Timing configuration for layer 1 millimeter wave repeaters

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications, in particular to timing configuration for layer 1 millimeter wave repeaters. In some aspects, a base station may receive, from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, the second interface being different from the first interface. The base station may determine a mode of operation of the repeater based at least in part on information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, and may communicate with the repeater via the first interface or the second interface. In some aspects, a repeater may send information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to a base station via a first interface, and may communicate via the first interface or via a second interface, different from the first interface, according to an indicated mode of operation. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application filed on August 20, 2021, with application number 202080015779.8 and invention name “Timing Configuration of Layer 1 Millimeter Wave Repeater”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 812,068, filed on February 28, 2019, entitled “TIMING CONFIGURATION OF ALAYER-1 MILLIMETER WAVE REPEATER,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 16 / 795,163, filed on February 19, 2020, entitled “TIMING CONFIGURATION OF ALAYER-1 MILLIMETER WAVEREPEATER,” which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and specifically to timing configuration of millimeter wave repeaters. Background Art

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE) systems. LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0006] A wireless communication network may include multiple base stations (BS) that may support communications for multiple user equipment (UE). A user equipment (UE) may communicate with a base station (BS) via a downlink and an uplink. A downlink (or forward link) refers to a communication link from a BS to a UE, and an uplink (or reverse link) refers to a communication link from a UE to a BS. As will be described in detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, gNB, access point (AP), radio head, transmit receive point (TRP), new radio (NR) BS, 5G Node B, etc.

[0007] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user devices to communicate at municipal, national, regional and even global levels. New Radio (NR) (also referred to as 5G) is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard released by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by: improving spectrum efficiency; reducing costs; improving services; utilizing new spectrum; and using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) with cyclic prefix (CP) on the downlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), and supporting beamforming, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna technology and carrier aggregation to better integrate with other open standards. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements to LTE and NR technologies are needed. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that adopt these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0008] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a base station may include: receiving information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface; determining an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, the operating mode being determined to be one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode; and communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operating mode.

[0009] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a repeater may include: sending information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to a base station via a first interface; and communicating via at least one of the first interface or a second interface according to an operating mode, the second interface being different from the first interface, wherein the operating mode is one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode.

[0010] In some aspects, a base station for wireless communication may include: a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to: receive information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface; determine an operation mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, the operation mode being determined to be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operation mode; and communicate with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operation mode.

[0011] In some aspects, a repeater for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. The memory and the one or more processors may be configured to: send information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to a base station via a first interface; and communicate via at least one of the first interface or a second interface according to an operation mode, the second interface being different from the first interface, wherein the operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operation mode.

[0012] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of a base station, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations: receiving information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface; determining an operation mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, the operation mode being determined to be one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operation mode; and communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operation mode.

[0013] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of a repeater, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations: sending information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to a base station via a first interface; and communicating via at least one of the first interface or a second interface according to an operation mode, the second interface being different from the first interface, wherein the operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode or a synchronous operation mode.

[0014] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include: a unit for receiving information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface; a unit for determining an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, the operating mode being determined to be one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode; and a unit for communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operating mode.

[0015] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include: a unit for sending information associated with one or more capabilities of a repeater to a base station via a first interface; and a unit for communicating via at least one of the first interface or a second interface according to an operating mode, the second interface being different from the first interface, wherein the operating mode is one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode.

[0016] As substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings and description, aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, user equipment, base stations, wireless communication devices, and processing systems.

[0017] The features and technical advantages of the examples according to the present disclosure have been outlined quite extensively above so that the subsequent detailed description may be better understood. Other features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be easily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for achieving the same purpose of the present disclosure. Such equivalent structures do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The features of the concepts disclosed herein (their organization and method of operation) and the associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the accompanying drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and not as a definition of the limitations of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to be able to understand the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure in detail, a more specific description briefly summarized above can be obtained by reference to various aspects, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof, because the description may allow for other equivalent aspects. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0019] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a wireless communication network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a base station communicating with a UE in a wireless communication network according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio access network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of communicating using a millimeter wave repeater according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5A and 5B is a diagram illustrating an example millimeter wave repeater in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with a timing configuration of a millimeter wave repeater according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 7 and 8 is a diagram illustrating example processes associated with timing configuration of a millimeter wave repeater in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The mmW repeater may include components that enable receiving a signal on an RX antenna associated with a high frequency (HF) interface (e.g., a mmW interface), amplifying the power of the signal using a gain component, and transmitting the amplified signal on a TX antenna associated with the HF interface. These operations may be orchestrated and / or controlled by a controller. In some aspects, the mmW repeater may include a communication component that enables communication via a low frequency (LF) interface (e.g., an interface using a sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) frequency) to send or receive (e.g., to or from one or more base stations) information associated with such control signals.

[0027] At a given time, the mmW repeater may operate in an asynchronous operation mode or, where possible, in a synchronous operation mode. When the mmW repeater has an internal clock that is or can be synchronized to the clock of the base station and can be used to set the configuration of the HF interface of the mmW repeater (e.g., based at least in part on a crystal oscillator associated with the LF interface), the mmW repeater may have the ability to operate in a synchronous operation mode. It is worth noting that in some cases, the accuracy of the internal clock of the mmW repeater may be limited (e.g., because a narrowband signal may be used for its synchronization), and therefore may not be accurate enough for the HF interface (e.g., at the sampling level). However, the accuracy of the internal clock may be sufficient to achieve HF symbol-level synchronization. In the asynchronous operation mode, the configuration setting of the HF interface may depend on the reception of a control command (i.e., triggered by the reception of a control command) (e.g., rather than being based at least in part on a timing configuration included in the control command). In other words, operation in the asynchronous operation mode may cause the mmW repeater to execute a command when a control command is received (e.g., so that the reception of a control command is a trigger that causes the mmW repeater to execute a command).

[0028] Timing and synchronization capabilities may vary between mmW repeaters. For example, whether a given mmW repeater has the ability to operate in a synchronous operation mode may vary between mmW repeaters. In addition, between those mmW repeaters that have the ability to operate in a synchronous mode, the ability to operate synchronously may vary. When a base station is to determine the timing configuration of a given mmW repeater, the base station may take these timing and synchronization capabilities into account. Some aspects described herein provide techniques and devices for timing configuration of mmW repeaters. In some aspects, a repeater may send information associated with one or more capabilities of a repeater to a base station via a first interface (e.g., an LF interface), wherein the repeater has a first interface and a second interface (e.g., an HF interface). In some aspects, a base station may receive information associated with one or more capabilities of a repeater, and may determine an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, wherein the operating mode is one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode. In some aspects, a base station and a repeater may communicate via at least one of a first interface or a second interface according to the operating mode.

[0029] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to any specific structure or function given throughout the present disclosure. Instead, these aspects are provided so that the present disclosure is thorough and complete, and the scope of the present disclosure is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings of this article, a person skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein, whether it is implemented independently or combined with any other aspect of the present disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such a device or method that is practiced using other structures, functions, or structures and functions other than the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein or not. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein can be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0030] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various devices and techniques. These devices and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0031] It should be noted that although terms commonly associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies may be used herein to describe various aspects, various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to communication systems based on other generations, such as 5G and beyond (including NR technology).

[0032] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a wireless network 100 in which various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented. The wireless network 100 may be an LTE network, a 5G or NR network, etc. The wireless network 100 may include a plurality of BSs 110 (shown as BSs 110a, BSs 110b, BSs 110c, and BSs 110d) and other network entities. A BS is an entity that communicates with a user equipment (UE) and may also be referred to as a base station, NR BS, Node B, gNB, 5G Node B (NB), access point, transmit receive point (TRP), etc. Each BS may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to a coverage area of ​​a BS and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0033] A BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown in , BS 110a may be a macro BS for macro cell 102a, BS 110b may be a pico BS for pico cell 102b, and BS 110c may be a femto BS for femto cell 102c. A BS may support one or more (e.g., three) cells. The terms "eNB", "base station", "NR BS", "gNB", "TRP", "AP", "Node B", "5G NB", and "cell" may be used interchangeably herein.

[0034] In some aspects, the cells may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of ​​the cells may move depending on the location of the mobile BS. In some aspects, the BSs may be interconnected with each other and / or with one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connections, virtual networks, and / or similar interfaces using any suitable transport networks).

[0035] The wireless network 100 may also include a relay station. A relay station is an entity that can receive data transmissions from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send data transmissions to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE that is capable of relaying transmissions for other UEs. Figure 1 In the example shown in , a relay station 110d may communicate with a macro BS 110a and a UE 120d to facilitate communication between the BS 110a and the UE 120d. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay base station, a relay, or the like.

[0036] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network including different types of BSs (e.g., macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, etc.). These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different effects on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, a macro BS may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts), while a pico BS, a femto BS, and a relay BS may have a lower transmit power level (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0037] A network controller 130 may be coupled to a set of BSs and may provide coordination and control for these BSs. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0038] UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, 120f, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. UEs may also be referred to as access terminals, terminals, mobile stations, subscriber units, stations, etc. UEs may be cellular phones (e.g., smart phones), personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, tablet devices, cameras, gaming devices, netbooks, smartbooks, ultrabooks, medical devices or apparatuses, biometric sensors / devices, wearable devices (smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wristbands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart rings, smart bracelets, etc.)), entertainment devices (e.g., music or video devices, or satellite radio units, etc.), vehicle components or sensors, smart meters / sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, global positioning system devices, or any other suitable devices configured to communicate via wireless or wired media.

[0039] Some UEs may be considered as machine type communication (MTC) UEs or evolved or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., which may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node may provide a connection to or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as the Internet or a cellular network) via, for example, a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs may be considered as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of Things) devices. Some UEs may be considered as customer premises equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of UE 120 (such as a processor component, a memory component, etc.).

[0040] Generally, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support a specific RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. RAT can also be referred to as radio technology, air interface, etc. Frequency can also be referred to as carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0041] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., illustrated as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with each other). For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and the like), mesh networks, and the like. In such cases, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by base station 110.

[0042] In some aspects, a millimeter wave (mmW) repeater 140 (sometimes referred to herein as a repeater 140) can receive an analog millimeter wave signal from a base station 110, can amplify the analog millimeter wave signal, and can send the amplified millimeter wave signal to one or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120f). In some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 can be an analog mmW repeater, sometimes also referred to as a layer 1 mmW repeater. In addition, or alternatively, the repeater mmW 140 can be a wireless transmit receive point (TRP) acting as a distributed unit (e.g., a 5G access node), which wirelessly communicates with a base station 110 acting as a central unit or access node controller (e.g., a 5G access node). The mmW repeater can receive, amplify, and send analog mmW signals without performing analog-to-digital conversion of the analog mmW signal and / or without performing any digital signal processing of the mmW signal. In this way, latency can be reduced and the cost of producing the mmW repeater 140 can be reduced. Additional details about the mmW repeater 140 are provided elsewhere herein.

[0043] like Figure 1As shown, the base station 110 may include a communication manager 115. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 115 may receive a report from the mmW repeater 140 including a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface, and the report including information associated with the timing and one or more synchronization capabilities of the repeater; determine an operating mode of the mmW repeater 140 based at least in part on the report; and indicate the operating mode to the repeater via the first interface. In addition, or alternatively, the communication manager 115 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0044] As noted above, Figure 1 This is provided only as an example. Other examples may differ from those described above. Figure 1 Examples described.

[0045] Figure 2 A base station 110 and a UE 120 (which may be Figure 1 1. Block diagram of a design 200 of a base station 110 and a UE 120. Base station 110 may be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and UE 120 may be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general, T≥1 and R≥1.

[0046] At the base station 110, the transmit processor 220 may receive data for one or more UEs from the data source 212, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on a channel quality indicator (CQI) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for each UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. The transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI), etc.) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signals (PSS) and secondary synchronization signals (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MOD) 232a to 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 232a to 232t may be sent via T antennas 234a to 234t, respectively. According to certain aspects described in more detail below, a synchronization signal may be generated using position coding to transmit additional information.

[0047] At UE 120, antennas 252a to 252r may receive downlink signals from base station 110 and / or other base stations, and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a to 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide detected symbols. Receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to controller / processor 280. The channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in a housing.

[0048] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information from a controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 (if applicable), further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the base station 110, uplink signals from the UE 120 and other UEs may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 (if applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide decoded data to a data sink 239 and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 240. The base station 110 may include a communication unit 244 and communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292.

[0049] The controller / processor 240 of the base station 110 and / or Figure 2Any other component in the base station 110 may perform one or more techniques associated with timing configuration for mmW repeaters, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110 and / or Figure 2 Any other component in may perform or direct e.g. Figure 7 The process 700 Figure 8 800 and / or operations of other processes as described herein. Memory 242 may store data and program codes for base station 110, respectively. Scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0050] In some aspects, the base station 110 may include: a unit for receiving information associated with one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140 from the mmW repeater 140 having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface; a unit for determining an operating mode of the mmW repeater 140 based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140, the operating mode being determined to be one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode; a unit for communicating with the mmW repeater 140 via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operating mode; and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 110 may include a unit for performing one or more other operations described herein. In some aspects, such a unit may include a communication manager 115. In some aspects, such a unit may include a communication manager 115 in conjunction with the communication manager 115. Figure 2 One or more components of base station 110 are described.

[0051] As noted above, Figure 2 This is provided only as an example. Other examples may differ from those described above. Figure 2 Examples described.

[0052] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of a radio access network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0053] As shown by reference numeral 305, a traditional (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE, etc.) radio access network may include multiple base stations 310 (e.g., access nodes (AN)), wherein each base station 310 communicates with a core network via a wired backhaul link 315 (such as a fiber optic connection). The base station 310 may communicate with the UE 320 via an access link 325, which may be a wireless link. In some aspects, Figure 3 The base station 310 shown may correspond to Figure 1 The base station 110 is shown. Similarly, Figure 3 The UE 320 shown may correspond to Figure 1UE 120 is shown.

[0054] As shown in the reference numeral 330, the radio access network may include a wireless backhaul network, sometimes referred to as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network. In an IAB network, at least one base station is an anchor base station 335, which communicates with the core network via a wired backhaul link 340 (such as a fiber optic connection). The anchor base station 335 may also be referred to as an IAB donor (or IAB-donor). The IAB network may include one or more non-anchor base stations 345, sometimes referred to as relay base stations or IAB nodes (or IAB nodes). The non-anchor base station 345 may communicate directly with the anchor base station 335 via one or more backhaul links 350, or communicate indirectly with the anchor base station 335 (for example, via one or more non-anchor base stations 345) to form a backhaul path to the core network to carry backhaul traffic. The backhaul link 350 may be a wireless link. The anchor base station 335 and / or the non-anchor base station 345 may communicate with one or more UEs 355 via an access link 360, which may be a wireless link for carrying access traffic. In some aspects, Figure 3 The anchor base station 335 and / or the non-anchor base station 345 shown may correspond to Figure 1 The base station 110 is shown. Similarly, Figure 3 The UE 355 shown may correspond to Figure 1 UE 120 is shown.

[0055] As shown in the figure numeral 365, in some aspects, the radio access network including the IAB network may utilize millimeter wave technology and / or directional communication (e.g., beamforming, precoding, etc.) for communication between base stations and / or UEs (e.g., between two base stations, between two UEs, and / or between a base station and a UE). For example, a wireless backhaul link 370 between base stations may use millimeter waves to carry information and / or may be directed to a target base station using beamforming, precoding, etc. Similarly, a wireless access link 375 between a UE and a base station may use millimeter waves and / or may be directed to a target wireless node (e.g., a UE and / or a base station). In this way, inter-link interference may be reduced.

[0056] In some aspects, the IAB network may support multi-hop wireless backhaul. Additionally or alternatively, the nodes of the IAB network may use the same radio access technology (e.g., 5G / NR). Additionally or alternatively, the nodes of the IAB network may share resources for access links and backhaul links, such as time resources, frequency resources, space resources, etc. In addition, various architectures of IAB nodes and / or IAB donors may be supported.

[0057] Figure 3 The configurations of the base stations and UEs in are shown as examples, and other examples are possible. For example, Figure 3 The one or more base stations shown in the figure may be replaced by one or more UEs communicating via a UE-to-UE access network (e.g., a peer-to-peer network, a device-to-device network, etc.). In this case, an anchor node may refer to a UE that communicates directly with a base station (e.g., an anchor base station or a non-anchor base station).

[0058] As indicated above, provide Figure 3 As an example. Other examples may differ from Figure 3 An example of description.

[0059] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of communicating using an analog millimeter wave repeater in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0060] Because millimeter wave communications have higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths than other types of radio waves used for communication (e.g., sub-6 GHz communications), millimeter wave communications may have shorter propagation distances and may be more easily blocked by obstacles than other types of radio waves. For example, wireless communications using sub-6 GHz radio waves are able to penetrate the walls of a building or structure to provide coverage to an area opposite the wall from a base station 110 that communicates using sub-6 GHz radio waves. However, millimeter waves may not be able to penetrate the same wall (e.g., depending on the thickness of the wall, the material that makes up the wall, etc.). Some of the techniques and devices described herein use millimeter wave repeaters 140 to increase the coverage area of ​​a base station 110, to extend coverage to a UE 120 without line of sight of the base station 110 (e.g., due to obstacles), and so on. In addition, the millimeter wave repeater 140 described herein may be a layer 1 or analog millimeter wave repeater that has lower cost, less processing, and lower latency than a layer 2 or layer 3 repeater.

[0061] like Figure 4 As shown, the millimeter wave repeater 140 can perform directional communication by using beamforming to communicate with the base station 110 via a first beam (e.g., a backhaul beam on a backhaul link with the base station 110) and to communicate with the UE 120 via a second beam (e.g., an access beam on an access link with the UE 120). In order to achieve a long propagation distance and / or to meet a required link budget, the millimeter wave repeater can use a narrow beam (e.g., whose beam width is less than a threshold) for such communication.

[0062] However, compared to wider beams, using narrower beams requires using more resources of the millimeter wave repeater 140 (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, power, battery power, etc.) and more network resources (e.g., time resources, frequency resources, space resources, etc.) to perform beam training (e.g., to determine a suitable beam), beam maintenance (e.g., to find a suitable beam when conditions change due to mobility, etc.), beam management, etc. Compared to using wider beams, this may waste resources of the millimeter wave repeater 140 and / or network resources, and may result in an increased production cost of the millimeter wave repeater 140, which may be widely deployed throughout the radio access network.

[0063] For example, similar to base station 110, millimeter wave repeater 140 may be deployed in a fixed location with limited or no mobility. Figure 4 As shown, the millimeter wave repeater 140 can communicate with the base station 110 using a narrower beam without unnecessarily consuming network resources and / or resources of the millimeter wave repeater 140, because the need for beam training, beam maintenance and / or beam management may be limited due to limited or no mobility of the base station 110 and the millimeter wave repeater 140 (and / or due to a line-of-sight communication path between the base station 110 and the millimeter wave repeater 140).

[0064] like Figure 4 As further shown in , the millimeter wave repeater 140 can use a wider beam (e.g., a pseudo-omnidirectional beam, etc.) to communicate with one or more UEs 120. The wider beam can provide wider coverage for the access link, thereby providing coverage to the mobile UE 120 without frequent beam training, beam maintenance, and / or beam management. In this way, network resources and / or resources of the millimeter wave repeater 140 can be saved. In addition, if the millimeter wave repeater 140 does not include digital signal processing capabilities, resources of the base station 110 (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, etc.) can be saved, otherwise the resources will be used to perform such signal processing for the millimeter wave repeater 140, and network resources can be saved, otherwise the network resources will be used to transmit the input or output of such processing between the base station 110 and the millimeter wave repeater 140.

[0065] In this way, the millimeter wave repeater 140 can increase the coverage area, provide access around obstacles (as shown), etc., while saving resources of the base station 110, resources of the millimeter wave repeater 140, network resources, etc. Additional details are described below.

[0066] As mentioned above, providing Figure 4 As an example. Other examples may differ from the Figure 4 An example of description.

[0067] Figure 5A and 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of a millimeter wave repeater 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may correspond to Figure 1 The millimeter wave repeater 140 shown in FIG.

[0068] like Figure 5A As shown, in some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include one or more phased array antennas 510-1 to 510-N (N>1), a gain component 520, a controller 530, a communication component 540, and a multiplexer (MUX) and / or a demultiplexer (DEMUX) (MUX / Demultiplexer) 550.

[0069] like Figure 5B As shown, in some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include one or more metamaterial antennas 510 ′- 1 to 510 ′-N, a gain component 520 , a controller 530 , a communication component 540 , and one or more MUX / DEMUX 550 .

[0070] Antenna 510 / 510' includes one or more antenna elements that can be configured for beamforming. Figure 5A As shown, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include one or more phased array antennas 510, which may be referred to as a phased array because the phase values ​​and / or phase offsets of the antenna elements may be configured to form beams, where different phase values ​​and / or phase offsets are used for different beams (e.g., in different directions).

[0071] In some aspects, such as Figure 5B As shown, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include one or more metamaterial antennas 510'. In some aspects, the metamaterial antenna may include a synthetic material having a negative dielectric constant and / or permeability that produces a negative refractive index. Due to the resulting excellent antenna gain and electromagnetic lens, it may not be necessary to use metamaterial antennas in a phased array configuration. However, if in a phased array configuration, the antenna spacing may be less than the commonly used spacing lambda / 2, where lambda refers to the wavelength of the RF carrier signal. In some aspects, due to excellent beamforming, the metamaterial antenna can reduce leakage back to the RX antenna and can reduce the chance of instability in the RF chain. Therefore, the use of metamaterial antennas can reduce or eliminate the need for feedback paths.

[0072] In some aspects, antenna 510 / 510' can be a fixed receive (RX) antenna that can only receive communications but not send communications. In some aspects, antenna 510 / 510' can be a fixed transmit (TX) antenna that can only send communications but not receive communications. In some aspects, antenna 510 / 510' can be configured to act as an RX antenna or a TX antenna (e.g., via a TX / RX switch, MUX / DEMUX, etc.). Antenna 510 / 510' can communicate using millimeter waves.

[0073] The gain component 520 includes a component capable of amplifying an input signal and outputting an amplified signal. For example, the gain component 520 may include a power amplifier, a variable gain component, etc. In some aspects, the gain component 520 may have a variable gain control. The gain component 520 may be connected to an RX antenna (e.g., a first antenna 510 / 510′-1) and a TX antenna (e.g., a second antenna 510 / 510′-2) so that the analog millimeter wave signal received via the RX antenna can be amplified by the gain component 520 and output to the TX antenna for transmission. In some aspects, the level of amplification of the gain component 520 may be controlled by a controller 530.

[0074] The controller 530 includes components capable of controlling one or more other components of the mmWave repeater 500. For example, the controller 530 may include a controller, a microcontroller, a processor, etc. In some aspects, the controller 530 may control the gain component 520 by controlling the level of amplification or gain applied by the gain component 520 to the input signal. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 530 may control the antenna 510 / 510′ by controlling the beamforming configuration of the antenna 510 / 510′ (e.g., one or more phase values ​​of the antenna 510 / 510′, one or more phase offsets of the antenna 510 / 510′, one or more power parameters of the antenna 510 / 510′, one or more beamforming parameters of the antenna 510 / 510′, TX beamforming configuration, RX beamforming configuration, etc.), by controlling whether the antenna 510 / 510′ is used as an RX antenna or a TX antenna (e.g., by configuring the interaction and / or connection between the antenna 510 / 510′ and the MUX / DEMUX 550), etc. Additionally or alternatively, controller 530 may power up or power down one or more components of mmWave repeater 500 (eg, when base station 110 does not need to use the mmWave repeater to serve UE 120). In some aspects, controller 530 may control the timing of one or more of the above configurations.

[0075] The communication component 540 may include a component capable of wirelessly communicating with the base station 110 using wireless technologies other than millimeter waves. For example, the communication component 540 may communicate with the base station 110 using a personal area network (PAN) technology (e.g., Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), etc.), a 4G or LTE radio access technology, a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, a sub-6GHz technology, a visible light communication technology, etc. In some aspects, the communication component 540 may use a low-frequency communication technology, and the antenna 510 / 510′ may use a high-frequency communication technology (e.g., millimeter waves, etc.). In some aspects, the antenna 510 / 510′ may be used to transmit data between the millimeter wave repeater 500 and the base station 110, and the communication component 540 may be used to transmit control information (e.g., reporting, configuration, powering on or off one or more components, etc.) between the millimeter wave repeater 500 and the base station 110.

[0076] The MUX / DEMUX 550 may be used to multiplex and / or demultiplex communications received from and / or transmitted to the antennas 510 / 510'. For example, the MUX / DEMUX 550 may be used to switch an RX antenna to a TX antenna.

[0077] In some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 does not include any components for digital signal processing. For example, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may not include a digital signal processor, a baseband processor, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), etc. In this way, the cost of producing the millimeter wave repeater 500 can be reduced. In addition, latency can be reduced by eliminating digital processing of received millimeter wave signals before transmitting corresponding amplified millimeter wave signals.

[0078] In some aspects, one or more antennas 510 / 510′, gain components 520, controller 530, communication components 540, MUX / DEMUX 550, etc. may perform one or more operations associated with timing configuration of the mmWave repeater 500, as described in greater detail elsewhere herein. For example, one or more components of the mmWave repeater 500 may perform or direct, for example, Figure 7 The process 700 Figure 8 Operations of process 800 and / or other processes described herein.

[0079] In some aspects, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include: a unit for sending information associated with one or more capabilities of the millimeter wave repeater 500 to the base station 110 via the first interface; and a unit for communicating via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to an operating mode, the second interface being different from the first interface, and wherein the operating mode is one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode; etc. In some aspects, such a unit may include a combination of Figure 5A and 5B One or more components of the millimeter wave repeater 500.

[0080] As mentioned above, Figure 5A and 5B Other examples may differ from those provided for Figure 5A and 5B For example, the millimeter wave repeater 500 may include Figure 5A and 5B Additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown. Figure 5A and 5B Two or more components shown in may be implemented in a single component, or Figure 5A and 5B A single component shown in may be implemented as multiple components. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components (eg, one or more components) of the millimeter wave repeater 500 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of the millimeter wave repeater 500.

[0081] As described above, the mmW repeater 140 may include components capable of receiving a signal on an RX antenna (e.g., antenna 510 / 510′-1) associated with a high frequency (HF) interface (e.g., a mmW interface), amplifying the power of the signal using a gain component 520, and transmitting the amplified signal on a TX antenna (e.g., antenna 510 / 510′-2) associated with the HF interface. These operations may be orchestrated and / or controlled by a controller 530. In some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 may include a communication component 540 that allows communication via an LF interface (e.g., an interface using a sub-6 GHz frequency) to send or receive (e.g., to or from one or more base stations (110)) information associated with such control signals.

[0082] At a given time, the mmW repeater 140 may be operated in an asynchronous operation mode or, where possible, in a synchronous operation mode. When the mmW repeater 140 has an internal clock that is or can be synchronized to the clock of the base station 110 and can be used to set the configuration of the HF interface of the mmW repeater 140 (e.g., based at least in part on a crystal oscillator associated with the LF interface), the mmW repeater may have the ability to operate in a synchronous operation mode. It is worth noting that in some cases, the accuracy of the internal clock of the mmW repeater 140 may be limited (e.g., because a narrowband signal may be used for its synchronization) and may therefore not be accurate enough for the HF interface (e.g., at the sampling level). However, the accuracy of the internal clock may be sufficient to achieve HF symbol-level synchronization. In the asynchronous operation mode, the configuration setting of the HF interface may rely on (i.e., triggered by) the reception of a control command (e.g., rather than being based at least in part on a timing configuration included in the control command).

[0083] Timing and synchronization capabilities may vary between mmW repeaters 140. For example, whether a given mmW repeater 140 has the ability to operate in a synchronous mode of operation may vary between mmW repeaters 140. In addition, between those mmW repeaters 140 that have the ability to operate in a synchronous mode of operation, the ability to synchronize operation may vary. When the base station 110 is to determine the timing configuration of a given mmW repeater 140, the base station 110 may take these timing and synchronization capabilities into account. Some aspects described herein provide techniques and apparatus for timing configuration of mmW repeaters 140.

[0084] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example 600 associated with a timing configuration of a mmW repeater 140 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0085] As in Figure 6 6 and indicated by reference numeral 605, the mmW repeater 140 may transmit information associated with one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140. In some aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140 includes information associated with timing, one or more synchronization capabilities of the repeater, or some combination thereof. In some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 may transmit the information associated with the HF interface via the LF interface of the mmW repeater 140.

[0086] In some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 may send information associated with one or more capabilities based at least in part on a request sent by the base station 110. For example, the base station 110 may send a request for information associated with one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140 via an LF interface of the base station 110 and to the mmW repeater 140. Here, the mmW repeater 140 may receive the request via the LF interface of the mmW repeater 140 and may send information associated with the one or more capabilities based at least in part on receiving the request.

[0087] In some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 may send information associated with one or more capabilities after establishing a connection between the mmW repeater 140 and the base station 110. For example, the mmW repeater 140 and the base station 110 may establish a connection via their respective LF interfaces, and the mmW repeater 140 may send information associated with one or more capabilities via the LF interface of the mmW repeater 140 after establishing the connection.

[0088] In some aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of whether the mmW repeater 140 is capable of supporting synchronous operation. In other words, the information associated with the one or more capabilities may include an indication of whether the mmW repeater 140 has the capability to operate in a synchronous operation mode. In some aspects, when the mmW repeater 140 has the capability to operate in a synchronous mode, the information associated with the one or more capabilities may include information indicating a level of accuracy of the synchronization (e.g., information indicating an accuracy of an internal clock of the mmW repeater 140, e.g., in terms of HF sampling rate).

[0089] In some aspects, when the mmW repeater 140 has the capability to operate in a synchronized mode, the information associated with the one or more capabilities may include information indicating whether an internal clock of the mmW repeater 140 is capable of being tuned.

[0090] In some aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes information identifying a processing time for a process performed by the mmW repeater 140. In some aspects, the processing time is associated with an LF interface of the mmW repeater 140 and an HF interface of the mmW repeater 140 (e.g., the processing time may be the sum of the processing time associated with the LF interface and the processing time associated with the HF interface, the maximum of the processing time associated with the LF interface and the processing time associated with the HF interface, the minimum of the processing time associated with the LF interface and the processing time associated with the HF interface, etc.). In some aspects, the processing time may be process-specific (e.g., different HF processes may have different processing times). For example, the information associated with the one or more capabilities may include information identifying a first processing time for changing a beamforming configuration, a second processing time for setting a power level gain, a third processing time for switching TX / RX directions, etc.

[0091] like Figure 6 As further shown in FIG. 6 , the base station 110 may receive information associated with one or more capabilities and, as indicated by reference numeral 610, may determine an operating mode of the mmW repeater 140 based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities. For example, the base station 110 may receive information associated with one or more capabilities and, based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140, may select an operating mode of the mmW repeater 140. In some aspects, the operating mode is an asynchronous operating mode. In some aspects, the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode.

[0092] As in Figure 6 In some aspects, and as further shown by reference numeral 615 , the base station 110 may indicate the operating mode to the mmW repeater 140 via the LF interface of the mmW repeater 140 .

[0093] In some aspects, the base station 110 may explicitly indicate the operating mode to the mmW repeater 140. For example, the base station 110 may send a control command to the mmW repeater 140, the control command including information for identifying the operating mode for the upcoming communication (e.g., such that the operating mode is semi-statically configured). As another example, the base station 110 may dynamically set the operating mode of the mmW repeater 140. As a specific example, assuming that the mmW repeater 140 supports both synchronous and asynchronous operating modes, the base station 110 may provide a control command to set the configuration of the HF interface of the mmW repeater 140. Here, the base station 110 may also indicate an associated timing configuration for identifying the operating mode, such as whether the configuration of the HF interface is to be set immediately after the mmW repeater 140 receives the control command (i.e., indicating that the mmW repeater 140 is to operate in asynchronous mode) or according to a specific timeline (i.e., indicating that the mmW repeater 140 is to operate in synchronous mode).

[0094] In some aspects, the base station 110 may implicitly indicate the operating mode to the mmW repeater 140. For example, the mmW repeater 140 may be configured with a default operating mode (e.g., asynchronous). Here, the mmW repeater 140 may operate in the default operating mode until the base station 110 explicitly configures or changes the operating mode. Thus, the base station 110 may implicitly indicate the operating mode by providing a control command that does not include information indicating the operating mode (e.g., a control command that includes information associated with the configuration of the HF interface of the mmW repeater 140).

[0095] In some aspects, as described above, the base station 110 may indicate the operating mode by transmitting a control command to the mmW repeater 140 via the LF interface. In some aspects, the control command may include a timing configuration field, and the operating mode may be indicated in the timing configuration field in the control command, as described below. In some aspects, the control command may include other information, such as information associated with the configuration of the HF interface of the mmW repeater 140.

[0096] In some aspects, when the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode, the timing configuration field may identify a start time (e.g., a time at which the mmW repeater 140 is to begin applying the configuration included in the control command). In some aspects, the start time may be an absolute start time. For example, the start time may identify a specific time domain resource at which the mmW repeater 140 is to begin applying the configuration included in the control command. In some aspects, the absolute start time may have granularity at the LF symbol level. Additionally or alternatively, the start time may be an offset relative to the time of receipt of the control command. For example, the start time may identify an amount of time from receipt of the control command after which the mmW repeater 140 is to begin applying the configuration included in the control command.

[0097] In some aspects, when the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode, the timing configuration may identify a duration. The duration may identify, for example, an amount of time for the mmW repeater 140 to apply a configuration included in the control command (e.g., an amount of time from a start time for the mmW repeater 140 to apply the configuration). In some aspects, when the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode, the duration may be indeterminate (e.g., such that the mmW repeater 140 applies the configuration until a different timing configuration is received).

[0098] In some aspects, when the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode, the timing configuration may identify a period. The period may identify, for example, a period that the mmW repeater 140 is to use to apply the configuration included in the control command.

[0099] In some aspects, when the operating mode is a synchronous operating mode, the timing configuration may identify a bitmap. The bitmap may identify, for example, a specific set of time domain resources during which the mmW repeater 140 is to apply the configuration included in the control command and / or a specific set of time domain resources during which the mmW repeater 140 is not to apply the configuration included in the control command. In some aspects, the bitmap may have a granularity at a system frame level or a half-frame level. In some aspects, the bitmap may have an associated period (e.g., a period to be used for applying the bitmap).

[0100] like Figure 6 As shown, in some aspects, the mmW repeater 140 may receive an indication of an operating mode and, as shown by reference numeral 620, may communicate via the HF interface or the LF interface according to the operating mode (e.g., based at least in part on the timing configuration included in the control command). For example, the mmW repeater 140 may receive an indication of an operating mode and may further communicate (e.g., send information, receive information, forward signals, etc.) via the HF interface according to the operating mode.

[0101] In some aspects, the base station 110 may not indicate an operating mode to the mmW repeater 140. In this case, the mmW repeater 140 may determine an operating mode to be used by the mmW repeater 140 (e.g., based at least in part on one or more capabilities of the mmW repeater 140) and may operate in the determined operating mode (without an indication from the base station 110).

[0102] In some aspects, the base station 110 may communicate with the mmW repeater 140 via a LF interface or a HF interface depending on the operation mode and processing capability of the mmW repeater 140 .

[0103] As mentioned above, providing Figure 6 As an example. Other examples may differ from the Figure 6 An example of description.

[0104] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example process 700, performed, for example, by a base station, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Example process 700 is an example of a base station (eg, base station 110) performing operations associated with timing configuration of a repeater (eg, mmW repeater 140).

[0105] like Figure 7 As shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include receiving information associated with one or more functions of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface (block 710). For example, as described above, a base station (e.g., using antenna 234, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, etc.) may receive information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface. In some aspects, the report may include information associated with one or more synchronization capabilities and timing of the repeater. In some aspects, the second interface may be different from the first interface.

[0106] like Figure 7 As further shown in FIG. 7 , in some aspects, process 700 may include determining an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater (block 720). For example, as described above, the base station (e.g., using controller / processor 240, memory 242, etc.) may determine an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater. In some aspects, the operating mode may be determined to be one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode.

[0107] like Figure 7As further shown in FIG. 7 , in some aspects, process 700 may include communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface based on the determined operating mode (block 730). For example, as described above, the base station (e.g., using antenna 234, transmit processor 220, controller / processor 240, etc.) may communicate with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface based on the determined operating mode.

[0108] Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0109] In the first aspect, the base station may establish a connection with the repeater via the first interface.

[0110] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first interface is a low frequency interface and the second interface is a millimeter wave interface. In a third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of whether the repeater is capable of supporting synchronous operation.

[0111] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of a level of precision for synchronization.

[0112] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes information identifying a processing time for a process performed by the repeater.

[0113] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the base station may send a request to the relay for information associated with one or more capabilities of the relay.

[0114] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the base station may indicate the operation mode to the repeater via the first interface.

[0115] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the operating mode is indicated by transmitting a control command to the repeater via the first interface, the control command including an indication of the operating mode.

[0116] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, the operation mode is explicitly indicated by the base station.

[0117] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the operation mode is implicitly indicated by the base station.

[0118] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, the operation mode is indicated in a timing configuration field in a control command.

[0119] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eleventh aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration field identifies a start time of the synchronous operation.

[0120] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to twelfth aspects, the start time is an absolute start time.

[0121] In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to thirteenth aspects, the start time is an offset relative to a reception time of the control command.

[0122] In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration field identifies a duration of the synchronous operation.

[0123] In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration field identifies a period of synchronous operation.

[0124] In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration identifies a bitmap associated with the synchronous operation.

[0125] In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventeenth aspects, the communication is based at least in part on a beamforming configuration.

[0126] although Figure 7 Example blocks of process 700 are shown, but in some aspects process 700 may include Figure 7 Additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those shown. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 700 may be performed in parallel.

[0127] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process 800, for example, performed by a repeater, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The example process 800 is an example of a repeater (eg, the mmW repeater 140) performing operations associated with timing configuration of the repeater.

[0128] like Figure 8As shown, in some aspects, process 800 may include sending information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to a base station (e.g., base station 110) via a first interface (block 810). For example, as described above, the repeater (e.g., using controller 530, communication component 540, etc.) may send information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater to the base station via the first interface. In some aspects, the report may include information associated with one or more synchronization capabilities and timing of the repeater.

[0129] like Figure 8 As further shown in FIG. 8 , in some aspects, process 800 may include communicating via at least one of a first interface or a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface (block 820), depending on the operating mode. For example, as described above, a repeater (e.g., using controller 530, communication component 540, antenna 510 / 510′, etc.) may communicate via at least one of a first interface or a second interface, depending on the operating mode. In some aspects, the second interface may be different from the first interface. In some aspects, the operating mode is one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode.

[0130] Process 800 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0131] In the first aspect, the repeater may establish a connection with the base station via a first interface.

[0132] In a second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the first interface is a low frequency interface and the second interface is a millimeter wave interface.

[0133] In a third aspect, either alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, the asynchronous mode of operation is to cause the repeater to execute commands when they are received.

[0134] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to third aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of whether the repeater supports synchronous operation.

[0135] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourth aspects, the information associated with the one or more capabilities includes information identifying a processing time for a process performed by the repeater.

[0136] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the repeater may receive a request from the base station for information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater.

[0137] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the repeater may receive an indication of an operating mode for the repeater.

[0138] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the operating mode is indicated in a control command received via the first interface, the control command including an indication of the operating mode.

[0139] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eighth aspects, the operating mode is explicitly indicated to the repeater.

[0140] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to ninth aspects, the operating mode is implicitly indicated to the repeater.

[0141] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to tenth aspects, the operation mode is indicated in a timing configuration field in a control command.

[0142] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to eleventh aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration identifies a start time of the synchronous operation.

[0143] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to twelfth aspects, the start time is an absolute start time.

[0144] In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to thirteenth aspects, the start time is an offset relative to a reception time of the control command.

[0145] In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fourteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration identifies a duration of the synchronous operation.

[0146] In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to fifteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration identifies a period of synchronous operation.

[0147] In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to sixteenth aspects, when the operation mode is a synchronous operation mode, the timing configuration identifies a bitmap associated with the synchronous operation.

[0148] In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first to seventeenth aspects, the communication is based at least in part on a beamforming configuration.

[0149] although Figure 8 Example blocks of process 800 are shown, but in some aspects process 800 may include Figure 8 Additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those shown. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 800 may be performed in parallel.

[0150] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of these aspects.

[0151] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be broadly interpreted as hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, and / or a combination of hardware and software.

[0152] Some aspects are described herein with respect to thresholds. As used herein, satisfying a threshold may refer to a value being greater than a threshold, greater than or equal to a threshold, less than a threshold, less than or equal to a threshold, equal to a threshold, not equal to a threshold, etc., depending on the context.

[0153] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in various forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit these aspects. Therefore, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code - it should be understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based at least in part on the description herein.

[0154] Although specific combinations of features are stated in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many of these features can be combined in a manner not specifically stated in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below can directly rely on only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim combined with each other claim in the claim set. The phrase "at least one" in the referenced item list refers to any combination of those items, including a single member. As an example, "at least one of a, b or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc and abc and any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc and ccc or any other ordering of a, b and c).

[0155] Unless explicitly stated, any element, action or instruction used in this article should not be interpreted as critical or essential. In addition, as used herein, the articles "one" and "an" are intended to include one or more items and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In addition, as used herein, the terms "set" and "grouping" are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, combinations of related and unrelated items, etc.), and can be used interchangeably with "one or more". In the case of only wanting one item, the term "only one" or similar language is used. In addition, as used herein, the terms "have", "have", "contain" etc. are intended to be open terms. In addition, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on".

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station, comprising: receiving, from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, The second interface is different from the first interface; determining an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater, The operating mode is determined to be one of an asynchronous operating mode or a synchronous operating mode; as well as Communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operating mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first interface is a low frequency interface, and the second interface is a millimeter wave interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater includes information associated with one or more synchronization capabilities of the repeater, timing, or some combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of whether the relay is capable of supporting synchronous operations.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The information associated with the one or more capabilities includes an indication of a level of precision for synchronization.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The information associated with the one or more capabilities includes information identifying a processing time for a process performed by the repeater.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The operating mode is indicated to the repeater via the first interface.

8. A method of wireless communication performed by a repeater, comprising: sending, via the first interface, to a base station, information associated with one or more capabilities of the relay; as well as communicating via at least one of the first interface or a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface, according to an operating mode, The operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode and a synchronous operation mode.

9. A base station for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to: receiving, from a repeater having a first interface and a second interface, information associated with one or more capabilities of the repeater, The second interface is different from the first interface; determining an operating mode of the repeater based at least in part on the information associated with the one or more capabilities of the repeater; as well as Communicating with the repeater via at least one of the first interface or the second interface according to the determined operating mode.

10. A repeater for wireless communication, comprising: Memory; as well as One or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors being configured to: sending, via the first interface, to a base station, information associated with one or more capabilities of the relay; as well as communicating via at least one of the first interface or a second interface, the second interface being different from the first interface, according to an operating mode, The operation mode is one of an asynchronous operation mode and a synchronous operation mode.

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