Interference measurement by network controlled repeater

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a network control repeater (NCR) that receives, from a base station, a first signaling indicating a receive beam and a first reference signal. The NCR receives a second reference signal from an interfering communication device, such as an interfering base station or user equipment (UE). The NCR performs a channel measurement on the first reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied, and performs an interference measurement on the second reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied. The NCR determines a signal strength comparison based on the channel measurement and the interference measurement and sends a second signaling to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 335,412, filed on April 27, 2022, entitled “Interference Measurement By A Network-Controlled Repeater,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 335,645, filed on April 27, 2022, entitled “Managing Interferencewith Network-Controlled Repeaters,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 335,651, filed on April 27, 2022, entitled “Reducing Interference for Network-Controlled Repeaters,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 335,655, filed on April 27, 2022, entitled “Interference Management with Network-Controlled Repeater,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications and, more particularly, to managing interference from wireless communication devices. Background Art

[0004] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, such as a base station, which may be referred to as an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a core network function (CNF), or other suitable terms. Each network communication device (such as a base station) may support wireless communication of one or more user communication devices, which may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms. A wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing resources of a wireless communication system, such as time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, sub-time slots, mini-time slots, aggregated time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers). In addition, a wireless communication system may support wireless communication across various radio access technologies (RATs), including third generation (3G) RATs, fourth generation (4G) RATs, fifth generation (5G) RATs, and other suitable RATs other than 5G. In some cases, a wireless communication system may be a non-terrestrial network (NTN), which may support various communication devices for wireless communication in an NTN. For example, the NTN may include network entities on non-ground vehicles (such as satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and high altitude platform systems (HAPS)), as well as network entities on the ground (such as gateway entities capable of long-distance transmission and reception).

[0005] A wireless communication system may include one or more wireless repeaters that receive and retransmit signals (e.g., from a base station or UE). Wireless repeaters extend the coverage area or layout of a cell in a cellular system to improve key performance indicators such as throughput and coverage. As a result, a wireless repeater may extend a cell beyond its originally planned boundaries. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and systems for supporting interference measurements performed by a network controlled repeater (NCR). A device in a wireless communication system (such as a base station, UE, or NCR in one cell) may send a signal that interferes with a signal sent in one or more neighboring cells. A device that sends a signal that interferes with a signal sent in another cell is called an attacker device, and a cell including the attacker device is called an attacker cell. A device whose signal is interfered with by an attacker device is called a victim device, and a cell including the victim device is called a victim cell. An entity in an attacker cell may configure a communication indication reference signal (CIRS) associated with one or more communication elements (e.g., time-frequency resources, spatial relationships, channels, signals, etc.). When an associated communication is to be sent in an attacker cell, an attacker base station (e.g., a gNB) sends a reference signal to indicate the upcoming associated communication to a nearby victim cell. An entity in a victim cell (e.g., a gNB, UE, NCR) may measure interference and determine whether and how much interference will be experienced on the associated resources.

[0007] Using the above technology, the NCR of the victim cell performs interference measurement on the reference signal, and / or the measurement entity co-located with the NCR performs interference measurement. Therefore, the NCR does not need to forward the reference signal to the measuring base station (e.g., gNB) or UE for measurement, which allows less signaling overhead and more accurate measurement, while increasing measurement and reporting capabilities for the NCR.

[0008] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include wireless communications at an NCR (e.g., in a victim cell), and the NCR receives an indication of a receive beam and a first reference signal from a base station (e.g., in a victim cell). The NCR also receives a second reference signal from an interfering communication device, such as an interfering base station or an interfering UE (e.g., in an aggressor cell). The NCR performs channel measurements on the first reference signal when the receive beam is applied, and performs interference measurements on the second reference signal when the receive beam is applied. The NCR determines a signal strength comparison based on the channel measurement and the interference measurement, and sends a report of the signal strength comparison to the base station.

[0009] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the NCR determines the signal strength comparison as a ratio of signal strengths associated with a first reference signal and a second reference signal. For example, the NCR determines the signal strength comparison as a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). The NCR performs channel measurements to determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the first reference signal, and performs interference measurements to determine the RSRP of the second reference signal. The NCR sends a channel state information (CSI) report of the signal strength comparison to the base station. In one or more implementations, the reference signal received from the base station is at least one of a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0010] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include wireless communications at a base station (e.g., in a victim cell), and the base station (e.g., a gNB) receives a reference signal and an indication of an associated communication element. The base station determines that the communication element potentially interferes with user equipment (UE) communications via an NCR. The base station also determines a receive beam associated with the UE communications via the NCR, and sends an indication of the receive beam to the NCR.

[0011] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein with reference to a base station, the communication element is at least one of: a plurality of time resources, a plurality of frequency resources, one or more spatial relationships, a communication channel, or a reference signal. The plurality of time resources includes at least one of: a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, a plurality of time slots, or a duration. The plurality of frequency resources includes at least one of: a frequency band, a subband, a carrier frequency, a component carrier, a bandwidth portion, or a plurality of physical resource blocks (PRBs). Each of the one or more spatial relationships includes at least one of a reference signal identifier (RS ID), a quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship with a reference signal as a source, a transmission configuration indication (TCI), or a spatial relationship information parameter. The communication channel includes at least one of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The reference signal is at least one of a SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, or a sounding reference signal (SRS). In one or more implementations, the base station transmits a second reference signal to the NCR using an applied transmit beam associated with UE communication, and receives a report from the NCR indicating an estimate of SINR based on interference measurement of the reference signal and channel measurement of the second reference signal. Alternatively, the base station transmits an indication to the UE, the indication being used to instruct the UE to transmit the second reference signal to the NCR using an applied transmit beam associated with UE communication, and the base station receives a report from the NCR indicating an estimate of SINR based on interference measurement of the reference signal and channel measurement of the second reference signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Various aspects of the present disclosure of interference measurements performed by NCR are described with reference to the following drawings.The same reference numerals may be used throughout to reference like features and components shown in the drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting interference measurements by NCRs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 2 An example of interference through an NCR associated with interference measurements made by the NCR is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3 An example of a downlink signal in an aggressor cell causing downlink interference in a victim cell in relation to interference measurements made by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 4An example of a downlink signal in an aggressor cell causing downlink interference in a victim cell and measurements by the NCR in the victim cell in relation to interference measurements by the NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 5 An example of an uplink signal in an aggressor cell causing uplink interference in a victim cell in relation to interference measurements made by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 6 Illustrated are examples of uplink signals in an aggressor cell causing uplink interference in a victim cell and measurements by the NCR in the victim cell in relation to interference measurements by the NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 An example of downlink signals in an aggressor cell causing uplink interference in a victim cell in relation to interference measurements made by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 8 An example of downlink signals in an aggressor cell causing uplink interference in a victim cell and measurements by the NCR in the victim cell in relation to interference measurements by the NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0021] Fig. 9 An example of an uplink signal in an aggressor cell causing downlink interference in a victim cell in relation to interference measurements made by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0022] Fig.10 Illustrated are examples of uplink signals in an aggressor cell causing downlink interference in a victim cell and measurements by the NCR in the victim cell in relation to interference measurements by the NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 11-Figure 17 An example of a system that supports managing interference using NCRs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 18-Figure 25 An example of a system that supports reducing interference to an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0025] Figure 26-Figure 31 An example of a system supporting interference management utilizing NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Fig.32An example block diagram of components of a device (eg, an NCR) supporting interference measurements by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Fig.33 An example block diagram of components of a device (e.g., a base station gNB) supporting interference measurements performed by an NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 34-Figure 36 A flow chart of a method of supporting interference measurements by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] An implementation of interference measurement performed by an NCR is described. A device in a wireless communication system that transmits a signal that interferes with a signal transmitted in another cell is called an aggressor device, and a cell including the aggressor device is called an aggressor cell. Similarly, a device whose signal is interfered by the aggressor device is called a victim device, and a cell including the victim device is called a victim cell. An entity in an aggressor cell may configure a CIRS associated with one or more communication elements (e.g., time-frequency resources, spatial relationships, channels, signals, etc.). When an associated communication is to be transmitted in an aggressor cell, an aggressor base station (e.g., a gNB) transmits a reference signal to indicate the upcoming associated communication to a nearby victim cell. An entity in a victim cell (e.g., a gNB, a UE, an NCR) may measure the interference and determine whether and how much interference will be experienced on the associated resources. In various aspects of the technology described in the present disclosure, the NCR of the victim cell performs interference measurement on a reference signal, and therefore does not need to forward the reference signal to a measuring base station (e.g., a gNB) or a UE for measurement, which allows less signaling overhead and more accurate measurements while increasing measurement and reporting capabilities for the NCR.

[0030] While cell coverage in conventional cellular systems is typically determined by system parameters (such as transmit power and beamforming) and environmental factors (such as buildings and obstacles), NCRs provide service providers with additional degrees of freedom to change the coverage of a cell based on the number of NCRs and their locations, their transmit power and beamforming, and other such adjustable parameters. An unintended consequence of changing the coverage of a cell is that a cell may extend into the coverage area of ​​another cell and cause excessive interference, which may not be planned for in the early deployment stages. Since service providers may want to add and remove NCRs without extensive planning each time, it is desirable to enable the network to dynamically manage interference through signaling, measurements, and taking interference mitigation measures during operation. In the present disclosure, systems and methods for dynamic interference management between nearby cells are proposed, where NCRs may cause all or part of the interference in an aggressor cell, which can be used for interference measurements in a victim cell.

[0031] Aspects of the present disclosure include an NCR (e.g., in a victim cell) that receives an indication of a receive beam and a first reference signal from a base station (e.g., in a victim cell). The NCR also receives a second reference signal from an interfering communication device, such as an interfering base station or an interfering UE (e.g., in an aggressor cell). The NCR performs a channel measurement on the first reference signal when the receive beam is applied, and performs an interference measurement on the second reference signal when the receive beam is applied. The NCR can then determine a signal strength comparison based on the channel measurement and the interference measurement, and send a report of the signal strength comparison to the base station.

[0032] While conventional radio frequency (RF) repeaters offer a cost-effective method of extending network coverage, they have their limitations. RF repeaters simply perform amplification and forwarding operations without taking into account various factors that can improve performance. Such factors can include information about semi-static and / or dynamic downlink / uplink configurations, adaptive transmitter / receiver spatial beamforming, on-off states, etc. NCR is an enhancement to conventional RF repeaters with the ability to receive and process side control information from the network. The side control information can allow the NCR to perform its amplification and forwarding operations in a more efficient manner. Potential benefits can include mitigation of unnecessary noise amplification, transmission and reception with better spatial directivity, and simplified network integration.

[0033] Aspects of the disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communication system.Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to device diagrams and flow charts related to interference measurements performed by NCR.

[0034] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting interference measurements performed by an NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 102, one or more UEs 104, and a core network 106. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an advanced LTE (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies other than 5G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 may support technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA).

[0035] One or more base stations 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more of the base stations 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a base transceiver station, an access point, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a radio head (RH), a relay node, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or other suitable terms. The base station 102 and the UE 104 may communicate via a communication link 108, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, the base station 102 and the UE 104 may perform wireless communication via an NR-Uu interface.

[0036] The base station 102 may provide a geographic coverage area 110, and the base station 102 may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, the base station 102 and the UE 104 may support wireless communications of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) in accordance with one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, the base station 102 may be mobile, such as when implemented as a gNB on a satellite or other non-terrestrial station (NTS) associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, and different geographic coverage areas 110 may be associated with different base stations 102. The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the specification may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0037] One or more UEs 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area or coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, a customer premises equipment (CPE), a subscriber device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, etc. Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communication (MTC) device, etc. In some implementations, UE 104 may be stationary in the wireless communication system 100. In other implementations, UE 104 may be mobile in the wireless communication system 100, such as an earth station in motion (ESIM).

[0038] One or more UEs 104 may be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1Some examples of UE 104 are illustrated in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, UE 104 can communicate with various types of devices, such as base stations 102, other UEs 104, or network devices (e.g., core network 106, relay devices, gateway devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, location servers implementing location management functions (LMF), or other network devices). Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 can support communication with other base stations 102 or UEs 104 (which can act as relays in the wireless communication system 100).

[0039] The UE 104 may also support wireless communications directly with other UEs 104 via a communication link 112. For example, the UE 104 may support wireless communications directly with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, the communication link 112 may be referred to as a side link. For example, the UE 104 may support wireless communications directly with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0040] The base station 102 may support communication with the core network 106, or with another base station 102, or both. For example, the base station 102 may interface with the core network 106 via one or more backhaul links 114 (e.g., via S1, N2, or other network interfaces). The base stations 102 may communicate with each other via backhaul links 118 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, the base stations 102 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between the base stations 102). In some other implementations, the base stations 102 may communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the core network 106). In some implementations, one or more base stations 102 may include subcomponents, such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). The ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transport entities, which may be referred to as remote radio heads, smart radio heads, gateways, transmission reception points (TRPs), and other network nodes and / or entities.

[0041] The core network 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connection, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)), and user plane entities that route packets or interconnections to external networks (e.g., serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management of one or more UEs 104 served by one or more base stations 102 associated with the core network 106.

[0042] According to one or more implementations, the wireless communication system 100 includes wireless repeaters, namely NCRs 116. It should be understood that the wireless communication system 100 may include any number of NCRs 116. The base station 102 sends and receives signals within a specific geographical distance or range, which is called a cell. The distance or range, and therefore the cell, can be extended using one or more NCRs. One or more of the NCRs 116 and the base station 102 are operable to implement various aspects of interference measurements performed by the NCRs, as described herein. An NCR (also known as a smart repeater) is a repeater that is controlled by the network (e.g., by the base station 102). For example, in one or more implementations, the NCR 116 is an analog repeater enhanced with a side control channel, through which the NCR 116 can receive control signals from a serving base station 102 (e.g., a gNB), and apply information obtained from the control signals to perform beamforming, determine the direction of communication (downlink vs. uplink), turn on and off the analog relay, and so on. The multiple base stations 102 may also communicate with each other over backhaul links 114 (eg, via X2, Xn, or another network interface) to exchange information associated with wireless communication system 100 configuration and control signaling, and coordinate interference management.

[0043] Coverage is a fundamental aspect of cellular network deployment. Mobile operators rely on different types of network nodes to provide comprehensive coverage in their deployments. Deployment of conventional full-stack cells is an option, but it may not always be possible (e.g., no backhaul availability) or economically viable. Therefore, new types of network nodes are considered to increase the flexibility of network deployment for mobile operators. For example, IAB was previously introduced as a new type of network node that does not require a wired backhaul. Another type of network node is an RF repeater, which is used to simply amplify and forward any signal received. RF repeaters are used in 2G, 3G, and 4G deployments to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full-stack cells. For RF repeaters for NR, RF and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements are specified, targeting both frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0044] While RF repeaters offer a cost-effective method of extending network coverage, they also have their limitations. RF repeaters simply perform amplification and forwarding operations without taking into account various factors that can improve performance. Such factors can include information about semi-static and / or dynamic downlink / uplink configurations, adaptive transmitter / receiver spatial beamforming, on-off states, etc. NCRs are enhancements to conventional RF repeaters with the ability to receive and process side control information from the network. The side control information can allow the NCR to perform its amplification and forwarding operations in a more efficient manner. Potential benefits can include mitigation of unnecessary noise amplification, transmission and reception with better spatial directivity, and simplified network integration.

[0045] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the following contents of NCR are considered. NCR is an in-band RF repeater that is used to extend network coverage on FR1 and FR2 bands, while FR2 deployment can be prioritized for both outdoor and outdoor to indoor (O2I) scenarios. Other aspects only consider single-hop static NCR; NCR is transparent to UE; and NCR can maintain gNB relay link and relay UE link simultaneously. Cost-effectiveness is a consideration for NCR. In various aspects of the present disclosure, the following contents of NCR are considered. Study and identify which of the following side control information is used for NCR, including assumptions of maximum transmission power. The side control information may include beamforming information, timing information for aligning the transmission or reception boundaries of the NCR, information about downlink uplink (DL-UL) time division duplex (TDD) configuration, switch information for efficient interference management and improved energy efficiency, and / or power control information for efficient interference management (as a second priority). Study and identification of the identity of layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) signaling (including its configuration) carrying side control information is also considered. In various aspects of the present disclosure, identification and authorization of NCRs are also considered.

[0046] Long-range interference management takes into account the atmospheric duct phenomenon, which is caused by the lower density at higher altitudes in the Earth's atmosphere, which causes the refractive index to decrease, causing the signal to bend toward the Earth. Signals trapped in atmospheric ducts can reach much greater distances than normal. In TDD networks with the same UL / DL time slot configuration, in the absence of atmospheric ducts, a protection period is used to avoid interference between UL transmissions and DL transmissions in different cells. However, when the atmospheric duct phenomenon occurs, radio signals can propagate relatively long distances, and the propagation delay exceeds the protection period. Therefore, the DL signal of the attacker cell may interfere with the UL signal of the victim cell far away from the attacker. Such interference is called long-range interference. The farther the attacker is from the victim, the greater the impact on the victim's UL symbol.

[0047] Remote interference scenarios may involve multiple victim cells and aggressor cells, where the gNB performs Remote Interference Management (RIM) coordination on behalf of its respective cells. Aggressor gNBs and victim gNBs may be grouped into semi-static sets, where each cell is assigned a set ID and is configured with RIM reference signals (RIM-RS) and radio resources associated with the set ID. Each aggressor gNB may be configured with multiple set IDs, and each victim gNB may be configured with multiple set IDs, while each cell may have at most one victim set ID and one aggressor set ID. Thus, each gNB may be both an aggressor and a victim at the same time.

[0048] To mitigate long-range interference, the network enables the RIM framework for coordination between the victim gNB and the aggressor gNB. The coordination communication in the RIM framework can be either wireless or backhaul based. The backhaul based RIM framework uses a combination of wireless and backhaul communications, while in the wireless framework, the communication is purely wireless. In both frameworks, all gNBs in the victim set simultaneously transmit the same RIM reference signal carrying the victim set ID over the air.

[0049] In the radio framework, after receiving the RIM reference signal from the victim set, the attacker gNB takes the RIM measure and sends back the RIM reference signal carrying the attacker set ID. The RIM reference signal sent by the attacker can provide information about whether the atmospheric pipe phenomenon exists. The victim gNB realizes that the atmospheric pipe phenomenon has stopped when no reference signal is received from the attacker.

[0050] In the RIM Backhaul framework, upon receiving the RIM reference signal from the victim set, the aggressor gNB takes RIM measures and establishes backhaul coordination towards the victim gNB set. Backhaul messages are sent from individual aggressor gNBs to individual victim gNBs, with the signaling being transparent to the core network. The RIM Backhaul message from the aggressor gNB to the victim gNB carries an indication of the detection or disappearance of the RIM reference signal. Based on the indication from the backhaul message, the victim gNB determines whether the atmospheric duct and the resulting remote interference has ceased. In both frameworks, upon determining that the atmospheric duct has disappeared, the victim gNB stops sending the RIM reference signal.

[0051] Cross-link interference management takes into account that when different TDD DL / UL modes are used between neighboring cells, UL transmission in one of the cells may interfere with DL reception in another cell, which is called cross-link interference (CLI). To mitigate CLI, gNBs can exchange and coordinate their expected TDD DL-UL configurations over Xn and F1 interfaces, and the victim UE can be configured to perform CLI measurements. There are two types of CLI measurements: Sounding Reference Signal-Reference Signal Received Power (SRS-RSRP) measurements, where the UE measures the SRS-RSRP on the SRS resources of (multiple) aggressor UEs; and CLI Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements, where the UE measures the total received power observed on the RSSI resources. Layer 3 filtering is applied to CLI measurement results, and both event-triggered reporting and periodic reporting are supported.

[0052] In various aspects of interference measurements performed by the NCR, a base station (e.g., a gNB) connected to the NCR configures one or more reference signals for notifying one or more nearby cells of potentially impending interference. Several implementations and examples of interference management in a cellular system including one or more NCRs are described herein. It is noteworthy that the various techniques described in the present disclosure may be implemented in conjunction with one another, such as related to managing interference to network controlled repeaters, reducing interference to network controlled repeaters, and / or any features of interference management to network controlled repeaters.

[0053] Figure 2An example 200 of interference through NCRs supporting interference measurements by NCRs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In example 200, a base station 202 is connected to an NCR 204 whose communications may interfere with communications of a nearby base station 206. The base station 202 may serve a UE 208 directly, indirectly via the NCR 204, or a combination thereof. The base station 206 may serve a UE 210, and the base station 202 is also connected to an NCR 212. Signals sent by the base station 202 and potentially repeated by the NCR 204 to the UE 208 are referred to as downlink signals. Signals sent by the UE 208 and potentially repeated by the NCR 204 to the base station 202 are referred to as uplink signals.

[0054] In example 200, good or desired signals (e.g., strong signals) are illustrated with solid arrows, such as between base station 202 and NCR 204, and between NCR 204 and UE 208. Insignificant or weak signals (e.g., due to distance) are illustrated with alternating long and short dashed arrows, such as between base station 202 and UE 208, and between base station 206 and UE 210. Significant or strong interfering signals (e.g., due to close proximity) are illustrated with long dashed arrows, such as between NCR 204 and NCR 212. Good or desired signals in combination with interfering signals are illustrated with short dashed arrows, such as between NCR 212 and base station 206, and / or between NCR 212 and UE 210.

[0055] In this example 200, base station 202, NCR 204, and UE 208 are represented as attacker devices, while base station 206, NCR 212, and UE 210 are represented as victim devices. However, it should be noted that in some cases, base station 206, NCR 212, and / or UE 210 transmits an interference signal that is received by one or more of base station 202, NCR 204, or UE 208. In such a case, base station 206, NCR 212, or UE 210 is an attacker device, while base station 202, NCR 204, and UE 208 are victim devices. In one or more implementations, the following steps are performed by various entities (e.g., base station, UE, NCR), and in some implementations, some steps may be omitted, permuted, or repeated.

[0056] In one or more implementations related to the first step, the base station configures a reference signal associated with one or more communication elements, referred to as a CIRS. The communication element may take various forms. For example, the communication element may be a downlink and / or uplink resource in the time domain, such as one or more symbols, one or more time slots, one or more subframes, one or more frames, OFDM symbols, time intervals in milliseconds or seconds, etc. As another example, the communication element may be a downlink and / or uplink resource in the frequency domain, such as a frequency band, a subband, one or more carriers or component carriers (CCs), one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs), an active BWP, one or more physical resource blocks (PRBs), one or more resource block groups (RBGs), etc. As another example, the communication element may be a downlink and / or uplink channel, such as a PDCCH / control resource set (CORESET), a PDSCH, a cell group PDSCH (CG-PDSCH), a PUCCH, a PUSCH, a semi-persistent scheduling (SPS), etc.

[0057] As another example, the communication element may be a downlink and / or uplink reference signal, such as a SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, an SRS, etc. As another example, the communication element may be a spatial parameter, such as one or more beams, one or more beam directions, one or more beam widths, one or more QCL type D parameters (each parameter having a reference signal as a source), one or more TCI state IDs (each TCI state ID including a QCL type D parameter, a coverage area (e.g., determined / indicated by geographic coordinates)), etc. As another example, the communication element may be a QCL relationship, such as one or more QCL A, B, C, D type parameters (each parameter having a reference signal as a source), one or more TCI state IDs (each TCI state ID including a QCL A / B / CD type parameter), etc.

[0058] If the communication element is in the downlink, the CIRS may be a downlink reference signal, such as a CSI-RS. If the communication is in the uplink, the CIRS may be an uplink reference signal, such as an SRS. Note that for ease of reference, the phrase "communication indication reference signal" (CIRS) is used herein. Reference signals may be referred to by more general terms, such as CSI-RS or SRS.

[0059] In one or more implementations related to the second step, the base station 202 sends a message to the base station 206, for example, on the NG-C or Xn interface. The message includes information of the CIRS, information of the associated communication element, or a combination thereof. The message may implicitly or explicitly indicate the association between the CIRS and the communication element. The signaling may be implemented in any of a variety of ways, such as using a technique for managing interference using NCR.

[0060] In one or more implementations related to the first part of the third step, the base station 202 determines whether a communication associated with the communication element will occur or may occur. For example, if the communication element is a downlink resource, the communication performed by the base station 202 is scheduled on the resource, or potentially will occur on the resource. As another example, if the communication element is an uplink resource, the communication performed by the UE 208 is scheduled on the resource, or potentially will occur on the resource. As another example, if the communication element is a downlink channel, the base station 202 will (potentially) communicate on the channel. As another example, if the communication element is an uplink channel, the UE 208 will (potentially) communicate on the channel. As another example, if the communication element is a downlink reference signal, the base station 202 will (potentially) send a reference signal. As another example, if the communication element is an uplink reference signal, the UE 208 will (potentially) send a reference signal, or the UE 208 is triggered to send a reference signal. As another example, if the communication element is a spatial parameter, the base station 202 or UE 208 transmits a signal while applying the spatial parameter (eg, beam). As another example, if the communication element is a QCL relation, the base station 202 or UE 208 transmits a signal to which the QCL relation is applied.

[0061] In one or more implementations related to the second part of the third step, after determining that communication will or may occur, CIRS is sent according to the following. If the communication and / or CIRS are in the downlink, the base station 202 sends the CIRS. If the communication and / or CIRS are in the uplink, the base station 202 triggers the UE 208 to send the CIRS, and / or the UE 208 sends the CIRS. If the base station 202 triggers the UE 208 to send the CIRS, the triggering can be performed by the base station 202 sending a control message (such as a downlink control information (DCI) message instructing the UE 208 to send the CIRS). Otherwise, the base station 202 can send a configuration message to the UE 208, wherein the configuration message instructs the UE 208 to send the CIRS associated with the communication. The configuration will be semi-static, and therefore, dynamic signaling for triggering the UE 208 is not required.

[0062] In some implementations, the base station 202 or the UE 208 transmits the CIRS while applying one or more parameters associated with the communication. For example, in the downlink, the base station 202 may transmit the CIRS while applying the same beam, transmit power, and / or timing as would be applied to transmit the communication. As another example, in the uplink, the UE 208 may transmit the CIRS while applying the same beam, transmit power, and / or timing as would be applied to transmit the communication. This behavior may be pre-configured, configured by the network (e.g., by the base station 202), or signaled by the network (e.g., by the base station 202).

[0063] In addition, the NCR 204 may repeat the CIRS according to configuration or signaling by the network (e.g., the base station 202). For example, the NCR 204 may receive a CIRS signal from its transmitter (the base station 202 in the downlink or the UE 208 in the uplink) and forward the signal to another entity (e.g., the UE 208 in the downlink / the base station 202 in the uplink). In this case, the NCR 204 may be configured or signaled by the network (e.g., by the base station 202) to forward the signal while applying the same beam, transmit power, and / or timing as would be applied to forward the communication.

[0064] In one or more implementations related to the fourth step, the base station 206 may perform measurements on resources associated with the CIRS, as indicated in the message from the base station 202 (in the second step described above), to obtain an interference value. This value may then be used as an estimate of the interference that the associated communication will cause in the neighboring cell provided by the base station 206. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 206 may configure the UE 210 to, or signal the UE 210 to perform measurements on resources associated with the CIRS, to obtain an interference value. This value may then be used as an estimate of the interference that the associated communication will cause to the UE 210.

[0065] In the above four steps, the reference signal identified as CIRS is used to notify the neighboring entity / cell in advance of the upcoming interference generated by the relevant communication. Since the process of notifying the neighboring entity / cell is performed through an over-the-air (OTA) signal, the association information between the signal (CIRS) and the communication should be conveyed to the neighboring entity / cell in advance so that they know to perform measurements on CIRS and use the obtained value as an estimate of the upcoming interference.

[0066] In one or more implementations, multiple CIRS associated with multiple communication elements may be configured. In this case, the association between the CIRS and the communication element may be one-to-one, or may be specified by a standard, or indicated by a network. Additionally or alternatively, multiple copies of a communication may be sent, wherein at least a first copy of the communication is used for direct communication between the base station 202 and the UE 208, and at least a second copy of the communication is used for indirect communication through the NCR 204. In this case, multiple copies of the CIRS may be sent in association with a copy of the communication, i.e., at least a first copy of the CIRS is sent directly, and at least a second copy of the CIRS is repeated by the NCR 204. Additionally or alternatively, multiple CIRS may be sent, rather than multiple copies of the CIRS, wherein each CIRS is associated with a copy of the relevant communication. Additionally or alternatively, the communication and / or associated CIRS may occur on a side link, rather than a downlink or uplink. In this case, the communication element may be a side link resource, a side link channel, etc. In these cases, the NCR may be a side link NCR or a side link relay.

[0067] As described above, a reference signal (referred to as CIRS) is used to inform neighboring entities or cells in advance of upcoming interference generated by related communications. According to various implementations, a base station or UE in a neighboring cell can perform measurements on the CIRS to determine whether interference from related communications is expected and how much interference from related communications is expected. As discussed in more detail below, in one or more implementations, interference measurements are performed on the reference signal by the NCR at the victim cell.

[0068] For example, consider a first base station connected to a first NCR, whose communications may interfere with the communications of a nearby second base station. The first base station may serve a first UE directly, indirectly via the first NCR, or a combination thereof. The second base station may serve a second UE directly, indirectly via the second NCR, or a combination thereof. A signal sent by the first base station and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first UE is called a DL signal. A signal sent by the first UE and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first base station is called an UL signal.

[0069] Figure 3An example of a system 300 that supports interference measurements by NCRs according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. System 300 illustrates an example of DL signals in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and DL repeated by one or more NCRs. In system 300, base station 302 (in cell 1) and base station 304 (in cell 2) both transmit DL signals. NCR 306 can relay cell 1 DL signals to UE 308, and NCR 310 can relay cell 2 DL signals to UE 312. At the same time, cell 1 DL signals directly from base station 302 and / or relayed by NCR 306 may interfere with cell 2 DL signals at NCR 310, which are then relayed to UE 312. In system 300, for simplicity, potential direct interference of DL signals from base station 302 and / or NCR 306 at UE 312 is omitted. The receive (RX) beam 314 of NCR 310 is also illustrated using dashed arcs.

[0070] exist Figure 3 306, good or desired signals (e.g., strong signals) are illustrated with solid arrows, such as between base station 302 and NCR 306, and between NCR 306 and UE 308. Significant or strong interfering signals (e.g., due to close proximity) are illustrated with long dashed arrows, such as between NCR 306 and NCR 310, or between base station 302 and NCR 310. Good or desired signals combined with interfering signals are illustrated with short dashed arrows, such as between NCR 310 and UE 312. The interference problem in system 300 is addressed as follows.

[0071] In several implementations, the base station 302 configures a downlink CIRS associated with a downlink communication element, such as a SS / PBCH block or a CSI-RS, as described above. For ease of reference, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is a CSI-RS and the downlink communication element is referred to as a DL communication / signal. The signal of the DL communication may be sent by the base station 302 and received by the UE 308. The NCR 306 may or may not repeat the DL signal. In one or more implementations, the base station 302 may send at least two copies of the DL signal, one directly sent to the UE 308 and one indirectly sent through the NCR 306. The at least two copies may be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel).

[0072] In one or more implementations, NCR 310 receives CSI-RS according to configuration / signaling and performs interference measurement on CSI-RS to determine whether related DL communications from base station 302 will interfere with desired communications at any UE (e.g., at UE 312). NCR 310 can also obtain an estimate of interference through interference. Figure 4 Examples of these implementations are illustrated.

[0073] Figure 4 An example of a system 400 supporting interference measurements by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 400 illustrates an example of DL signals in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements by an NCR 310 in the victim cell, and addresses reference Figure 3 The system 400 also illustrates the RX beam 402 of the NCR 310 using dashed arcs, and DL interference management is performed at the NCR 310.

[0074] The motivation for this approach in system 400 is that DL interference from nearby cells is measured by NCR 310 in the victim cell, which allows for lower signaling overhead and complexity, whereby interference measurements are performed at the base station or UE. As long as parameters such as NCR RX beamforming are correctly applied, NCR 310 can obtain an estimate of the interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at NCR 310.

[0075] With respect to NCR RX beams 402, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a particular RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 310 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 304. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams that are associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 304. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304 or implicitly determined by the NCR 310, without indication, to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0076] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0077] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SS / PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), SRS resource locator (SRI)), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310.

[0078] In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 receives the CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated DL communications from the base station 302 may cause to any UE, such as UE 312 (e.g., a victim entity). In addition, the NCR 310 may receive a downlink reference signal, such as a second CSI-RS, from the base station 304 to perform channel measurements and obtain an estimate of the expected signal strength. The NCR 310 may apply the same RX beam that the NCR 310 applies to receive the CSI-RS from cell 1 (directly from the base station 302 or indirectly through the NCR 306) to receive the second CSI-RS from the base station 304. The NCR 310 may then calculate a CSI quantity, such as a SIR or SINR, based on the obtained signal strength estimate and the interference estimate. The CSI quantity may then be reported to the base station 304, for example, via a CSI reporting message.

[0079] Figure 5An example of a system 500 that supports interference measurements by NCRs according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. System 500 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and UL repeated by one or more NCRs. In system 500, UE 502 (in cell 1) and UE 504 (in cell 2) both transmit UL signals. NCR 506 can relay cell 1 UL signals to base station 508, and NCR 510 can relay cell 2 UL signals to base station 512. At the same time, cell 1 UL signals directly from UE 502 and / or relayed by NCR 506 may interfere with cell 2 UL signals at NCR 510, which are then relayed to base station 512. In system 500, for simplicity, potential direct interference of UL signals from UE 502 and / or NCR 506 at base station 512 is omitted. RX beam 514 of NCR 510 is also illustrated using dashed arcs.

[0080] exist Figure 5 5 , good or desired signals (e.g., strong signals) are illustrated with solid arrows, such as between UE 502 and NCR 506 and between NCR 506 and base station 508. Significant or strong interfering signals (e.g., due to close proximity) are illustrated with long dashed arrows, such as between UE 502 and NCR 510 and between NCR 506 and NCR 510. Good or desired signals combined with interfering signals are illustrated with short dashed arrows, such as between NCR 510 and base station 512.

[0081] In several implementations, the base station 508 configures an uplink CIRS, such as an SRS, associated with an uplink communication element as described above. For ease of reference, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is an SRS and the uplink communication element is referred to as an UL communication / signal. The signal of the UL communication can be sent by the UE 502 and received by the base station 508. The NCR 506 can repeat or not repeat the UL signal. In one or more implementations, the UE 502 can send at least two copies of the UL signal, one directly sent to the base station 508 and one indirectly sent through the NCR 506. The at least two copies can be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (such as space division multiplexing (SDM) or multi-panel).

[0082] In one or more implementations, NCR 510 receives the SRS according to configuration / signaling and performs interference measurements on the SRS to determine whether associated UL communications from UE 502 will interfere with desired communications at any base station, such as base station 512. NCR 510 may also obtain an estimate of interference through interference.

[0083] Figure 6 An example of a system 600 supporting interference measurements by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 600 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements by a victim entity, and addresses reference Figure 5 UE 502 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 512 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 600 also illustrates RX beam 602 of NCR 510 using dashed arcs, and UL interference management is performed at NCR 510.

[0084] The motivation for this approach in system 600 is that the UL interference from nearby cells is measured by the NCR 510 in the victim cell, which allows for lower signaling overhead and complexity, whereby interference measurements are performed at the base station or UE. As long as parameters such as NCR RX beamforming are correctly applied, the NCR 510 can obtain an estimate of the interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at the NCR 510.

[0085] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a particular RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 510 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 504. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512, or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 as a source and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0086] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 510 .

[0087] In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 receives the SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated UL communication from UE1 may cause to any base station (such as base station 512). In addition, the NCR 510 may receive an uplink reference signal, such as a second SRS, from the UE 504 to perform channel measurements and obtain an estimate of the expected signal strength. The NCR 510 may apply the same RX beam as the RX beam that the NCR 510 applies to receive the SRS from cell 1 (directly from the UE 502 or indirectly through the NCR 506) to receive the second SRS from the UE 504. The NCR 510 may then calculate a CSI quantity, such as a SIR or SINR, based on the obtained signal strength estimate and the interference estimate. The CSI quantity may then be reported to the base station 512, for example, via a CSI reporting message.

[0088] Figure 7An example of a system 700 that supports interference measurements by NCRs according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. System 700 illustrates an example of DL signals in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and UL repeated by one or more NCRs. In system 700, base station 702 (in cell 1) transmits a DL signal, and UE 704 (in cell 2) transmits an UL signal. NCR 706 may relay cell 1 DL signals to UE 708, and NCR 710 may relay cell 2 UL signals to base station 712. At the same time, cell 1 DL signals directly from base station 702 and / or relayed by NCR 706 may interfere with cell 2 UL signals at NCR 710, which are then relayed to base station 712. In this system 700, for simplicity, potential direct interference of DL signals from base station 702 and / or NCR 706 at base station 712 is omitted. RX beam 714 of NCR 710 is also illustrated using dashed arcs.

[0089] exist Figure 7 706, good or desired signals (e.g., strong signals) are illustrated with solid arrows, such as between base station 702 and NCR 706, and between NCR 706 and UE 708. Significant or strong interfering signals (e.g., due to close proximity) are illustrated with long dashed arrows, such as between NCR 706 and NCR 710, or between base station 702 and NCR 710. Good or desired signals combined with interfering signals are illustrated with short dashed arrows, such as between NCR 710 and base station 712. The interference problem in system 700 is addressed as follows.

[0090] In an implementation, the base station 702 configures a downlink CIRS associated with a downlink communication element, such as a SS / PBCH block or a CSI-RS, as described above. For ease of reference, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is a CSI-RS and the downlink communication element is referred to as a DL communication / signal. The signal of the DL communication may be sent by the base station 702 and received by the UE 708. The NCR 706 may or may not repeat the DL signal. In one or more implementations, the base station 702 may send at least two copies of the DL signal, one directly sent to the UE 708 and one indirectly sent through the NCR 706. The at least two copies may be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel).

[0091] In one or more implementations, NCR 710 receives CSI-RS according to configuration / signaling and performs interference measurements on the CSI-RS to determine whether associated DL communications from base station 702 will interfere with desired communications at any base station, such as base station 712. NCR 710 may also obtain an estimate of interference through interference.

[0092] Figure 8 An example of a system 800 supporting interference measurements by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 800 illustrates an example of DL signals in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements by an NCR 710 in the victim cell, and addresses reference Figure 7 8. The interference discussed with respect to system 700 of FIG. 8. Base station 702 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 712 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 800 also illustrates an RX beam 802 of NCR 710 using dashed arcs, and interference measurements are performed at NCR 710.

[0093] The motivation for this approach in system 800 is that, according to performing interference measurements at the base station or UE, the UL interference from nearby cells is measured by the NCR 710 in the victim cell, which allows for lower signaling overhead and complexity. As long as parameters such as NCR RX beamforming are correctly applied, the NCR can obtain an estimate of the interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at the NCR 710.

[0094] Regarding NCR RX beams, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 710 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 704. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712, or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 as a source and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0095] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0096] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704, or an indirect channel through the NCR 710.

[0097] In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 receives the CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of the interference that the associated DL communication from the base station 702 may cause to any base station (such as the base station 712). In addition, the NCR 710 may receive an UL reference signal, such as an SRS, from the UE 704 to perform channel measurements and obtain an estimate of the expected signal strength. The NCR 710 may apply the same RX beam as the RX beam that the NCR 710 applies to receive the CSI-RS from cell 1 (directly from the base station 702 or indirectly through the NCR 706) to receive the SRS from the UE 704. The NCR 710 may then calculate a CSI quantity, such as an SIR or SINR, based on the obtained signal strength estimate and interference estimate. The CSI quantity may then be reported to the base station 712, for example, via a CSI reporting message.

[0098] Fig. 9An example of a system 900 that supports interference measurements by NCRs according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. System 900 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and DL repeated by one or more NCRs. In system 900, UE 902 (in cell 1) transmits an UL signal, and base station 904 (in cell 2) transmits a DL signal. NCR 906 may relay cell 1 UL signals to base station 908 (in cell 1), and NCR 910 may relay cell 2 DL signals to UE 912 (in cell 2). At the same time, cell 1 UL signals directly from UE 902 and / or relayed by NCR 906 may interfere with cell 2 DL signals at NCR 910, which are then relayed to UE 912. In system 900, for the sake of brevity, potential direct interference of DL signals from base station 908 and / or NCR 906 at UE 912 is omitted. The RX beam 914 of the NCR 910 is also illustrated using a dashed arc.

[0099] exist Fig. 9 9, good or desired signals (e.g., strong signals) are illustrated with solid arrows, such as between UE 902 and NCR 906, and between NCR 906 and base station 908. Significant or strong interfering signals (e.g., due to close proximity) are illustrated with long dashed arrows, such as between NCR 906 and NCR 910, or between UE 902 and NCR 910. Good or desired signals combined with interfering signals are illustrated with short dashed arrows, such as between NCR 910 and UE 912. The interference problem in system 900 is addressed as follows.

[0100] In several implementations, the base station 908 configures an uplink CIRS, such as an SRS, associated with a downlink communication element as described above. For ease of reference, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is an SRS and the uplink communication element is referred to as an UL communication / signal. The signal of the UL communication can be sent by the UE 902 and received by the base station 908. The NCR 906 can repeat or not repeat the UL signal. In one or more implementations, the UE 902 can send at least two copies of the UL signal, one directly sent to the base station 908 and one indirectly sent through the NCR 906. The at least two copies can be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel).

[0101] In one or more implementations, NCR 910 receives the SRS according to configuration / signaling and performs interference measurements on the SRS to determine whether associated UL communications from UE 902 will interfere with desired communications at any UE, such as UE 912. NCR 910 may also obtain an estimate of interference through interference.

[0102] Fig.10 An example of a system 1000 supporting interference measurements by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 1000 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements by an NCR in the victim cell, and addresses reference Fig. 9 The interference discussed with respect to the system 900 of FIG. 1000. UE 902 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and UE 912 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. The system 1000 also illustrates the RX beam 1002 of the NCR 910 using dashed arcs, and the interference measurement is performed at the NCR 910.

[0103] The motivation for this approach is that, based on interference measurements performed at the base station or UE, the DL interference from nearby cells is measured by the NCR 910 in the victim cell, which allows for lower signaling overhead and complexity. As long as parameters such as NCR RX beamforming are correctly applied, the NCR 910 can obtain an estimate of the interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at the UE 912.

[0104] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a particular RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 910 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 904. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 904. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904, or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0105] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may not receive an explicit instruction, but apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912 or an indirect channel through the NCR 910 .

[0106] In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 receives the SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated UL communications from the UE 902 may cause to any base station (such as the base station 904). In addition, the NCR 910 may receive a downlink reference signal, such as a CSI-RS, from the base station 904 to perform channel measurements and obtain an estimate of the expected signal strength. The NCR 910 may apply the same RX beam that the NCR 910 applies to receive the SRS from cell 1 (directly from the UE 902 or indirectly through the NCR 906) to receive the CSI-RS from the base station 904. The NCR 910 may then calculate a channel state information (CSI) quantity, such as a SIR or SINR, based on the obtained signal strength estimate and interference estimate. The CSI quantity may then be reported to the base station 904, for example, via a CSI reporting message.

[0107] One or more implementations of the techniques discussed herein include performing interference measurements in a victim cell based on reference signals transmitted and relayed in a nearby aggressor cell. Thus, it is assumed that there is coordination between cells with respect to reference signals and their association with communications in the aggressor cell. Inter-cell coordination may be achieved through signaling with the core network or through direct signaling between base stations.

[0108] Fig.11An example of a system 1100 supporting management interference using NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes an interface between a base station and a core network. System 1100 illustrates base stations (e.g., gNBs) 1102, 1104, and 1106 connected to a core network (e.g., 5G core (5GC, NGC)) via an NG interface, as shown by dashed lines. The core network includes AMF / UPF 1108 and AMF / UPF 1110. The NG interface includes a control plane interface NG-C that connects the gNB-CU-CP to the AMF, and a user plane interface NG-U that connects the gNB-CU-UP to the user plane function (UPF). Base stations 1102, 1104, and 1106 are also connected to each other via an Xn interface, as shown by solid lines.

[0109] Inter-cell coordination for interference management can be achieved through the core network, indirectly using the NG-C interface, or directly through the Xn interface. In the following discussion, signaling for coordination between base stations using one or both of the NG-C and Xn interfaces is described, and the behavior of the cell entity (e.g., base station, NCR, etc.) in response to the signaling is described. For ease of reference, interference management performed using reference signals such as communication indication reference signals is referred to as communication indication interference management (CIIM). In some implementations, the proposed CIIM process may be an extension of other interference management processes such as remote interference management (RIM).

[0110] It should be noted that the techniques discussed herein are not limited in scope to 5G architecture and interfaces, and they may be applied to other systems, such as 6G systems, which have potential differences in architecture, interfaces, and terminology. In one or more implementations, inter-cell coordination is performed by signaling with a core entity such as an AMF. The information transfer process may be performed by signaling over an interface such as an NG-C. The term "RAN node" may refer to a base station (e.g., a gNB), an IAB donor, or any other network entity capable of performing the process.

[0111] Fig.12 An example of a system 1200 supporting management interference with NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a configuration information transfer procedure. The system 1200 illustrates that a source RAN node 1202 may initiate an uplink CIIM configuration information transfer procedure by issuing an uplink CIIM configuration information transfer message 1204 to an AMF 1206. The purpose of the procedure is to transfer CIIM configuration information from the source RAN node 1202 to the AMF 1206.

[0112] In one or more implementations, the AMF 1206 may not interpret the transmitted CIIM configuration information. In such an implementation, upon receiving the uplink CIIM configuration information transfer message, the AMF 1206 may transparently transmit it to the target RAN node 1208 indicated by the message, for example, via the target RAN node ID IE included in the message.

[0113] The AMF may initiate a downlink CIIM configuration information transfer procedure by sending a downlink CIIM configuration information transfer message 1210 to the target RAN node 1208. The target RAN node 1208 may use the CIIM configuration information in the received downlink CIIM configuration information transfer message 1210 to perform the CIIM method proposed herein. The purpose of this procedure is to transfer the CIIM configuration information from the AMF 1206 to the target RAN node 1208.

[0114] In one or more implementations, AMF 1206 may process the information to determine one or more target RAN nodes to which it can forward the CIIM configuration information. For example, AMF 1206 may forward the information to one or more RAN nodes based on their locations. For example, AMF 1206 may determine that the information is to be forwarded to all RAN nodes within a radius of the location of the source RAN node 1202. The location and / or radius of the source RAN node may be included in the uplink CIIM configuration information transmission message. Alternatively, AMF 1206 may obtain the location and / or radius by other means. As another alternative, AMF 1206 may forward the information to one or more RAN nodes within a geographic area. AMF 1206 may select a geographic area from a plurality of geographic areas based on the location of the source RAN node 1202. If the source RAN node 1202 is located in a plurality of geographic areas, AMF 1206 may select the union of the RAN nodes in all or several geographic areas in the plurality of geographic areas, or, alternatively, select a geographic area in which the source RAN node 1202 is closest to the center of the geographic area.

[0115] As another example, the AMF 1206 may forward the information to one or more RAN nodes that the AMF 1206 determines to be neighbors of the source RAN node 1202. Neighbor relations may be determined based on factors that may affect inter-cell interference between cells provided by the RAN nodes. For example, in an urban environment where many obstacles are expected between RAN nodes, inter-cell interference may be mitigated at greater distances than in a suburban or rural environment.

[0116] In another example, the AMF 1206 may consider the location of the NCRs served by the RAN node to determine which RAN nodes may be within the interference range of the source RAN node or any NCR connected to the source RAN node 1202. In another example, the AMF 1206 may forward the CIIM configuration information to a set of RAN nodes configured or preconfigured by the network. The set of RAN nodes may be similar to the gNB set ID for remote interference management.

[0117] In one or more implementations of the above process, the source RAN node 1202 may be an attacker base station (e.g., Figure 2 202), and the target RAN node may be a victim base station (e.g., Figure 2 Base station 206). Either or both of the above processes may be UE-associated or non-UE-associated, which may depend on the configuration of the related CIRS, the transmitter of the CIRS, whether the CIRS is beamformed or otherwise targeted to a specific UE or UE group, etc. Each of the uplink CIIM configuration information transmission message and the downlink CIIM configuration information transmission message may include a CIIM configuration information transmission IE.

[0118] Fig.13 An example of a system 1300 that supports managing interference using NCRs in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example is shown using Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1) code, but it should be understood that the IE can be any of a variety of forms. The system 1300 illustrates that the CIIMConfigInformationTransfer IE includes a target RAN node ID and a source RAN node ID, each of which includes a global RAN node ID and a tracking area identity (TAI). In other examples, each of the target RAN node ID and the source node ID can be multiple RAN node IDs.

[0119] The IE may also include CIIM configuration information, which may include CIRS configuration information, information of one or more associated communication elements, CIIM reporting configuration, etc. The IE may also include information about interference mitigation options, such as whether the source RAN node intends to reduce transmission power, avoid certain spatial directions, shut down the NCR at certain times, or limit the operation of the NCR at certain times, etc.

[0120] After receiving the CIIM configuration information, the target RAN node can use the information to perform measurements on the configured CIRS to determine whether the source RAN node will interfere with its communications and the extent of the interference. If the target RAN node detects that there is significant interference associated with the CIRS, the target RAN node can take any one or more of a variety of actions.

[0121] In one or more implementations, the target RAN node avoids conflicts. The target RAN node avoids scheduling communications in the target cell that may overlap with associated communications indicated in the CIIM configuration information. Additionally or alternatively, the target RAN node performs link adaptation. When scheduling communications that may overlap with associated communications indicated in the CIIM configuration information, the target RAN node considers interference for link adaptation.

[0122] Additionally or alternatively, the target RAN node performs beam adaptation. The target RAN node applies different beamforming to transmission and / or reception at the base station and / or UE to avoid or mitigate interference. Additionally or alternatively, the target RAN node reports the interference. The target RAN node notifies the source RAN node and / or the network of the interference. For example, if a reported amount such as RSRP associated with CIRS is above a threshold, this can be achieved by issuing a report message including the reported amount. The reported amount and the threshold may be indicated by CIIM configuration information.

[0123] In the event that the target RAN node reports high interference back to the source RAN node, the source RAN node may respond by reporting whether it has taken action to mitigate the interference. Examples of interference mitigation techniques include reducing power, changing beamforming to beams that are less likely to interfere with other cells nearby, turning off NCRs for specific duration(s), and reducing NCR power for certain resources.

[0124] Fig.14 An example of a system 1400 supporting management interference with NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a signaling process for report / response information transmission in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. System 1400 illustrates that a target RAN node issues a report message to AMF 1206, as shown by an uplink CIIM report information transmission message 1402. AMF 1206 forwards the received report message to source RAN node 1202 as a downlink CIIM report information transmission message 1404. Source RAN node 1202 generates and issues a response message to AMF 1206, as shown by an uplink CIIM response information transmission message 1406. AMF 1206 forwards the received response message to the target RAN node as a downlink CIIM response information transmission message 1408. Each of the uplink / downlink CIIM report information transmission messages may include a CIIM report information IE.

[0125] Fig.15An example of a system 1500 that supports managing interference using NCRs in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a report information IE. System 1500 illustrates that the report message may include one or more of the following: whether the target RAN node detects CIRS, which may be an indication of interference in a cell of the target RAN node; the amount of excess interference detected on the CIRS, for example, an amount of interference that exceeds an interference threshold indicated in the CIIM configuration information or exceeds acceptable interference for the target RAN node; or resources in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or spatial domain where the excess interference occurs. Return Fig.14 , each of the uplink / downlink CIIM response information transmission messages may include a CIIM response information IE.

[0126] Fig.16 An example of a system 1600 supporting management interference using NCRs according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a response information IE. The system 1600 illustrates that a source RAN node can respond to a target RAN node in a response message that it has turned off (or turned on) associated communications (e.g., associated NCRs that sent communications) or that it has reduced the power of associated communications. The associated communications can be indicated by resources in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or spatial domain.

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, the process of configuring CIRS and / or initiating an information transmission process for CIIM may be initiated by a victim base station rather than an attacker base station. In this case, a base station that detects high interference may notify the network (e.g., via NG-C signaling with the AMF) that one or more nearby cells are causing large interference. The AMF may then forward this information to other base stations, for example, based on neighbor relationship information or based on geographic location. In response, the attacker base station may configure CIRS and perform uplink CIIM configuration information transmission. Other signaling and methods may then follow, as described above.

[0128] In one or more implementations, inter-cell coordination may be performed by direct signaling between base stations, such as over an Xn interface.For example, an aggressor base station may issue a CIIM ConfigurationInformation IE to one or more potential victim base stations.

[0129] Fig.17 An example of a system 1700 for supporting management interference using NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a configuration information IE according to aspects of the present disclosure. The system 1700 illustrates that the configuration information IE may include CIIM configuration information, similar to the above description of Fig.13In response, the victim base station may send a CIIMReport Information IE back to the attacker base station, such as Fig.15 Then, in response to the report, the attacker base station may send a CIIM response information IE to the victim base station, such as Fig.16 As shown in Example 1600.

[0130] Additionally or alternatively, CIIM signaling may be initiated by a victim base station rather than an attacker base station. In this case, a base station that detects high interference may notify nearby base stations, for example, based on neighbor relationship information or based on geographic location. In response, the attacker base station may configure CIRS and issue CIIM configuration information. Other signaling and methods may then follow, as described above. Additionally or alternatively, a combination of signaling through the core and direct signaling between base stations may be used. For example, an initial information transmission may be used to exchange CIIM information between an attacker base station and a victim base station. The base station may then perform reporting and response signaling as described above via Xn signaling. The base station may also update CIIM configuration information via NG-C or Xn signaling.

[0131] As described above, reference signals (referred to as CIRS) are used to inform neighboring entities or cells in advance of upcoming interference generated by associated communications. According to various implementations, a base station or UE in a neighboring cell can perform measurements on the CIRS to determine whether interference from the associated communications is expected and how much interference from the associated communications is. As discussed in more detail below, in one or more implementations, interference measurements are performed on the reference signals by a victim entity (such as a victim base station or a victim UE) through NCR.

[0132] For example, consider a first base station connected to a first NCR, whose communications may interfere with the communications of a nearby second base station. The first base station may serve a first UE via the first NCR directly, indirectly, or a combination thereof. The second base station may serve a second UE via the second NCR directly, indirectly, or a combination thereof. A signal sent by the first base station and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first UE is called a DL signal. A signal sent by the first UE and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first base station is called an UL signal.

[0133] Fig.18 An example of a system 1800 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 1800 illustrates an example of a DL signal in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by a victim entity, and addresses reference Figure 318. The system 1800 is discussed with reference to the system 1800 of FIG. 18. The base station 302 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and the UE 312 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. The system 1800 also illustrates an RX beam 1802 of the NCR 310, a transmit (TX) beam 1804 of the NCR 310, and an RX beam 1806 of the UE 312 using dashed arcs. DL interference management is performed at the UE 312.

[0134] The motivation for this approach in system 1800 is that the DL interference from nearby cells is measured directly by the victim UE, i.e., the measuring entity is the same or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, as long as parameters such as NCR beamforming and power / gain and UE beamforming are applied correctly, the DL reference signal will experience a similar channel as the DL interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure the interference at UE 312. Regarding NCR RX beams, the base station 304 can configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 310 can be configured / signaled to apply the RX beam that the NCR 310 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 304.

[0135] In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 304. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304 or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0136] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0137] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SS / PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), SRS resource locator (SRI)), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310.

[0138] With respect to NCR TX beams, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a particular TX beam when forwarding a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 310 uses when forwarding a DL signal to the UE 312. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may apply to forward a DL signal to the UE 312. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304 or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0139] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0140] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310.

[0141] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the CSI-RS signal to the UE 312. In some implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply a gain / power that the NCR 310 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 304 and / or to the UE 312. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 310 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 304 and / or to the UE 312. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304 or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same power / gain that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0142] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply the power / gain associated with the most recent signaling of downlink power / gain control.

[0143] With respect to UE RX beams, the base station 304 may configure / signal the UE 312 to apply a particular RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the UE 312 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the UE 312 uses when receiving DL signals from the NCR 310 or the base station 304. In one or more implementations, the UE 312 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 312 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 304. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304, or implicitly determined by the UE 312 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 312 may have used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 304 as a source, through the NCR 310 as a relay, and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0144] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the UE 312 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 304 to the UE 312 (directly or through the NCR 310). The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the UE 312 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 304 to the UE 312 (directly or through the NCR 310) without receiving an explicit indication.

[0145] Additionally or alternatively, the UE 312 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310. Next, the UE 312 receives the forwarded CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated DL communications from the base station 302 may cause to the UE 312.

[0146] Fig.19 An example of a system 1900 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 1900 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by a victim entity, and addresses reference Figure 5 UE 502 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 512 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 1900 also illustrates, using dashed arcs, an RX beam 1902 of NCR 510, a TX beam 1904 of NCR 510, and an RX beam 1906 of base station 512. UL interference management is performed at base station 512.

[0147] The motivation for this approach in system 1900 is that the UL interference from nearby cells is measured directly by the victim base station, i.e., the measuring entity is the same or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, as long as parameters such as NCR beamforming and power / gain and base station beamforming are correctly applied, the UL reference signal will experience a similar channel as the UL interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at base station 512.

[0148] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 510 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 504. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512, or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 as a source and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0149] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), uplink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0150] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504, or an indirect channel through the NCR 510.

[0151] With respect to NCR TX beams, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a particular TX beam when forwarding an SRS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 510 uses when forwarding UL signals to the base station 512. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may apply to forward UL signals to the base station 512. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512, or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the base station 512 as a source and / or to the UE 504 as a destination.

[0152] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the base station 512 to the UE 504. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), uplink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0153] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the most recent UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504, or an indirect channel through the NCR 510.

[0154] With respect to the NCR power / gain, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the SRS signal to the base station 512. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply a gain / power that the NCR 510 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 504 and / or to the base station 512. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 510 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 504 and / or to the base station 512. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512 or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same power / gain that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 as a source and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0155] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply the power / gain associated with the most recent signaling of uplink power / gain control.

[0156] With respect to base station RX beams, the base station 512 may apply a specific beam when receiving an SRS signal. In some implementations, the base station 512 may apply a beam that the base station 512 uses when receiving an UL signal from the NCR 510 or the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the base station 512 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 512 may apply to receive an UL signal from the UE 504. The one or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as the one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 512 may have used in the most recent UL communication from the UE 504 as a source, through the NCR 510 as a relay, and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0157] In one example, the base station 512 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent UL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512 (directly or through the NCR 510). The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 512 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504, or an indirect channel through the NCR 510. Next, the base station 512 receives the forwarded SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of the interference that the relevant UL communication from the UE 502 may cause to the base station 512.

[0158] Fig. 20 An example of a system 2000 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2000 illustrates an example of a DL signal in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by a victim entity, and addresses reference Figure 7 2000 is a system 2000 for discussing interference with respect to a base station 700. Base station 702 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 712 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 2000 also illustrates, using dashed arcs, an RX beam 2002 of NCR 710, a TX beam 2004 of NCR 710, and an RX beam 2006 of base station 712. UL interference management is performed at base station 712.

[0159] The motivation for this approach in system 2000 is that the UL interference from nearby cells is measured directly by the victim base station, i.e., the measuring entity is the same or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, as long as parameters such as NCR beamforming and power / gain and base station beamforming are correctly applied, the DL reference signal will experience a similar channel as the UL interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure interference at base station 712.

[0160] Regarding NCR RX beams, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 710 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 704. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712, or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 as a source and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0161] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0162] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704, or an indirect channel through the NCR 710.

[0163] Regarding NCR TX beams, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific TX beam when forwarding a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 710 uses when forwarding a UL signal to the base station 712. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may apply to forward a UL signal to the base station 712. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712, or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the base station 712 as a source and / or to the UE 704 as a destination.

[0164] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the base station 712 to the UE 704. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the latest UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 710 .

[0165] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the CSI-RS signal to the base station 712. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply a gain / power that the NCR 710 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 704 and / or to the base station 712. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 710 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 704 and / or to the base station 712. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712 or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same power / gain that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 as a source and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0166] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply the power / gain associated with the most recent signaling of uplink power / gain control.

[0167] With respect to base station RX beams, the base station 712 may apply a specific beam when receiving a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the base station 712 may apply a beam that the base station 712 uses when receiving a UL signal from the NCR 710 or the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the base station 712 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 712 may apply to receive a UL signal from the UE 704. The one or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 712 may use in a recent UL communication from the UE 704 as a source, through the NCR 710 as a relay, and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0168] In one example, the base station 712 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712 (directly or through the NCR 710). The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 712 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704, or an indirect channel through the NCR 710. Next, the base station 712 receives the forwarded CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the relevant DL communication from the base station 702 may cause to the base station 712.

[0169] Fig.21 An example of a system 2100 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2100 illustrates an example of UL signals in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by a victim entity, and addresses reference Fig. 9 UE 902 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and UE 912 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 2100 also illustrates, using dashed arcs, an RX beam 2102 of NCR 910, a TX beam 2104 of NCR 910, and an RX beam 2106 of UE 912. DL interference management is performed at UE 912.

[0170] The motivation for this approach in system 1000 is that the DL interference from nearby cells is measured directly by the victim UE, i.e., the measurement entity is the same or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, as long as parameters such as NCR beamforming and power / gain and UE beamforming are correctly applied, the UL reference signal will experience a similar channel as the DL interference. The UE 912 can apply a UE-UE cross-link interference (CLI) measurement method to obtain an estimate of the interference. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help measure the interference at the UE 912.

[0171] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 910 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 904. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 904. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904, or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0172] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0173] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912, or an indirect channel through the NCR 910. With respect to the NCR TX beam, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific TX beam when forwarding an SRS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply the TX beam that the NCR 910 uses when forwarding a DL signal to the UE 912.

[0174] In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may apply to forward DL signals to the UE 912. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904, or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination. In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc.

[0175] In another example, the NCR 910 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912 without receiving an explicit indication. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the latest UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912, or an indirect channel through the NCR 910.

[0176] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding an SRS signal to the UE 912. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply a gain / power that the NCR 910 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 904 and / or to the UE 912. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 910 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 904 and / or to the UE 912. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904 or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same power / gain that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0177] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 to the UE 912 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply the power / gain associated with the most recent signaling of downlink power / gain control.

[0178] Regarding UE RX beams, the base station 904 may configure / signal the UE 912 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the UE 912 may be configured / signaled to apply the RX beam that the UE 912 uses when receiving DL signals from the NCR 910 or the base station 904. In one or more implementations, the UE 912 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 912 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 904. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904, or implicitly determined by the UE 912 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 912 may have used in the latest DL communication, which is from the base station 904 as a source, through the NCR 910 as a relay, and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0179] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the UE 912 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912 (directly or through the NCR 910). The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the UE 912 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912 (directly or through the NCR 910) without receiving an explicit indication.

[0180] Additionally or alternatively, the UE 912 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912, or an indirect channel through the NCR 910. Next, the UE 912 receives the forwarded SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated UL communications from the UE 902 may cause to the UE 912.

[0181] As described above, reference signals (referred to as CIRS) are used to inform neighboring entities or cells in advance of upcoming interference caused by related communications. According to different implementations, a base station or UE in a neighboring cell can perform measurements on the CIRS to determine whether interference from related communications is expected and how much interference from related communications there is. As discussed in more detail below, in one or more implementations, interference measurements are performed on reference signals through NCRs by entities other than the victim base station or victim UE. For example, consider a first base station connected to a first NCR, whose communications may interfere with the communications of a nearby second base station. The first base station can serve the first UE directly, indirectly via the first NCR, or a combination thereof. The second base station can serve the second UE directly, indirectly via the second NCR, or a combination thereof. A signal sent by the first base station and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first UE is called a DL signal. A signal sent by the first UE and potentially repeated by the first NCR to the first base station is called an UL signal.

[0182] Reference again Figure 3 In the system 300, in several implementations, the base station 302 configures a downlink CIRS associated with a downlink communication element, such as a SS / PBCH block or a CSI-RS, as described above. For ease of reference and better description, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is a CSI-RS, and the downlink communication element is referred to as a DL communication / signal. The signal of the DL communication can be sent by the base station 302 and received by the UE 308. The NCR 306 can repeat or not repeat the DL signal.

[0183] In one or more implementations, the base station 302 may send at least two copies of the DL signal, one directly to the UE 308 and one indirectly through the NCR 306. The at least two copies may be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel). In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 receives the CSI-RS according to the configuration / signaling and forwards the signal to the base station 304. The base station 304 then performs interference measurements on the CSI-RS to determine whether the associated DL communications from the base station 302 will interfere with desired communications at any UE served by the NCR 310. The base station 304 may also obtain an estimate of the interference through the measurements.

[0184] Fig. 22 An example of a system 2200 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2200 illustrates an example of a DL signal in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by another entity (e.g., an entity other than the victim entity), and addresses reference Figure 3 304. The system 2200 also illustrates the RX and TX beams 2202 of the NCR 310 and the RX beam 2204 of the base station 304 using dashed arcs. DL interference management is performed at the base station 304.

[0185] The motivation for this approach is that the DL interference from nearby cells is measured by the base station in the victim cell rather than by (multiple) victim UEs. This allows the base station to obtain a first-hand estimate of the interference without the need for any UE reporting. In addition, the base station can use the estimated information obtained to perform scheduling and link adaptation with any UE served by the NCR in the victim cell. This flexibility comes at the cost of increased complexity because in this case the measurement entity is not the same or co-located with the victim entity itself. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help the base station 304 measure the interference at the UE.

[0186] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 310 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 304. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 304. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304, or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination.

[0187] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0188] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310.

[0189] With respect to NCR TX beams, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a specific TX beam when forwarding a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 310 uses when forwarding a UL signal to the base station 304. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may apply to forward a UL signal to the base station 304. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304, or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 312 as a source and / or to the base station 304 as a destination.

[0190] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), uplink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 312 to the base station 304 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0191] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the most recent UE 312 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310.

[0192] One potential problem that arises in this case is that, due to channel reciprocity, the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply the (multiple) NCR 310 TX beams to forward the CSI-RS to the base station 304 may be the same as or overlap with the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply the (multiple) NCR 310 RX beams to receive the CSI-RS. If this is the case, the NCR 310 may not be able to perform receive and forward operations simultaneously unless at least one of the following conditions is true: the (multiple) antenna panels are capable of full-duplex (FD) operation; or the NCR 310 is able to receive the CSI-RS via the (multiple) RX beams, store (buffer) samples of the CSI-RS, and then later forward the CSI-RS samples via the (multiple) TX beams.

[0193] In one or more implementations, if the NCR 310 has full-duplex capability, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to forward the CSI-RS to the base station 304. Additionally or alternatively, if the NCR 310 has the capability to store (buffer) signals, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to forward the CSI-RS to the base station 304. The above-mentioned capabilities (full-duplex operation and / or signal buffering) of the NCR 310 may be notified to the base station 304 by at least one of: capability signaling from the NCR 310 when establishing a control link between the NCR 310 and the base station 304; capability signaling from the NCR 310 in response to a query for capability information from the base station 304; or base station 304 (pre-) configuration or network configuration. Solving this problem by performing interference measurements at the NCR 310 itself will be discussed in more detail below.

[0194] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 304 may configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the CSI-RS signal to the base station 304. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may be configured / signaled to apply at least one of the following: a gain / power that the NCR 310 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 312 and / or to the base station 304, a gain / power that the NCR 310 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 304 and / or to the UE 312, or a function of either or both of the above. In one or more implementations, the NCR 310 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 310 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 312 and / or to the base station 304. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304 or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 312 as a source and / or to the base station 304 as a destination.

[0195] In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 312 to the base station 304. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 312 to the base station 304 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0196] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 310 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 304 and / or to the UE 312. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 304, or implicitly determined by the NCR 310 without an indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 310 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 as a source and / or to the UE 312 as a destination. In one example, the base station 304 may instruct the NCR 310 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 310 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 304 to the UE 312 without receiving an explicit indication.

[0197] One potential problem with both of the above implementations is that applying the gain / power without additional information does not allow the measuring entity to obtain an estimate of the interference at the victim entity. It should be noted that in some of the above discussions (e.g., Figure 4 In the system 1100, the measurement entity is the same or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, it can be assumed that the reference signal (herein referred to as CIRS) sent by the aggressor entity experiences a similar channel as the interference from the aggressor entity (assuming that the beamforming and power / gain parameters are correctly applied). However, in the system 1100, due to the difference between the NCR 310 base station 304 channel and the NCR 310-UE 312 channel, additional information is used in order to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the victim entity based on the measurement of the reference signal at the measurement entity.

[0198] Let H_rb2 and H_ru2 denote the channel states of the NCR 310-base station 304 link and the NCR 310-UE 312 link, respectively. (H = channel, r = NCR, b = base station (e.g., gNB), u = UE). Provided that the beamforming parameters are correctly applied, their impact can be taken into account and thus omitted here. For example, if the same beamforming is applied for interference measurement and associated communications, their impact may cancel each other out. Here, the reference signal experiences an additional H_rb2 at the measurement entity (base station 304) for measurement, while the actual interfering communication will experience an additional H_ru2 at the victim entity (UE 312). Therefore, assuming that the channel state is multiplicative in the Fourier domain, the interference estimate at the base station 304 is multiplied by H_ru2 / H_rb2 to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the UE 312.

[0199] In one example, if only the magnitude of the interference is needed, the relationship between the interference measured at the base station 304 and the actual interference at the UE 312 can be obtained by the following equation: I_u2 = I_b2 + PL_ru2 - PL_rb2. In this equation, I_u2 is the actual interference at the UE 312, in dBm (or dBW); I_b2 is the measured power of the reference signal at the base station 304, in dBm (or dBW); PL_ru2 is the path loss of the NCR2-UE2 link, in dB; PL_rb2 is the path loss of the NCR2-base station 304 link, in dB. This difference can be considered in any of a variety of different ways.

[0200] In one or more implementations, the base station 304 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 304, CSI measurements and reporting by the UE 312, CSI measurements and reporting by the NCR 310, or a combination thereof. The base station 304 then applies the difference in interference estimation calculations. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 304 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 304, CSI measurements and reporting by the UE 312, CSI measurements and reporting by the NCR 310, or a combination thereof. The base station 304 can then configure / signal the NCR 310 to apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the CSI-RS to the base station 304. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements and indications by the base station 304, CSI measurements by the UE 312 when reporting, CSI measurements by the NCR 310, or a combination thereof. NCR 310 may then apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the CSI-RS to base station 304. The application of the difference may be done with or without an indication from base station 304.

[0201] Another potential problem that arises here is related to full-duplex operation. As previously mentioned, beamforming can use full-duplex operation performed by one or more antenna panels at NCR310. In a full-duplex setting, the power / gain variation range for sending signals may be limited by the power of the received signal. As a result, when the CSI-RS is forwarded to the base station 304, the power / gain parameter may be limited. In one or more implementations, if the NCR 310 meets the constraints of power offset, self-interference, etc., the NCR 310 can apply the power / gain difference. Otherwise, if the constraints are not met, the NCR 310 will not apply the power / gain difference. In one implementation, the NCR 310 can send an error message to the base station 304 to indicate that the constraints are not met. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 310 may not expect to apply a power / gain difference that does not meet the constraints such as power offset, self-interference, etc. In this case, the NCR 310 can notify the base station 304 of the constraint by signaling such as capability signaling.

[0202] With respect to base station RX beams, the base station 304 may apply a specific RX beam when receiving a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the base station 304 may apply an RX beam that the base station 304 uses when receiving UL signals from the NCR 310 or the UE 312. In one or more implementations, the base station 304 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 304 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 312. The one or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 304 may have used in a recent UL communication from the UE 312 as a source, through the NCR 310 as a relay, and / or to the base station 304 as a destination.

[0203] In one example, the base station 304 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent UL communication from the UE 312 to the base station 304 (directly or through the NCR 310). The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 304 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE2 beam report. The UE 312 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 312 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 304. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 304 and the UE 312, or an indirect channel through the NCR 310. Next, base station 304 receives the forwarded CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of the interference that the associated DL communications from base station 302 may cause to any UEs served by base station 304 through NCR 310 .

[0204] Reference again Figure 5In the system 500, in several implementations, the base station 508 configures an uplink CIRS, such as an SRS, associated with an uplink communication element as described above. For ease of reference and better description, and without intending to limit the scope, in this subsection, it is assumed that the reference signal is an SRS and the uplink communication element is referred to as an UL communication / signal. The signal of the UL communication can be sent by the UE 502 and received by the base station 508. The NCR 506 can repeat or not repeat the UL signal. In one or more implementations, the UE 502 can send at least two copies of the UL signal, one directly sent to the base station 508 and one indirectly sent through the NCR 506. At least two copies can be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM) and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel). In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 receives the SRS according to the configuration / signaling and forwards the signal to the UE 504. The UE 504 then performs interference measurements on the SRS to determine whether the associated UL communications from the UE 502 will interfere with desired communications at any base station. The UE 504 may also obtain an estimate of the interference through the measurements.

[0205] Fig.23 An example of a system 2300 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2300 illustrates an example of a UL signal in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by another entity (e.g., an entity other than the victim entity), and addresses reference Figure 5 UE 502 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 512 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 2300 also illustrates the RX and TX beams 2302 of NCR 510, and the RX beam 2304 of UE 504 using dashed arcs. UL interference management is performed at UE 504.

[0206] The motivation for this approach is that the UL interference from nearby cells is measured by the UE in the victim cell, which allows the victim base station to reuse the cross-link interference (CLI) mechanism that is typically used for UE-UE interference management. This allows the base station to delegate the interference measurement task to the UE, which can free up valuable resources of the base station, especially when a large number of NCRs are connected to the base station and measuring interference from mobile UEs in the aggressor cell is a resource consuming task. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help the UE 504 measure the interference at the base station.

[0207] With respect to NCR RX beams, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 510 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 504. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512, or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 as a source and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0208] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index, such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 510 .

[0209] With respect to NCR TX beams, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a particular TX beam when forwarding an SRS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 510 uses when forwarding a DL signal to the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may apply to forward a DL signal to the UE 504. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512 or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without an indication to be the same as the one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of a DL communication from the base station 512 as a source and / or to the UE 504 as a destination.

[0210] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may not receive an explicit instruction, but apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 512 to the UE 504. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the latest UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 510 .

[0211] One potential problem that arises in this case is that, due to channel reciprocity, the antenna panel(s) used to apply the NCR 510 TX beam(s) to forward the SRS to the UE 504 may be the same or overlap with the antenna panel(s) used to apply the NCR 510 RX beam(s) to receive the SRS. If this is the case, the NCR 510 may not be able to perform receive and forward operations simultaneously unless at least one of the following conditions is true: the antenna panel(s) are capable of full-duplex (FD) operation; or the NCR 510 is able to receive the SRS via the RX beam(s), store (buffer) samples of the SRS, and then forward the SRS samples via the TX beam(s) at a later time.

[0212] In one or more implementations, if the NCR 510 has full-duplex capability, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to forward the SRS to the UE 504. Additionally or alternatively, if the NCR 510 has the capability to store (buffer) signals, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to forward the SRS to the UE 504. The base station 512 may be informed of the above capabilities of the NCR 510 (full-duplex operation and / or signal buffering) by at least one of: capability signaling from the NCR 510 when the control link is established between the NCR 510 and the base station 512; capability signaling from the NCR 510 in response to a query for capability information from the base station 512; or base station 512 (pre-) configuration or network configuration. Solving this problem by performing interference measurements at the NCR 510 itself will be discussed in more detail below.

[0213] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 512 may configure / signal the NCR 510 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the SRS signal to the UE 504. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may be configured / signaled to apply at least one of the following: a gain / power that the NCR 510 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 504 and / or to the base station 512, a gain / power that the NCR 510 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 512 and / or to the UE 504, or a function of either or both of the above. In one or more implementations, the NCR 510 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 510 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 504 and / or to the base station 512. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512 or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 as a source and / or to the base station 512 as a destination.

[0214] In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 504 to the base station 512 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0215] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 510 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 512 and / or to the UE 504. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 512, or implicitly determined by the NCR 510 without indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 510 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 512 as a source and / or to the UE 504 as a destination. In one example, the base station 512 may instruct the NCR 510 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 512 to the UE 504. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 510 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 512 to the UE 504 without receiving an explicit indication.

[0216] One potential problem with both of the above implementations is that applying the gain / power without additional information does not allow the measuring entity to obtain an estimate of the interference at the victim entity. It should be noted that in some of the above discussions, the measuring entity is the same as or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, it can be assumed that the reference signal (herein referred to as CIRS) sent by the aggressor entity experiences a similar channel as the interference from the aggressor entity (as long as the beamforming and power / gain parameters are applied correctly). However, in system 1200, due to the difference between the NCR 510 base station 512 channel and the NCR 510-UE 504 channel, additional information is used in order to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the victim entity based on the measurement of the reference signal at the measuring entity.

[0217] Let H_rb2 and H_ru2 denote the channel states of the NCR 510-base station 512 link and the NCR 510-UE 504 link, respectively. (H = channel, r = NCR, b = base station (e.g., gNB), u = UE). As long as the beamforming parameters are applied correctly, their effects can be taken into account and thus omitted here. For example, if the same beamforming is applied for interference measurement and associated communications, their effects may cancel each other out. Here, the reference signal experiences an additional H_ru2 at the measurement entity (UE 504) for measurement, while the actual interfering communication will experience an additional H_rb2 at the victim entity (base station 512). Therefore, assuming that the channel state is multiplicative in the Fourier domain, the interference estimate at the UE 504 should be multiplied by H_rb2 / H_ru2 to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the base station 512.

[0218] In one example, if only the magnitude of the interference is desired, the relationship between the interference measured at the UE 504 and the actual interference at the base station 512 can be obtained by the following equation: I_b2 = I_u2 + PL_rb2 - PL_ru2. In this equation: I_b2 is the actual interference at the base station 512, in dBm (or dBW); I_u2 is the measured power of the reference signal at the UE 504, in dBm (or dBW); PL_rb2 is the path loss of the NCR 510-base station 512 link, in dB; PL_ru2 is the path loss of the NCR 510-UE 504 link, in dB. This difference can be accounted for in any of a variety of different ways.

[0219] In one or more implementations, the UE 504 sends a report message to the base station 512, wherein the report message includes an interference estimate based on the UE 504 measurement without partial or no adjustment as described above. The base station 512 then obtains information of the above (channel state) difference, for example, through CSI measurement at the base station 512, CSI measurement and reporting by the UE 504, CSI measurement and reporting by the NCR 510, or a combination thereof. The base station 512 then applies the difference to the reported interference estimate.

[0220] Additionally or alternatively, the base station 512 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 512, CSI measurements and reporting by the UE 504, CSI measurements and reporting by the NCR 510, or a combination thereof. The base station 512 can then configure the NCR 510 to / signal the NCR 510 to apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the SRS to the UE 504. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements and indications by the base station 512, CSI measurements when reporting by the UE 504, CSI measurements by the NCR 510, or a combination thereof. The NCR 510 can then apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the SRS to the UE 504. The difference application can be performed with or without an indication from the base station 512.

[0221] Another potential problem that arises here is related to full-duplex operation. As mentioned above, beamforming can use full-duplex operation performed by one or more antenna panels at NCR510. In a full-duplex setting, the power / gain variation range for sending signals may be limited by the power of the received signal. As a result, when the SRS is forwarded to the UE 504, the power / gain parameter may be limited. In one or more implementations, if the NCR 510 meets the constraints of power offset, self-interference, etc., the NCR 510 can apply the power / gain difference. Otherwise, if the constraints are not met, the NCR 510 will not apply the power / gain difference. In one implementation, the NCR 510 can send an error message to the base station 512 to indicate that the constraints are not met. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 510 may not expect to apply a power / gain difference that does not meet the constraints such as power offset, self-interference, etc. In this case, the NCR 510 can notify the base station 512 of the constraint by signaling such as capability signaling.

[0222] Regarding UE RX beams, the UE 504 may apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the UE 504 may apply a beam that the UE 504 uses when receiving DL signals from the NCR 510 or the base station 512. In one or more implementations, the UE 504 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 504 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 512. The one or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as the one or more RX beam parameters that the UE 504 may have used in the most recent DL communication, which is from the base station 512 as a source, through the NCR 510 as a relay, and / or to the UE 504 as a destination.

[0223] In one example, the UE 504 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent DL communication from the base station 512 to the UE 504 (directly or through the NCR 510). The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 512 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 504 beam report. The UE 504 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 504 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 512. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 512 and the UE 504, or an indirect channel through the NCR 510. Next, UE 504 receives the forwarded SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of the interference that the associated UL communications from UE 502 may cause to any base stations serving UE 504 through NCR 510 .

[0224] Reference again Figure 7 In the system 700, in several implementations, the base station 702 configures a downlink CIRS associated with a downlink communication element, such as a SS / PBCH block or a CSI-RS, as described above. For ease of reference and better description, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is a CSI-RS, and the downlink communication element is referred to as a DL communication / signal. The signal of the DL communication can be sent by the base station 702 and received by the UE 708. The NCR 706 can repeat or not repeat the DL signal.

[0225] In one or more implementations, the base station 702 may send at least two copies of the DL signal, one directly to the UE 708 and one indirectly through the NCR 706. The at least two copies may be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel). In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 receives the CSI-RS according to the configuration / signaling and forwards the signal to the UE 704. The UE 704 then performs interference measurements on the CSI-RS to determine whether the associated DL communications from the base station 702 will interfere with the desired communications at any base station. The UE 704 may also obtain an estimate of the interference through the measurements.

[0226] Fig.24An example of a system 2400 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2400 illustrates an example of a DL signal in an aggressor cell, UL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by another entity (e.g., an entity other than the victim entity), and addresses reference Figure 7 2400 is discussed with respect to the system 700 of FIG. 2400. Base station 702 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and base station 712 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 2400 also illustrates the RX and TX beams 2402 of NCR 710, and the RX beam 2404 of UE 704 using dashed arcs. DL interference management is performed at UE 704.

[0227] The motivation for this approach is that the DL interference from nearby cells is measured by the UE in the victim cell, which allows the victim base station to reuse the inter-cell interference (ICI) mechanism. This allows the base station to delegate the interference measurement task to the UE, which can free up valuable resources of the base station, especially when a large number of NCRs are connected to the base station and measuring interference from base stations or NCRs in the aggressor cell is a resource consuming task. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help the UE 704 measure the interference at the base station.

[0228] Regarding NCR RX beams, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 710 uses when receiving UL signals from the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may apply to receive UL signals from the UE 704. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712, or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 as a source and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0229] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of UL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 710 .

[0230] Regarding NCR TX beams, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific TX beam when forwarding a CSI-RS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 710 uses when forwarding a DL signal to the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may apply to forward a DL signal to the UE 704. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712 or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as the one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 712 as a source and / or to the UE 704 as a destination.

[0231] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may not receive an explicit instruction, but apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 712 to the UE 704. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the latest UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704 , or an indirect channel through the NCR 710 .

[0232] One potential problem that arises in this case is that, due to channel reciprocity, the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply (multiple) NCR 710 TX beams to forward CSI-RS to UE 704 may be the same as or overlap with the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply (multiple) NCR 710 RX beams to receive CSI-RS. If this is the case, NCR 710 may not be able to perform receive and forward operations simultaneously unless at least one of the following conditions is true: the (multiple) antenna panels are capable of full-duplex (FD) operation; or NCR 710 is able to receive CSI-RS via (multiple) RX beams, store (buffer) samples of CSI-RS, and then forward CSI-RS samples via (multiple) TX beams at a later time. In one or more implementations, if NCR 710 is full-duplex capable, base station 712 may configure NCR 710 to / signal NCR 710 to forward CSI-RS to UE 704. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to forward the CSI-RS to the UE 704 if the NCR 710 has the capability to store (buffer) the signal.

[0233] The above capabilities (full-duplex operation and / or signal buffering) of the NCR 710 may be notified to the base station 712 by at least one of: capability signaling from the NCR 710 when a control link is established between the NCR 710 and the base station 712; capability signaling from the NCR 710 in response to a query for capability information from the base station 712; or base station 712 (pre) configuration or network configuration. Solving this problem by performing interference measurements at the NCR 710 itself will be discussed in more detail below.

[0234] Regarding NCR power / gain, the base station 712 may configure / signal the NCR 710 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the CSI-RS signal to the UE 704. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may be configured / signaled to apply at least one of the following: a gain / power that the NCR 710 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 704 and / or to the base station 712, a gain / power that the NCR 710 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 712 and / or to the UE 704, or a function of either or both of the above. In one or more implementations, the NCR 710 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 710 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 704 and / or to the base station 712. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712 or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 as a source and / or to the base station 712 as a destination.

[0235] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 to the base station 712. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 704 to the base station 712 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 may determine to apply the power / gain that the NCR 710 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 712 and / or to the UE 704. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 712 or implicitly determined by the NCR 710 without an instruction to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 710 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 712 as a source and / or to the UE 704 as a destination.

[0236] In one example, the base station 712 may instruct the NCR 710 to apply the power / gain used in the latest relay of the DL communication from the base station 712 to the UE 704. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 710 may apply the power / gain used in the latest relay of the DL communication from the base station 712 to the UE 704 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0237] One potential problem with both of the above implementations is that applying the gain / power without additional information does not allow the measuring entity to obtain an estimate of the interference at the victim entity. It should be noted that in some of the above discussions (e.g., Figure 8 In the system 800 of FIG. 1300 , the measurement entity is the same as or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, it can be assumed that the reference signal (herein referred to as CIRS) sent by the aggressor entity experiences a similar channel as the interference from the aggressor entity (assuming that the beamforming and power / gain parameters are correctly applied). However, in the system 1300 , due to the difference between the NCR 710 - base station 712 channel and the NCR 710 - UE 704 channel, additional information is needed in order to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the victim entity based on the measurement of the reference signal at the measurement entity.

[0238] Let H_rb2 and H_ru2 denote the channel states of the NCR 710-base station 712 link and the NCR 710-UE 704 link, respectively. (H = channel, r = NCR, b = base station (e.g., gNB), u = UE). Provided that the beamforming parameters are correctly applied, their impact can be taken into account and thus omitted here. For example, if the same beamforming is applied for interference measurement and associated communications, their impact may cancel each other out. Here, the reference signal is subject to an additional H_ru2 at the measurement entity (UE 704) for measurement, while the actual interfering communication will be subject to an additional H_rb2 at the victim entity (base station 712). Therefore, assuming that the channel state is multiplicative in the Fourier domain, the interference estimate at the UE 704 should be multiplied by H_rb2 / H_ru2 to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the base station 712.

[0239] In one example, if only the magnitude of the interference is desired, the relationship between the interference measured at the UE 704 and the actual interference at the base station 712 can be obtained by the following equation: I_b2 = I_u2 + PL_rb2 - PL_ru2. In this equation: I_b2 is the actual interference at the base station 712, in dBm (or dBW); I_u2 is the measured power of the reference signal at the UE 704, in dBm (or dBW); PL_rb2 is the path loss of the NCR 710-base station 712 link, in dB; PL_ru2 is the path loss of the NCR 710-UE 704 link, in dB. This difference can be accounted for in any of a variety of different ways.

[0240] In one or more implementations, the UE 704 sends a report message to the base station 712, wherein the report message includes an interference estimate based on the UE 704 measurement without partial or no adjustment according to the above description. Then, the base station 712 obtains information of the above (channel state) difference, for example, through CSI measurement at the base station 712, CSI measurement and reporting by the UE 704, CSI measurement and reporting by the NCR 710, or a combination thereof. Then, the base station 712 applies the difference to the reported interference estimate.

[0241] Additionally or alternatively, the base station 712 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 712, CSI measurements and reporting by the UE 704, CSI measurements and reporting by the NCR 710, or a combination thereof. The base station 712 can then configure the NCR 710 to / signal the NCR 710 to apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the CSI-RS to the UE 704. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 710 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements and indications by the base station 712, CSI measurements performed by the UE 704 when reporting, CSI measurements performed by the NCR 710, or a combination thereof. The NCR 710 can then apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the CSI-RS to the UE 704. The difference application can be performed with or without an indication from the base station 712.

[0242] Another potential problem that arises here is related to full-duplex operation. As mentioned above, beamforming may require full-duplex operation performed by one or more antenna panels at NCR710. In a full-duplex setting, the power / gain variation range for sending a signal may be limited by the power of the received signal. As a result, when the CSI-RS is forwarded to UE 704, the power / gain parameter may be limited. In one or more implementations, if NCR 710 meets constraints on power offset, self-interference, etc., NCR 710 can apply power / gain differences. Otherwise, if the constraints are not met, NCR 710 will not apply power / gain differences. In one implementation, NCR 710 can send an error message to base station 712 to indicate that the constraints are not met. Additionally or alternatively, NCR 710 may not expect to apply power / gain differences that do not meet constraints such as power offset, self-interference, etc. In this case, NCR 710 can notify the base station 712 of the constraint by signaling such as capability signaling.

[0243] Regarding UE RX beams, UE 704 may apply a specific RX beam when receiving CSI-RS signals. In some implementations, UE 704 may apply a beam that UE 704 uses when receiving DL signals from NCR 710 or base station 712. In one or more implementations, UE 704 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that UE 704 may apply to receive DL signals from base station 712. One or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that UE 704 may have used in the latest DL communication, which is from base station 712 as a source, through NCR 710 as a relay, and / or to UE 704 as a destination. In one example, UE 704 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest DL communication from base station 712 to UE 704 (directly or through NCR 710). DL communication may be control communication (eg, PDCCH), data communication (eg, PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, and the like.

[0244] Additionally or alternatively, the base station 712 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 704 beam report. The UE 704 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 704 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 712. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 712 and the UE 704, or an indirect channel through the NCR 710. Next, the UE 704 receives the forwarded CSI-RS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of interference that the associated DL communications from the base station 702 may cause to any base station serving the UE 704 through the NCR 710.

[0245] Reference again Fig. 9 In the system 900, in some implementations, the base station 908 configures an uplink CIRS, such as an SRS, associated with an uplink communication element as described above. For ease of reference and better description, and without intending to limit the scope, it is assumed that the reference signal is an SRS, and the uplink communication element is referred to as an UL communication / signal. The signal of the UL communication can be sent by the UE 902 and received by the base station 908. The NCR 906 can repeat or not repeat the UL signal.

[0246] In one or more implementations, the UE 902 may send at least two copies of the UL signal, one directly to the base station 908 and one indirectly through the NCR 906. The at least two copies may be multiplexed in time (TDM), multiplexed in frequency (FDM), and / or multiplexed through multiple antennas on the same time and / or frequency resources (e.g., SDM / multi-panel). In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 receives the SRS according to the configuration / signaling and forwards the signal to the base station 904. The base station 904 then performs interference measurements on the SRS to determine whether the associated UL communications from the UE 902 will interfere with the desired communications at any UE served by the NCR 910. The base station 904 may also obtain an estimate of the interference through the measurements.

[0247] Fig.25 An example of a system 2500 that supports reducing interference to an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 2500 illustrates an example of a UL signal in an aggressor cell, DL interference in a victim cell, and measurements made by another entity (e.g., an entity other than the victim entity), and addresses reference Fig. 9UE 902 is illustrated as an aggressor entity or device, and UE 912 is illustrated as a victim entity or device. System 2500 also illustrates the RX and TX beams 2502 of NCR 910, and the RX beam 2504 of base station 904 using dashed arcs. DL interference management is performed at base station 904.

[0248] The motivation for this approach is that the DL interference from nearby cells is measured by the base station in the victim cell rather than by (multiple) victim UEs. This allows the base station to obtain a first-hand estimate of the interference without the need for any UE reporting. In addition, the base station can use the estimated information obtained to perform scheduling and link adaptation with any UE served through the NCR. This flexibility comes at the cost of additional complexity because in this case the measurement entity is not the same or co-located with the victim entity itself. In this case, the following parameters can be indicated or determined without explicit indication to help the base station 904 measure the interference at the UE.

[0249] Regarding NCR RX beams, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific RX beam when receiving SRS signals. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply an RX beam that the NCR 910 uses when receiving DL signals from the base station 904. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may apply to receive DL signals from the base station 904. The one or more RX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904 or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0250] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PDCCH), a data communication (e.g., PDSCH), a downlink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may not receive an explicit instruction, but apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the latest relay of DL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the latest UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912 or an indirect channel through the NCR 910 .

[0251] With respect to NCR TX beams, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific TX beam when forwarding an SRS signal. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply a TX beam that the NCR 910 uses when forwarding UL signals to the base station 904. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may apply to forward UL signals to the base station 904. The one or more TX beam parameters may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904, or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as one or more TX beam parameters that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 912 as a source and / or to the base station 904 as a destination.

[0252] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may apply one or more TX beams associated with one or more TX beam parameters used in the most recent relay of UL communication from the UE 912 to the base station 904 without receiving an explicit instruction.

[0253] Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply one or more TX beams associated with the latest UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912, or an indirect channel through the NCR 910.

[0254] One potential problem that arises in this case is that, due to channel reciprocity, the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply the (multiple) NCR 910 TX beams to forward the SRS to the base station 904 may be the same as or overlap with the (multiple) antenna panels used to apply the (multiple) NCR 910 RX beams to receive the SRS. If this is the case, the NCR 910 may not be able to perform receive and forward operations simultaneously unless at least one of the following conditions is true: the (multiple) antenna panels are capable of full-duplex (FD) operation; or the NCR 910 is able to receive the SRS via the (multiple) RX beams, store (buffer) samples of the SRS, and then forward the SRS samples via the (multiple) TX beams at a later time.

[0255] In one or more implementations, if the NCR 910 has full-duplex capability, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to forward the SRS to the base station 904. Additionally or alternatively, if the NCR 910 has the capability to store (buffer) signals, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to forward the SRS to the base station 904. The above-mentioned capabilities (full-duplex operation and / or signal buffering) of the NCR 910 may be notified to the base station 904 by at least one of: capability signaling from the NCR 910 when establishing a control link between the NCR 910 and the base station 904; capability signaling from the NCR 910 in response to a query for capability information from the base station 904; or base station 904 (pre-) configuration or network configuration. Solving this problem by performing interference measurements at the NCR 310 itself will be discussed in more detail below.

[0256] With respect to NCR power / gain, the base station 904 may configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply a specific power / gain when forwarding the SRS signal to the base station 904. In some implementations, the NCR 910 may be configured / signaled to apply at least one of the following: a gain / power that the NCR 910 uses when forwarding UL signals from the UE 912 and / or to the base station 904, a gain / power that the NCR 910 uses when forwarding DL signals from the base station 904 and / or to the UE 912, or a function of either or both of the above. In one or more implementations, the NCR 910 may determine to apply a power / gain that the NCR 910 may apply to forward UL signals from the UE 912 and / or to the base station 904. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904 or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without indication to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 912 as a source and / or to the base station 904 as a destination.

[0257] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 912 to the base station 904. The UL communications may be control communications (e.g., PUCCH), data communications (e.g., PUSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of UL communications from the UE 912 to the base station 904 without receiving an explicit instruction. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 may determine to apply the power / gain that the NCR 910 may apply to forward DL signals from the base station 904 and / or to the UE 912. The power / gain may be explicitly indicated by the base station 904 or implicitly determined by the NCR 910 without an instruction to be the same as the power / gain that the NCR 910 may have used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 as a source and / or to the UE 912 as a destination.

[0258] In one example, the base station 904 may instruct the NCR 910 to apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 to the UE 912. The DL communications may be control communications (e.g., PDCCH), data communications (e.g., PDSCH), downlink reference signals, etc. In another example, the NCR 910 may apply the power / gain used in the most recent relay of DL communications from the base station 904 to the UE 912 without receiving an explicit instruction. A potential problem with both of the above implementations is that applying the gain / power without additional information does not allow the measuring entity to obtain an estimate of the interference at the victim entity. It should be noted that in some of the above discussions (e.g., Fig.10 In the system 1000 of FIG. 1400 , the measuring entity is the same as or co-located with the victim entity. Therefore, it can be assumed that the reference signal (herein referred to as CIRS) sent by the aggressor entity experiences a similar channel as the interference from the aggressor entity (assuming that the beamforming and power / gain parameters are correctly applied). However, in the system 1400 , due to the difference between the NCR 910 - base station 904 channel and the NCR 910 - UE 912 channel, additional information is needed in order to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the victim entity based on the measurement of the reference signal at the measuring entity.

[0259] Let H_rb2 and H_ru2 denote the channel states of the NCR 910-base station 904 link and the NCR 910-UE 912 link, respectively. (H = channel, r = NCR, b = base station (e.g., gNB), u = UE). Provided that the beamforming parameters are correctly applied, their impact can be taken into account and thus omitted here. For example, if the same beamforming is applied for interference measurement and associated communications, their impact may cancel each other out. Here, the reference signal is subject to an additional H_rb2 at the measurement entity (base station 904) for measurement, while the actual interfering communication will be subject to an additional H_ru2 at the victim entity (UE 912). Therefore, assuming that the channel state is multiplicative in the Fourier domain, the interference estimate at the base station 904 should be multiplied by H_ru2 / H_rb2 to obtain an estimate of the actual interference at the UE 912.

[0260] In one example, if only the magnitude of the interference is required, the relationship between the interference measured at the base station 904 and the actual interference at the UE 912 can be obtained by the following equation: I_u2 = I_b2 + PL_ru2 - PL_rb2. In this equation: I_u2 is the actual interference at the UE 912, in dBm (or dBW); I_b2 is the measured power of the reference signal at the base station 904, in dBm (or dBW); PL_ru2 is the path loss of the NCR 910-UE 912 link, in dB; PL_rb2 is the path loss of the NCR 910-base station 904 link, in dB. This difference can be considered in any of a variety of different ways.

[0261] In one or more implementations, the base station 904 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 904, CSI measurements and reports by the UE 912, CSI measurements and reports by the NCR 910, or a combination thereof. Then, the base station 904 applies the difference in the interference estimation calculation. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 904 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements at the base station 904, CSI measurements and reports by the UE 912, CSI measurements and reports by the NCR 910, or a combination thereof. Then, the base station 904 can configure / signal the NCR 910 to apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the SRS to the base station 904. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 910 obtains information of the difference, for example, through CSI measurements and indications by the base station 904, CSI measurements by the UE 912 when reporting, CSI measurements by the NCR 910, or a combination thereof. The NCR 910 may then apply the power / gain difference when forwarding the SRS to the base station 904. The application of the difference may be done with or without an indication from the base station 904.

[0262] Another potential problem that arises here is related to full-duplex operation. As previously mentioned, beamforming can use full-duplex operation performed by one or more antenna panels at NCR 910. In a full-duplex setting, the power / gain variation range for transmitting signals may be limited by the power of the received signal. As a result, when forwarding SRS to base station 904, the power / gain parameters may be limited.

[0263] In one or more implementations, if NCR 910 satisfies the constraints to power offset, self-interference, etc., then NCR 910 can apply power / gain differences. Otherwise, if the constraints do not satisfy, then NCR 910 will not apply power / gain differences. In one implementation, NCR 910 can send error messages to base station 904 to indicate that the constraints do not satisfy. Additionally or alternatively, NCR 910 can not expect to apply power / gain differences that do not satisfy constraints such as power offset, self-interference, etc. In this case, NCR 910 can notify the constraints to base station 904 by signaling such as capability signaling.

[0264] With respect to base station RX beams, the base station 904 may apply a specific RX beam when receiving an SRS signal. In some implementations, the base station 904 may apply an RX beam that the base station 904 uses when receiving an UL signal from an NCR 910 or a UE 912. In one or more implementations, the base station 904 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 904 may apply to receive an UL signal from the UE 912. The one or more RX beam parameters may be determined to be the same as one or more RX beam parameters that the base station 904 may have used in a recent UL communication from the UE 912 as a source, through the NCR 910 as a relay, and / or to the base station 904 as a destination.

[0265] In one example, the base station 904 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with one or more RX beam parameters used in the most recent UL communication from the UE 912 to the base station 904 (directly or through the NCR 910). The UL communication may be a control communication (e.g., PUCCH), a data communication (e.g., PUSCH), an uplink reference signal, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 904 may determine to apply one or more RX beams associated with the most recent UE 912 beam report. The UE 912 beam report may be any CSI report including a beam index such as a reference signal resource indicator (e.g., SSBRI, CRI, SRI), wherein the UE 912 beam report may be associated with CSI acquisition for a channel with the base station 904. The channel may be a direct channel between the base station 904 and the UE 912, or an indirect channel through the NCR 910. Next, base station 904 receives the forwarded SRS and performs measurements to obtain an estimate of the interference that the associated UL communications from UE 902 may cause to any UEs served by base station 904 through NCR 910 .

[0266] Fig.26An example of a system 2600 supporting interference management using NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes a 5G NR base station supporting interference management using NCR. The system 2600 illustrates that the base station 2600 in 5G NR may include multiple functional components, with the functional separation as follows: Fig.26 As shown. The functional split includes a gNB central unit (CU) control plane (CP) 2602, a gNB distributed unit (DU) 2604, a gNB DU 2606, and multiple gNB CU user planes (UP) 2608. This functional split is discussed in more detail in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.401. The various techniques discussed herein can be used with a base station 2600 (e.g., a gNB, a RAN node).

[0267] Fig.26 This architecture shown is extended in the Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) system specified in 3GPP Release 16 and 3GPP Release 17, where the IAB donor includes at least one IAB-CU, and one IAB-DU connects the rest of the IAB system to the core network. In the IAB system, the only configuration entity may be the IAB-CU in the IAB donor. The IAB system may include multiple other network entities called IAB nodes, where each IAB node includes at least one IAB-MT connected to another IAB-DU via a Uu link, and at least one IAB-DU that can serve UEs and other IAB nodes. This extends the Fig. 27 and Fig.28 The system architecture and interfaces are shown.

[0268] Fig. 27 An example of a system 2700 supporting interference management using NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The example includes interfaces in an IAB system. System 2700 illustrates an IAB system including an IAB donor node 2702, an IAB node 2704, and an IAB node 2706. The IAB donor node includes an integrated access and backhaul central unit (IAB-CU) that controls the IAB nodes 2704 and 2706. Communication between the IAB donor node 2702 and each of the IAB nodes 2704 and 2706 can be through the F1 interface. Communication between the IAB nodes 2704 and 2706, or between the IAB donor node and each IAB node can be through the NRUu interface. Communication between the IAB donor node 2702 and the gNB 2708 can be through the Xn interface. Communication between the IAB donor node 2702 (or gNB 2708) and the core network (shown as AMF / UPF 2710 and 2712) can be through the NG interface. The IAB-CU hosts higher layer protocols for the UE and terminates the control plane and user plane interfaces with the core network.

[0269] Fig.28 An example of a system 2800 that supports interference management with NCR in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. This includes an example of a parent-child relationship in an IAB system. System 2800 illustrates an IAB node 2802, and a parent IAB node and a child IAB node. The IAB node 2802 includes an integrated access and backhaul distributed unit (IAB-DU) and an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). The IAB-DU hosts the lower layers of the NR Uu interface (e.g., to the UE). Such an IAB system is discussed in more detail in 3GPP TS 38.300. In Fig. 27 and Fig.28 As can be seen in FIG, since each IAB node includes an IAB-DU configured by an IAB-CU in an IAB donor, the F1 interface is extended beyond the boundary of one base station through one or more Uu links (each called an IAB / backhaul hop).

[0270] It should be noted that the techniques discussed herein, particularly the methods including F1 signaling, are not limited in scope to IAB. For example, in an open RAN (O-RAN) implementation, a similar method may be employed for signaling between a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU of a RAN node. In the discussion herein, a base station configures a reference signal, referred to as CIRS, for interference measurement. In an IAB system, the IAB-CU configures the reference signal and sends the configuration information to the IAB node via the F1 interface. The IAB-DU sends a downlink reference signal, while the IAB-MT and / or UE sends an uplink reference signal. Therefore, in the discussion herein and in the applications incorporated by reference, references to a base station or gNB may be replaced with an IAB-DU, and references to a UE may be replaced with an IAB-MT. Therefore, techniques discussed with reference to a base station, a gNB, or a UE may be employed in an IAB system.

[0271] With respect to IAB-MT transmissions, in one or more implementations, the IAB-MT may be configured to transmit an uplink reference signal, such as an SRS. Reference signals associated with one or more communication elements may be configured as described above. Then, when the IAB-MT determines that a signal associated with a communication element is to be transmitted, the IAB-MT may transmit the reference signal to indicate signal transmission to other nearby IAB nodes and base stations (e.g., gNBs).

[0272] With respect to IAB-MT measurements, in one or more implementations, the IAB-MT may be configured to receive a reference signal, such as a CSI-RS for inter-cell interference (ICI) measurements or an SRS for cross-link interference (CLI) measurements. The reference signal associated with one or more communication elements of an aggressor entity may be configured as described above. Then, when the IAB-MT detects the reference signal, it may determine that there will be interference with the associated communication element, and potentially obtain an estimate of the interference.

[0273] Regarding soft resources, in addition to the above-mentioned communication elements, the communication elements in the IAB system can be multiple soft (S) resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain. In some implementations, a reference signal associated with multiple soft resources can be configured. Then, when the IAB-DU determines that the soft resources are available, the IAB-DU (or the co-located IAB-MT explained later) can send a reference signal.

[0274] Each IAB node may include at least one IAB-DU and one IAB-MT. This is a functional split, i.e., the functional entities ((multiple) IAB-DUs and (multiple) IAB-MTs) have separate configurations and implementations. But they may share the hardware of the IAB node, in particular (multiple) antennas and (multiple) RF front ends. When the functional entities share all or part of the hardware, in particular (multiple) antennas and (multiple) RF front ends, they may be referred to as co-located.

[0275] The co-location attribute can allow one functional entity to delegate the task of simulating or measuring interference to another functional entity. In particular, if the IAB-MT and IAB-DU of the attacker IAB node share an antenna, the IAB-MT can simulate the IAB-DU interference by sending a reference signal such as CIRS, and vice versa. Similarly, if the IAB-MT and IAB-DU of the victim IAB node share an antenna, the IAB-MT can measure interference on behalf of the IAB-DU, and vice versa.

[0276] In one or more implementations, the IAB-DU may be configured with a reference signal associated with a communication element (as described above) of a co-located IAB-MT. Then, upon determining that the IAB-MT is using the communication element for transmission, the IAB-DU may transmit a signal while applying transmit power and / or beamforming associated with the IAB-MT transmission. In one example, if the IAB-MT determines that it is using resources in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or spatial domain while applying transmit power and / or beamforming, the IAB-DU may transmit an associated downlink reference signal (such as a CSI-RS) while applying transmit power and / or beamforming. The transmission indicates to a victim entity in the same / different IAB system or a nearby conventional cell that the expected resource is subject to interference.

[0277] One advantage of this approach is that the victim IAB-DU or victim gNB can use existing ICI measurement mechanisms or techniques similar to Remote Interference Management (RIM) to obtain an estimate of the upcoming interference. Additionally or alternatively, the IAB-MT can be configured with a reference signal associated with a communication element (as described above) of a co-located IAB-DU. Then, after determining that the IAB-DU is transmitting using the communication element, the IAB-MT can transmit the signal while applying the transmit power and / or beamforming associated with the IAB-DU transmission.

[0278] In one example, if the IAB-DU determines that it uses resources in the time domain, frequency domain, and / or spatial domain while applying transmit power and / or beamforming, the IAB-MT may send an associated uplink reference signal (such as an SRS) while applying transmit power and / or beamforming. The transmission indicates to a victim entity in the same / different IAB system or a nearby conventional cell that the expected resources will be interfered with. One advantage of this approach is that the victim IAB-MT or victim UE can use an existing CLI measurement mechanism to obtain an estimate of the upcoming interference. Additionally or alternatively, a reference signal configured for the IAB-MT or IAB-DU may be associated with simultaneous transmissions by the IAB-MT and the IAB-DU. Simultaneous transmissions may be indicated by a case A multiplexing indication configured by a higher layer (e.g., an F1AP configuration specified in 3GPP TS 38.743), or may be dynamically signaled (e.g., by a parent IAB node).

[0279] In all such implementations and examples, the reference signal configuration and information of the associated communication elements may be shared with a victim entity, which may perform interference measurements, obtain an estimate of the upcoming interference, and determine on which resources interference is expected to occur. In addition, the configuration of interference measurement / management based on the MT-DU configuration may follow capability signaling indicating MT-DU co-location at the IAB node. In some implementations, the IAB node may notify the IAB donor IAB-CU and / or parent node via signaling such as capability signaling, which indicates at least one of the IAB-DU and IAB-MT, the IAB-DU cell and the IAB-MT, the IAB-DU and the IAB-MT CC, or the IAB-DU cell and the IAB-MT CC. The signaling may follow the configuration of the IAB-DU (cell) or the IAB-MT (CC).

[0280] Signaling can be implemented in any of a variety of ways, such as using the described techniques for managing NCR interference. The signaling is used to transmit information about the reference signal (CIRS) configuration and the communication indication interference management (CIIM) mechanism. In the case of a conventional cell (provided by a conventional base station), the signaling can be implemented in NG, Xn, or a combination thereof.

[0281] In the case of an IAB system, there are several possible scenarios. In one or more implementations, for interference between a conventional cell and an IAB cell, signaling between the IAB-CU of the IAB donor and the IAB-DU of the IAB cell may be performed through the F1 interface, while signaling between the gNB of the conventional cell and the IAB donor may be performed through the NG and / or Xn. Additionally or alternatively, for interference between two IAB cells configured by the same IAB donor (intra-donor), signaling may be performed on the F1 interface through the IAB-CU of the IAB donor. Additionally or alternatively, for interference between two IAB cells configured by different IAB donors (inter-donor), signaling between each IAB-CU and its configured (multiple) IAB-DUs may be performed through the F1 interface, while signaling between IAB donors may be performed through the NG and / or Xn interfaces.

[0282] NG / Xn signaling similar to that discussed above may be applicable to coordination between the gNB and the IAB donor. The following discussion relates to F1 signaling. In one or more implementations, inter-cell coordination may be performed by the IAB donor via F1 signaling. In one or more implementations, the victim IAB node may receive the CIIM configuration information IE associated with the attacker IAB node.

[0283] Fig.29 An example of an IE 2900 supporting interference management with NCR in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In the case of intra-donor interference, the information in IE 2900 may be generated by the IAB-CU that issues the IE, or in the case of inter-donor interference, it may be received by the IAB-CU directly (via Xn signaling) or indirectly (via NG-C signaling) from a second IAB-CU, where the second IAB-CU may configure the aggressor IAB node. In response, the victim IAB node may send a CIIM ReportInformation IE back to the IAB-CU.

[0284] Fig.30An example of an IE 3000 supporting interference management using NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. IE 3000 is an example of a CIIM Report Information IE. In the case of intra-donor interference, this information can be forwarded by the IAB-CU to the aggressor IAB node via the F1 interface, or in the case of inter-donor interference, it can be forwarded to the second IAB-CU directly (via Xn signaling) or indirectly (via NG-C signaling). Then, in response to the report, the aggressor IAB node can issue a CIIM Response Information IE to the victim IAB node.

[0285] Fig.31 An example of an IE 3100 supporting interference management with NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. IE3100 is an example of a CIIM Response Information IE. In the above description, each IAB node may be a conventional gNB or an IAB donor. The description of these examples is similar to the description of the example described for signaling through the AMF. Additionally or alternatively, the CIIM signaling may be initiated by the victim IAB node instead of the IAB donor. In this case, the IAB node detecting high interference may notify its IAB donor of the high interference. In response, the IAB donor may configure the CIRS and issue the CIIM configuration information, or alternatively, it may notify one or more nearby IAB donors (e.g., via Xn / NG signaling). Then, as described above, other signaling and methods may be followed. The above discussion and the cases incorporated by reference discuss methods for setting beamforming and power / gain based on scenarios, including the DL / UL direction of interfering communications at the attacker cell, the DL / UL direction of interfered communications in the victim cell, and whether the measurement entity is a victim entity, other entity, or NCR at the victim cell.

[0286] In the case discussed above and incorporated by reference, the methods proposed for setting beamforming and power / gain can be adopted in the IAB system, but the following adjustments are required. The IAB-DU can send downlink signals or receive / measure uplink signals instead of the gNB sending downlink signals or receiving / measuring uplink signals. The IAB-MT can send uplink signals or receive / measure downlink signals instead of the UE sending uplink signals or receiving / measuring downlink signals. The IAB-CU can send configurations to the NCR or UE to set the beam or power / gain instead of the base station (e.g., gNB) sending the configuration. The configuration can be sent to the NCR or UE by the IAB-DU of the IAB donor including the IAB-CU. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration can be sent to the IAB node through the F1 interface via one or more IAB hops (Uu links), and then the IAB-DU included by the IAB node can send the configuration to the NCR or UE. Instead of dynamic signaling (e.g., L1 / L2, DCI, MAC control element (CE)) from the gNB to the NCR or UE including beamforming and / or power / gain information, the IAB-DU serving the NCR or UE can send this dynamic signaling.

[0287] After the configuration information is transmitted for interference measurement / reporting, different entities in the network / system, including the IAB system, may take interference mitigation measures. Several implementations are proposed herein as behaviors of the network / system in response to large interference. In the proposed method, the IAB-CU may receive reports of large interference on the F1 interface (in the case of intra-donor interference) or on the NG / Xn interface (in the case of inter-donor interference). The IAB-CU may then take at least one of the following actions. In some implementations, the IAB-CU may indicate changes in beamforming and / or power / gain parameters to the aggressor cell to reduce the interference transmitted. The indication may be implemented by signaling such as configuration or reconfiguration.

[0288] Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the IAB-CU may indicate changes in beamforming and / or power / gain parameters to the victim cell to reduce the amount of interference received from the interfering signal. The indication may be implemented by signaling such as configuration or reconfiguration. In response, the IAB node receiving the indication may apply the information by signaling from the IAB-DU to the NCR and / or UE.

[0289] In one or more implementations, the IAB-CU may indicate to the IAB node that one or more TX beams are restricted. The beam restriction indication may be associated with one or more communication elements, such as multiple resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain, reference signals, IAB-DU cells, IAB-MT CCs, IAB multiplexing situations, or a combination thereof. The restricted beam may be indicated by a reference signal ID, a reference signal resource indicator (synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block resource indicator (SSBRI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), SRS resource indicator (SRI)), a TCI state ID, or a combination thereof. Signaling for an aggressor cell may occur.

[0290] In one or more implementations, (multiple) restricted TX beams may be associated with an IAB-DU included by the IAB node. In response, the IAB node may avoid applying (multiple) restricted TX beams when sending DL signals. Additionally or alternatively, (multiple) restricted TX beams may be associated with the NCR when relaying DL / UL signals. In response, the IAB node may reconfigure the NCR or signal the NCR to avoid applying (multiple) restricted TX beams when relaying DL / UL signals. In some implementations, if the communication between the NCR and the IAB-DU is interrupted or degraded due to the NCR TX beam limitation, the IAB-DU may notify the IAB-CU of the interruption / degradation. The IAB-DU may then not follow the TX beam limitation indicated by the IAB-CU.

[0291] Additionally or alternatively, (multiple) restricted TX beams may be associated with a UE or IAB-MT. In response, an IAB node serving the UE or IAB-MT (i.e., a parent node of the IAB-MT) may receive a beam restriction indication from the IAB-CU and apply the restriction when indicating a beam for UL transmission by the UE or IAB-MT. In one or more implementations, the IAB-CU may indicate to the IAB node that one or more RX beams are restricted. The beam restriction indication may be associated with one or more communication elements, such as multiple resources in the time and / or frequency domain, reference signals, IAB-DU cells, IAB-MT CCs, IAB multiplexing situations, or a combination thereof. The restricted beam may be indicated by a reference signal ID, a reference signal resource indicator (SSBRI, CRI, SRI), a TCI state ID, or a combination thereof. Signaling for a victim cell may occur.

[0292] In one or more implementations, (multiple) restricted RX beams may be associated with an IAB-DU included by the IAB node. In response, the IAB node may avoid applying (multiple) restricted RX beams when receiving UL signals. Additionally or alternatively, (multiple) restricted RX beams may be associated with the NCR when relaying DL / UL signals. In response, the IAB node may reconfigure the NCR or signal the NCR to avoid applying (multiple) restricted RX beams when relaying DL / UL signals. In some implementations, if the communication between the NCR and the IAB-DU is interrupted or degraded due to the NCR RX beam limitation, the IAB-DU may notify the IAB-CU of the interruption / degradation. The IAB-DU may then not follow the RX beam limitation indicated by the IAB-CU.

[0293] Additionally or alternatively, (multiple) restricted RX beams may be associated with a UE or IAB-MT. In response, an IAB node serving the UE or IAB-MT (i.e., a parent node of the IAB-MT) may receive a beam restriction indication from the IAB-CU and apply the restriction when indicating a beam for DL ​​reception by the UE or IAB-MT. In one or more implementations, the IAB-CU may indicate to the IAB node that the power / gain of the NCR is limited. The power / gain restriction indication may be associated with one or more communication elements, such as multiple resources in the time and / or frequency domain, reference signals, IAB-DU cells, IAB-MT CCs, IAB multiplexing situations, or a combination thereof. The restricted power / gain may be indicated as a power range (e.g., in dBm), a gain range (e.g., in dB), a gain reduction compared to a previous relay (e.g., in dB), or a combination thereof. Signaling for an aggressor cell may occur.

[0294] In one or more implementations, in response, the IAB node may apply power / gain limitations by reconfiguring or signaling the NCR to apply power / gain. In some implementations, if the communication between the NCR and the IAB-DU is interrupted or degraded due to the NCR power / gain limitation, the IAB-DU may notify the IAB-CU of the interruption / degradation. The IAB-DU may then not follow the power / gain limitations indicated by the IAB-CU.

[0295] In U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 318,732, entitled “Frequency Adjustment for Network-Controlled Repeaters,” filed on March 10, 2022, a method for applying frequency offset by a network controlled repeater (NCR) for frequency planning and interference management is proposed, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The proposed method can be extended to application in an IAB system, which can be employed here in response to the detection of large interference in the method discussed herein. In general, it should be noted that if the NCR is to be deployed in an IAB system, the IAB donor configures the NCR, and the lower layer signaling (L1 / L2) is provided by the IAB node to which the NCR is directly connected. Therefore, the semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling used to control the NCR can come from different physical entities.

[0296] Therefore, the configuration and signaling in steps 2 and 3 of U.S. patent application No. 63 / 318,732, filed on March 10, 2022, entitled “Frequency Adjustment for Network-Controlled Repeaters,” will be differentiated for the case where the NCR is connected to a (non-donor) IAB node. For example, configuration from the IAB-CU may experience greater delays because each configuration message may be sent over one or more hops before reaching the IAB node connected to the NCR. However, dynamic (low layer, L1 / L2 signaling) can be delivered to the NCR immediately because there are no additional entities between the original / source (DU) of the signaling and the NCR. In addition, since the IAB node sends L1 / L2 control messages associated with the configuration of the NCR performed by the IAB-CU, the IAB-CU can inform the IAB node of the configuration of the NCR. For example, the signaling can be performed on the F1 interface connecting the IAB-CU of the IAB donor and the IAB-DU in the IAB node.

[0297] In one or more implementations, in response to detecting large interference, the IAB-CU may send an F1 message to the IAB node, wherein the message includes configuration information of the NCR. The message may include information about the frequency offset configuration of the NCR. The IAB-CU may notify the IAB node of information related to the frequency offset or application, such as timing configuration, BWP configuration, beamforming configuration (beam direction, beam width, etc.), power / gain configuration, etc., through the same or different messages. Additionally or alternatively, the F1 message from the IAB-CU to the IAB node may include an association between a message from the IAB node to the NCR and another parameter (such as a timing parameter, a frequency parameter (such as BWP), a beamforming parameter, etc.). According to this implementation, the IAB node may not be fully or partially notified of the configuration of the NCR. Instead, the IAB node may send a specific message generated by the IAB-CU and associated with a specific transmission or reception.

[0298] As described in the present disclosure, the NCR can be implemented as a measurement entity. When the NCR in the victim cell receives a reference signal for interference measurement, it can perform interference measurement on the signal and report the result to the base station instead of forwarding the signal to the base station or UE. Therefore, the NCR should be able to perform measurements on the reference signal, which can include down-converting the signal to baseband, sampling the baseband signal, processing baseband samples, etc. These functions are not considered to be typical repeater / relay functions because the function of the repeater / relay is to receive and forward signals, potentially requiring almost no processing. However, the network controlled repeater (NCR) has been equipped with certain processing capabilities to implement control links that receive configuration and signaling from one or more serving base stations. These capabilities can include down-converting and up-converting the signal, decoding and encoding the control message, etc.

[0299] In one implementation, the NCR may process a reference signal for interference measurement. The NCR may be expected to receive a reference signal and perform measurements on the reference signal to obtain an estimate of the reference signal strength (e.g., RSRP). The NCR may also be expected to perform additional measurements on another reference signal to obtain an estimate of the desired signal strength, such as RSRP or reference signal received quality (RSSQ). Since the ratio of the signal may ultimately have an impact on the network, the NCR may also calculate the SIR or SINR based on the received signal strength associated with the interference measurement and the channel measurement. Finally, the NCR may be expected to generate and send a CSI report including measured information (e.g., SINR parameters) to the base station or UE.

[0300] The NCR is typically expected to be able to receive configuration and / or signaling, including resource information associated with the reference signal, other configuration information associated with the reference signal, such as the reference signal sequence, CSI reporting configuration, etc. In another implementation, the NCR may not be able to fully or partially perform all of the above tasks: perform interference and channel measurements, calculate CSI quantities, generate CSI reports, etc. However, the NCR can be co-located with an entity that can perform some or all of the above tasks. Alternatively, the measurement entity is not necessarily co-located with the NCR, but communicates with the NCR via a wired or wireless connection. The connection is typically expected to have a low latency so that the measurement results are provided to the NCR before the information is outdated.

[0301] In all such implementations, information about the NCR's ability to perform measurements and generate reports, or information about the capabilities of a co-located entity that can perform the above tasks in whole or in part, can be communicated to the network (e.g., a base station). The base station can then use this information to configure the NCR to perform interference measurements, or to forward reference signal samples to the base station or UE, so that the base station or UE performs interference measurements on the forwarded signals.

[0302] With respect to reference signals used for interference measurement in 5G NR, interference measurements may be performed by a measurement entity on resources of non-zero power reference signals (such as SS / PBCH blocks, non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS, or SRS), or channel state information interference measurement (CSI-IM) resources. Throughout the disclosure, performing measurements on reference signals may include receiving signals on resources associated with the reference signals (according to configuration and / or signaling from the network), and performing measurements on the received signals. An alternative to receiving reference signals is to perform measurements on resources such as CSI-IM resources, where the measurement entity may assume that the received signals are interference. Therefore, any of the techniques discussed herein may be extended to the case where CSI-IM resources are configured instead of reference signals for interference measurement.

[0303] In addition, for generality, the present disclosure describes techniques based on interference measurements of reference signals associated with communication elements (such as specific resources, time intervals, frequency ranges, configured or scheduled channels, signals, etc.). The reference signal is called a communication indication reference signal (CIRS), which can be any existing or new reference signal, such as SS / PBCH, CSI-RS, or SRS. When the associated communication element is used for transmission, the CIRS associated with the communication element is expected to be transmitted, potentially with the same or associated beamforming, power, and / or timing as the transmission.

[0304] However, in one case, the reference signal is not associated with a specific communication element. In this case, the reference signal can be sent according to configuration and / or signaling (e.g., in a periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic manner). Parameters related to beamforming, power consumption, timing, etc. used to send the reference signal can be determined according to the configuration / signaling and / or beamforming, power, timing, etc. used for current, recent, or upcoming communications.

[0305] In several implementations, the SS / PBCH or CSI-RS may be configured for interference measurements associated with DL transmissions from an aggressor base station (e.g., gNB). Similarly, in several implementations, the SRS may be configured for interference measurements associated with UL transmissions from an aggressor UE. Then, once the base station and / or UE sends the configured reference signal, the NCR in the victim cell may relay the reference signal to the victim / measurement entity and / or perform interference measurements and report the results according to the techniques described herein.

[0306] As discussed in some implementations, a base station (e.g., gNB) or UE sends at least two copies of a message, where a first copy of the message is sent directly to the UE (downlink) or base station (uplink), respectively, and at least a second copy of the message is repeated / relayed by the NCR. The purpose of this method can be to provide diversity, i.e., the intended receiver can combine multiple copies of the signal to improve the final signal quality and / or reliability. However, there are other diversity techniques. In one example, a base station or UE can send multiple messages, each message including information that is completely or partially similar to the original message.

[0307] In each case, multiple replicas or messages may be sent by a transmitter (base station or UE) while applying the same or different beams. Similarly, the NCR may apply the same or different beams when receiving and / or forwarding signals for each replica or message. Therefore, the interference from sending each replica or message may be different, as experienced by the victim entity and / or measured by the measurement entity. In one or more implementations, if multiple replicas or messages are associated with a communication, multiple reference signals associated with the multiple replicas or messages may be configured and sent. Additionally or alternatively, one or more replicas or messages may be considered a master replica or message, and one or more reference signals associated with the master replica or message may be configured and sent.

[0308] With respect to beam scanning, implementation of the techniques discussed herein may include applying RX and / or TX beams. This statement may imply that there is one RX beam and / or TX beam associated with a communication or reference signal. However, when multiple beams are used for sending reference signals or associated communications, or when there are multiple candidate beams for sending and / or receiving reference signals or associated communications, and it is not known which beam will be used, the methods of the present disclosure may be extended to the case of beam scanning. In these methods, multiple reference signals may be sent and / or multiple antenna panels and / or beams may be used to receive and / or forward reference signals. As a result, a victim entity or a measuring entity may obtain multiple interference measurements.

[0309] In one or more implementations, a victim or measurement entity may obtain multiple estimates of interference. The average or maximum of the multiple estimates may then be taken as a combined interference estimate. The combined interference estimate may then be reported to the network for link adaptation, etc. Additionally or alternatively, a victim or measurement entity may obtain multiple interference estimates. All interference estimates may be stored until it is known which beam(s) will be used for a particular communication. After the beam(s) are known, the associated interference estimate may be used. For example, an interference estimate obtained by applying a beam associated with a particular communication may be reported to the network for link adaptation, etc.

[0310] In the present disclosure relating to interference measurements, performing measurements on a reference signal may include performing measurements on resources associated with the reference signal, potentially based on other information, such as a reference signal sequence. Thus, if a reference signal or an instance of a reference signal is not sent by a subject transmitter, or if the reference signal does not reach the entity performing the measurements due to large attenuation, the term "performing measurements on the reference signal" is still valid. For example, if a subject transmitter does not send a reference signal to indicate to any measuring entity that an associated communication will not be sent, the measuring entity may still perform measurements to determine whether it detects the reference signal. In the present disclosure, this is referred to as a measurement of a reference signal even if the reference signal is not actually sent.

[0311] In the present disclosure, a beam may be indicated by a spatial parameter, such as a reference signal ID, a reference signal resource indicator, a spatial QCL parameter (such as QCL Type D), a TCI state, a geographical direction of communication, a geographical direction range of communication, an associated beam width, etc. The beam parameter may be a beam direction, a beam width, a TCI state ID, an RS ID, a QCL Type D parameter including an RS ID as a resource, or a combination thereof.

[0312] In this disclosure, reference is made to configuring or signaling an NCR. These indications to the NCR may be performed by a semi-static configuration at a higher layer (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC)) or may be sent by dynamic signaling at a lower layer (e.g., L1 / L2). Therefore, the generic term "configuration / signaling" or "configured / signaled" may be used when the focus is on the functionality of the indication rather than the format and initiating network layer (e.g., RRC vs. L1 / L2).

[0313] In the present disclosure, power / gain is mentioned in the description of the proposed technology. The control link indication from the network (base station) to the NCR can be used to control the output power, the gain applied to the received signal before forwarding the signal, or both. The effects of these different methods are similar for implementing the methods in the present disclosure. If the input signal x is received with a received power P_x by applying a gain G to the signal, the transmission power of the output signal will be P_y=G×P_x. The indication to the NCR can be intended to control P_y, G, or both. The general term power / gain in the present disclosure can refer to either or both of these parameters.

[0314] With respect to amplify and forward (A&F) relaying performed by repeaters (including NCRs), different terms may be used in different contexts herein. It should be noted that these terms may be used interchangeably, and that the use of certain terms is emphasized in this disclosure and does not limit the scope. Repeating or relaying a signal by a repeater or relay may include receiving a signal, potentially processing the signal, and sending the processed signal. Processing may include amplifying the signal, denoising the signal, and the like. According to the techniques discussed herein, processing may include applying a frequency offset, also referred to as applying a frequency shift or moving the frequency. Sending the processed signal may also be referred to as forwarding the signal, and therefore referred to as amplifying and forwarding. This term will not be used extensively herein, and instead, the more general term sending may be used.

[0315] In addition, although the terms repeater, analog repeater, RF repeater, amplify and forward (A&F) relay, and NCR are emphasized in this disclosure, it should be noted that the scope of the technology discussed herein is not limited to those devices referred to by these terms in the specification and implementation. For example, many implementations are applicable to other types of network nodes, such as digital repeaters, baseband repeaters, digital relays, decode and forward (D&F) relays, etc. In particular, the technology discussed herein can be applied to the following examples: a repeater without a network control channel, such as an analog / RF repeater, where the configuration of applying the frequency offset is provided by a pre-configuration on hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof accessible to the repeater; or provided by a digital / D&F / baseband repeater with a network control channel, pre-configuration on hardware / software / firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0316] Aspects of the present disclosure consider antenna panels, antenna ports, quasi-co-location, TCI states, and spatial relationships. In some implementations, the terms antenna, panel, and antenna panel can be used interchangeably. The antenna panel can be hardware for sending and / or receiving radio signals at frequencies below 6 GHz (e.g., in frequency range 1 (FR1)), frequencies above 6 GHz (e.g., in frequency range 2 (FR2)), or millimeter wave frequencies (mmWave). In some implementations, the antenna panel may include an array of antenna elements, each of which is connected to hardware such as a phase shifter that allows a control module to apply spatial parameters to transmit and / or receive signals. The resulting radiation pattern can be referred to as a beam, which may or may not be unimodal, and can allow a device (e.g., UE, node) to amplify signals sent or received from one or more spatial directions.

[0317] In some implementations, the antenna panels may or may not be virtualized as antenna ports in the specification. For each of the transmission (exit) and reception (entry) directions, the antenna panels may be connected to the baseband processing module via an RF chain. The capabilities of the device in terms of the number of antenna panels, duplex capability, beamforming capability, etc. may be transparent or opaque to other devices. In some implementations, the capability information may be transmitted via signaling, or in some implementations, the capability information is provided to the device without signaling. Where such information is available to other devices, such as a central unit (CU), it may be used for signaling or local decision making.

[0318] In some implementations, the antenna panel can be a physical or logical antenna array, including a set of antenna elements or antenna ports that share a common or important part of the RF chain (e.g., in-phase / quadrature (I / Q) modulator, analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, local oscillator, phase shift network). The antenna panel can be a logical entity that has physical antennas mapped to the logical entity. The mapping of physical antennas to logical entities can depend on the implementation. Communicating (receiving or transmitting) on ​​at least a subset of the antenna elements or antenna ports (also referred to herein as active elements) of the antenna panel that are active for radiated energy requires biasing or powering the RF chain, which can result in current consumption or power consumption in the device (e.g., node) associated with the antenna panel (including power consumption of the power amplifier / low noise amplifier (LNA) associated with the antenna element or radar port). The phrase "active for radiated energy" used herein does not mean that it is limited to the transmission function, but also includes the reception function. Therefore, the antenna elements used for radiating energy can be coupled to a transmitter to transmit RF energy or to a receiver to receive RF energy simultaneously or sequentially, or can generally be coupled to a transceiver to perform its intended function. Communicating over the active elements of the antenna panel can generate a radiation pattern or beam.

[0319] In some implementations, the panel may have at least one of the following functions as an operational role of an antenna group unit to independently control its Tx beam: an antenna group unit for independently controlling its transmission power; an antenna group unit for independently controlling its transmission timing. The panel may be transparent to another node (e.g., a next-hop neighbor node). For a certain (certain) situation, another node or network entity may assume that the mapping between the device's physical antennas and the logical entity panel will not change. For example, the situation may include until the next update or report of the device, or include the duration for which the network entity assumes that the mapping will not change. The device may report its capabilities about the panel to the network entity, and the device capabilities may include at least the number of panels. In one or more implementations, the device may support transmission from one beam within the panel, and for multiple panels, more than one beam (one beam for each panel) may be used for transmission. Additionally or alternatively, multiple beams may be supported / used for transmission for each panel.

[0320] In one or more implementations, the antenna ports are defined so that the channel used to transmit the symbol on the antenna port can be inferred from the channel used to transmit another symbol on the same antenna port. If the large-scale properties of the channel used to transmit the symbol on one antenna port can be inferred from the channel used to transmit the symbol on the other antenna port, the two antenna ports are called quasi-co-located. Large-scale properties include one or more of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, and spatial Rx parameters. The two antenna ports can be quasi-co-located with respect to a subset of large-scale properties, and different subsets of large-scale properties can be indicated by QCL types. The QCL type can indicate which channel properties are the same between two reference signals (e.g., on two antenna ports). Therefore, reference signals can be linked to each other based on the device's assumptions about its channel statistics or QCL properties. For example, the QCL type can take one of the following values. Other QCL types can be defined based on a combination of one or more large-scale properties:

[0321] 'QCL-TypeA': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread}

[0322] 'QCL-TypeB': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread}

[0323] 'QCL-TypeC': {Doppler shift, average delay}

[0324] 'QCL-TypeD': {spatial Rx parameters}.

[0325] The spatial Rx parameters may include one or more of the angle of arrival (AoA), dominant AoA, average AoA, angular spread, power angle spectrum (PAS) of AoA, average AoD (angle of departure), PAS of AoD, transmit / receive channel correlation, transmit / receive beamforming, spatial channel correlation, etc. QCL-TypeA, QCL-TypeB, and QCL-TypeC may be applicable to all carrier frequencies, but QCL-TypeD may only be applicable to higher carrier frequencies (e.g., mmWave, FR2 and above), where the device may not be able to perform omnidirectional transmission, i.e., the device needs to form a beam for directional transmission. For QCL-TypeD between two reference signals A and B, reference signal A is considered to be spatially co-located with reference signal B, and the device may assume that reference signals A and B can be received with the same spatial filter (e.g., with the same RX beamforming weights).

[0326] The antenna port according to one or more implementations may be a logical port that may correspond to a beam (generated by beamforming) or may correspond to a physical antenna on a device. In some implementations, a physical antenna may be directly mapped to a single antenna port, where the antenna port corresponds to an actual physical antenna. Alternatively, a physical antenna set or subset, or an antenna set, an antenna array, or an antenna subarray may be mapped to one or more antenna ports after applying complex weights, cyclic delays, or both to the signal on each physical antenna. A physical antenna set may have antennas from a single module or panel or from multiple modules or panels. The weights may be fixed as in an antenna virtualization scheme such as cyclic delay diversity (CDD). The process for deriving antenna ports from physical antennas may be specific to the device implementation and transparent to other devices.

[0327] In one or more of the described implementations, a TCI state (transmission configuration indication) associated with a target transmission may indicate parameters for configuring a quasi-co-location relationship between the target transmission (e.g., a target RS for a DM-RS port of the target transmission during a transmission opportunity) and (multiple) source reference signals (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS / SRS) with respect to (multiple) quasi-co-location type parameters indicated in the corresponding TCI state. The TCI describes which reference signals are used as QCL sources and which QCL properties can be derived from each reference signal. A device may receive a configuration of multiple transmission configuration indicator states for a serving cell for transmission on a serving cell (e.g., between a serving gNB and a smart repeater). In some of the implementations described herein, the TCI state includes at least one source RS to provide a reference (device assumption) for determining the QCL and / or spatial filter.

[0328] In some of the implementations described herein, if the device is configured with separate DL / UL TCI via RRC signaling, the UL TCI state is provided. The UL TCI state may include a source reference signal that provides a reference for determining UL spatial domain transmission filters (e.g., dynamically granted / configured grant-based PUSCH, dedicated PUCCH resources) for UL transmissions in a CC or across a set of configured CCs / BWPs.

[0329] In one or more of the described implementations, if the device is configured with a joint DL / UL TCI via RRC signaling (e.g., the configuration of the joint TCI or separate DL / UL TCI is based on RRC signaling), a joint DL / UL TCI state is provided. The joint DL / UL TCI state refers at least to a common source reference RS for determining both DL QCL information and UL spatial transmission filters. The source RS determined according to the indicated joint (or common) TCI state provides a QCL Type-D indication (e.g., for a device-specific PDCCH / PDSCH) and is used to determine the UL spatial transmission filter for a CC or across a set of configured CCs / BWPs (e.g., for UE-specific PUSCH / PUCCH). In one example, the UL spatial transmission filter is derived from a DL QCL D-type RS in a joint TCI state. The spatial setting of the UL transmission can be based on a spatial relationship with a reference to a source RS configured with a QCL type set to "typeD" in the joint TCI state.

[0330] In one or more of the described implementations, the spatial relationship information associated with the target transmission may indicate parameters for configuring a spatial setting between the target transmission and a reference RS (e.g., SSB / CSI-RS / SRS). For example, the device may send the target transmission using the same spatial domain filter as used to receive the reference RS (e.g., DL RS such as SSB / CSI-RS). In another example, the device may send the target transmission using the same spatial domain transmission filter as used to transmit the reference RS (e.g., UL RS such as SRS). The device may receive a configuration of multiple spatial relationship information configurations of a serving cell for transmission on the serving cell.

[0331] Different steps of the example implementations described in the text and drawings may be interchanged. In practice, each configuration discussed herein may be provided by one or more configurations. An earlier configuration may provide a subset of parameters, while a later configuration may provide another subset of parameters. Alternatively, a later configuration may override a value provided by an earlier configuration or pre-configuration.

[0332] Configuration may be provided by RRC signaling, media access control (MAC) signaling, physical layer signaling such as DCI messages, combinations thereof, or other methods. Configuration may include pre-configured or semi-static configurations provided by standards, vendors, and / or networks / operators. Each parameter value received by configuration or indication may overwrite a previous value of a similar parameter.

[0333] L1 / L2 control signaling may refer to control signaling in layer 1 (physical layer) or layer 2 (data link layer). Specifically, L1 / L2 control signaling may refer to L1 control signaling such as a DCI message or an uplink control information (UCI) message, L2 control signaling such as a MAC message, or a combination thereof. The format and interpretation of L1 / L2 control signaling may be determined by a standard, a configuration, other control signaling, or a combination thereof.

[0334] In practice, any parameter discussed herein may be expressed in signaling or specifications as a linear function of the parameter. The present disclosure describes techniques for performing measurements on reference signals for beam training. Alternatively, in some implementations, measurements may be performed on resources that are not necessarily configured for reference signals, but rather nodes may measure received signal power and obtain RSSI, etc. In the present disclosure, reference beam indication. In practice, according to standard specifications, beam indication may refer to an indication of a reference signal by an ID or indicator, a resource associated with a reference signal, information including a reference signal, or spatial relationship information of the inverse of a reference signal (in the case of beam correspondence).

[0335] Fig.32 An example of a block diagram 3200 of a device 3202 supporting interference measurements by an NCR in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 3202 may be an example of an NCR as described herein. The device 3202 may support wireless communications and / or network signaling with one or more base stations 102, UEs 104, other NCRs, network entities and devices, or any combination thereof. The device 3202 may include components for bidirectional communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 3204, a processor 3206, a memory 3208, a receiver 3210, a transmitter 3212, and an I / O controller 3214. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus).

[0336] The communication manager 3204, the receiver 3210, the transmitter 3212, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the disclosure described herein. For example, the communication manager 3204, the receiver 3210, the transmitter 3212, or various combinations or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more functions described herein.

[0337] In some implementations, the communication manager 3204, the receiver 3210, the transmitter 3212, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, which is configured to or otherwise supports means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 3206 and the memory 3208 coupled to the processor 3206 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., by executing instructions stored in the memory 3208 by the processor 3206).

[0338] Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the communications manager 3204, receiver 3210, transmitter 3212, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by the processor 3206 (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). If implemented in code executed by the processor 3206, the functionality of the communications manager 3204, receiver 3210, transmitter 3212, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor, DSP, central processing unit (CPU), ASIC, FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured or otherwise supported to perform the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0339] In some implementations, the communication manager 3204 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, monitor, transmit) using or otherwise cooperating with the receiver 3210, the transmitter 3212, or both. For example, the communication manager 3204 may receive information from the receiver 3210, send information to the transmitter 3212, or combine with the receiver 3210, the transmitter 3212, or both to receive information, send information, or perform various other operations described herein. Although the communication manager 3204 is illustrated as a separate component, in some implementations, one or more functions described with reference to the communication manager 3204 may be supported or performed by the processor 3206, the memory 3208, or any combination thereof. For example, the memory 3208 may store code that may include instructions executable by the processor 3206 to cause the device 3202 to perform various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein, or the processor 3206 and the memory 3208 may be configured to perform or support such operations.

[0340] For example, according to the examples disclosed herein, the communication manager 3204 can support wireless communication and / or network signaling at a device (e.g., device 3202, NCR). The communication manager 3204 and / or other device components can be configured to or otherwise support an apparatus such as an NCR, the apparatus including a transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor and the transceiver being configured to cause the apparatus to: receive a first signaling indicating a receive beam from a base station; receive a first reference signal from the base station; receive a second reference signal from an interfering communication device; perform channel measurement on the first reference signal when the receive beam is applied; perform interference measurement on the second reference signal when the receive beam is applied; determine a signal strength comparison based at least in part on the channel measurement and the interference measurement; and send a second signaling to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison.

[0341] In addition, the device (e.g., NCR) includes any one of the following or a combination thereof: the processor is configured to cause the device to determine the signal strength comparison as a ratio of the signal strength associated with the first reference signal and the second reference signal. The processor is configured to cause the device to determine the signal strength comparison as SIR. The processor is configured to cause the device to determine the signal strength comparison as SINR. The processor is configured to cause the device to perform channel measurement to determine the RSRP of the first reference signal. The processor is configured to cause the device to perform interference measurement to determine the RSRP of the second reference signal. The processor and the transceiver are configured to cause the device to send a second signaling to the base station as a CSI report of the signal strength comparison. The interfering communication device is an interfering base station. The interfering communication device is an interfering user equipment. The first reference signal is at least one of an SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, or an SRS.

[0342] The communication manager 3204 and / or other device components may be configured to or otherwise support wireless communications and / or network signaling at the NCR, including receiving first signaling indicating a receive beam from a base station; receiving a first reference signal from the base station; receiving a second reference signal from an interfering communication device; performing channel measurements on the first reference signal when the receive beam is applied; performing interference measurements on the second reference signal when the receive beam is applied; determining a signal strength comparison based at least in part on the channel measurement and the interference measurement; and sending second signaling to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison.

[0343] In addition, the wireless communication and / or network signaling at the NCR includes any one or a combination of the following: the signal strength comparison is determined as a ratio of signal strengths associated with the first reference signal and the second reference signal. The signal strength comparison is determined as a SIR. The signal strength comparison is determined as a SINR. A channel measurement is performed to determine the RSRP of the first reference signal. An interference measurement is performed to determine the RSRP of the second reference signal. The second signaling is sent to the base station as a CSI report of the signal strength comparison. The interfering communication device is an interfering base station. The interfering communication device is an interfering user equipment. The first reference signal is at least one of a SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, or an SRS.

[0344] The processor 3206 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 3206 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 3206. The processor 3206 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 3208) to cause the device 3202 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0345] The memory 3208 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 3208 may store computer-readable computer executable code, which includes instructions that, when executed by the processor 3206, cause the device 3202 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executed by the processor 3206, but may cause the computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 3208 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0346] I / O controller 3214 can manage input and output signals of device 3202. I / O controller 3214 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 3202. In some implementations, I / O controller 3214 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 3214 can use an operating system, such as Or other known operating systems. In some implementations, I / O controller 3214 can be implemented as part of a processor such as processor 3206. In some implementations, a user can interact with device 3202 via I / O controller 3214 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 3214.

[0347] In some implementations, the device 3202 may include a single antenna 3216. However, in some other implementations, the device 3202 may have more than one antenna 3216, which may be capable of concurrently sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The receiver 3210 and the transmitter 3212 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 3216, wired or wireless links described herein. For example, the receiver 3210 and the transmitter 3212 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 3216 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 3216.

[0348] Fig.33 An example of a block diagram 3300 of a device 3302 supporting interference measurements by an NCR in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The device 3302 may be an example of a base station 102 such as a gNB described herein. The device 3302 may support wireless communications and / or network signaling with one or more base stations 102, UEs 104, NCRs, core network devices and functions (e.g., core network 106), or any combination thereof. The device 3302 may include components for bidirectional communications, including components for sending and receiving communications, such as a communication manager 3304, a processor 3306, a memory 3308, a receiver 3310, a transmitter 3312, and an I / O controller 3314. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., a bus).

[0349] The communication manager 3304, the receiver 3310, the transmitter 3312, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the disclosure described herein. For example, the communication manager 3304, the receiver 3310, the transmitter 3312, or various combinations or components thereof may support methods for performing one or more functions described herein.

[0350] In some implementations, the communication manager 3304, the receiver 3310, the transmitter 3312, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, which is configured to or otherwise supports means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some implementations, the processor 3306 and the memory 3308 coupled to the processor 3306 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., by executing instructions stored in the memory 3308 by the processor 3306).

[0351] Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the communications manager 3304, receiver 3310, transmitter 3312, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code executed by the processor 3306 (e.g., as communications management software or firmware). If implemented in code executed by the processor 3306, the functionality of the communications manager 3304, receiver 3310, transmitter 3312, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general purpose processor, DSP, central processing unit (CPU), ASIC, FPGA, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured or otherwise supported to perform the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0352] In some implementations, the communication manager 3304 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receive, monitor, transmit) using or otherwise cooperating with the receiver 3310, the transmitter 3312, or both. For example, the communication manager 3304 may receive information from the receiver 3310, send information to the transmitter 3312, or combine with the receiver 3310, the transmitter 3312, or both to receive information, send information, or perform various other operations described herein. Although the communication manager 3304 is illustrated as a separate component, in some implementations, one or more functions described with reference to the communication manager 3304 may be supported or performed by the processor 3306, the memory 3308, or any combination thereof. For example, the memory 3308 may store code that may include instructions executable by the processor 3306 to cause the device 3302 to perform various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein, or the processor 3306 and the memory 3308 may be configured to perform or support such operations.

[0353] For example, according to the examples disclosed herein, the communication manager 3304 can support wireless communication and / or network signaling at a device (e.g., device 3302, base station). The communication manager 3304 and / or other device components can be configured as or otherwise support an apparatus such as a base station, the apparatus including a transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor and the transceiver configured to cause the apparatus to: receive first signaling indicating a reference signal and an associated communication element; determine that the communication element potentially interferes with UE communication via an NCR; determine a receive beam associated with UE communication via the NCR; and send a second signaling indicating the receive beam to the NCR.

[0354] In addition, the device (e.g., a base station) includes any one of the following or a combination thereof: the communication element is at least one of a plurality of time resources, a plurality of frequency resources, one or more spatial relationships, a communication channel, or a reference signal. The plurality of time resources include at least one of a plurality of OFDM symbols, a plurality of time slots, or a duration. The plurality of frequency resources include at least one of a frequency band, a sub-band, a carrier frequency, a component carrier, a bandwidth portion, or a plurality of PRBs. Each of the one or more spatial relationships includes at least one of an RS ID, a QCL relationship with a reference signal as a source, a TCI, or a spatial relationship information parameter. The communication channel includes at least one of a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a PUCCH, or a PUSCH. The reference signal is at least one of a SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, or an SRS. The processor and the transceiver are configured to cause the device to transmit a second reference signal to the NCR using the applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication; and receive a third signaling as a report from the NCR, the third signaling indicating an estimate of an SINR based at least in part on interference measurements of the reference signal and channel measurements of the second reference signal. The processor and transceiver are configured to cause the device to send a third signaling to the UE, the third signaling instructing the UE to send a second reference signal to the NCR using an applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication; and receive a fourth signaling as a report from the NCR, the fourth signaling indicating an estimate of the SINR based at least in part on interference measurements of the reference signal and channel measurements of the second reference signal.

[0355] The communication manager 3304 and / or other device components may be configured to or otherwise support a component for wireless communication and / or network signaling at a base station, including receiving first signaling indicating a reference signal and an associated communication element; determining that the communication element potentially interferes with UE communications via a network controlled repeater NCR; determining a receive beam associated with UE communications via the NCR; and sending a second signaling indicating the receive beam to the NCR.

[0356] In addition, the wireless communication at the base station includes any one of the following or a combination thereof: the communication element is at least one of a plurality of time resources, a plurality of frequency resources, one or more spatial relationships, a communication channel, or a reference signal. The plurality of time resources include at least one of a plurality of OFDM symbols, a plurality of time slots, or a duration. The plurality of frequency resources include at least one of a frequency band, a sub-band, a carrier frequency, a component carrier, a bandwidth portion, or a plurality of PRBs. Each of the one or more spatial relationships includes at least one of an RS ID, a QCL relationship with a reference signal as a source, a TCI, or a spatial relationship information parameter. The communication channel includes at least one of a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a PUCCH, or a PUSCH. The reference signal is at least one of a SS / PBCH block, a CSI-RS, or an SRS. The method also includes sending a second reference signal to the NCR using the applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication; and receiving a third signaling as a report from the NCR, the third signaling indicating an estimate of an SINR based at least in part on interference measurements of the reference signal and channel measurements of the second reference signal. The method also includes sending third signaling to the UE, the third signaling instructing the UE to send a second reference signal to the NCR using an applied transmit beam associated with UE communications; and receiving fourth signaling from the NCR as a report, the fourth signaling indicating an estimate of the SINR based at least in part on interference measurements of the reference signal and channel measurements of the second reference signal.

[0357] The processor 3306 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 3306 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 3306. The processor 3306 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 3308) to cause the device 3302 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0358] The memory 3308 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 3308 may store computer-readable computer executable code, which includes instructions that, when executed by the processor 3306, cause the device 3302 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executed by the processor 3306, but may cause the computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, the memory 3308 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0359] I / O controller 3314 can manage input and output signals of device 3302. I / O controller 3314 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 3302. In some implementations, I / O controller 3314 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 3314 can use an operating system, such as

[0360] Or other known operating systems. In some implementations, I / O controller 3314 can be implemented as part of a processor such as processor 3306. In some implementations, a user can interact with device 3302 via I / O controller 3314 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 3314.

[0361] In some implementations, the device 3302 may include a single antenna 3316. However, in some other implementations, the device 3302 may have more than one antenna 3316, which may be capable of concurrently sending or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The receiver 3310 and the transmitter 3312 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 3316, wired or wireless links described herein. For example, the receiver 3310 and the transmitter 3312 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to one or more antennas 3316 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 3316.

[0362] Fig.34 A flowchart of a method 3400 for supporting interference measurement by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The operations of the method 3400 may be implemented and performed by a device or a component thereof, such as a reference Figures 1 to 12In some implementations, the device may execute an instruction set to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0363] At 3402, the method may include receiving first signaling from a base station indicating a receive beam. The operations of 3402 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3402 may be performed by reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0364] At 3404, the method may include receiving a first reference signal from a base station. The operations of 3404 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3404 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0365] At 3406, the method may include receiving a second reference signal from the interfering communication device. The operations of 3406 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3406 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0366] At 3408, the method may include performing channel measurements on the first reference signal with the receive beam being applied. The operations of 3408 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3408 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0367] At 3410, the method may include performing interference measurements on a second reference signal when a receive beam is applied. The operations of 3410 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3410 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0368] At 3412, the method may include determining a signal strength comparison based at least in part on the channel measurement and the interference measurement. The operations of 3412 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3412 may be described by reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0369] At 3414, the method may include sending a second signaling to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison. The operations of 3414 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3414 may be described with reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0370] Fig.35 A flowchart of a method 3500 for supporting interference measurement by an NCR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The operations of the method 3500 may be implemented and performed by a device or components thereof, such as reference Figures 1 to 12 The base station 102 (e.g., gNB) described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute instruction sets to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0371] At 3502, the method may include receiving first signaling indicating a reference signal and an associated communication element. The operations of 3502 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3502 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0372] At 3504, the method may include determining that the communication element potentially interferes with UE communications via the NCR. The operations of 3504 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3504 may be described with reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0373] At 3506, the method may include determining a receive beam associated with UE communications via the NCR. The operations of 3506 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3506 may be described with reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0374] At 3508, the method may include sending a second signaling to the NCR indicating the receive beam. The operations of 3508 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3508 may be described with reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0375] Fig.36 A flow chart of a method 3600 for supporting interference measurement by an NCR according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The operations of the method 3600 may be implemented and performed by a device or a component thereof, such as a reference Figures 1 to 12 The base station 102 (e.g., gNB) described herein. In some implementations, the device may execute instruction sets to control functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the device may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the described functions.

[0376] At 3602, the method may include transmitting a second reference signal to the NCR using an applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication. The operations of 3602 may be performed according to examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3602 may be performed by reference Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0377] At 3604, the method may include receiving third signaling from the NCR as a report, the third signaling indicating an estimate of the SINR based on the interference measurement of the reference signal and the channel measurement of the second reference signal. The operations of 3604 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3604 may be performed by reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0378] At 3606, the method may include sending a third signaling to the UE, the third signaling instructing the UE to transmit a second reference signal to the NCR using the applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication. The operations of 3606 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3606 may be performed by reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0379] At 3608, the method may include receiving fourth signaling from the NCR as a report, the fourth signaling indicating an estimate of the SINR based at least in part on the interference measurement of the reference signal and the channel measurement of the second reference signal. The operations of 3608 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 3608 may be performed by reference to Figure 1 The device is used to perform the above.

[0380] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. In addition, aspects from two or more methods may be combined. The order in which the methods are described is not intended to be interpreted as limiting, and any number or combination of the method operations described may be performed in any order of execution or alternative methods.

[0381] The various illustrative blocks and components described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0382] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or sent via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0383] Computer-readable media include both non-transient computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. Non-transient storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer. As an example and not limitation, non-transient computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store desired program code devices in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer, or any other non-transient medium of a general or special-purpose processor.

[0384] Any connection may be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disks and optical disks as used herein include CDs, laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0385] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one of..." or "one or more of...") represents an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Similarly, a list of one or more of A, B, or C represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). In addition, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as a reference to a set of closed conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on". In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, a "set" may include one or more elements.

[0386] The descriptions described herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe example configurations and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "better than other examples." The detailed description includes specific details to facilitate understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid confusing the concepts of the described examples.

[0387] The description herein is provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device comprising: Transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor and the transceiver being configured to cause the apparatus to: receiving first signaling indicating a receive beam from a base station; receiving a first reference signal from the base station; receiving a second reference signal from an interfering communication device; performing channel measurement on the first reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied; performing interference measurement on the second reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied; determining a signal strength comparison based at least in part on the channel measurement and the interference measurement; as well as A second signaling is sent to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to determine the signal strength comparison as a ratio of signal strengths associated with the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to determine the signal strength comparison as at least one of a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform at least one of the following: performing the channel measurement to determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the first reference signal; or The interference measurement is performed to determine the RSRP of the second reference signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor and the transceiver are configured to cause the apparatus to send the second signaling to the base station as a channel state information (CSI) report of the signal strength comparison.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interfering communication device is at least one of an interfering base station or an interfering user equipment.

7. A device comprising: Transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor and the transceiver being configured to cause the apparatus to: receiving first signaling indicating a reference signal and an associated communication element; determining that the communication element potentially interferes with user equipment (UE) communications via a network controlled relay (NCR); determining a receive beam associated with communicating with the UE via the NCR; as well as A second signaling indicating the receive beam is sent to the NCR.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the communication element is at least one of: a plurality of time resources, a plurality of frequency resources, one or more spatial relationships, a communication channel, or a reference signal.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of time resources comprises at least one of: a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, a plurality of time slots, or a time duration; and The plurality of frequency resources comprises at least one of: a frequency band, a frequency sub-band, a carrier frequency, a component carrier, a bandwidth part, or a plurality of physical resource blocks (PRBs).

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the one or more spatial relationships comprises at least one of: a reference signal identifier (RS ID), a quasi co-location (QCL) relationship with a reference signal as a source, a transmission configuration indication (TCI), or a spatial relationship information parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication channel comprises at least one of: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reference signal is at least one of a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel (SS / PBCH) block, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor and the transceiver are configured such that the apparatus: transmitting a second reference signal to the NCR using the applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication; and A third signaling is received as a report from the NCR, the third signaling indicating an estimate of a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) based at least in part on an interference measurement of the reference signal and a channel measurement of the second reference signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor and the transceiver are configured such that the apparatus: Sending a third signaling to the UE, the third signaling instructing the UE to send a second reference signal to the NCR using the applied transmit beam associated with the UE communication; and Fourth signaling is received as a report from the NCR, the fourth signaling indicating an estimate of a SINR based at least in part on an interference measurement of the reference signal and a channel measurement of the second reference signal.

15. A method comprising: receiving first signaling indicating a receive beam from a base station; receiving a first reference signal from the base station; receiving a second reference signal from an interfering communication device; performing channel measurement on the first reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied; performing interference measurement on the second reference signal in a case where the receive beam is applied; determining a signal strength comparison based at least in part on the channel measurement and the interference measurement; as well as A second signaling is sent to the base station as a report of the signal strength comparison.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal strength comparison is determined as a ratio of signal strengths associated with the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal strength comparison is determined as at least one of a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) or a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).

18. The method of claim 15, wherein: The channel measurement is performed to determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the first reference signal; and The interference measurement is performed to determine the RSRP of the second reference signal.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second signaling is sent to the base station as a channel state information (CSI) report of the signal strength comparison.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the interfering communication device is at least one of an interfering base station or an interfering user equipment.

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