Method and apparatus for coordinated operation of user equipment (UE)

Abstract

For coordinated operation of the UE, operation of the UE will be coordinated with other UEs for communication with network devices in the wireless communication network. Signaling indicating a restricted operational configuration in accordance with which the UE communicates is sent to and received by the UE. The restricted operational configuration is used for restricted communication operations between the UE and the network device, the restricted communication operations being restricted relative to full operational configurations of the other UEs used to communicate with the network device.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63,390,846, filed on July 20, 2022, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR COORDINATED OPERATION OF USER EQUIPMENT (UE),” which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to coordinated operation of user equipment (UE). Background Art

[0003] In a conventional wireless communication system, each UE within a cell or coverage area of ​​a network device (eg, a base station) typically transmits and receives data between itself and the base station. In this sense, such a system can be referred to as being cell-centric.

[0004] UE-to-UE direct communication has been studied and specified as a form of device-to-device (D2D) communication to improve communication between UEs. UE collaboration is more targeted at a group of UEs working together to improve transmission and / or reception with a base station, and between UEs. Therefore, UE collaboration is more UE-centric in design and can complement the features in a cell-centric system and improve the overall system performance and capacity of downlink (DL) communication from a base station to a UE, uplink (UL) communication from a UE to a base station, and / or sidelink communication between other UEs.

[0005] UE cooperation (UC) is currently a new topic in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). Although some studies and specifications focus on sidelink (SL) based relaying and UE aggregation, it is currently more of a preliminary work from the perspective of UE cooperation and requires further study. For example, the specific role of each UE in a group of UEs for UC in terms of DL / UL transmit / receive operations and functions has not been studied. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure includes embodiments related to corresponding transmit / receive operations, functions or features configured for coordinated operation of UEs, such as for UCs. This can help improve overall coordinated operation capabilities and also reduce transmit / receive power and interference, as described in detail elsewhere herein.

[0007] Some embodiments may help simplify UE transmission and / or reception for coordinated operation. For example, different types of UEs may be responsible for different tasks, but may also support some common and necessary tasks / functions.

[0008] Another potential benefit is the reduction of signaling overhead for UEs. Under limited DL reception and / or UL transmission operation, signaling to one or more UEs may be reduced, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0009] Power saving can also be achieved to extend UE battery life. For example, only certain UEs can monitor / receive / send all main signals or channels for coordinated operation. Other UEs may not need to monitor / receive / send all signals or channels, so power can be saved for other features (such as data transmission enhancement). One or more other UEs may also support or alternatively support only certain functions, thereby reducing their ability requirements for coordinating UE operations.

[0010] Relative to the interference level that may be caused when all UEs transmit all signals and channels, any UE that does not transmit all signals and channels will cause less interference to other UEs because some signals or channels are not transmitted.

[0011] In some embodiments, UE DL / UL operating behaviors are clearly defined for coordinated operation, and this may save power, save signaling overhead, or both, without compromising performance.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method involves: a UE receiving signaling, the operation of the UE is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration of a restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device; the UE communicating with the network device according to the restricted operation configuration. The restricted communication operation is restricted relative to a full operation configuration of other UEs for communicating with the network device.

[0013] Another method involves: sending signaling to a UE whose operation is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration; and communicating with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration. The restricted operation configuration is for restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device, the restricted communication operation being restricted relative to a full operation configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device.

[0014] In an apparatus embodiment, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores a program for execution by the processor. For example, in various embodiments, the apparatus may be a UE, a network device, one or more components in a UE, one or more components in a network device, a chipset in a UE, or a chipset in a network device.

[0015] The storage medium does not necessarily need to be or only needs to be implemented in or in conjunction with such an apparatus. For example, a computer program product may be or include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor.

[0016] The program stored by the computer-readable storage medium may include instructions for implementing the following operations or causing a processor to execute, implement, support or enable any method disclosed herein.

[0017] For example, the program may include instructions for implementing the following operations or causing the processor to implement the following operations: the UE receives signaling, the operation of the UE will be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, and the signaling indicates a restricted operation configuration; the UE communicates with the network device according to the restricted operation configuration.

[0018] In another embodiment, the program includes instructions for implementing the following operations or causing the processor to implement the following operations: sending signaling to a UE, the operation of the UE will be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration; communicating with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, wherein the communication system includes the network device and at least one of the UEs and at least one of the other UEs.

[0020] In these embodiments, as in other embodiments, the limited operational configuration is for limited communications operations between the UE and the network device, the limited communications operations being limited relative to a full operational configuration for the other UEs communicating with the network device.

[0021] The present disclosure includes these and other aspects or embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] For a more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings by way of example.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a simplified diagram of the communication system.

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Block diagram of an exemplary communication system in .

[0025] Figure 3 Examples of exemplary electronic devices and base stations are shown.

[0026] Figure 4 Shows units or modules in the device.

[0027] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system illustrating multiple communication paths or links.

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1 shows different UE configurations for DL ​​reception according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1 shows different UE configurations for UL transmission according to one embodiment.

[0030] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1 shows different UE configurations for DL ​​reception and UL transmission according to one embodiment.

[0031] Fig. 9 is a signal flow diagram of an example of signaling and coordination operations of a UE according to one embodiment.

[0032] Fig.10 is a signal flow diagram of an example of signaling and coordination operations of a UE according to another embodiment.

[0033] Fig.11 is a block diagram of an example of a telecommunications network according to one embodiment.

[0034] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an example of a network serving two UEs. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] For purposes of explanation, specific exemplary embodiments are explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] The embodiments set forth herein represent information sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and illustrate methods of practicing such subject matter. After reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter and will recognize applications of these concepts not specifically described herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.

[0037] refer to Figure 1 , a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided as an illustrative example and not a limitation. The communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. The radio access network 120 may be a next generation (e.g., sixth generation, "6G" or higher) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G or 2G) radio access network. In the radio access network 120, one or more communication electronic devices (electric devices, ED) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (generally referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, generally referred to as 170). The core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may be dependent on or independent of the radio access technology used in the communication system 100. In addition, the communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0038] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown. Typically, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content such as voice, data, video and / or text by broadcast, multicast and unicast, etc. The communication system 100 may operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) between its constituent elements. The communication system 100 may include a terrestrial communication system and / or a non-terrestrial communication system. The communication system 100 may provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive perception and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.). The communication system 100 may provide a high degree of availability and robustness through the joint operation of a terrestrial communication system and a non-terrestrial communication system. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or its components) into a terrestrial communication system may realize a heterogeneous network including multiple layers. Compared with traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks may achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks.

[0039] Terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of the communication system. Figure 2In the example shown, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d (generally referred to as EDs 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a, 120b, non-terrestrial communication networks 120c, core networks 130, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. The RANs 120a, 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a, 170b, which may generally be referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a, 170b. The non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes an access node 172, which may generally be referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.

[0040] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 may be used to access, connect or communicate with any T-TRP 170a, 170b and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a may communicate with T-TRP 170a for uplink and / or downlink transmissions via a ground air interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d may also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d may communicate with NT-TRP 172 for uplink and / or downlink transmissions via a non-ground air interface 190c.

[0041] The air interfaces 190a and 190b may use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology. For example, the communication system 100 may implement one or more channel access methods in the air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). The air interfaces 190a and 190b may use other higher dimensional signal spaces, which may involve a combination of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0042] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c may enable communication between ED 110d and one or more NT-TRPs 172 via a wireless link or simply a link. For some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmissions, a connection for broadcast transmissions, or a connection between a group of EDs 110 and one or more NT-TRPs 175 for multicast transmissions.

[0043] The RANs 120a and 120b communicate with the core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c. The RANs 120a and 120b and / or the core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may (or may not) be directly served by the core network 130 and may (or may not) use the same radio access technology as the RANs 120a, 120b, or both. The core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RANs 120a and 120b, or the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c, or both and (ii) other networks, such as the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. In addition, some or all of the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may include functionality to communicate with different wireless networks over different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. Instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication, the EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may also communicate with a service provider or switch (not shown) and with the Internet 150 through a wired communication channel. The PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a computer network and / or a subnet (intranet) or both, and include protocols such as the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The EDs 110a, 110b, 110c may be multi-mode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies, and may include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0044] Figure 3Another example of ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b and / or 170c is shown. ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, drone, robot, remote sensing, passive perception, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0045] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user device for wireless operation, and may include (or may be referred to as): user equipment (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile user unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronic device, smartbook, vehicle, car, truck, bus, train or IoT device, industrial equipment or devices in the above devices (such as communication modules, modems or chips), etc. The next generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are both T-TRPs and are referred to as T-TRP 170 hereinafter. Also as Figure 3 As shown, the NT-TRP is hereinafter referred to as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of the following: connection availability and connection necessity.

[0046] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown. Alternatively, one, some or all of the antennas 204 can be panels. For example, the transmitter 201 and the receiver 203 can be integrated into a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content so that it can be sent by at least one antenna 204 or by a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver can also be used to demodulate the data or other content received by the at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received by wireless or wired means. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for sending and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0047] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210) to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein. Each memory 208 includes one or more any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, processor cache, etc.

[0048] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g. Figure 1 The input / output device can interact with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing information to a user or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display or touch screen, including network interface communication, for example, through operation.

[0049] ED 110 includes a processor 210 for performing operations including those related to preparing transmissions for uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, those related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and those related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding received symbols. According to an embodiment, receiver 203 may receive downlink transmissions (possibly using receive beamforming), and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmissions (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding the signaling). An example of signaling may be a reference signal sent by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming according to an indication of a beam direction (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from the T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting a synchronization sequence, decoding, and obtaining system information. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform channel estimation using a reference signal received from the NT-TRP 172 and / or from the T-TRP 170.

[0050] Although not shown, the processor 210 may form a part of the transmitter 201 and / or a part of the receiver 203. Although not shown, the memory 208 may form a part of the processor 210.

[0051] The processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented using dedicated circuits, such as a programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphical processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0052] The T-TRP 170 may be known by other names in some implementations, such as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), a wireless base station, a network node, a network device, a network-side device, a transmitting / receiving node, a Node B, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a home eNodeB, a next generation NodeB (gNB), a transmission point (TP), a site controller, an access point (AP) or a wireless router, a relay station, a remote radio head, a ground node, a ground network device, a ground base station, a base band unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), a remote radio head (RRH), a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 may be a macro BS, a micro BS, a relay node, a host node, etc., or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the above-mentioned device or refer to a means in the above-mentioned device (eg, a communication module, a modem, or a chip).

[0053] In some embodiments, portions of the T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules of the T-TRP 170 may be located away from the device housing the antenna 256 for the T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna 256 via a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as a fronthaul (e.g., a common public radio interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 may also refer to a module on the network side that performs processing operations such as determining the location of the ED 110, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding, and is not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna 256 of the T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, the T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs that work together, for example, by using coordinated multi-point transmission, to serve the ED 110.

[0054] The T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 256 may be panels. The transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 may be integrated into a transceiver. The T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations, including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmissions to the ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110; preparing transmissions for backhaul transmissions to the NT-TRP 172; processing transmissions received from the NT-TRP 172 via the backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as coding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple input multiple output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations associated with processing transmissions received in the uplink or received through the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. Processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the content of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates an indication of a beam direction, such as a BAI, which may be scheduled by scheduler 253 for transmission. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining where to deploy NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 may generate signaling, for example, to configure one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is sent by transmitter 252. It should be noted that "signaling" used herein may be alternatively referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be transmitted in a control channel (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)), and static or semi-static high-layer signaling can be included in a packet transmitted in a data channel (e.g., a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)).

[0055] The scheduler 253 may be coupled to the processor 260. The scheduler 253 may be included within the T-TRP 170, or may operate separately from the T-TRP 170. The scheduler 253 may schedule uplink transmissions, downlink transmissions, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring scheduling-free (“configured grants”) resources. The T-TRP 170 also includes a memory 258 for storing information and data. The memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the T-TRP 170. For example, the memory 258 may store software instructions or modules executed by the processor 260 to implement some or all of the functionality and / or embodiments described herein.

[0056] Although not shown, the processor 260 may form a part of the transmitter 252 and / or a part of the receiver 254. In addition, although not shown, the processor 260 may implement the scheduler 253. Although not shown, the memory 258 may form a part of the processor 260.

[0057] The processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 may each be implemented by one of the same or different one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 may be implemented using a dedicated circuit such as an FPGA, a GPU, or an ASIC.

[0058] It should be noted that the NT-TRP 172 is shown as a drone only as an example, and the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-ground form. In addition, the NT-TRP 172 may use other names in some implementations, such as non-ground nodes, non-ground network devices, or non-ground base stations. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown. Alternatively, one, part, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 272 and the receiver 274 may be integrated into a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing operations, including operations related to the following operations: preparing transmissions for downlink transmissions to the ED 110; processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110; preparing transmissions for backhaul transmissions to the T-TRP 170; processing transmissions received from the T-TRP 170 via the backhaul. Processing operations associated with preparing transmissions for downlink transmission or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations associated with processing transmissions received in the uplink or received via the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received signals, and decoding received symbols. In some embodiments, the processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from the T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 276 may generate signaling, for example, to configure one or more parameters of the ED 110. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing, but does not implement higher-level functions such as functions of the medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer. Since this is just an example, more generally, the NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0059] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, the processor 276 may form a part of the transmitter 272 and / or a part of the receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may form a part of the processor 276.

[0060] Processor 276, the processing components of transmitter 272, and the processing components of receiver 274 can each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors that execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of processor 276, the processing components of transmitter 272, and the processing components of receiver 274 can be implemented using a dedicated circuit such as a programmed FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 can actually be multiple NT-TRPs that work together, for example, through coordinated multi-point transmission, to serve ED 110.

[0061] The T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components are omitted for clarity.

[0062] according to Figure 4 One or more steps of the methods of each embodiment provided herein may be executed by a corresponding unit or module. Figure 4 Units or modules in a device are shown, such as units or modules in ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172. For example, a signal can be sent by a sending unit or by a sending module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or by a receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules can be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices that execute software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of the units or modules can be integrated circuits, such as programmed FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that if the above modules are implemented using software for execution by a processor or the like, these modules can be retrieved by the processor in whole or in part as needed, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0063] Additional details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, these details are omitted here.

[0064] Having considered communications more generally above, we now turn to specific exemplary embodiments.

[0065] Some embodiments disclosed herein relate to configuring UEs that will enable, support, or implement coordinated operation with UL transmit and / or DL ​​receive operations, functions, or features that are different from the UL transmit and / or DL ​​receive operations, functions, or features configured for normal "independent" operation of each UE. In a cell-centric wireless communication network, for example, a UE that is to operate independently when communicating with a network device (e.g., a base station) can be configured in a similar manner and support the same or very similar operations or features. However, for coordinated operation, the configuration of the UE may be different.

[0066] As used herein, coordinated operation of UEs is intended to include coordinated operation between UEs, such as UCs, but not limited to UCs. UEs for coordinated operation with each other may be part of a UC group or participate in a UC, but the embodiments herein are not limited in any respect to coordinated operation specifically referred to as UC. Coordinated operation may include UCs, but not limited to UCs. In other words, UCs may be examples of coordinated operation, but in addition or alternatively, coordinated operation may be implemented or supported in other ways that are not necessarily referred to as UCs.

[0067] According to an embodiment, transmission and / or reception may be configured differently for different UEs. Each UE whose operation is to be coordinated with another UE is configured differently for coordinated operation, so that the behavior of the UE is different when the coordinated operation is compared to the individual operation when the UE itself operates to communicate with the network device. The operation of the UE without coordination with other UEs may be referred to as individual UE operation, normal operation, or uncoordinated operation, for example.

[0068] For coordinated operation, different UEs may be configured with different operations, features, or functions for sending and / or receiving. The configuration may differ between UEs based on the type or role of each UE in the coordinated operation. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration may vary based on different applications, such as whether UE operation is to be coordinated for UL data enhancement applications or DL ​​data enhancement applications.

[0069] The configuration for coordinated operation of the UE may be semi-static, or dynamically signaled, or indicated explicitly or implicitly.

[0070] Embodiments for configuring UEs for coordinated operation include embodiments in which one or more UEs are configured by a network device such as a gNB, and / or a UE such as a master UE participates in the configuration of one or more other UEs.

[0071] These and other embodiments are described in detail herein.

[0072] Figure 55 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system illustrating multiple communication paths or links. The exemplary system 500 includes a network device 502 and UEs 522, 524 for which coordinated operation is to be configured. Communication between the UEs 522, 524 and the network device 502 is performed via direct communication paths or links (e.g., Figure 5 The UE-to-UE communication link (or inter-UE connection or link) between the UEs is shown at 512. The UE-to-UE communication link can be, for example, but not limited to, a sidelink. Examples and implementation options of network devices, UEs, and links are provided elsewhere herein. Network device 502 can be Figure 1 and Figure 2 The network nodes 170a, 170b or Figure 3 and Figure 4 170 or Figures 2 to 4 The access node 172 or other network device or apparatus in the embodiment, the UE may be, for example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 ED 110a to 110c or Figure 3 and Figure 4 110 in. As an application of UE coordination, in UC operation, UEs 522 and 524 can work together to assist transmission and / or reception of one of the UEs (e.g., UE 522), which can be referred to as a source UE (SUE) (for uplink transmission) or a target UE (TUE) (for downlink reception). For uplink UC, a portion of data from the SUE can be directly sent to the network device 502 via the Uu link 510, and the same portion or another portion of the data from the SUE can be indirectly sent to the network device 502 via another UE 524 (first sent to the UE 524 via the UE-to-UE link 512, and then relayed by the UE 524 via the Uu link 510). For downlink UC, data sent to TUE can be sent directly from network device 502 to TUE (522) via Uu link 510, and at the same time, the data (or another part of the data) can be sent indirectly from network device 502 to TUE via another UE 524 (first sent to UE 524 via Uu link 510, and then relayed by UE 524 via UE-UE link 512).

[0073] Figure 5 502. A scenario is represented where both UEs 522, 524 are "in coverage" (within a geographic area in direct communication with network device 502). In the example shown, a Uu path or link exists between network device 502 and each UE 522, 524. The UEs are also connected to each other via UE-to-UE connections 512.

[0074] When the operation of two or more UEs is to be coordinated, for example when the UEs participate in UC for transmission and / or reception, the configuration of each UE may be different. The different configurations may be related to DL reception, UL transmission, or both. This is in Figure 6 and Figure 7 This is shown by way of example. Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1, showing different UE configurations for DL ​​reception according to one embodiment, Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1 shows different UE configurations for UL transmission according to one embodiment.

[0075] Optionally, different configurations may affect or apply to sidelink or other UE-to-UE transmission / reception. Figure 6 , UE 522 may receive and decode control information from the PDCCH and send corresponding information to UE 524, whereas in the illustrated example, UE 524 does not receive the PDCCH. Figure 7 , UE 524 may send some control information to UE 522 for UE 522's transmission on the PUCCH, since UE 524 itself does not send the PUCCH.

[0076] In a coordinated operation embodiment, a UE that may be considered as a first type of UE or a UE that will operate in a first role of coordinated operation may be used to send and / or receive all types of control and service signals or channels in UL and / or DL, in addition to the signals or channels that they normally use for individual UE operations. For example, a first type of UE may be referred to as a master UE for coordinated operation, and may be a source UE (SUE) for UL transmission, a target UE (TUE) for DL ​​reception, or a cooperative UE (CUE), such as a relay UE in an indirect path or link between a SUE or TUE and a network device. For example, in Figure 6 and Figure 7 , UE 522 is a first type UE.

[0077] For example, for Figure 6 For DL ​​reception in the UE 522, the UE 522 may be configured to monitor and / or receive the following signals and channels:

[0078] Synchronization signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)): used to synchronize with the communication network;

[0079] Reference signal (RS), such as channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), tracking reference signal (TRS) or cell specific reference signal (CRS): used for UL / DL short-term or long-term channel measurement, carrier frequency offset adjustment, etc.;

[0080] System information block (SIB): system information;

[0081] Paging information: used to wake up sleeping UE;

[0082] Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH): DL control channel (used for UL and DL scheduling, etc.);

[0083] Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH): a DL data channel, for example, may include a corresponding demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0084] For example, for Figure 7 In the UL transmission, UE 522 can be used to send the following signals and channels:

[0085] Sounding reference signal (SRS): used for UL / DL channel measurement;

[0086] Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH): UL control channel used to carry uplink control information (UCI), which may include channel state information (CSI), hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACQ), scheduling request (SR), etc.

[0087] Physical uplink control channel (PUSCH): UL data channel, for example, may carry UCI and may include corresponding DMRS;

[0088] Physical random access channel (PRACH): used for random access, UL synchronization and time alignment.

[0089] Above and Figure 6 and Figure 7 The signals and channels mentioned in are merely examples, used to illustrate what may be referred to as a fully functional, fully featured, or fully operational receiving or transmitting configuration according to an embodiment.

[0090] The coordinated operation embodiment also relates to one or more UEs, which may be considered as second type UEs or UEs to be operated in a second role of coordinated operation. The second type UE may be used to send and / or receive only a restricted subset of signals or channels in UL and / or DL, such as only necessary signals required for coordinated operation, and optionally, other restricted signals or channels in UL and / or DL. The signals or channels used to send or receive by the second type UE do not include all signals or channels sent or received for individual UE operations, nor do they include all signals or channels used to send or receive by the first type UE. The configuration of the second type UE may be referred to as a restricted functionality, restricted feature, or restricted operation sending or receiving configuration.

[0091] For example, the second type of UE may be referred to as a secondary UE for coordinated operation, and may be a source UE (SUE) for UL transmission, a target UE (TUE) for DL ​​reception, or a cooperative UE (CUE), such as a relay UE in an indirect path or link between a SUE or TUE and a network device. Figure 6 and Figure 7 , UE 524 is a second type UE.

[0092] For example, for Figure 6 For DL ​​reception in the example, UE 524 may be configured to monitor or receive the following signals and channels:

[0093] Synchronization signal (e.g., SSB);

[0094] RS, such as CSI-RS, TRS or CRS;

[0095] SIB;

[0096] PDSCH.

[0097] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, UE 522 is a first type UE and is configured to receive PDCCH and paging information, while UE 524 is a second type UE and is not configured to receive PDCCH and paging information.

[0098] In other embodiments, there may be other signals or channels that are part of the configuration of the first type of UE but not the configuration of the second type of UE. For example, the second type of UE may not be used to receive synchronization signals and / or SIBs directly from the network device, but may be used to obtain corresponding information from the first type of UE instead. For example, if the UE is not used to receive synchronization or SIB signals, it may obtain such information from the first type of UE via the inter-UE path, link or connection shown in 512 (also referred to herein as a UE-to-UE path, link or connection). In another example, if there is no data to be received or sent, the second type of UE may be used in a sleep mode, such as a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode, and may be awakened from the sleep mode by the first type of UE, thereby receiving in the DL or sending in the UL in a manner coordinated with the first type of UE. The wake-up signal may be transmitted between UEs via the inter-UE connection 512.

[0099] For example, for Figure 7 In the UL transmission, UE 524 can be used to send the following signals and channels:

[0100] SRS;

[0101] PUSCH.

[0102] In this example, uplink transmissions of PUCCH and PRACH are part of the configuration of UE 522 (but not UE 524).

[0103] Above and Figure 6 and Figure 7 The signals and channels mentioned for the second type of UE are merely examples for illustrating a transmission configuration or a reception configuration according to an embodiment. Generally, different UEs may be configured to support different types of signals and channels for coordinated operation.

[0104] It should also be noted that the first type UE may send / receive part of the channels / signals listed above, or may include other channels / signals. The key point is that the channels / signals sent / received by the second type UE are still a subset of the channels / signals sent / received by the first type UE.

[0105] DL reception configuration and UL transmission configuration are not mutually exclusive. A UE may be configured for DL ​​reception, UL transmission, or both. Figure 8 yes Figure 5A block diagram of an exemplary communication system in FIG. 1 shows different UE configurations for DL ​​reception and UL transmission according to one embodiment. Figure 6 The example 600 in FIG. 4 shows a DL reception configuration, Figure 7 The example 700 shows a UL transmission configuration, Figure 8 The example 800 in illustrative example shows a UE configuration for DL ​​reception and UL transmission. In the example 800, each UE 522, 524 is used for both DL reception and UL transmission.

[0106] Other embodiments are also possible. For example, a UE configured as a first type UE for coordinating operation with a second type UE for DL ​​reception may itself be configured as a second type UE for coordinating operation with another UE for UL transmission. The UE may be configured as a first type UE for coordinating operation with multiple second type UEs for DL ​​reception and / or UL transmission. Further variations of the coordinated operation may be or become apparent based on the present disclosure.

[0107] Configuration related to the coordinated operation of the UE may be explicitly or implicitly signaled, or assumed by default. Signaling used to indicate the UE configuration, or other information used to indicate whether the UE will operate or behave as a first type UE or a second type UE, may be or include semi-static signaling or dynamic signaling. For example, high-level signaling such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling may be used to explicitly indicate such configuration. The configuration may use an identifier for each UE, such as a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) or a local or group-specific identifier of a UE in a group of UEs to be coordinated with each other, to configure corresponding UL / DL transmission / reception operations, features or functions for each UE. Identifier-based configuration is expected to include semi-static signaling, but other embodiments may involve different types of signaling.

[0108] Configurations such as the number of antennas can be used to implicitly indicate corresponding UL / DL transmit / receive operations, features, or functions. For example, assume that the operation of two UEs will be coordinated for UL transmission, and each UE has 2T2R (two transmit antennas and two receive antennas). The UE can be configured with a 4T / 2R configuration to indicate that only one UE (e.g., the primary UE) is implicitly configured with the primary signal or channel for full operation (PDCCH / PDSCH) reception in the DL. However, in the UL, both UEs are used to transmit SRS / PUSCH using a total of 4 transmit antennas. Similarly, the 2T / 4R configuration can be used to implicitly signal coordinated operation of DL reception, where both UEs are to receive on the DL, but only one UE is to transmit on the UL, and the 4T / 4R configuration can be used to implicitly signal coordinated operation of both UL transmission and DL reception.

[0109] In addition, antenna ports can be used to indicate which UE is selected to transmit or receive. Figure 6 Both UEs 522 and 524 in FIG. 5 have 2T2R, and their antenna ports are allocated as: port {0, 1} for UE 522 and port {2, 3} for UE 524 for 4T / 2R coordinated operation. In this example, configuring port {0, 1} as a receiving antenna indicates that UE 522 is selected for DL ​​reception of PDCCH / PDSCH. Therefore, in this example, UE 522 monitors and receives PDCCH / PDSCH in DL.

[0110] There is not necessarily a need for explicit signaling of the corresponding configuration, and it may be assumed by default that different types of UEs support corresponding transmission and / or reception operations, features or functions. For example, the default primary UE may be responsible for the transmission or reception of all UL or DL ​​signals or channels (e.g., PDCCH / PDSCH or PUCCH / PUSCH), while the secondary UE is only responsible for the transmission or reception of UL or DL ​​signals or channels related to data services (e.g., SRS, PUSCH or PDSCH, etc.). In this example, when the UE is configured as a primary UE or a secondary UE, the UL transmission configuration / DL reception configuration is inherent or implicit. In this sense, the signaling used to configure or designate the UE as a primary UE or a secondary UE is another example of signaling indicating (implicitly) the UL transmission configuration / DL reception configuration.

[0111] Dynamic signaling, such as carried by downlink control information (DCI), may be used to indicate a DL receive / UL transmit operation, feature, or function. For example, a dynamic indication may be used to indicate or trigger a corresponding transmit and / or receive operation, feature, or function.

[0112] Semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling can be used together. For example, semi-static signaling can be used to configure the corresponding UL transmission configuration and / or DL ​​reception configuration for the UE in a more semi-static manner, and dynamic signaling can be used to dynamically override or trigger some or all configured operations, features or functions according to whether the UE is coordinated as a first type UE or a second type UE.

[0113] UE configuration may be network managed and handled by a network device (e.g., a gNB or base station), or a UE (e.g., a master UE) may participate in configuring one or more other UEs for coordinated operation.

[0114] Fig. 9 is a signal flow diagram of an example of signaling and coordination operations of a UE according to one embodiment. Fig. 9 The example shown in relates to a network management embodiment involving two UEs (shown as UE#1 and UE#2) and a gNB (as an example of a network device).

[0115] like Fig. 9 As shown, each UE may report its corresponding coordinated operation capability to the gNB. Signaling indicating the coordinated operation capability is shown at 902, 904. Therefore, some embodiments involve sending signaling by the UE to a network device such as a gNB indicating the ability of each UE to coordinate operation with another UE. Network-side operations may involve receiving such signaling from one or more UEs. Capability reporting may be initiated or triggered by each UE, or in response to a request or other signaling from the gNB (not shown).

[0116] The various UE capabilities may include one or more parameters, attributes, features, or functions, such as any one or more of the following illustrative examples: number of antennas, MIMO capability, and SL protocol or capability. SL protocol or capability may include, for example, any one or more of the following: Bluetooth TM , WiFi, NR sidelink and bandwidth support. For example, the UE capabilities reported at 902 and 904 for coordinated operation may include any one or more of the following: information about cross-links between UEs, such as the protocols used (WiFi, Bluetooth, sidelink), frequency and bandwidth, latency, etc.; antenna ports; power; maximum number of MIMO layers.

[0117] The capabilities for coordinated operation may be the same as or different from the individual UE capabilities, or in other words, the capabilities that a UE provides or supports for coordinated operation with another UE may be different from the UE capabilities when the UE operates on its own. For example, a UE with 4 antennas may report 2 antennas as part of its capabilities for UE coordinated operation or the ability to send / receive a subset of signals / channels for UE coordinated operation. Therefore, a UE may report only part of its capabilities for coordinated operation with one or more other UEs.

[0118] As shown at 910, the gNB makes a decision as to whether to configure coordinated operation between UEs, and at 912, 914, sends signaling to the UEs indicating the corresponding transmit / receive configuration of the UEs.

[0119] Thus, in the illustrated example, after the gNB receives capability reporting signaling from the UE at 902, 904, and in some embodiments, in response to receiving such signaling, the gNB determines at 910 whether to configure coordinated operation between the UEs. More generally, in some embodiments, a network device may make a decision as to whether to coordinate operation between two or more UEs. Any of a variety of criteria may be used to determine whether to configure coordinated operation between the UEs. For example, a decision or determination may be made based on capability reporting and any one or more of the following: at least a certain number of UEs are available for coordinated operation, such as they have no traffic to send at this time (or the traffic is below a threshold amount); they belong to the same user or the same entity (owner, company, office, etc.); at least a certain amount of additional capabilities are available for coordinated operation, such as at least a certain amount of additional antennas or transmit power or processing power. Additionally or alternatively, one or more other criteria may be used. Other examples of criteria that may be used in a coordinated operation determination include: the UEs between which the coordinated operation is to be performed have good channel quality to the network device (e.g., gNB), there is good channel quality (or cross-links) between the UEs, or the UEs move together.

[0120] In the case of a positive determination, the gNB sends signaling indicating the corresponding configuration of the UE, and each UE receives the signaling. For example, the configuration may indicate or include any one or more of the following:

[0121] UE identifiers, such as the RNTI of each UE;

[0122] Traffic direction for coordinated operation, such as UL only, DL only, or both UL and DL;

[0123] an identity of one or more of the UEs for coordinated operation (e.g., a SUE for UL or a TUE for DL, one or more CUEs, one or more primary UEs, one or more secondary UEs, one or more first type UEs, one or more second type UEs);

[0124] One or more parameters of a UE-to-UE link (which may be a dedicated link between UEs), such as protocol, latency, data rate, carrier frequency, bandwidth, data error rate, modulation, etc.

[0125] These are just examples, and other information may additionally or alternatively be included in the UE transmit configuration / receive configuration.

[0126] Typically, different transmit and / or receive operations may be configured, for example, for different modes. The operations of the first type UE and the second type UE are different, as disclosed herein. There may also be other different operating modes. For example, for a power saving mode, limited transmit and / or receive operations or functions may be configured to save UE power. For the purpose of coordinated operation, these features may be configured in addition to different communication operations. The first type UE and / or the second type UE may be used in a power saving mode. Therefore, the implementation of coordinated operation between UEs as disclosed herein does not necessarily exclude or otherwise affect other features or operating modes.

[0127] UL / DL transmission / reception operations for different types of UEs or UEs with different roles for coordinated operation may involve sending and / or receiving different channels or signaling. In other embodiments, communication operations for UL transmission and / or DL ​​reception may involve configuring operations or features differently for different UEs between which operations are coordinated, such as any one or more of the following:

[0128] Carrier aggregation (CA): For example, some UEs may be configured with CA while others are not;

[0129] Dual-connectivity (DC): For example, some UEs may be configured with DC, while others are not;

[0130] Handover (HO): For example, some UEs may be configured with HO while others are not, and the coordinated UEs may HO together.

[0131] These and / or other features may be configured for different UEs based on one or more UE types or roles for coordinated operation, or, at least as described above for power save mode, may be configured in addition to different communication operations for the purpose of coordinated operation.

[0132] The corresponding UE configuration for DL ​​reception and / or UL transmission as disclosed herein can simplify the operation of one or more UEs. The DL / UL transmission / reception operations or functions can be configured separately, depending on how to coordinate the operations between the UEs. For example, one or more UEs (also referred to as second type UEs herein) can be configured with only limited DL reception operations or functions and / or only limited UL transmission operations or functions, while one or more other UEs (also referred to as first type UEs herein) can be configured for full feature or full operational communication.

[0133] exist Fig. 9 In the example shown, at 912, 914, each UE receives signaling indicating the configuration. In the example shown, UE #1 has a full operational configuration and UE #2 has a limited operational configuration. At 920, Fig. 9 UE#1 is shown in “full” communication with the gNB, and this is intended to indicate the transmission and / or reception of all necessary channels or signals that the UE transmits or receives during normal operation. Figures 6 to 8 An example of UE 522 is shown. Fig. 9 922 of the diagram shows limited communication operations between UE#2 and the gNB. UE-to-UE communications at 924 enable communication information (e.g., control information) to be exchanged between UEs due to the limited operation configuration of UE#2 in this example. Coordinated communications between the UEs and the gNB in ​​the illustrated example involve full communication operations at 1020, referred to herein as between UE#1 and the gNB, limited communication operations at 1022, referred to herein as between UE#2 and the gNB, and UE-to-UE communications at 1024, also referred to herein as inter-UE communications.

[0134] Fig.10 is a signal flow diagram of an example of signaling and coordination operations of a UE according to another embodiment. Fig.10 The example shown in is basically similar to Fig. 9 The difference is that in Fig.10 In the example, at 1010, it is the UE (in this example, specifically UE#1) that makes a coordinated operation decision or determination.

[0135] exist Fig.10 In the example, UE#1 is the master UE for coordinated operation. As shown at 1002, UE#2 may report its coordinated operation capability to UE#1 in signaling, and UE#1 determines whether to configure coordinated operation at 1010. Fig. 9An example of a decision or determination criterion is provided. At 1012, in response to or otherwise based on a positive determination, signaling indicating the configuration is sent to and received by UE #2. UE #1 may also report such configuration to the gNB, as shown at 1014, or not report the configuration to the gNB, thereby making the role of each UE for coordinated operation transparent to the gNB.

[0136] Fig.10 The other features at 1020, 1022, and 1024 shown in FIG. Fig. 9 Similar labeled features in are substantially the same.

[0137] Additionally or alternatively, the above reference Fig. 9 The features discussed can be found in Fig.10 implemented in a consistent embodiment.

[0138] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The examples in are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting. Other embodiments may include more, fewer and / or different features implemented in a similar or different manner or order than shown or described.

[0139] For example, despite Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Although not shown in the figure, some embodiments may involve enabling or triggering communication operations according to UE configuration. The signaling of enabling or triggering signaling can be used to enable or trigger transmission and / or reception operations or functions, or more generally to enable or trigger coordinated operations between UEs. For example, the DL reception / UL transmission configured at 912, 914, 1012 can be controlled by DCI (or Fig.10 The activation may be triggered or enabled by an indication carried in the SCI in the example shown, or by an activation indication in a MAC control element (MAC-CE) similar to carrier aggregation (CA) activation.

[0140] UE behaviors or characteristics used for coordinated operation in Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Consider the first type of UE disclosed herein, which is Fig. 9 and Fig.10 For UE#1 in the UE, for DL, these UEs can be used to monitor / receive all main signals or channels from the network and pass the received signals or information to one or more second type UEs that are not used to monitor or receive these signals or channels.

[0141] For example, some embodiments may involve a first type UE (also referred to herein as the first type UE for ease of reference) decoding a DCI (e.g., any one of scheduling information, transmit power control (TPC) commands) received in a PDCCH, and sending corresponding information to one or more second type UEs (also referred to herein as the second type UE for ease of reference). Scheduling information corresponding to the scheduling information decoded from the DCI may be sent by the first type UE (e.g., via an SCI) to the second type UE, so that the second type UE may receive data on the PDSCH from the network and send data on the PUSCH to the network. Additionally or alternatively, the first type UE may pass an UL power control command or information from the decoded TPC to the second type UE.

[0142] Another example of first type UE behavior is sending a wake-up signal to one or more second type UEs after receiving paging from the gNB or other network device.

[0143] The first type UE may also or alternatively be responsible for collecting information from one or more second type UEs and delivering the information to the network device. In some embodiments, for example, such information may include any of the following: DL channel state information (CSI) and UCI for DL ​​transmission, including HARQ-ACK feedback and / or SR.

[0144] Such information exchange between UEs, also referred to herein as exchanging communication information, may be implemented via an inter-UE connection between the first type of UE and the second type of UE.

[0145] For UL, the first type UE can be used to send all main signals or channels. The first type UE may also or alternatively be responsible for synchronizing with one or more second type UEs and / or notifying one or more second type UEs of corresponding timing advance (TA) information through one or more inter-UE connections. The first type UE behavior or feature may also or alternatively include: when the first type UE has UL data to be sent to the network device by the first type UE and one or more second type UEs in a coordinated manner, sending a wake-up signal to one or more second type UEs via one or more inter-UE connections. Another example of a first type UE behavior or feature that may be provided in some embodiments is that the first type UE may be responsible for collecting information such as HARQ-ACK / SR / DL CSI from one or more second type UEs through one or more inter-UE connections also as described above, and sending information such as UCI to one or more second type UEs, for example, in PUCCH.

[0146] For example, some embodiments may include decoding, by a first type UE, DCI (e.g., any one of scheduling information, transmit power control (TPC) commands) received in a PDCCH, and sending corresponding information to one or more second type UEs. Scheduling information corresponding to the scheduling information decoded from the DCI may be sent by the first type UE (e.g., via an SCI) to the second type UE, so that the second type UE may receive data on the PDSCH from the network and send data on the PUSCH to the network.

[0147] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the operations or behaviors of the second type UE and the first type UE are different.

[0148] For DL, the second type UE may be used to monitor / receive restricted signals or channels directly from the network device and receive other signals or channels, or information carried in these signals or channels, from the first type UE. For example, the second type UE may receive information corresponding to the DCI decoded from the PDCCH by the first type UE (e.g., via the SCI). For example, the information may correspond to scheduling information and / or TPC commands decoded from the DCI.

[0149] If the second type UE is in the sleep mode, the second type UE may also or alternatively be configured to receive a wake-up signal from the first type UE.

[0150] In some embodiments, the second type UE is used to convey information to the first type UE, at least the following examples of which are provided above: DL CSI and UCI for DL ​​transmission:

[0151] Information may be exchanged between UEs via an inter-UE connection between the first type UE and the second type UE.

[0152] Different UE behaviors or characteristics may also be related to other aspects of DL operation, or alternatively be related to other aspects of DL operation. For example, the second type UE may be configured to skip (i.e., not perform) at least some DL measurements, such as reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), etc. If the second type UE is close to the first type UE, the second type UE may not be required to perform such measurements.

[0153] For the UL, the second type UE may be used to transmit restricted signals or channels relative to the signals or channels that the first type UE is used to transmit.

[0154] The second type UE may also or alternatively be configured to receive UL synchronization information such as TA from the first type UE via the inter-UE connection, and adjust the time alignment of its UL transmission accordingly.

[0155] Another possible UL operation or feature of the second type UE is to receive a wake-up signal from the first type UE over the inter-UE connection to prepare to send data in the UL in a coordinated manner with the first type UE.

[0156] The second type UE may also or alternatively be used to communicate information (eg, HARQ-ACK / SR / DLCSI) to the first type UE via an inter-UE connection to be sent by the first type UE to the network device, eg, as UCI in a PUCCH.

[0157] exist Fig. 9 and Fig.10 In the embodiment of the present invention, a first type of UE behavior in terms of communication with a network device is shown by way of example at 920, 1020, where "full" is generally used to refer to a more complete communication operation with a network device. This is at least described above as sending and / or receiving all major signals or channels. Examples of such signals and channels are described elsewhere herein, Figures 6 to 8 Some examples are shown in . Similarly, the behavior of the second type of UE in terms of communication with the network device is shown by example at 922, 1022, where "restricted" is generally used to indicate limited communication operations with the network device relative to the communication operations of the first type of UE. The second type of UE may only send or receive a subset or part of the signals or channels used by the first type of UE to send or receive. Examples of such signals and channels are also described elsewhere in this document, some examples are as follows Figures 6 to 8 Due to the restricted operation configuration of the second type UE for communicating with the network device, the UE-to-UE communication at 924, 1024 is generally used to represent the exchange of communication information between the first type UE and the second type UE.

[0158] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Various embodiments are shown. More generally, methods consistent with the present disclosure may involve: a UE receiving signaling, the operation of which is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 In the example of UE#2, the UE receiving such signaling is shown at 914 and 1012. The UE (whose operation will be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with the network device) can be a SUE, or a TUE to be assisted by other (first type) UEs to communicate with the network device, or a CUE assisting other UEs (first type UEs, which can be SUEs or TUEs), etc.

[0159] The restricted operation configuration is for the restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device. The restricted communication operation is restricted relative to the full operation configuration of other UEs used to communicate with the network device. Among them, the UE mentioned in this example is the second type UE, and the other UE mentioned in this example is the first type UE.

[0160] The UE and other UEs have different roles and different operations in the coordinated operation. For example, the exemplary method may involve: the UE communicates with the network device according to the limited operation configuration. In other words, a method may involve: the UE and other UEs communicate with the network device in a coordinated manner, wherein the UE communicates with limited operation and the other UEs communicate with full operation. The limited and full communication operations with the network device, and the inter-UE communication that may also be involved in the coordinated communication, are respectively described in Fig. 9 920, 922, 924 and Fig.10 As shown at 1020, 1022, and 1024 in FIG.

[0161] Embodiments may also or alternatively be summarized with respect to how UEs communicate with a network and how UEs communicate with each other. For example, from the perspective of a second type of UE, a method may involve: the UE communicating with a network device in a wireless communication network (e.g., Fig. 9 and Fig.10 922, 1022 in the example); the UE communicates with the network device according to the coordinated operation with another (first type) UE for communicating with the network device (such as Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The limited communication operation is limited relative to a fully operational configuration of other UEs for communicating with the network device.

[0162] From the perspective of other (first type) UEs, a method may involve, for example, receiving signaling from a network device indicating a fully operational configuration. Fig. 9 The example at 912 in FIG. 1 is shown. The fully operational configuration is for less restricted communication operations between the first type UE and the network device relative to the restricted communication operations configured for the second type UE. As in other embodiments, the operation of the first type UE will be coordinated with the second type UE to communicate with the network device. The restricted communication operations are restricted relative to the fully operational configurations of other UEs for communicating with the network device.

[0163] Likewise, the UE (second type) and the other UE (first type) in this example have different roles in the coordinated operation and operate differently.For example, the exemplary method may involve: the other UE communicates with the network device according to the fully operational configuration.

[0164] From the perspective of a first type of UE, another method may involve: the first type of UE communicating with a network device in a wireless communication network according to a full operational configuration for the UE to communicate with the network device, such as Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown in the examples at 920 and 1020 in the example; the first type UE communicates with the network device according to the coordinated operation with the second type UE for communicating with the network device, such as Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown in the examples at 922 and 1022. The full operation configuration is less restrictive than the restricted operation configuration of the second type of UE.

[0165] In the context of these methods, any of the various features disclosed herein may be provided. For example, any one or more of the following may be provided in any of various combinations:

[0166] The restricted operation configuration is or includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception;

[0167] The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE;

[0168] A method may involve: due to the limited communication operation between the UE and the network device, exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE, as shown in the examples at 924, 1024, to supplement the limited communication operation by enabling the UE to indirectly receive communication information from the network device and / or send communication information to the network device through the other UE;

[0169] The signaling is or includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, examples of such indications are provided elsewhere herein, and several examples are also provided below;

[0170] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication of an antenna configuration;

[0171] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication that the UE is a secondary UE and is used to coordinate operations with the other UE as the primary UE;

[0172] The signaling is or includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling;

[0173] Receiving the signaling includes the UE receiving the signaling from the network device;

[0174] Receiving the signaling includes the UE receiving the signaling from the other UE.

[0175] Exchanging communication information between UEs may involve exchanging any of various types of communication information. Such communication information may be sent from a second type UE to a first type UE and received by the first type UE, and / or sent from a first type UE to a second type UE and received by the second type UE. Examples of communication information are provided elsewhere herein, and the communication information exchanged between UEs may include any one or more of the following: signals or information from primary signals or channels monitored / received by the first type UE, where the second type UE is not used to directly monitor or receive these primary signals or channels from the network device; information corresponding to DCI received in the PDCCH and decoded by the first type UE (e.g., any one of scheduling information for scheduling the second type UE and a TPC command for the second type UE); a wake-up signal sent by the first type UE to the second type UE to wake up the second type UE after the first type UE receives paging from the gNB or other network device; information collected by the first type UE from the second type UE, which is passed by the first type UE to the network device (e.g., any one of DL CSI feedback and UCI for DL ​​transmission (including HARQ-ACK feedback and / or SR)); TA information sent by the first type UE to the second type UE for timing alignment of the second type UE. These are illustrative and non-limiting examples of communication information that can be exchanged between UEs in some embodiments.

[0176] Some embodiments may involve receiving signaling indicating a configuration. According to another embodiment, a method involves: sending signaling to a UE whose operation is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration; and communicating with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

[0177] Such signaling can be sent by the network device or the UE. Fig. 9 , a gNB is an example of a network device that can send such signaling, as shown at 914. Fig. 9 It is also shown that at 912, the network device may send signaling indicating a full operational configuration to the first type UE. Fig.10As shown in the example at 1012 in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration may be sent by a first type UE (UE#1 in this example) to a second type UE (UE#2 in this example). Fig.10 In the example involved, the UE sending signaling at 1012 also makes a coordinated operation decision at 1010, but this is not necessarily always the case. For example, the gNB or other network equipment may make a decision such as Fig. 9 The coordinated operation decision shown in FIG. 1 sends the full operation configuration and the restricted operation configuration to UE # 1, and then UE # 1 can relay the restricted operation configuration to UE # 1. Therefore, the master UE and other UEs can send the restricted operation configuration to the second type UE without having to make a decision on whether to configure the coordinated operation between the UEs.

[0178] Communicating with the second type UE according to the restricted operating configuration may involve UE-network device communication as shown in the example at 1022. In the context of this exemplary method, signaling involves the network device sending signaling to the UE, and communicating involves communication between the network device and the UE.

[0179] In another embodiment, the sending involves sending the signaling by the other UE (first type) to the UE (second type), and the communication involves exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE. As described herein, this exchange of communication information is due to a restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device, which in turn is due to a restricted operational configuration of the UE. At least in this sense, communicating with the UE by exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE is a form of communicating with the UE according to a restricted operational configuration.

[0180] Any of the various features disclosed herein may be provided in a method involving signaling. For example, any one or more of the following may be provided in any of various combinations:

[0181] The restricted operation configuration is or includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception;

[0182] The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE;

[0183] The signaling is or includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, examples of such indications are provided elsewhere herein, and several examples are also provided below;

[0184] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication of an antenna configuration;

[0185] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication that the UE is a secondary UE and is used to coordinate operations with the other UE as the primary UE;

[0186] The signaling is or includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

[0187] These method examples are illustrative and non-limiting embodiments, and other embodiments may include additional or different features disclosed herein.

[0188] The present disclosure includes various embodiments, including not only method embodiments, but also other embodiments, such as apparatus embodiments and embodiments related to non-transitory computer-readable storage media. The embodiments may incorporate the features disclosed herein individually or in combination.

[0189] The apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium being coupled to the processor and storing a program for execution by the processor. Figure 3 For example, processors 210, 260, 276 may each be or include one or more processors, and each memory 208, 258, 278 is an example of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in ED 110 and TRP 170, 172. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium need not be provided only in conjunction with the processor, but may be provided separately, for example, in a computer program product.

[0190] As an illustrative example, a program stored in or on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include instructions for implementing the following operations or causing a processor to implement the following operations: a UE receives signaling, the operation of the UE to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration of a restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device; wherein the restricted communication operation is restricted relative to a full operation configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; and the UE communicates with the network device according to the restricted operation configuration.

[0191] In some embodiments, the program may further include instructions for or for causing the processor to execute: due to the limited communication operation between the UE and the network device, exchanging communication information between the UE and other UEs.

[0192] The program may include instructions for or for causing the processor to execute: receiving signaling from a network device, or receiving signaling from other UEs.

[0193] In another embodiment, the program may include instructions for implementing the following operations or causing a processor to implement the following operations: sending signaling to a UE, the operation of the UE to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration for restricted communication operations between the UE and the network device; wherein the restricted communication operation is restricted relative to a full operation configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; and communicating with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

[0194] The program may include instructions for or for causing a processor to execute: the network device sending the signaling to the UE, and performing communication between the network device and the UE.

[0195] In another embodiment, the program includes instructions for or for causing the processor to perform the following operations: sending the signaling to the UE by the other UE, and communicating with the UE by exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE due to the restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device.

[0196] Embodiments related to an apparatus or non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include any one or more of the following features, which are also discussed elsewhere herein, for example:

[0197] The restricted operation configuration is or includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception;

[0198] The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE;

[0199] The signaling is or includes an explicit indication of the restricted operation configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration;

[0200] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication of an antenna configuration;

[0201] The signaling is or includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication is or includes an indication that the UE is a secondary UE and is used to coordinate operations with the other UE as the primary UE;

[0202] The signaling is or includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

[0203] Additionally or alternatively, other features disclosed herein may be implemented in apparatus embodiments and / or computer program product embodiments.

[0204] Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 5 to 8Examples of communication systems and devices are provided, and the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in or in conjunction with these communication systems and devices. Additional network examples are as follows: Fig.11 and Fig.12 shown.

[0205] Fig.11 1 is a block diagram of an example of a telecommunication network 1100 according to one embodiment. The telecommunication network 1100 includes a core network 1102 and a radio access network 1106. The radio access network 1106 serves a plurality of UEs 1104a, 1104b, 1104c, 1104d, 1104e, 1104f, 1104g, 1104h, and 1104i. In some embodiments, the access network 1106 is an evolved universal terrestrial access (E-UTRA) network. Another example of the radio access network 1106 is a cloud access network (C-RAN). The radio access network 1106 includes a plurality of BSs 1108a, 1108b, and 1108c. The BSs 1108a to 1108c each provide a respective radio coverage area 1110a, 1110b, and 1110c, also referred to as a cell. Each of the BSs 1108a to 1108c may be implemented using a wireless transceiver, one or more antennas and associated processing circuitry (eg, antenna radio frequency (RF) circuitry), one or more analog-to-digital converters, one or more digital-to-analog converters, and the like.

[0206] Although not shown, BSs 1108a-1108c are each connected to the core network 1102 either directly or through one or more central processing hubs (eg, servers). BSs 1108a-1108c may serve as gateways between the wired and wireless portions of the access network 1106.

[0207] Depending on the implementation, BS1108a to 1108c may also be referred to as a base transceiver station, a wireless BS, a network node, a transmission node, a transmission point, a Node B, an eNode B, a remote radio head (RRH), etc.

[0208] In operation, a plurality of UEs 1104a to 1104i access the telecommunications network 1100 using the access network 1106 by wirelessly communicating with one or more of the BSs 1108a to 1108c.

[0209] UEs 1104a to 1104d are in close proximity to one another. Although UEs 1104a to 1104d can each communicate wirelessly with BS 1108a, they can also communicate directly with each other, as shown at 1116. The communication represented at 1116 is direct communication between UEs, such as sidelink communication, which does not pass through access network components, such as a BS. Such communication between UEs is also referred to herein as UE-to-UE communication or inter-UE communication. Fig.11 As shown, inter-UE communication 1116 is performed directly between UEs 1104a to 1104d and is not routed through BS1108a or any other part of the access network 1106. Communication 1116 may also be referred to as lateral communication. In the embodiments disclosed herein, UE-to-UE communication may use a sidelink channel and a sidelink air interface. On the other hand, communication between an access network component (e.g., BS1108a) and a UE (e.g., communication 1114) is referred to as access communication. Access communication occurs on an access channel, which may be an uplink channel or a downlink channel, and access communication uses a wireless access communication interface, such as a cellular wireless access air interface. The access and inter-UE air interfaces may use different transmission formats, such as different waveforms, different multiple access schemes, or different wireless access technologies. Some examples of wireless access technologies that may be used for the access air interface or the inter-UE air interface are: long term evolution (LTE), LTE license assisted access (LTE-LAA), and WiFi.

[0210] UEs 1104a-1104d may facilitate wireless communications between UEs 1104a-1104d and BS 1108a using sidelink (or other inter-UE) communications 1116. For example, if UE 1104c fails to correctly decode a data packet received from BS 1108a, but UE 1104d is able to receive and correctly decode a data packet from BS 1108a, UE 1104d may directly transmit the decoded data packet to UE 1104c via UE-to-UE communications 1116. For another example, if UE 1104c moves out of wireless coverage area 1111c such that UE 1104c can no longer wirelessly communicate with BS 1108a, UE 1104b may forward messages between UE 1104c and BS 1108a. For another example, both UE 1104a and UE 1104c may receive a signal transmitted from BS 1108a that carries a data packet intended for UE 1104c. UE 1104a may then send the signal received by UE 1104a to UE 1104c via UE-to-UE communication 1116. UE 1104c may then use the information received from UE 1104a to assist in decoding the data packet from BS 1108a. In these examples, UE operations are coordinated to assist one or more of UEs 1104a, 1104b, and 1104d.

[0211] In some embodiments, UEs 1104a to 1104d form a UE group 1120. However, it should be noted that the features disclosed herein do not rely on a pre-explicitly formed UE group.

[0212] In the scenario of UE group 1120 and UE 1104c to be assisted, other UEs 1104a, 1104b and 1104d constitute a candidate set for assisting UE 1104c. If UE 1104a and 1104b assist UE 1104c, UE 1104a and 1104b form a coordinated activation set, or a collaborative activation set in a UC embodiment. When UE 1104a to 1104d moves around, some UEs may leave UE group 1120. In addition or alternatively, UE movement may cause other UEs to join UE group 1120. Therefore, the candidate set may change over time. For example, the candidate set may change semi-statically. For example, if the network determines that UE group 1120 no longer needs or has no opportunity to assist wireless communication between BS 1108a and members of UE group 1120, UE group 1120 may also be terminated by network 1106.

[0213] There may be more than one UE group. For example, Fig.11 UEs 1104e and 1104f in the UE group form another UE group 1122.

[0214] Fig.12 1 is a block diagram of an example of a network 1252 serving two UEs 1254a and 1254b according to one embodiment. The network 1252 may be Fig.11 In the access network 1106, two UEs 1254a and 1254b may be Fig.11 Two of the four UEs 1104a to 1104d, or UEs 1254a and 1254b may be Fig.11 1104e and 1104f in . However, more generally, this is not necessarily the case, so in Fig.12 Different reference numerals are used in the drawings.

[0215] The network 1252 includes a BS 1256 and a management module 1258. The management module 1258 instructs the BS 1256 to perform actions. The management module 1258 is shown as being physically separated from the BS 1256 and coupled to the BS 1256 via a communication link 1260. For example, the management module 1258 may be part of a server in the network 1252. Alternatively, the management module 1258 may be part of the BS 1256.

[0216] The management module 1258 includes a processor 1262, a memory 1264, and a communication module 1266. The communication module 1266 is implemented by the processor 1262 when the processor 1262 accesses and executes a series of instructions stored in the memory 1264, which define the actions of the communication module 1266. When the instructions are executed, the communication module 1266 causes the BS 1256 to perform the actions described herein so that in some embodiments, the network 1252 can establish, instruct or control the coordinated operation of the UE. Alternatively, the communication module 1266 can be implemented using a dedicated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmed field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0217] UE 1254a includes a communication subsystem 1270a, two antennas 1272a and 1274a, a processor 1276a and a memory 1278a. UE 1254a also includes a communication module 1280a. When the processor 1276a accesses and executes a series of instructions stored in the memory 1278a, the communication module 1280a is implemented by the processor 1276a, and these instructions define the actions of the communication module 1280a. When the instructions are executed, the communication module 1280a enables the UE 1254a to perform the actions related to the coordinated operation of the UE described herein. Alternatively, the module 1280a can be implemented by a dedicated circuit (e.g., ASIC or FPGA).

[0218] The communication subsystem 1270a includes a processing circuit, a sending circuit, and a receiving circuit for sending messages from UE 1254a and receiving messages at UE 1254a. Although one communication subsystem 1270a is shown, the communication subsystem 1270a can be multiple communication subsystems. Antenna 1272a sends wireless communication signals to BS1256 and receives wireless communication signals from BS1256. Antenna 1274a sends UE communication signals to other UEs (including UE 1254b) and receives UE communication signals from other UEs. In some implementations, there may not be two separate antennas 1272a and 1274a. A single antenna can be used. Alternatively, there may be multiple antennas, but they are not divided into antennas used only for communication between UEs and antennas used only for communication with BS1256.

[0219] Inter-UE communication may be performed via Wi-Fi, in which case antenna 1274a may be a Wi-Fi antenna. Alternatively, inter-UE communication may be performed via Bluetooth™, in which case antenna 1274a may be a Bluetooth™ antenna. Additionally or alternatively, inter-UE communication may be performed via licensed spectrum or unlicensed spectrum.

[0220] UE 1254b includes the same components described above with respect to UE 1254a, that is, UE 1254b includes a communication subsystem 1270b, antennas 1272b and 1274b, a processor 1276b, a memory 1278b, and a communication module 1980b.

[0221] Fig.11 and Fig.12 1 shows a system in which the embodiments may be implemented. In some embodiments, the UE includes a processor (e.g. Fig.12 1976a, 1976b) and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program (e.g. Fig.12 1978a, 1978b), the program includes instructions for execution by a processor. Additionally or alternatively, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be provided separately as a computer program product. Examples are provided elsewhere in this article.

[0222] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, the description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments and other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to this specification. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include any such modifications or embodiments.

[0223] Additionally or alternatively, for example, features disclosed herein in the context of method embodiments may be implemented in apparatus or computer program product embodiments. Furthermore, although embodiments are primarily described in the context of methods and apparatus, other implementations are contemplated, for example, as instructions stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. These media may store programming or instructions to perform any of a variety of methods consistent with the present disclosure.

[0224] Although various aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to the specific features and embodiments of the present invention, various modifications and combinations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the specification and the drawings are only regarded as the description of some embodiments of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, and any and all modifications, variants, combinations or equivalents covered within the scope of the present invention are considered. Therefore, although the embodiments and potential advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made without departing from the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, the scope of the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, parts, methods and steps described in the specification. According to the disclosure of the present invention, it will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, parts, methods or steps (including currently existing or later developed) that perform substantially the same functions as the corresponding embodiments described herein or achieve substantially the same results as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be used according to the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include these processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, parts, methods or steps within their scope.

[0225] In addition, any module, component, or device that executes instructions as illustrated herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media for storing information, such as computer-readable or processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media includes cassettes, magnetic tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray Disc TMOptical disks, or other optical storage, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other storage technology. Any of these non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media can be part of the device, or accessible or connectable to the device. Any application or module described herein can be implemented using computer or processor readable and executable instructions, which can be stored or otherwise saved by such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media.

Claims

1. A method performed by a device, comprising: receiving signaling indicating a restricted operational configuration of restricted communication operations between the apparatus and a network device in a wireless communication network, wherein operations of the apparatus are to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with the network device, wherein the restricted communication operations are restricted relative to a full operational configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the network device according to the restricted operating configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The restricted operation configuration includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: Due to the restricted communication operation between the apparatus and the network device, communication information is exchanged between the apparatus and the other UE.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The signaling includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, the implicit indication including an indication of an antenna configuration.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, the implicit indication including an indication that the apparatus is a secondary UE for coordinating operations with the other UE as a primary UE.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The signaling includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: Receiving the signaling includes receiving the signaling from the network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: Receiving the signaling includes receiving the signaling from the other UE.

11. A method performed by an apparatus, comprising: Sending signaling to a user equipment (UE), the operation of which is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operational configuration of restricted communication operations between the UE and the network device; wherein the restricted communication operations are restricted relative to a full operational configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The restricted operation configuration includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The signaling includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, the implicit indication including an indication of an antenna configuration.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication includes an indication that the UE is a secondary UE for coordinating operations with the other UE as a primary UE.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The signaling includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein: The device is the network.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein: The apparatus is the other UE, wherein communicating with the UE includes: exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE due to the restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device.

20. An apparatus comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor and storing a program executed by the processor, wherein the program includes instructions for causing the apparatus to: receiving signaling indicating a restricted operational configuration of restricted communication operations between the apparatus and a network device in a wireless communication network, wherein operations of the apparatus are to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with the network device, and wherein the restricted communication operations are restricted relative to a full operational configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the network device according to the restricted operating configuration.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein: The restricted operation configuration includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, wherein: The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE.

23. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein: The program also includes instructions for causing the device to perform the following operations: Due to the restricted communication operation between the apparatus and the network device, communication information is exchanged between the apparatus and the other UE.

24. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein: The signaling includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration.

25. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, the implicit indication including an indication of an antenna configuration.

26. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, the implicit indication including an indication that the apparatus is a secondary UE for coordinating operations with the other UE as a primary UE.

27. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein: The signaling includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

28. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein The program includes instructions for causing the apparatus to receive the signaling from the network device.

29. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein: The program includes instructions for causing the apparatus to receive the signaling from the other UE.

30. An apparatus comprising: processor; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor and storing a program executed by the processor, wherein the program includes instructions for causing the apparatus to: Sending signaling to a user equipment (UE), the operation of which is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operational configuration for restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device; wherein the restricted communication operation is restricted relative to a full operational configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

31. The device according to claim 30, wherein The restricted operation configuration includes one or both of the following: a configuration for uplink transmission and a configuration for downlink reception.

32. The device according to claim 30 or 31, wherein: The restricted operation configuration indicates a subset of signals or channels configured for the other UE.

33. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein: The signaling includes an explicit indication of the restricted operating configuration or an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration.

34. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operating configuration, the implicit indication including an indication of an antenna configuration.

35. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein: The signaling includes an implicit indication of the restricted operation configuration, and the implicit indication includes an indication that the UE is a secondary UE for coordinating operations with the other UE as a primary UE.

36. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 32, wherein: The signaling includes one or both of the following: semi-static signaling and dynamic signaling.

37. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 36, wherein: The apparatus is the network device.

38. The device according to any one of claims 30 to 36, wherein: The apparatus is the other UE, and communicating with the UE includes: exchanging communication information between the UE and the other UE due to the restricted communication operation between the UE and the network device.

39. A computer program product comprising a processor coupled to a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause an apparatus to: receiving signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration of a restricted communication operation between the apparatus and a network device in a wireless communication network, wherein: The operation of the apparatus is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with the network device, wherein the limited communication operation is limited relative to a full operational configuration of the other UEs for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the network device according to the restricted operating configuration.

40. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, the program comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to: Sending signaling to a user equipment (UE), the operation of which is to be coordinated with other UEs to communicate with a network device in a wireless communication network, the signaling indicating a restricted operation configuration for restricted communication operations between the UE and the network device; wherein, The limited communication operation is limited relative to a full operational configuration of the other UE for communicating with the network device; Communicate with the UE according to the restricted operation configuration.

41. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for execution by a processor, the program comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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