equipment, the interface 3530 may include a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, control features, etc.). Of course, such a user interface is optional and may be omitted in some examples.

[0421] The network access node 3500 may be configured to perform the operations described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figure 1-55 That is, the processor 3504 as utilized in the network access node 3500 may be used to implement the operations described herein (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 26-28 , 36, 38 and / or 49-52) processes and procedures. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3504, as utilized in the network access node 3500, may include circuitry configured for various functions. The processor 3504 is responsible for managing the bus 3502 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 3506. When executed by the processor 3504, the software causes the processing system 3514 to perform the various functions described below for any particular equipment. The computer-readable medium 3506 and memory 3505 may also be used to store data manipulated by the processor 3504 when executing the software.

[0422] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3504 may include a communication and processing circuit system 3541. The communication and processing circuit system 3541 may be configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a user equipment (UE), a repeater device, or other wireless communication device, a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), other network access nodes or scheduling entities, or any other entity (such as, for example, local infrastructure or an entity that communicates with the network access node 3500 via the Internet (such as a network provider)). The communication and processing circuit system 3541 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with all wireless communications (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) as described herein, including, for example, broadcasting DCI to multiple repeater devices. The communication and processing circuit system 3541 may further include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing various processes associated with signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission) as described herein. Some functions, processes, and / or hardware components of the communication and processing circuit system 3541 of the network access node 3500 may be similar to those described in conjunction with Figure 25 The various similarly named functions described for the communication and processing circuitry 2541 of the network access node 2500 are described in detail. Accordingly, to avoid repetition, the various similarly named functions described for the communication and processing circuitry 2541 of the network access node 2500 are described in detail. Figure 35 The description of the communication and processing circuit system 3541 does not provide a description of similarly numbered and similarly named features that may still exist in the communication and processing circuit system 3541. The communication and processing circuit system 3541 may be configured to receive and process downlink traffic and downlink control (e.g., similar to Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 3541 may be configured to transmit uplink traffic 142 and uplink control 144, and process and transmit uplink traffic and uplink control (e.g., similar to uplink traffic 146 and uplink control 148). The communication and processing circuitry 3541 may be further configured to execute communication and processing software 3551 stored on the computer-readable medium 3506 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0423] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processor 3504 may include a repeater device-specific control information generation circuit system (referred to herein as the repeater device control information generation circuit system 3542) configured for various functions, including, for example, generating repeater device-specific control information, the repeater device-specific control information included in at least one of the following: a payload in a downlink control information (DCI) format unique to the repeater device, remaining master system information (RMSI), a master information block (MIB), or a combination of the MIB and a system information block (SIB). In some examples, the repeater device control information generation circuit system 3542 may include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure for performing processes associated with, for example, generating repeater device-specific control information, the repeater device-specific control information included in at least one of the following: a payload in a downlink control information (DCI) format unique to the repeater device, remaining master system information (RMSI), a master information block (MIB), or a combination of the MIB and the SIB. The repeater device control information generation circuitry 3542 may be further configured to execute repeater device control info...

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a repeater device in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: receiving a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device; selecting to use a second number of beams to transmit the SSBs, wherein the second number of beams is less than or equal to the first number of SSBs; receiving at least one SSB transmission; as well as The at least one SSB transmission is transmitted via the second number of beams.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: Selecting to use the second number of beams to transmit SSB comprises: The second number of beams is determined based on how many beams the repeater device can generate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: Selecting to use the second number of beams to transmit SSB comprises: identifying beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay SSB; and The second number of beams is determined based on beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay SSB.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: Selecting to use the second number of beams to transmit SSB comprises: identifying a beam that has been successfully used by the relay device to communicate with at least one user equipment; and The second number of beams is determined based on beams that have been successfully used by the relay device to communicate with the at least one user equipment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: The second number of beams is less than the first number of SSBs, the method further comprising: generating an indication that the repeater device will transmit SSB using the second number of beams; and The indication is transmitted to a network access node.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: A second configuration is received after transmitting the indication, wherein the second configuration specifies a second number of SSBs to be used by the repeater device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one SSB transmission comprises a plurality of SSB transmissions, and transmitting the at least one SSB transmission further comprises: The plurality of SSB transmissions are sequentially relayed via the second number of beams.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: At least one SSB transmission includes SSB information, and transmitting the at least one SSB transmission further includes: generating a plurality of SSB transmissions from the SSB information; and The plurality of SSB transmissions are transmitted via the second number of beams.

9. A repeater device, comprising: Relay unit; Memory; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the relay unit and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving a first configuration specifying a first number of synchronization signal blocks SSB to be transmitted by said relay unit of said repeater device; selecting to use a second number of beams to transmit the SSBs, wherein the second number of beams is less than or equal to the first number of SSBs; receiving at least one SSB transmission; as well as The at least one SSB transmission is transmitted via the second number of beams.

10. The repeater device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: The second number of beams is determined based on how many beams the repeater device can generate.

11. The repeater device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: identifying beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay SSB; and The second number of beams is determined based on beams that can be used by the repeater device to relay SSB.

12. The repeater device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: identifying a beam that has been successfully used by the relay device to communicate with at least one user equipment; and The second number of beams is determined based on beams that have been successfully used by the relay device to communicate with the at least one user equipment.

13. The repeater device according to claim 9, wherein: The second number of beams is less than the first number of SSBs, and the processor is further configured to: generating an indication that the repeater device will transmit SSB using the second number of beams; and The indication is transmitted to a network access node.

14. The repeater device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: A second configuration is received after transmitting the indication, wherein the second configuration specifies a second number of SSBs to be used by the repeater device.

15. The repeater device according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one SSB transmission comprises a plurality of SSB transmissions, and the processor transmits the at least one SSB transmission by being further configured to: The plurality of SSB transmissions are sequentially relayed via the second number of beams.

16. The repeater device according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one SSB transmission includes SSB information, and the processor transmits the at least one SSB transmission by being further configured to: generating a plurality of SSB transmissions from the SSB information; and The plurality of SSB transmissions are transmitted via the second number of beams.

17. A method for wireless communication at a network access node in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: generating a first configuration indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device; transmitting the first configuration to the repeater device; determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs; generating a second configuration after determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs, the second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device; as well as The second configuration is transmitted to the repeater device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: At least one SSB transmission is transmitted to the repeater device after transmitting the first configuration.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein: Determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs further comprises: An indication is received that the repeater device is transmitting SSB using a second number of beams.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein: Determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs includes: A determination is made that there is no communication with a user equipment on at least one beam associated with the first number of SSBs.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein: Determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs includes: It is determined that no random access message is received on at least one random access channel (RACH) opportunity having the first number of SSBs.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: receiving capability information from the repeater device; estimating a number of beams supported by the repeater device based on the capability information; as well as The first number of SSBs is determined based on the number of beams supported by the repeater device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The capability information includes at least one of the following: a maximum number of configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states per component carrier, a maximum number of configured spatial relations, a maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resource sets, a maximum number of SRS resources per set, or a combination thereof.

24. A network access node, comprising: Transceiver; Memory; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: generating a first configuration indicating a first number of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) to be transmitted by the repeater device; transmitting, via the transceiver, the first configuration to the repeater device; determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs; generating a second configuration after determining that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs, the second configuration indicating a second number of SSBs to be transmitted by the repeater device; as well as The second configuration is transmitted to the repeater device via the transceiver.

25. The network access node of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to: At least one SSB transmission is transmitted to the repeater device after transmitting the first configuration.

26. The network access node according to claim 24, wherein: The processor determines that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs by being further configured to: An indication is received that the repeater device is transmitting SSB using a second number of beams.

27. The network access node according to claim 24, wherein: The processor determines that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs by being further configured to: A determination is made that there is no communication with a user equipment on at least one beam associated with the first number of SSBs.

28. The network access node of claim 24, wherein: The processor determines that the repeater device is transmitting less than all of the first number of SSBs by being further configured to: It is determined that no random access message is received on at least one random access channel (RACH) opportunity having the first number of SSBs.

29. The network access node of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiving capability information from the repeater device; estimating a number of beams supported by the repeater device based on the capability information; and The first number of SSBs is determined based on the number of beams supported by the repeater device.

30. The network access node according to claim 29, wherein: The capability information includes at least one of: a maximum number of configured transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states per component carrier, a maximum number of configured spatial relations, a maximum number of sounding reference signal (SRS) resource sets, a maximum number of SRS resources per set, or a combination thereof.

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