Iab timing change quantity mac ce enhancements for case #6 timing support

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, and computer programs for timing enhancements for integrated access and backhaul nodes are disclosed. One method includes receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; determining, based on the control element, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to a subsequent uplink transmission for the integrated access and backhaul node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments generally relate to communication, and more specifically, to IAB timing variation MAC CE enhancement for timing support in case #6. Background Technology

[0002] Integrating access and backhaul in communication networks is known. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to one aspect, a method includes receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node based on the control element; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0004] According to one aspect, a method includes providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0005] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory, including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least: receive a control element, the control element being used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; based on the control element, determine the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; and apply the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0006] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least: provide a control element, the control element being used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receive subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0007] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; components for determining, based on the control element, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; and components for applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0008] According to one aspect, an apparatus includes components for providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and components for receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0009] According to one aspect, a machine-readable, non-transitory program storage device is provided, tangibly embodying a machine-executable program of instructions for performing operations, the operations comprising: receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; determining, based on the control element, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0010] According to one aspect, a machine-readable, non-transitory program storage device is provided, tangibly embodying a machine-executable program of instructions for performing operations, the operations comprising: providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1A This is a block diagram of a possible non-limiting system in which example embodiments may be practiced.

[0013] Figure 1B This is a block diagram of an example IAB node.

[0014] Figure 2 It is an integrated access and backhaul tree that displays the connection between the IAB node and the donor gNB.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a diagram of a UE attached to the IAB network.

[0016] Figure 4 An example IAB architecture for Architecture 1a used in TR 38.874 is shown.

[0017] Figure 5 This shows the relationship between the example IAB node and its parent and child nodes.

[0018] Figure 6 The Rel-16 IAB TDM is displayed.

[0019] Figure 7 This shows an IAB timing synchronization scenario used for Rel-16 IAB.

[0020] Figure 8 The supported timing modes for simultaneous IAB-DU / IAB-MT transmissions are shown.

[0021] Figure 9 Displayed from TS 38.321 Figure 6 1.3.21-1: Timing Delta MAC CE (Timing Change MAC CE).

[0022] Figure 10 This is an example from the received T by the IAB based on the description in this article. delta Example flowchart for MAC CE to determine timing mode indication.

[0023] Figure 11 The example described in this paper is configured to implement IAB timing enhancement.

[0024] Figure 12 This paper demonstrates a method for implementing IAB timing enhancements based on the examples described herein.

[0025] Figure 13 This paper demonstrates another approach to implementing IAB timing enhancements based on the examples described in this paper. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The following acronyms and their definitions, which can be found in the instruction manual and / or accompanying drawings, are as follows:

[0027] 3GPP Third Generation Partner Program

[0028] 4G fourth generation

[0029] 5G (Fifth Generation)

[0030] 5GC 5G Core Network

[0031] The Adapt layer stores routing information and enables hop-by-hop forwarding.

[0032] Alt. Alternative

[0033] AMF Access and Mobility Management Functions

[0034] ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit)

[0035] ASMRAP AirScale Millimeter Wave Radio Access Point

[0036] BH Return

[0037] BW bandwidth

[0038] CE control elements

[0039] CLI Cross-Link Interference

[0040] CPC computer program code

[0041] CU Central Unit or Centralized Unit

[0042] DgNB benefactor gNB

[0043] DL downlink

[0044] DSP Digital Signal Processor

[0045] DU Distributed Unit

[0046] eNB Evolved Node B (e.g., LTE base station)

[0047] EN-DC E-UTRA-NR Dual Connection

[0048] en-gNB provides the UE with NR user plane and control plane protocol termination information.

[0049] Node, and act as an auxiliary node in EN-DC.

[0050] E-UTRA evolved universal terrestrial radio access, i.e., LTE radio access

[0051] technology

[0052] Control interface between F1 CU and DU

[0053] The interface between CUs in the DUIAB donor on the F1* IAB node

[0054] F1-AP F1 Application Protocol

[0055] F1-C F1 control plane interface (e.g., in IAB nodes and IAB donors)

[0056] (between CU)

[0057] F1-U F1 User Plane Interface

[0058] F1-U* MT and other on IAB nodes (e.g., service IAB nodes)

[0059] Wireless communication between DUs on an IAB node (e.g., a donor)

[0060] Running on the RLC channel during backhaul

[0061] FFS is used for further research.

[0062] FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array)

[0063] FR frequency range

[0064] gNB is used as a base station for 5G / NR, that is, to provide the NR user plane to the UE.

[0065] The node terminates with the control plane protocol and connects via the NG interface.

[0066] Received 5GC

[0067] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0068] GPRS General Packet Radio Service

[0069] GTP-U GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane

[0070] IAB Integration Access and Backhaul

[0071] ID identifier

[0072] I / F interface

[0073] I / O Input / Output

[0074] IP Internet Protocol

[0075] L# layer#

[0076] LCID Logical Channel ID

[0077] LMF location management function

[0078] LTE Long Term Evolution (4G)

[0079] MAC Media Access Control

[0080] MME (Mobility Management Entity)

[0081] MT Mobile Terminal / Termination

[0082] ng or NG, next generation

[0083] NGC Next Generation Core

[0084] ng-eNB, the next generation of eNB

[0085] NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network)

[0086] NR New Radio (5G)

[0087] N / W network

[0088] Oct byte

[0089] OTA (Over-the-Air)

[0090] PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel)

[0091] PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol)

[0092] PHY physical layer

[0093] R Reserved bits

[0094] RACH Random Access Channel

[0095] RAN (Radio Access Network)

[0096] RAN1 RAN WG1 or Radio Layer 1

[0097] R# or Rel version

[0098] RLC Radio Link Control

[0099] RO RACH timing

[0100] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0101] RRH Remote Radio Head

[0102] RU radio unit

[0103] Rx receiver or receiver

[0104] SDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol

[0105] SGW Service Gateway

[0106] SI Research Projects

[0107] SMF Session Management Function

[0108] SSB Synchronization Signal / PBCH Block

[0109] TA scheduled in advance

[0110] TDM (Time Division Multiplexing)

[0111] TP propagation delay

[0112] TR Technical Report

[0113] TS Technical Specifications

[0114] Tx sender or transmission

[0115] UDP User Datagram Protocol

[0116] UE (User Equipment) (e.g., wireless equipment, typically mobile equipment)

[0117] The interface between the UE and the gNB's DU, or the interface between the IAB node's MT and the IAB node's DU.

[0118] UL uplink

[0119] UPF User Plane Functions

[0120] WI work items

[0121] WG Working Group

[0122] Go to Figure 1A The figure shows a block diagram of one possible, non-limiting example in which the example can be practiced. User equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) node 170, and network element 190 are shown. Figure 1AIn the example, User Equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicates with Wireless Network 100. The UE is a wireless device that can access Wireless Network 100. UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected via one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic cable, or other optical communication device. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. UE 110 includes a module 140, which includes one or both of portions 140-1 and / or 140-2 that can be implemented in various ways. Module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as as part of one or more processors 120. Module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware (such as programmable gates). In another example, module 140 can be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, one or more memories 125 and computer program code 123 can be configured to enable user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations described herein using one or more processors 120. UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via radio link 111. Modules 140-1 and 140-2 can be configured to implement the functionality of the UE as described herein.

[0123] In this example, RAN node 170 is a base station that provides access to wireless network 100 by wireless devices such as UE 110. RAN node 170 can be, for example, a base station for 5G, also known as New Radio (NR). In 5G, RAN node 170 can be an NG-RAN node, defined as a gNB or ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC (such as, for example, multiple network elements 190) via an NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface. An NG-RAN node can include multiple gNBs, which can also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and multiple distributed units (DUs) (gNB-DU), where DU 195 is shown. Note that DU 195 can include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU). gNB-CU 196 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB, or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. gNB-CU 196 terminates the F1 interface connected to gNB-DU 195. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also shows links between remote elements and centralized elements of RAN node 170, such as between gNB-CU 196 and gNB-DU 195. gNB-DU 195 is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by gNB-CU 196. One gNB-CU 196 supports one or more cells. A cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 195. gNB-DU 195 terminates the F1 interface 198 connected to gNB-CU 196. Note that DU 195 is considered to include transceiver 160, for example, as part of an RU; however, some examples may have transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, for example, under the control of DU 195 and connected to DU 195. RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long Term Evolution), or any other suitable base station or node.

[0124] RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected via one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. CU 196 may include processor(s) 152, memory(s) 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that DU 195 may also contain its own one or more memories and processor(s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0125] RAN node 170 includes module 150, comprising one or both of portions 150-1 and / or 150-2, which can be implemented in various ways. Module 150 can be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as as part of one or more processors 152. Module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, module 150 can be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, one or more memories 155 and computer program code 153 are configured, together with one or more processors 152, to cause RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Note that the functionality of module 150 can be distributed, such as distributed between DU 195 and CU 196, or implemented solely in DU 195. Modules 150-1 and 150-2 can be configured to implement the functions of the base station described herein. Such functions of the base station may include location management functions (LMF) implemented based on the LMF described herein. Such an LMF can also be implemented as a Location Management Component (LMC) within RAN node 170.

[0126] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate over the network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, for example, link 176. Link 176 may be wired, wireless, or both, and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0127] One or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a Remote Radio Header (RRH) 195 for LTE or a Distributed Unit (DU) 195 for a gNB implementation of 5G. Other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located different from the RRH / DU 195, and one or more buses 157 may be partially implemented, for example, as fiber optic cables or other suitable network connections to connect other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., Central Unit (CU), gNB-CU 196) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates those suitable network links.

[0128] It should be noted that the description in this document indicates that a "cell" performs a function; however, it should be clear that the equipment forming a cell can perform functions. A cell constitutes part of a base station. That is, each base station can have multiple cells. For example, for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, there may be three cells, each covering one-third of a 360-degree area, so the coverage area of ​​a single base station is roughly elliptical or circular. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier, and a base station can use multiple carriers. So if each carrier has three 120-degree cells and two carriers, then the base station has a total of six cells.

[0129] Wireless network 100 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functions and provide connectivity to other networks, such as telephone networks and / or data communication networks (e.g., the Internet), via one or more links 181. Such 5G core network functions may include location management functions (LMF) and / or access and mobility management functions (AMF) and / or user plane functions (UPF) and / or session management functions (SMF). Such core network functions for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely example functions that may be supported by network elements 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. RAN node 170 is coupled to network element 190 via link 131. Link 131 may be implemented as, for example, an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. Network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 180, which are interconnected via one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and computer program code 173 are configured, together with the one or more processors 175, to cause network element 190 to perform one or more operations, such as the functionality of an LMF as described herein. In some examples, a single LMF can serve a large area covered by hundreds of base stations.

[0130] Wireless network 100 can achieve network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is divided into external virtualization and internal virtualization. External virtualization combines many networks or parts of a network into a virtual unit, while internal virtualization provides network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. Note that the virtualized entities created by network virtualization are still implemented to some extent using hardware (such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171), and such virtualized entities also create technical effects.

[0131] Computer-readable storage devices 125, 155, and 171 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed storage, and removable storage. Computer-readable storage devices 125, 155, and 171 can be components for performing storage functions. Processors 120, 152, and 175 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and, as non-limiting examples, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Processors 120, 152, and 175 can be components for performing functions such as controlling UE 110, RAN node 170, network element(s) 190, and other functions described herein.

[0132] Typically, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, cellular phones (such as smartphones), tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with wireless communication capabilities, portable computers with wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices (such as digital cameras with wireless communication capabilities), gaming devices with wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback devices with wireless communication capabilities, internet devices that allow wireless internet access and browsing, tablet computers with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals that include a combination of such functions.

[0133] Turning Figure 1B This diagram is a block diagram of the possible internal structure of an IAB node. Each IAB node 165 / 170d includes one or more processors 4, one or more memories 6, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F) 16, and one or more transceivers 14 interconnected via one or more buses 9. Each of the one or more transceivers 14 includes a receiver Rx 12 and a transmitter Tx 10. The one or more transceivers 14 are connected to one or more antennas 18. The one or more memories 6 contain computer program code 8.

[0134] IAB node 165 / 170d includes IAB module 2, comprising one or both of portions 2-1 and / or 2-2, which can be implemented in various ways. IAB module 2 can be implemented in hardware as IAB module 2-1, such as as part of one or more processors 4. IAB module 2-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, IAB module 2 can be implemented as IAB module 2-2, which is implemented as computer program code 8 and executed by one or more processors 4. For example, one or more memories 6 and computer program code 8 are configured, together with one or more processors 4, to cause IAB node 165 / 170d to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0135] One or more network interfaces 16 communicate via wired or wireless networks, for example via corresponding wireless links 111, 112-1 and / or 112-2 (see...). Figure 1A and Figure 4 This could be via another IAB link, such as via transceiver 14 or via the circuitry in network interface 16. Donor IAB node 170d can, for example, communicate with NGC 190 via link 131 (see [link to NGC 190]). Figure 1A and Figure 4 ), and through this element 190 to (a plurality of) other networks and / or the Internet 199 (see, for example) Figure 2 and Figure 3 One or more buses 9 can be address, data, or control buses, and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optic or other optical communication devices, wireless channels, etc.

[0136] IAB node 165 includes DU 195-1 and MT 197-1, whose functionality may relate to the timing-related aspects of the embodiments described herein, but when CU 196d is not a donor node (therefore) Figure 1B (The dashed line in CU 196d). Donor IAB node 170d includes DU 195d and CU 196d, and its function may also involve timing-related aspects of the embodiments described herein, but does not involve MT 197-1 when acting as a donor node (therefore). Figure 1B (The dashed line in MT 197-1).

[0137] Figure 1A Wireless networks 100 and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 110-1 may include one or more network elements 190, which may include core network functions and provide connectivity to other networks (such as telephone networks and / or data communication networks (e.g., the Internet)), as previously discussed. Figure 1A The network described. Such core network functions for 5G may include (multiple) Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) and / or (multiple) User Plane Functions (UPF) and / or (multiple) Session Management Functions (SMF).

[0138] While this paper primarily emphasizes 5G, other technologies can also be used. For example, core network functions for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely exemplary functions that can be supported by (multiple) network elements 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions may be supported. For example, for 5G, IAB nodes 165 and 170d can be gNB nodes, and for 4G, IAB nodes 165 and 170d can be eNB nodes, or a combination of gNB and eNB nodes or other base stations may exist, for example, for other technologies. Therefore, IAB node 165 and donor IAB node 170d and their components / modules can implement Figure 1A The functions of RAN node 170 and its components / modules, and vice versa (i.e. Figure 1A RAN node 170 and its components / modules can implement the functions of IAB node 165 / 170d.

[0139] Multiple computer-readable storage devices 6 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Multiple computer-readable storage devices 6 can be components for performing storage functions. As a non-limiting example, multiple processors 4 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Multiple processors 4 can be components for performing functions such as controlling donor IAB nodes 170d, IAB nodes 165, and other functions described herein. The parent IAB node and child IAB nodes are respectively 165p and 165c (e.g., refer to...). Figure 5 ), and other IAB nodes described in this document using the prefix 165 in the attached figures may be IAB nodes 165 / 170d.

[0140] UE 110, RAN node 170, network element 190, and / or IAB nodes 165 / 170d (and associated memory, computer program code, and modules) can be configured to implement IAB timing enhancements based on the examples described herein. Therefore, UE 110's Figure 1AThe computer program code 123, module 140-1, module 140-2, and other components / features shown herein can implement user equipment-related aspects of IAB timing enhancement as described herein. Similarly, RAN node 170's Figure 1A The computer program code 153, module 150-1, module 150-2, and other elements / features shown herein can implement gNB-related aspects of IAB timing enhancements as described herein, such as for donor IAB nodes. (Multiple) network elements 190 Figure 1A The computer program code 173 and other components / features shown can be configured to implement network component-related aspects of IAB timing enhancements as described herein. Similarly, IAB nodes 165 / 170d... Figure 1B The CPC 8, IAB Module 2-1, IAB Module 2-2, and other components / features shown herein can implement IAB node-related aspects of IAB timing enhancement as described herein.

[0141] A suitable but non-limiting technical background for the practice of exemplary embodiments has thus been introduced, and exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail.

[0142] The examples described in this article relate to 5G New Radio (NR) design. 5G NR should enable network deployment with minimal manual effort and as much automatic self-configuration as possible. For these reasons, NR supports radio backhaul to interconnect relay nodes (called Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) nodes) and connect them to base stations with fixed connections. More specifically, NR needs to support self-backhauling, where the same carrier is used for both backhaul connections and access links, i.e., enabling in-band backhaul operation.

[0143] The IAB network is wirelessly connected to each IAB node that receives services from its parent node and can provide services to the next-hop IAB node or UE, or its children. Figure 2A 3-hop IAB network 100-1 is shown, comprising: (i) IAB nodes (1a) and (1b) (correspondingly 165-1a and 165-1b) receiving backhaul services from parent donor gNB(0) via IAB Hop-1 167-1a and IAB Hop-1 167-1b respectively; (ii) IAB nodes (2a) and (2b) (correspondingly 165-2a and 165-2b) receiving backhaul services from parent IAB node (1a)-165-1a via IAB Hop-2 167-2a and IAB Hop-2 167-2b respectively; and (iii) AB node (2c)-165-2c receiving backhaul services via IAB Hop-2 167-2a and IAB Hop-2 167-2b respectively. 167-2c receives backhaul services from parent IAB node (1b)-165-1b; (iv) IAB nodes (3a) and (3b) (correspondingly 165-3a and 165-3b) respectively receive services from parent IAB node (2a)-165-2a via IAB Hop-3 167-3a and IAB Hop-3 167-3b. IAB network 100-1 provides wireless access to, for example, network 199.

[0144] The IAB network 100-1 provides radio access to multiple UEs, each of which is directly connected to a donor gNB or IAB node. Figure 3 The connections of 14 UEs are shown, connected to IAB network 110-1 at each IAB node (collectively referred to as 165) or directly connected to donor gNB 170d, using letters (a) to (n). Figure 3 The following are UEs: 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j, 110k, 110l, 110m and 110n.

[0145] Figure 4 The high-level architecture based on the IAB R16 WI is shown, in which the L2 relay utilizes a separate gNB architecture.

[0146] The donor node 170d hosts a centralized unit (CU) 196d for all IAB nodes (e.g., IAB nodes 165-1 and 165-2), i.e., it operates RRC, higher L2 (PDCP), and control functions for the IAB topology. Distributed units (DUs) (including DUs 195d, 195-1, and 195-2) reside at IAB nodes that host lower L2 radio protocol layers (such as RLC 193-1 and 193-2, MAC) and physical (PHY) layers. CU 196d has two control interfaces to IAB nodes 165-1 and 165-2: an RRC connection to IAB-MTs (such as IAB-MT 197-1 and IAB-MT 197-2) and an F1-C connection to IAB-DUs (such as DU 195-1 and DU 195-2) via, for example, F*198-1 and F*198-2. Therefore, both RRC signaling and F1-AP can be used for IAB configuration and control. Through this architecture, radio resource usage can have central coordination by the donor CU 196d.

[0147] Donor gNB 170d and IAB nodes 165-1 and 165-2 share radio resources between backhaul (via, for example, 112-1 and 112-2) and access to UEs 110a, 110b, and 110c (via, for example, 111, 111-1, and 111-2). Resources may include radio spectrum and radio transceivers. Figure 4 As also shown, IAB donor 170d is coupled to network element 190 (Next Generation Core (NGC) element) via NG link 131, which network element 190 also... Figure 1A It is displayed in the middle.

[0148] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the relationship between IAB node 165, its parent IAB node 165p, its child IAB node 165c, and the access UE 110. IAB node 165 uses MT function 197-1 to communicate with its parent node 165p for backhaul services (e.g., via parent backhaul downlink 112pd and parent backhaul uplink 112pu), and uses gNB distributed unit (DU) function 195-1 to provide radio access for both UEs 110 via access uplink 111-1 and access downlink 113, and for its child (next-hop) IAB node 165c via child backhaul downlink 112cd and child backhaul uplink 112cu.

[0149] The parent DU function 195p, located in donor gNB 170d and IAB node 165p, accordingly schedules downlink 113 and uplink 111-1 access services, as well as outbound and inbound backhaul services (e.g., 112pd and 112pu) for attached UEs (such as...). Figure 3UEs 110l, UEs 110m and 110n attached to DgNB 170d and IAB node UEs (such as...) Figure 5 110 in the parent IAB node 165p, or UE 110j attached to IAB node 165-1a. The parent IAB node 165p also includes MT function 197p, and the child IAB node 165c includes DU function 195c and MT function 197c.

[0150] IAB MT function 197-1 and IAB DU function 195-1 are assumed to share a common transceiver (e.g. Figure 1B The transceiver 14), wherein the common transceiver prevents IAB node DU 195-1 from using the transceiver for access services (111-1 and 113) or child backhaul services (112cd and 112cu) when IAB node UE 110 is scheduled for parent backhaul services (e.g., 112pd and 112pu). Rel.16 IAB is limited to TDM operation, where IAB-MT and IAB-DU usage are time-separated.

[0151] IAB node 165 can also contain multiple sectors, with multiple DU functions for each corresponding cell served by each sector. In Rel-16, but generally not for IAB, an additional half-duplex constraint is imposed, such that all sectors are either transmitting or receiving, where the transceiver transmitting function can serve outbound backhaul or downlink access services, and the receiving function can serve inbound backhaul and uplink UE services.

[0152] Release 16 has defined the IAB mechanism for time-multiplexed access and backhaul. Any given time slot or symbol can be used for communication between IAB node 165 and parent node 165p; or for communication between IAB node 165 and child node 165c or access UE 110. Figure 6 The sharing of time slot 166 for access (111a, 111b, 111c, 111d respectively for UE 110a-1, UE 110a-2, UE 110b-1, UE 110b-2) and backhaul 112 is shown.

[0153] To limit cross-link interference (CLI) between adjacent links (i.e., parent and child links), TS 38.133 requires all DU transmissions to synchronize. While this synchronization can be maintained using GNSS, IAB nodes without GNSS capability or unable to receive GNSS signals (e.g., indoors, in tunnels) require an OTA (Over-The-Air) procedure to maintain synchronization (OTA synchronization occurs in cases #1 and #6). In Rel-16, 3GPP enables this through the use of TA-based timing alignment, by specifying a MAC CE signal that can indicate the desired offset of the IAB-DU timing relative to the IAB-MT TA, such as... Figure 7 As shown.

[0154] An alternative timing mode (referred to as case #6) in which both IAB-DU 195-1 and IAB-MT 197-1 are transmitted simultaneously (e.g., in...). Figure 8 The references IAB-MT UL 214 and IAB-DU DL 216 simultaneously require that IAB-DU DL transmission 216 be synchronized between the DU and the donor node (reference). Figure 8 (202 in the text), but it also requires that IAB-MT UL transmission 214 and IAB-DU DL transmission 216 be executed synchronously, such as Figure 8 As shown.

[0155] When supporting Case #6, there are potentially two alternatives. In one variant, Alt.1, the IAB node may need to maintain UL transmissions based on both Case #1 and Case #6 to arrive at DL alignment between IAB nodes. The primary reason is that when the IAB node is operating in Case #6 timing mode, TA-based timing for UL transmissions is not used, and estimation of propagation delays becomes problematic. In another alternative, Alt.2, enhanced signaling may be provided without relying on Case #1 timing mode, where the enhanced signaling is also used independently for DL ​​timing alignment.

[0156] The IAB-MT is configured with timing advance (TA), such as 208, which configures the IAB-MT UL transmission relative to its corresponding IAB-MT DL receive timing 212 during the RACH procedure used for initial access (e.g., 204 and 214). After the RACH procedure, the parent node 165p / 170d (see, for example, donor and associated donor timing 202) knows the propagation delay T. P 210, and the optimal offset (e.g., 216) for IAB-DU timing can be determined. This offset value T delta It is sent to IAB node 165, where DU195-1 configures its timing offset as follows:

[0157]

[0158] If T is provided delta If the serving cell is in FR2, then N delta = -70528 and G step =64. If T is provided delta If the serving cell is in FR1, then N delta =-17664 and G step =32. Figure 7 The text also shows T. g 206.

[0159] When IAB node 165 initiates the initial access procedure, it can achieve downlink timing synchronization based on measurements transmitted by the parent SSB and indicate the propagation delay to parent node 165p during the RACH procedure via the transmission of a selected RACH preamble. The RACH preamble is sent with a timing advance value of 0, enabling the parent node to estimate the (bidirectional) propagation delay based on the preamble's reception time. Based on this, the parent determines to send an initial timing advance (TA) command to the IAB-MT in the Random Access Response (RAR) message. From then on, the TA command is associated with the existing TA value (the amount of change).

[0160] When the TA applied by the MT is controlled in case 1 timing, the IAB node DU TX timing is obtained by estimating the propagation delay given by Equation 2:

[0161]

[0162] If T is provided delta If the serving cell is in FR2, then N delta = -70528 and G step =64. If T is provided delta If the serving cell is in FR1, then N delta =-17664 and G step =32.

[0163] Once the parent node 165p has determined the propagation delay and the IAB node 165 has received RRCSetupComplete, the IAB node 165 can be provided with its initial Case #1 timing synchronization via MAC CE. At this point, the IAB node 165 with non-TDM multiplexing capabilities can be configured to operate in Case #6 timing mode. In Case #6 timing, the IAB-MT 197-1 can perform all uplink transmissions synchronized at the symbol level with the downlink transmissions of the IAB-DU 195-1.

[0164] TS 38.321 provides the following description of the format of the MAC CE, which is used to provide a timing offset for timing support in case #1 during synchronous IAB-DU transmission, indicating (refer to...) Figure 9 ):

[0165] The timing change quantity MAC CE is identified by a MAC subheader with the LCID specified in Table 6.2.1-1.

[0166] It has a fixed size and consists of two octets, defined as follows ( Figure 6 .1.3.21-1):

[0167] -R: Reserve bits, set to 0;

[0168] -T_delta: This field indicates the index value of Tdelta (0, 1, 2...1199), which is used to control the amount of timing adjustment indicated by the MAC entity (as specified in TS 38.213[6]). The length of this field is 11 bits.

[0169] TS 38.213 describes how the timing change variable MAC CE is used to update the timing for case #1: IAB-MT uses Timing Advance (TA), which is relative to its corresponding IAB-MT DL receive timing, to configure the IAB-MT UL transmission. The parent node can also indicate the required offset via the timing change variable MAC CE to align the IAB-DU timing with the parent DL transmission timing. This offset value T delta It is sent to the IAB node, where the DU configures its timing offset relative to the MT RX timing, as previously described.

[0170] For IAB nodes that support timing mode #6, the parent node can use it for T. delta The same MAC-CE command for signaling, so as to also indicate the timing difference between UL receive (RX) (from IAB-MT) and DL transmit (TX) at the parent node.

[0171] IAB nodes (MTs) may recognize the same MAC-CE command in different ways, depending on the indications provided in the reserved entry or by other configurations used to indicate the case #1 timing mode compared to the case #6 timing mode.

[0172] In one variant, reserved bits can be used to indicate the timing mode: (i) if all reserved bits are set to 0, then the IAB MT can assume that the received MAC-CE indicates a legacy T. deltaSignaling. Otherwise, the IAB MT may read the bit fields (including all or a few reserved entries) as the timing difference between UL RX and DL TX on the parent node; (ii) if some of the reserved bits are used to indicate the timing mode, the IAB MT may determine the timing mode first based on the indication of some of the reserved bits.

[0173] When condition #1 is indicated, IAB MT reads T. delta The last 11 bits of MAC-CE are used as a traditional T delta Signaling. Otherwise, the IAB MT reads the last set of bits (11 bits or more) as the timing difference between UL RX and DL TX on the parent node.

[0174] In another variant, reserved bits may not be used for timing mode indication, but the parent node may use another configuration or signaling to indicate / activate the timing mode in the IAB MT UL, and the IAB MT may apply a MAC-CE command corresponding to the indicated / activated timing mode.

[0175] In another variant, Case #6 related timing information (the timing difference between UL RX and DL TX at the parent node) can be sent by the parent only when the IAB MT uses Case #6 mode timing in UL transmission. The use of Case #6 timing at the IAB node can be defined / configured by the parent / CU within a given time period, allowing the parent to estimate the different timing between UL RX and DL TX.

[0176] Similarly, if timing information related to the timing mode of Case #1 is issued, then the use of conventional UL (based on TA) is used at IAB MT within a given time period.

[0177] Example 1 proposes using T delta The reserved bits of MAC CE are used to indicate one of two separate timing modes for the IAB node: (1) when the reserved bits match the bit mode (e.g., set to zero, etc.), the IAB node interprets the relevant data field of MAC CE as T as specified in TS 38.213. delta The instruction; or (2) when the reserved bits match the alternative bit pattern (e.g., some or any reserved bits not set to zero), the IAB node interprets the timing offset relative to the IAB-MT DL Rx timing (e.g., the timing difference supporting case #6). Here, the parent may also exclude MAC-CE signaling used for TA indication.

[0178] Example 2 proposes using T deltaThe reserved bits of MAC CE are used to indicate one of two separate timing modes for the IAB node, as well as additional configuration parameters for timing offset: (1) When the reserved bits match the bit mode (e.g., set to zero, etc.), the IAB node interprets the relevant data field of MAC CE as T as specified in TS 38.213. delta The IAB node interprets the timing offset relative to the IAB-MT DL Rx timing when the reserved bits match the alternative bit pattern (e.g., some reserved bits are not set to zero). Additionally, some additional bit patterns (e.g., configurations of reserved bits not used for timing pattern indication) can indicate additional configuration parameters for the alternative timing patterns (e.g., 2^N unique configurations of N reserved bits indicating the range and / or resolution of timing offset values).

[0179] Example 3 proposes a method for T delta The interpretation of the MAC CE timing mode indication can be based on the context in which the MAC CE is restored (e.g., if the time slot in which the MAC CE is restored, or the time slot immediately following the time slot in which the MAC CE is restored, is configured for non-TDM operation, then the IAB node will interpret the timing offset as relative to the IAB-MT DL Rx timing rather than relative to the TA offset timing).

[0180] Example 4 proposes that the IAB node maintains the propagation delay estimate based on the DU TX-RX offset sent by the parent signal (for Alt. 2 of the timing adjustment in case #6 discussed above), and obtains TA and T for timing in case #1 from the propagation delay estimate. delta Furthermore, in this embodiment, MAC CE is used for T delta The current use of signaling can be extended to DUTX-RX offset signaling.

[0181] When operating in non-TDM mode, the IAB-MT and / or IAB-DU can receive an indication to use an alternative time offset for non-TDM transmissions (e.g., a T with an alternative time indication bit). delta (MAC CE). When an alternative timing indication is received, the IAB node may assume an alternative timing reference for which an offset is indicated (e.g., relative to IAB-MT Rx timing, but not TA). Additionally, the IAB node may assume an alternative range of resolution for the timing offset indication (e.g., less than or greater than the original T). delta Offset step size.

[0182] IAB nodes 165 / 170d can alternate between TDM and non-TDM operating modes using both regular and unconventional indicators. IAB nodes may also receive indicators that may require the node to take steps to restore timing synchronization (e.g., initiate a RACH procedure, restore to case #1 timing, etc.) (e.g., reserve bit unique mode). Alternatively, IAB nodes can be configured with a rest timer (e.g., from T...). delta The IAB node may be required to perform a timing correction procedure (e.g., initiate a RACH procedure) when the N time slots of the MAC CE reception expire.

[0183] When using Alt.2 to maintain the DU TX timing for Case 6, IAB node 165 can adjust the TX timing (DU and MT) relative to the MT Rx timing so that the TX-RX offset remains equal to the parent's DU TX-RX offset (signaled by the parent to the IAB node). This offset is then an estimate of the propagation delay TP.

[0184] As described in Example 4, this refers to a situation where both Case 1 and Case 6 MT TX timing may need to be maintained by the IAB node. In this case, Option 1 is that the propagation delay TP is obtained through Case 1 TA control, and the Case 6 timing is set using this estimate. (This is Alt. 1 discussed earlier.) Option 2 (Example 4) is that the propagation delay is obtained using Alt. 2 maintained by Case 6 timing, and this propagation delay is used to calculate N for Case 1 MT TX timing. TA :

[0185] N TA =2*(TP-(N) delta +T delta ·G step )·T c (Equation 3)

[0186] Using option 1, the parent sends T using only a signal. delta Signal. Using option 2, the enhanced timing offset MAC-CE carries the parent's observed DU TX-RX offset or T delta That is, the DU TX-RX offset used for TP determination or the T used for case 1TA. delta .

[0187] Using the enhanced synchronous timing offset MAC CE, the example state flowchart for IAB node 165 starts at 402, receives T_delta MAC CE at 404, and... Figure 10 It is displayed in the middle.

[0188] exist Figure 10In the middle, IAB node 165 has received UL timing alignment N TA At position 406, when an alternative is selected (e.g., mode), the unindicated instruction is aligned, and at position 410, IAB node 165 is instructed to use a T relative to TA. delta To apply / calculate the timing offset, as indicated in Section 14 of TS 38.213. If IAB node 165 determines at 406 that an alternative timing mode is indicated, it can first check at 408 to determine if the timing offset is within the range of possible indicated values. If the value is outside the range, IAB-MT may be required at 414 to initiate a RACH procedure on the next available priority RO to reset the IAB node timing. Otherwise, at 412, IAB node 165 can ignore the TA configuration and apply (e.g., update) the T relative to the IAB-MT DLRx timing. delta Timing offset. Method 400 ends at 416.

[0189] When the IAB-MT can operate in non-TDM multiplexing mode between the IAB-MT and IAB-DU, the IAB node can be configured with multiple alternative time offset configurations (e.g., for...). T Δ (One of several possible indications, etc.). When operating in non-TDM mode, the IAB-MT and / or IAB-DU may receive an indication to use an alternative time offset for non-TDM transmissions (e.g., a T with an alternative time indication bit). delta MAC CE). In addition to the indication of alternative timing modes, the IAB node also receives a configuration index (e.g., a bit pattern from a subset of reserved bits). When receiving an alternative timing indication, the IAB node may assume an alternative timing reference with an indicated offset (e.g., relative to IAB-MT Rx timing, not TA). When receiving an alternative timing indication, the IAB node can use the indicated parameters to calculate the alternative timing offset (e.g., ...). ).

[0190] If an IAB node receives a T_B signal that is related to its IAB operating mode (e.g., TDM, non-TDM) (i.e., concurrent, immediately preceding, etc.), delta If MAC CE, then the IAB node may have a configured (e.g., RRC) or pre-arranged (e.g., explicitly specified) context in which T delta MAC CE is interpreted. IAB nodes can assume that the timing offset indication method is related to the operating mode (e.g., when received in non-TDM mode at IAB-MT, alternative T...). delta (Timed indicators are provided, etc.)

[0191] The examples described in this paper offer several advantages and technical benefits. Optimal timing support in non-TDM reduces CLI and simplifies resource reuse management by removing the impact of propagation delay on resource orthogonality. The described T... delta The alternative use of MAC CE achieves correct alignment without the need for TA signaling. Multiple configurations allowing timing offsets enable flexible signaling for timing modes and ensure that alternative timing modes are supported over a wide range of propagation delays. Furthermore, context-dependent signaling reduces the overhead of explicit indications for alternative timing modes.

[0192] The examples described in this article are also relevant to 3GPP standardization, as they directly affect the R17 IAB specifications in 38.213 and 38.321, including enhanced MAC CE and new IAB node behavior.

[0193] Figure 11 Example device 500 (which may be hardware-implemented) is configured to implement timing based on the example implementation described herein. Device 500 includes a processor 502 and at least one non-transitory memory 504 including computer program code 505, wherein the at least one memory 504 and the computer program code 505 are configured, together with at least one processor 502, to enable the device to implement a circuit system, process, component, module, or function (collectively, timing enhancement 506) to achieve IAB timing enhancement. Device 500 optionally includes a display and / or I / O interface 508, which may be used to display aspects or states of the methods described herein (e.g., while one of the methods is being performed or at a subsequent time). Device 500 includes one or more network (N / W) interfaces (I / F) 510. The N / W / F 510 may be wired and / or wireless and communicate via the Internet / (multiple) other networks via any communication technology. The N / W / F 510 may include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers. (Multiple) N / WI / F 510s may include standard, well-known components such as amplifiers, filters, frequency converters, (de)modulators and encoder / decoder circuitry, and one or more antennas.

[0194] The device 500 may be a UE 110, a RAN node 170, (multiple) network elements 190, or an IAB node 165 / 170d. Therefore, processor 502 can correspond to processor(s) 120, processor(s) 152, processor(s) 175 or processor(s) 4, memory 504 can correspond to memory(s) 125, memory(s) 155, memory(s) 171 or memory(s) 6, computer program code 505 can correspond to computer program code 123, module 140-1, module 140-2, computer program code 153, module 150-1, module 150-2, computer program code 173, CPC 8, IAB module 2-1 or IAB module 2-2, and N / WI / F 510 can correspond to N / WI / F 161, N / WI / F 180 or N / WI / F 16. Alternatively, device 500 may not correspond to any of UE 110, RAN node 170, (multiple) network elements 190 or IAB node 165 / 170d (e.g., device 500 may be a remote, virtual or cloud device).

[0195] References to "computer," "processor," etc., should be understood to include not only computers with different architectures, such as single / multiprocessor architectures and sequential (von Neumann) / parallel architectures, but also special-purpose circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), special-purpose circuits (ASICs), signal processing devices, and other processing circuitry systems. References to computer programs, instructions, code, etc., should be understood to include software or firmware for programmable processors, such as programmable content for hardware devices, whether instructions for the processor or configuration settings for fixed-function devices, gate arrays, or programmable logic devices.

[0196] The memories described herein can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The memories may include databases for storing data.

[0197] As used herein, the term "circuit system" may refer to: (a) a hardware circuit implementation, such as an implementation in an analog and / or digital circuit system; and (b) a combination of circuitry and software (and / or firmware), such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of (multiple) processors or (ii) a portion of (multiple) processors / software, including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device to perform various functions; and (c) circuitry that requires software or firmware for operation, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, even if the software or firmware is not actually present. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit system" will also cover implementations of processors (or multiple processors) or portions of processors and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular element, the term "circuit system" will also cover baseband integrated circuits or application processor integrated circuits for mobile phones or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other network devices.

[0198] Figure 12 This is an example method 600 based on an example embodiment described herein. At 602, the method includes receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node. At 604, the method includes determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node based on the control element. At 606, the method includes applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node. Method 600 can be performed by IAB node 165 / 170d or by device 500.

[0199] Figure 13 This is another example method 700 based on the example embodiments described herein. At 702, the method includes providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node. At 704, the method includes wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element. At 706, the method includes receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information. Method 700 can be performed by IAB node 165 / 170d or by device 500.

[0200] An example method includes receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes; determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes based on the control element; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul nodes.

[0201] Other aspects of the method may include the following. The control element may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The method may also include receiving a configuration of a timing pattern for a given time period from the parent node. The control element may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DL TX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The method may further include, in response to the detection of at least one bit pattern, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing change, wherein the timing change is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to the detection of at least one other bit pattern, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The method may further include, in response to detecting at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and its distributed unit, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element as: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern that does not indicate a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and its distributed unit, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The method may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul nodes, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The method may further include maintaining a propagation delay estimate based on a distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, obtaining a timing advance from the propagation delay estimate and a timing change related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The method may further include determining whether the timing offset indicated by the timing pattern is within the range of possible indicated values; when the timing offset is not within the range of possible indicated values, initiating a random access channel procedure at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul nodes; and when the timing offset is within the range of possible indicated values, applying the timing offset of the downlink receive timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul nodes, and ignoring timing advance configuration. Timing information can be indicated using a timing pattern. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing pattern is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0202] An example method includes providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes are determined based on the control element; and receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul nodes based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0203] Other aspects of the method may include the following. The control element may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The method may also include configuring the integrated access and backhaul node to provide a timing pattern for a given time period. The control element may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DL TX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The method may further include, in response to at least one bit pattern being detected, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to at least one other bit pattern being detected, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The method may further include, in response to the detection of at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, is determined to be: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to the detection of at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, is determined to be based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The method may further include a timing pattern determined in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, whereby the timing pattern is determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul nodes, rather than based on timing advance offset. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The method may further include a propagation delay estimate maintained based on the distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and when operating in case #1, timing advance is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and a timing variation related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The method may further include: determining whether the timing offset indicated by the timing pattern is within the range of possible indication values; when the timing offset is not within the range of possible indication values, a random access channel procedure is initiated at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node; and when the timing offset is within the range of possible indication values, a timing offset for the downlink receive timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node is applied, and timing advance configuration is ignored. Timing information can be indicated using a timing pattern. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing pattern is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0204] The example device includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory, including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the device to at least: receive a control element, the control element being used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; based on the control element, determine the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; and apply the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0205] Other aspects of the device may include the following. Control elements may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. At least one memory and computer program code may also be configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to at least perform: receiving a configuration of a timing pattern for a given time period from the parent node. Control elements may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing during synchronization of sub-UL and DL TX timing. One or more reserved bits of the control element are used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The apparatus may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, the at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, the timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, to be based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The apparatus may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. An additional bit pattern may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. At least one memory and computer program code may also be configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least: maintain a propagation delay estimate based on a distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, obtain a timing advance from the propagation delay estimate and a timing change related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. At least one memory and computer program code may also be configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to at least: determine whether a timing offset indicated by a timing mode is within a possible indicated value; when the timing offset is not within a possible indicated value, initiate a random access channel procedure at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node; and when the timing offset is within a possible indicated value, apply a timing offset for the downlink reception timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, and ignore timing advance configuration. Timing information may be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements may be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0206] The example device includes at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory, including computer program code; wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the device to at least: provide a control element, said control element being used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receive subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0207] Other aspects of the device may include the following. Control elements are used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. At least one memory and computer program code may also be configured, together with at least one processor, to cause the device to at least perform: providing a timing mode configuration for a given time period for the integrated access and backhaul node. Control elements may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DL TX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing mode and / or timing information. The apparatus may further include: in response to at least one bit pattern being detected, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to at least one other bit pattern being detected, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may further include: in response to the detection of at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element as: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to the detection of at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The apparatus may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The apparatus may further include a propagation delay estimate maintained based on the distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, timing advance is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and a timing variation related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The apparatus may further include: determining whether a timing offset indicated by a timing mode is within a possible indication value; when the timing offset is not within a possible indication value, initiating a random access channel procedure at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node; and when the timing offset is within a possible indication value, applying a timing offset relative to the downlink receive timing of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, and ignoring timing advance configuration. Timing information can be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0208] The example device includes components for receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; components for determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node based on the control element; and components for applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0209] Other aspects of the apparatus may include the following. Control elements may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may also include components for receiving from the parent node a configuration of a timing pattern for a given time period. Control elements may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing during synchronization of sub-UL and DL TX timing. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The apparatus may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, the at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element as: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The apparatus may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The apparatus may further include components for maintaining a propagation delay estimate based on a distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and components for obtaining timing advance from the propagation delay estimate and a timing variation related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit when operating in case #1. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The apparatus may further include components for determining whether a timing offset indicated by a timing mode is within a range of possible indicated values; components for initiating a random access channel procedure to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node at the next available priority random access channel timing when the timing offset is not within a range of possible indicated values; and components for applying a timing offset relative to the downlink receive timing of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, and ignoring pre-configured timing, when the timing offset is within a range of possible indicated values. Timing information can be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0210] The example device includes components for providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul nodes are determined based on the control element; and components for receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul nodes based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0211] Other aspects of the apparatus may include the following. Control elements are used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may also include components for configuring a timing pattern for a given time period for the integrated access and backhaul node. Control elements may be used to determine an air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DUTX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DL TX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The apparatus may further include: in response to at least one bit pattern being detected, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to at least one other bit pattern being detected, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The apparatus may further include: in response to the detection of at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element as: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to the detection of at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The apparatus may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to a time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The apparatus may further include a propagation delay estimate maintained based on the distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, timing advance is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and a timing variation related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The apparatus may further include: determining whether a timing offset indicated by a timing mode is within a possible indication value; when the timing offset is not within a possible indication value, initiating a random access channel procedure at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node; and when the timing offset is within a possible indication value, applying a timing offset relative to the downlink receive timing of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node, and ignoring timing advance configuration. Timing information can be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0212] An exemplary non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine is provided, tangibly embodying a machine-executable instruction program for performing operations including: receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node based on the control element; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0213] Other aspects of the non-transitory program storage device may include the following. Control elements may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. Operation of the non-transitory program storage device may also include receiving a configuration of a timing pattern for a given time period from the parent node. Control elements may be used to determine an over-the-air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DUTX timing and the parent DUTX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DLTX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing pattern and / or timing information. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: in response to detecting at least one bit pattern, the at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element as: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to detecting at least one other bit pattern, the at least one other bit pattern not indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The non-transitory program storage device may also include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul nodes, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or the time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. Operation of the non-transitory program storage device may also include maintaining propagation delay estimation based on the distributed cell transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, obtaining timing advance from the propagation delay estimate and a timing change related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed cell. The control element may also be used for distributed cell transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The operation of the non-transitory program storage device may also include determining whether the timing offset indicated by the timing mode is within the range of possible indicated values; when the timing offset is not within the range of possible indicated values, initiating a random access channel procedure at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul nodes; and when the timing offset is within the range of possible indicated values, applying the timing offset of the downlink receive timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul nodes, and ignoring timing advance configuration. Timing information can be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0214] An exemplary non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine is provided, tangibly embodying a machine-executable instruction program for performing operations including: providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0215] Other aspects of the non-transitory program storage device may include the following. Control elements may be used to determine at least one of the following: a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced using different control elements for transmissions from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node; or a timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. Operation of the non-transitory program storage device may also include configuring a timing mode for a given time period for the integrated access and backhaul node. Control elements may be used to determine an over-the-air procedure for maintaining synchronization between the sub-DU TX timing and the parent DU TX timing when synchronizing the sub-UL and DL TX timings. One or more reserved bits of the control element may be used to indicate the timing mode and / or timing information. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: in response to at least one bit pattern being detected, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the parent node when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements; and in response to at least one other bit pattern being detected, the timing pattern and / or associated timing information is determined as: the timing difference between the uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission at the parent node. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: in response to the detection of at least one bit pattern indicating a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, a timing pattern and / or associated timing information, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, is determined to be: a timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission at the parent node; and in response to the detection of at least one other bit pattern that does not indicate a process for maintaining synchronization between the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node and the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node, the timing pattern and / or associated timing, based on a subset of reserved bits of the control element, is determined to be based on a timing variation, wherein the timing variation is timing information used to align the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the integrated access and backhaul node with the parent downlink transmission when timing is advanced to the transmission from the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node using different control elements. The subset of bits may be at least the last 11 bits of the reserved bits of the control element.The non-transitory program storage device may further include a timing pattern determined based on downlink reception of the integrated access and backhaul node's mobile termination portion, rather than on timing advance offset, in response to the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or the time slot immediately following the time slot in which the control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation. The timing pattern and / or timing information may not utilize MAC-CE signaling. Additional bit patterns may indicate configuration parameters for the timing pattern and / or associated timing information. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: a propagation delay estimate maintained based on the distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaled by the parent node; and, when operating in case #1, timing advance is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and a timing variation related to the timing difference between uplink reception and downlink transmission in the parent distributed unit. The control element may also be used for distributed unit transmit-receive offset signaling. The control element may be a media access control element. The non-transitory program storage device may further include: determining whether a timing offset indicated by a timing mode is within a possible indication value; when the timing offset is not within a possible indication value, a random access channel procedure is initiated at the next available priority random access channel timing to reset the timing of the integrated access and backhaul node; and when the timing offset is within a possible indication value, a timing offset for the downlink receive timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the integrated access and backhaul node is applied, and timing advance configuration is ignored. Timing information can be indicated using a timing mode. Control elements can be used to determine the timing information, wherein the timing information is related to whether the timing mode is Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing.

[0216] Example apparatuses may include one or more circuitry systems configured to implement any of the methods described herein, including receiving a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node; determining the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node based on the control element; and applying the timing pattern and / or associated timing information to subsequent uplink transmissions for the integrated access and backhaul node.

[0217] Example apparatuses may include one or more circuitry systems configured to implement any of the methods described herein, including providing a control element used to determine a timing pattern and / or associated timing information for an integrated access and backhaul node; wherein the timing pattern and / or associated timing information for the integrated access and backhaul node are determined based on the control element; and receiving subsequent uplink transmissions from the integrated access and backhaul node based on the determined timing pattern and / or associated timing information.

[0218] It should be understood that the foregoing description is illustrative only. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the features recited in the various dependent claims can be combined with each other in any suitable combination(s). In addition, features from the different embodiments described above can be selectively combined into new embodiments. Therefore, this specification is intended to cover all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: The first integrated access and backhaul node receives a media access control element from the second integrated access and backhaul node. The media access control element is used to determine the timing mode and associated timing information for the first integrated access and backhaul node. In response to detecting at least one bit pattern in the media access control element that indicates the timing pattern, the associated timing information of the signaling notification within the media access control element is determined to be: the timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node using the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission from the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node to the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node; In response to detecting at least one other bit pattern in the media access control element that indicates the timing mode, wherein the at least one other bit pattern of the media access control element is different from the at least one bit pattern of the media access control element, the associated timing information of the signaling notification within the media access control element is determined to be: an offset for aligning the downlink transmission timing of the distributed unit of the first integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission timing of the second integrated access and backhaul node; The timing mode and the associated timing information are applied to subsequent uplink transmissions for the first integrated access and backhaul node. as well as At the first integrated access and backhaul node, based on the timing difference, the uplink transmission of the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node is synchronized with the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the first integrated access and backhaul node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one bit pattern of the timing mode indicated by the media access control element and the at least one other bit pattern of the timing mode indicated by the media access control element are part of the reserved bits of the media access control element, and the associated timing information is part of a set of bits in the media access control element other than the reserved bits.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one other bit pattern of the timing mode includes a reserved bit of the media access control element being set to zero, and the at least one bit pattern of the timing mode includes a reserved bit of the media access control element not being set to zero.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein another mode of the media access control element, different from the at least one bit mode and the at least one other bit mode, indicates at least one configuration parameter of the timing mode or the associated timing information.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: When operating in non-time division multiplexing mode, receive an instruction to use the timing difference for non-TDM transmission.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When operating in support case #6 timing mode, the propagation delay estimate is maintained based on the timing difference; as well as The timing advance for case #1 is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and the offset.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to a time slot in which the media access control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, or a time slot after the time slot in which the media access control element is restored not being configured for time-division multiplexing operation, the timing mode and the associated timing information are determined based on the timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node using the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node, and downlink transmission from the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node to the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing mode and the associated timing information are based on case #1 timing or case #6 timing. Case #1 and Case #6 correspond to using over-the-air procedures to maintain synchronization between the downlink transmission of the distributed unit at the first integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink transmission of the distributed unit at the second integrated access and backhaul node. Case #6 also corresponds to the simultaneous transmission of the distributed unit of the first integrated access and backhaul node and the mobile termination part of the first integrated access and backhaul node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing mode is indicated as case #6 timing, and the method further comprises: Determine whether the timing difference indicated by the timing mode is within the range of possible indicated values; When the timing difference exceeds the range of the possible indication value, a random access channel procedure is initiated at the next available priority random access channel opportunity to reset the timing of the first integrated access and backhaul node. as well as When the timing difference is within the range of the possible indication value, the timing difference of the downlink reception timing relative to the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node is applied, and timing advance configuration is ignored.

10. A method for communication, comprising: A media access control element is sent from the first integrated access and backhaul node to the second integrated access and backhaul node. The media access control element is used to determine the timing mode and associated timing information for the second integrated access and backhaul node. The timing mode is indicated by at least one bit pattern of the Media Access Control element, wherein when the at least one bit pattern indicates the timing mode, the associated timing information notified by the signaling within the Media Access Control element includes: the timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the second Integrated Access and Backhaul node using the distributed unit of the first Integrated Access and Backhaul node and downlink transmission from the distributed unit of the first Integrated Access and Backhaul node to the mobile termination portion of the second Integrated Access and Backhaul node; The timing mode is indicated by at least one other bit pattern of the media access control element, wherein the at least one other bit pattern of the media access control element is different from the at least one bit pattern of the media access control element, wherein when the at least one other bit pattern indicates the timing mode, the associated timing information notified by the signaling within the media access control element includes: an offset for aligning the downlink transmission timing of the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission timing of the first integrated access and backhaul node; Based on the timing mode and the associated timing information, subsequent uplink transmissions from the second integrated access and backhaul node are received. The timing difference is configured to be used with the second integrated access and backhaul node to synchronize the uplink transmission of the mobile termination portion of the second integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one bit pattern of the media access control element indicating the timing mode and the at least one other bit pattern of the media access control element indicating the timing mode are part of reserved bits of the media access control element, and the associated timing information is part of a set of bits in the media access control element other than the reserved bits.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: Send the configuration of the timing mode for a given time period for use by the second integrated access and backhaul node.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein: The at least one other bit pattern of the timing mode includes a reserved bit of the media access control element being set to zero, and the at least one bit pattern of the timing mode includes a reserved bit of the media access control element not being set to zero.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: When operating in non-time division multiplexing mode, an instruction is sent to use the timing difference for non-TDM transmission.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein: When the second integrated access and backhaul node operates in the timing mode supporting case #6, the propagation delay estimation is based on the timing difference being maintained, and The timing advance for scenario #1 is obtained from the propagation delay estimate and the offset.

16. The method according to claim 10, The timing mode and the associated timing information are based on either Case #1 timing or Case #6 timing. Case #1 and Case #6 correspond to using over-the-air procedures to maintain synchronization between the downlink transmission of the distributed unit at the second integrated access and backhaul node and the downlink of the distributed unit at the first integrated access and backhaul node. Case #6 timing also corresponds to the simultaneous transmission of the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node and the mobile termination part of the second integrated access and backhaul node.

17. A means for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one non-transitory memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the device to perform at least one operation, the operation including: The first integrated access and backhaul node receives a media access control element from the second integrated access and backhaul node, the media access control element being used to determine a timing mode and associated timing information for the first integrated access and backhaul node. In response to detecting at least one bit pattern in the media access control element that indicates the timing pattern, the associated timing information of the signaling notification within the media access control element is determined to be: the timing difference between uplink reception from the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node using the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node and downlink transmission from the distributed unit of the second integrated access and backhaul node to the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node; In response to detecting at least one other bit pattern in the media access control element that indicates the timing mode, wherein the at least one other bit pattern of the media access control element is different from the at least one bit pattern of the media access control element, the associated timing information of the signaling notification within the media access control element is determined to be: an offset for aligning the downlink transmission timing of the distributed unit of the first integrated access and backhaul node with the downlink transmission timing of the second integrated access and backhaul node; The timing pattern and the associated timing information are applied to subsequent uplink transmissions for the first integrated access and backhaul node; and At the first integrated access and backhaul node, based on the timing difference, the uplink transmission of the mobile termination portion of the first integrated access and backhaul node is synchronized with the downlink transmission of the distributed unit of the first integrated access and backhaul node.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, The at least one bit pattern of the timing mode indicated by the media access control element and the at least one other bit pattern of the timing mode indicated by the media access control element are part of the reserved bits of the media access control element, and the associated timing information is part of a set of bits in the media access control element other than the reserved bits.

19. A program storage device embodying a program that is machine-executable and contains instructions for performing operations, said operations including: The method according to any one of claims 1-9.

20. A program storage device embodying a program that is machine-executable and contains instructions for performing operations, said operations including: The method according to any one of claims 10-16.

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