Sub-band non-overlapping full duplex pattern with antenna switching

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, an apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium for configuration of sub-band non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD) with antenna switching. In one method, a first device determines information related to antenna switching by a second device within a subset of SBFD patterns in a set of SBFD patterns. The first device determines at least one point in time for the antenna switching based at least on the information about the antenna switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns with antenna switching. Background Art

[0002] In some communication systems such as the fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) system, various duplex modes are supported. For example, frequency division duplex (FDD) for paired frequency bands and time division duplex (TDD) for unpaired frequency bands are supported. In TDD, time domain resources are divided between downlink (DL) and uplink (UL). The limited duration allocation for uplink in TDD may lead to reduced coverage, increased latency and reduced capacity. To address these challenges, SBFD is proposed, such as simultaneous DL and UL transmission on different physical resource blocks (PRBs) or subbands within an unpaired wideband NR cell. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the first device to: determine information related to antenna switching within a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern subset in a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set by a second device; and determine at least one time point for antenna switching based on at least the information related to antenna switching.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the second device to: determine a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set, the configuration indicating antenna switching within an SBFD pattern subset in the SBFD pattern set; and determine at least one time point of antenna switching by the second device based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining, at a first device, information related to antenna switching within a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern subset in a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set by a second device; and determining at least one time point for antenna switching based at least on the information related to the antenna switching.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining, at a second device, a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set, the configuration indicating antenna switching of the second device within an SBFD pattern subset of the SBFD pattern set; and determining at least one time point for antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for determining information related to antenna switching within a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern subset in a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set by a second device; and a component for determining at least one time point for antenna switching based on at least the information related to the antenna switching.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes a component for determining a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set, the configuration indicating antenna switching within a subset of SBFD patterns in the SBFD pattern set by the second device; and a component for determining at least one time point for antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0010] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0013] Figure 2 An example diagram of TDD with a shared antenna array is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 shows a signaling diagram of SBFD with antenna switching according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E respectively show example antenna and chain configurations for SBFD patterns according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 5A and Figure 5B respectively show example SBFD patterns according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 6 shows example antenna switching patterns according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 7 An example process for determining antenna switching within a SBFD pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 8 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Fig. 9 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Fig.10 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Fig.11 A block diagram illustrating an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example implementations. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the way described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0026] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that other embodiments may be combined to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic, whether or not explicitly described.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0028] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0029] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after "A" occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0030] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise", "including", "having", "having", "including" and / or "comprising", when used herein, specify the presence of the features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0031] The term "circuitry" as used in this application may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0032] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) and

[0033] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0034] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and

[0035] (ii) any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and

[0036] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required to operate.

[0037] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As yet another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0038] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0039] As used herein, the term "network device" or "network access device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femto, a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN)) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) located at an IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) part, which behaves like a UE towards a parent node, and the DU part of the IAB node behaves like a base station towards a next-hop IAB node.

[0040] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that may be capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a user station (SS), a portable user station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless regional loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0041] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, for example, communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, code domain resources, or any other resource capable of communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources to describe some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0042] As briefly mentioned above, various duplex modes such as FDD and TDD are supported in communication networks. In TDD, time domain resources are divided between downlink (DL) and uplink (UL). The limited duration allocation for uplink in TDD may result in reduced coverage, increased latency, and reduced capacity.

[0043] As a possible enhancement to this limitation of TDD operation, it is worth investigating the feasibility of allowing simultaneous presence of downlink and uplink, such as full-duplex, or more specifically, sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) on the gNB side within the TDD band, in some mechanisms.

[0044] The New Radio (NR) TDD specification allows dynamic or flexible allocation of downlink and uplink in time, as well as cross-link interference (CLI) handling and remote interference management (RIM) for NR. However, further study may be needed for CLI handling between gNBs of the same or different operators to enable dynamic or flexible TDD in commercial networks. Depending on the deployment scenario, inter-gNB CLI may be due to adjacent channel CLI or same channel CLI or both. One issue that is not addressed is gNB-to-gNB CLI.

[0045] The feasibility and solutions for duplex evolution in the areas outlined above need to be identified to provide enhanced UL coverage, reduced latency, improved system capacity, and improved configuration flexibility for NR TDD operation in unpaired spectrum. In addition, regulatory aspects need to be examined for deploying the identified duplex enhancements in TDD unpaired spectrum, taking into account potential constraints.

[0046] In some mechanism, applicable and relevant deployment scenarios need to be identified. In addition, evaluation methods for duplex enhancement need to be developed.

[0047] SBFD is proposed in some mechanisms, such as simultaneous DL and UL transmission on different physical resource blocks (PRBs) or subbands within a non-paired wideband NR cell. As used herein, the term "SBFD" may also be referred to as cross-division duplexing (xDD) or flexible division duplexing (FDU). Potential enhancements on SBFD and dynamic / flexible TDD need to be studied.

[0048] Among some mechanisms, it is proposed to identify possible solutions and evaluate their feasibility and performance (Radio Access Network 1 (RAN1)). It is also proposed to study inter-gNB and inter-UE CLI handling and identify solutions to manage them (RAN1).

[0049] In the case of SBFD, both intra-subband CLI and inter-subband CLI need to be considered. The performance of the identified schemes and the impact on the conventional operation need to be studied assuming their coexistence in co-channel and adjacent channels.

[0050] The feasibility of RF requirements and the impact on RF requirements need to be studied considering coexistence of adjacent channels with legacy operations (RAN4). The feasibility of RF requirements and the impact on RF requirements need to be studied considering self-interference, inter-subband CLI, and inter-operator CLI at the gNB, and inter-subband CLI and inter-operator CLI at the UE.

[0051] In some mechanisms, due to the high impact in antenna / RF and algorithm design (including antenna isolation, TX IM suppression in RX part, filtering and digital interference suppression), RAN4 needs to be involved early to provide necessary information to RAN1 as needed and study the feasibility aspects. Therefore, potential enhancements on dynamic / flexible TDD need to be considered.

[0052] In some mechanisms, antenna configurations with transition periods may be used for reciprocal channel estimation for TDD. However, transition periods (also referred to as gaps) may occur in UL transmissions that span SBFD slots and UL slots for switching between connections to the transmit (Rx) chains connected to the antenna elements of panel group #1 and connections to the Rx chains connected to the antenna elements of panel group #2.

[0053] In some mechanisms, another antenna configuration that does not require any gaps in UL transmission across SBFD slots and UL slots can be applied. However, this antenna configuration cannot provide good reciprocal channel estimation. Therefore, how to support good channel reciprocity while avoiding transition periods is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0054] In order to solve at least part of the above problems or other potential problems, a solution for an SBFD pattern with antenna switching is proposed. According to an example embodiment, a first device (e.g., a terminal device) determines information related to antenna switching by a second device (e.g., a network device) within a subset of SBFD patterns of a SBFD pattern set. For example, antenna switching can be performed by the second device within a subset of the SBFD pattern. There is no antenna switching in the remaining subset of the SBFD pattern. The first device therefore determines at least one time point for antenna switching based at least on the information related to antenna switching. In some example embodiments, the first device may stop at least one of transmission and reception during antenna switching by the second device.

[0055] In this way, the first device can know at least one time point for antenna switching. In this way, based on the determined at least one time point for antenna switching, the first device can stop transmitting and / or receiving during the antenna switching.

[0056] The following will refer to Figures 1 to 11 The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail.

[0057] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices including a first device 110 and a second device 120 may communicate with each other.

[0058] The communication environment 100 may support various duplex modes, such as FDD and TDD. In some example embodiments, SBFD may be supported by the first device 110 and the second device 120.

[0059] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device serving the terminal device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0060] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown in are for illustration purposes only and do not imply any limitation.Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described with the first device 110 operating as a terminal device and the second device 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0062] The communication in the communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any appropriate (multiple) communication protocols, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication can utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0063] As discussed, various duplex modes such as TDD are supported. Figure 2 An example diagram 200 of TDD with a shared antenna array is shown. As shown, during the duration for DL, K (K is an integer greater than or equal to 1) Tx chains are connected to a shared Tx / Rx antenna array having L (L is an integer greater than or equal to 1) antenna elements for DL ​​time slots or DL ​​symbols. During the duration for UL, K Rx chains are connected to a shared Tx / Rx antenna array having L antenna elements for UL time slots or UL symbols. For SBFD, the connection between the Tx / Rx chains and the antenna elements can be varied, which will be referred to in detail in the following. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E Give a description.

[0064] Figure 3 A signaling diagram 300 of SBFD with antenna switching according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The signaling diagram 300 relates to Figure 1 For the purpose of illustration, reference will be made to the first device 110 and the second device 120. Figure 1 A signaling diagram 300 is described.

[0065] For the purpose of discussion, some example embodiments are described with the first device 110 being implemented as a terminal device and the second device 120 being implemented as a network device. In the following description, it is assumed that in the signaling diagram 300, the SBFD pattern is enabled or initiated. It is also assumed that duplex enhancement may be at the second device 120, and half-duplex operation may be at the first device 110. The frequency range may not be limited.

[0066] In operation, the first device 110 determines (340) information related to antenna switching by the second device 120 within a subset of SBFD patterns in the SBFD pattern set. For example, antenna switching may be within each SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset. In other words, each SBFD pattern of the SBFD pattern subset may include a time period for antenna switching. As used herein, the term "time period for antenna switching" or the term "antenna switching time period" may refer to a time period for switching antennas by the second device 120. In the following description, unless explicitly stated, it is assumed that the antenna switching is performed by the second device 120. No antenna switching may correspond to the remaining subset of SBFD patterns of the SBFD pattern set. That is, within each SBFD pattern in the remaining subset of SBFD patterns, there is no antenna switching or no antenna switching time period. The second device 120 may not switch antennas during the remaining subset of SBFD patterns.

[0067] As used herein, a subset of SBFD patterns with antenna switching may be referred to as an “SBFD pattern subset with antenna switching,” a “SBFD pattern subset with a transition period,” or an “SBFD pattern subset,” or a “first subset of SBFD patterns.” The remaining subset of SBFD patterns without antenna switching may be referred to as a “remaining subset of SBFD patterns” or a “second subset of SBFD patterns.” The SBFD pattern set includes a first subset and a second subset of SBFD patterns.

[0068] It should be understood that the subset of SBFD patterns may include any suitable number of SBFD patterns, such as 1, 2, or more than 2. Similarly, the remaining subset of SBFD patterns may include any suitable number of SBFD patterns. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0069] Based at least on the information related to the antenna switching, the first device 110 determines (345) at least one time point for antenna switching by the second device 120. For example, the time point for antenna switching may be between an SBFD symbol and a non-SBFD symbol in a single SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset. The antenna switching is performed by the second device 120.

[0070] In an example, for a specific SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset, the specific SBFD pattern may include a first time point for antenna switching. The first time point is after the SBFD symbol in the specific SBFD pattern and before the non-SBFD symbol. In another example, the specific SBFD pattern may include a second time point for antenna switching. The second time point is after the non-SBFD symbol in the specific SBFD pattern and before the SBFD symbol. In another instance, the specific SBFD pattern may include both the first time point and the second time point for antenna switching.

[0071] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may stop (350) or drop at least one of transmission and reception during antenna switching by second device 120. For example, first device 110 may stop (350) or drop at least one of transmission and reception during the period of antenna switching. In determining (345) at least one point in time, first device 110 may know where or when to stop (345) transmission and / or reception.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine ( 340 ) information related to antenna switching based on a predefined antenna switching pattern. Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, the antenna switching pattern may be configured or triggered by the second device 120 .

[0073] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 determines (320) a configuration of an antenna switching pattern. The antenna switching pattern corresponds to a set of SBFD patterns. The configuration indicates antenna switching within a subset of SBFD patterns of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0074] In one example, the second device 120 may determine (320) the configuration of the antenna switching pattern based on the moving speed of the first device 110. For example, the second device 120 may determine (320) and update the configuration of the antenna switching pattern based on the change in the moving speed of the first device 110. It should be understood that the second device 120 may alternatively determine (320) the configuration of the antenna switching pattern based on other parameters or other rules. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 determines (325) at least one time point for antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern. In this way, the second device 120 can determine the antenna switching time and thus perform antenna switching at the determined (325) time point.

[0076] In an example embodiment in which second device 120 determines (320) the configuration of the antenna switching pattern, second device 120 may transmit (330) the configuration of the antenna switching pattern to first device 110. First device 110 may receive (335) the configuration of the antenna switching pattern. First device 110 may determine (340) information related to antenna switching based on the received (335) configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the antenna and chain configuration may be configured for the SBFD pattern. For example, the antenna and chain configuration may be predefined or configured by the second device 120. The antenna and chain configuration may indicate the connection between the antenna element and the Tx / Rx chain. Information related to the configuration of the antenna switching or antenna switching pattern may be associated with the antenna and chain configuration.

[0078] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E Example antenna and chain configurations for SBFD patterns according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, respectively. As used herein, unless explicitly stated, (multiple) antenna elements, (multiple) antenna arrays, or (multiple) panel groups are implemented at the second device 120, or are implemented as part of the second device 120. Similarly, unless explicitly stated, (multiple) Tx chains, (multiple) Rx chains, (multiple) Tx / Rx chains, (multiple) Tx radio units (TxRUs) or (multiple) RxRUs or (multiple) transceiver units are implemented at the second device 120, or are implemented as part of the second device 120. In other words, in reference to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4E In the description, all Tx chains, Rx chains, Tx / Rx chains, TxRUs, RxRUs, antenna elements, antenna arrays, and panel groups belong to the second device 120 .

[0079] In one example, a first antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration (also referred to as configuration option 1 or method 1) may be configured. Figure 4A The connection between the antenna elements and the Tx / Rx chains based on the first antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration is shown. Specifically, in a DL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Tx chains in transceiver unit (TxRU) group #1, and the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to the K / 2 Tx chains in TxRU group #2. In a UL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in TxRU group #1, and the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in TxRU group #2. In a SBFD slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Tx chains in TxRU group #1, and the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in TxRU group #2.

[0080] In another example, a second antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration (also referred to as configuration option 2 or method 2) may be configured. For configuration option 2, a separate Tx / Rx antenna array has two panel groups. The total number of TXRUs (referred to as K) is the same as conventional TDD, and the total number of antenna elements (referred to as 2L) is twice that of conventional TDD. There are two sub-options or two sub-methods for configuration option 2 in terms of the use of TXRUs and antenna elements in DL / UL / SBFD time slots / symbols. Based on the second antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration, the two types of connections between the antenna elements and the Tx / Rx chain are Figure 4B and Figure 4C are shown separately in.

[0081] Figure 4B The connections between antenna elements and Tx / Rx chains based on configuration option 2-1 (also referred to as method 2-1) are shown. As shown, in a DL slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K Tx chains. In a UL slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K Rx chains. In a SBFD slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K Tx chains, and the L antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K Rx chains. Here, the same L antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K Rx chains in both the UL slot or symbol and the SBFD slot or symbol.

[0082] Figure 4C The connection between antenna elements and Tx / Rx chains based on configuration option 2-2 (also known as method 2-2) is shown. As shown, in a DL slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K Tx chains. In a UL slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K Rx chains. In a SBFD slot or symbol, the L antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K Tx chains, and the L antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K Rx chains. Here, different L antenna elements on the panel groups are connected to K Rx chains in the UL slot or symbol and the SBFD slot or symbol.

[0083] In a further example, a third antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration (also referred to as configuration option 3 or method 3) can be configured. For configuration option 3, the separate Tx / Rx antenna array has two panel groups. The total number of TXRUs is K / 2 (half the total number of traditional TDD), and the total number of antenna elements is L (the same as traditional TDD). Configuration option 3 has two sub-options or two sub-methods in terms of the use of TXRUs and antenna elements in DL / UL / SBFD time slots / symbols. Figure 4D and Figure 4EIn FIG. 1 , two connections between antenna elements and Tx / Rx chains based on a third antenna and Tx / Rx chain configuration are respectively shown.

[0084] Figure 4D The connections between antenna elements and Tx / Rx chains based on configuration option 3-1 (also known as method 3-1) are shown. As shown, in a DL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K / 2 Tx chains. In a UL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K / 2 Rx chains. In a SBFD slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to K / 2 Tx chains, and the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K / 2 Rx chains. Here, the same L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to K / 2 Rx chains in both the UL slot or symbol and the SBFD slot or symbol.

[0085] Figure 4E The connection between antenna elements and Tx / Rx chains based on configuration option 3-1 (also known as method 3-1) is shown. As shown, in a DL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Tx chains in TxRU group #1. In a UL slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in TxRU group #1. In a SBFD slot or symbol, the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #1 are connected to the K / 2 Tx chains in TxRU group #1, and the L / 2 antenna elements on panel group #2 are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in TxRU group #1. Here, different L / 2 antenna elements on the panel group are connected to the K / 2 Rx chains in the UL slot or symbol and the SBFD slot or symbol.

[0086] As reference Figure 4C and Figure 4E As shown, for the antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-2 and 3-2 shown above, antenna switching will occur. Figure 5AAn example SBFD pattern 500 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The SBFD pattern 500 may include a non-SBFD time slot 510 for DL, and SBFD time slots 520-1, SBFD time slots 520-2, SBFD time slots 520-3, and non-SBFD time slots 530 for UL. As used herein, SBFD time slots 520-1, 520-2, and 520-3 may be collectively referred to as "SBFD time slots 520". The SBFD pattern 500 may correspond to antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-2 or 3-2. That is, a transition time period 540 between the SBFD time slot 520-3 and the non-SBFD time slot 530 may exist. The antenna switching time period for antenna switching by the second device 120 may include the transition time period 540. For example, antenna switching may occur during the transition time period 540. As used herein, the term "transition time period" may refer to a time period or gap for antenna switching.

[0087] In comparison, as referenced Figure 4B and Figure 4D As shown, for the antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-1 and 3-1 shown above, there is no antenna switching. Figure 5B An example SBFD pattern 550 without antenna switching according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The SBFD pattern 550 may include a non-SBFD time slot 510 for DL, and SBFD time slots 560-1, SBFD time slots 560-2, SBFD time slots 560-3, and non-SBFD time slots 530 for UL. As used herein, SBFD time slots 560-1, 560-2, and 560-3 may be collectively referred to as "SBFD time slots 560". The SBFD pattern 550 may correspond to antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-1 or 3-1. That is, there is no transition period within the SBFD pattern 550.

[0088] It should be understood that example SBFD pattern 500 and SBFD pattern 550 are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. For example, for SBFD patterns corresponding to antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-2 or 32, there may be two transition time periods for antenna switching. Any suitable SBFD pattern with antenna switching may be configured for antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-2 or 3-2. Similarly, any suitable SBFD pattern without antenna switching may be configured for antenna and Tx / Rx chain configurations 2-1 or 3-1. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0089] Return to reference Figure 3As discussed, the first device 110 determines (340) information related to antenna switching by the second device 120, and determines (345) at least one time point for antenna switching. In this way, the first device 110 can determine whether the antenna switching is within a specific SBFD pattern. Thus, the first device 110 can determine where to stop transmitting and / or receiving.

[0090] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may determine (340) information related to antenna switching based on a predefined configuration of the antenna switching pattern, or based on a configuration of the antenna switching pattern received (335) from second device 120. The configuration of the antenna switching pattern may indicate whether antenna switching may occur in a particular SBFD pattern.

[0091] In one example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern may include an antenna switching pattern from a set of SBFD patterns. For example, the pattern may include one or more antenna switching time periods in the antenna switching pattern. For example, the antenna switching pattern may correspond to a time period of 100 SBFD patterns, and there may be 1, 2, or 5 antenna switchings among the 100 SBFD patterns. That is, a subset of 1, 2, or 5 SBFD patterns from the 100 SBFD patterns may have antenna switching. It should be understood that the example number of SBFD patterns and the number of antenna switchings are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation.

[0092] In another example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern may include a time period of the antenna switching pattern. The time period of the antenna switching pattern may correspond to a time period of multiple SBFD patterns. As an example, the time period or duration (also referred to as size) of the antenna switching pattern is a multiple of the duration or length of the SBFD pattern.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the time period of the antenna switching pattern (also referred to as the antenna switching time period) is different from the SBFD pattern / time period and is a multiple of the size of the SBFD pattern. One or two positions of the transition time period in a single SBFD pattern in the antenna switching pattern may be provided. If a transition transition time period is provided, it may be used to switch from SBFD to non-SBFD UL, such as Figure 5A Otherwise, a single transition period may be used to switch from non-SBFD to SBFD symbols. If two transition periods are provided, one transition period may be used to switch from non-SBFD to SBFD symbols, while the other transition period may be used to switch from SBFD to non-SBFD symbols.

[0094] In the scheduling of UL or DL, both the first device 110 and the second device 120 may assume that there are one or two transition periods. In other SBFD patterns, such as the remaining subset of SBFD patterns, there will be no transition points, and the first device 110 may use all SBFD or non-SBFD symbols for data transmission / reception.

[0095] At least one position of the SBFD pattern having the transition period may be at least one SBFD pattern in the antenna switching pattern (ie, a subset of the SBFD pattern). Based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern, the position of the SBFD pattern subset in the antenna switching pattern may be configured.

[0096] In another example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern may include at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern of antenna switching among the SBFD pattern set. For example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern may indicate an offset of a subset of SBFD patterns.

[0097] In yet another example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern may include an indication of a subset of SBFD patterns for antenna switching. For example, the indication may indicate a single SBFD pattern in the subset of SBFD patterns or indicate a subset of SBFD patterns. The indicated SBFD pattern may also be referred to as a triggered SBFD pattern.

[0098] For example, for a subset (e.g., 49 / 50 or even 99 / 100, 999 / 1000) of a set of (periodic or configured / triggered) SBFD patterns, method 2-1 / 3-1 (i.e., Rx chains connected to the same antenna element group) may be used without using the transition period between SBFD and non-SBFD symbols.

[0099] And for a subset (e.g., 1 / 50 or even 1 / 100, 1 / 1000) of a set of (periodic or configured / triggered) SBFD patterns, method 2-2 / 3-2 (i.e., there is a switch between the Rx chain connected to one antenna element group for DL ​​and the Rx chain connected to another antenna element group) can be used together with the transition period between SBFD and non-SBFD symbols.

[0100] Time segment processing may be performed, for example, in each 100ms time segment, there is a single time slot using method 2-2 / 3-2 with a transition time segment (i.e., there is a switch between the Rx chain connected to a set of antenna elements used for DL ​​and the Rx chain connected to another set of antenna elements), while the other time slots use method 2-1 / 3-1 without a transition time segment, i.e., the Rx chain is connected to the same set of antenna elements.

[0101] It should be understood that the example numbers or values ​​mentioned herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. It should be understood that these example configurations of antenna switching patterns can be used in any suitable combination or alone. For example, in one example, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern indicates an indication of a single SBFD pattern with antenna switching and an offset. A subset of the SBFD pattern with antenna switching can be determined based on the indication and the offset.

[0102] Figure 6 An example antenna switching pattern 630 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern, the antenna switching pattern 630 can be configured. As shown, the SBFD pattern 610 in the antenna switching pattern 630 has antenna switching. That is, the antenna switching can be within the SBFD pattern 610. In other words, the antenna switching time period or transition time period is within the SBFD pattern 610. The SBFD pattern 620 in the antenna switching pattern 630 does not have antenna switching. That is, there is no antenna switching time period or transition time period within the SBFD pattern 620.

[0103] In some example embodiments, there may be an additional antenna switching time period (not shown) between SBFD pattern 610 and SBFD pattern 620. During the additional antenna switching time period, second device 120 may switch the antenna back. The additional antenna switching time period may be in SBFD pattern 610. For example, a portion of the last UL time slot or the end UL time slot in SBFD pattern 610 may be used for antenna switching. Second device 120 may perform antenna switching during a portion of the last UL time slot. In such a case, first device 110 may determine to stop at least one of transmission and reception during a portion of the last UL time slot switched by the antenna of second device 120.

[0104] It should be understood that the additional antenna switching time period for switching the antenna back may be optional. Whether there is an additional antenna switching time period may be predefined or configured by the second device 120. For example, the additional antenna switching may be predefined or configured by an antenna switching pattern. The first device 110 may determine the time point for the additional antenna switching time period based on the predefined or configured antenna switching pattern.

[0105] Return to reference Figure 3 In some example embodiments, second device 120 may transmit (310) a configuration of an SBFD pattern to first device 110. First device 110 may receive (315) the configuration of the SBFD pattern. The SBFD pattern may include a duration of the SBFD pattern, a time period for SBFD symbols within the SBFD pattern, and / or a time period for non-SBFD symbols within the SBFD pattern. For example, Figure 6The SBFD pattern 610 and the SBFD pattern 620 in FIG. 6A may be configured by configuration of the SBFD pattern.

[0106] In some example embodiments, based on the configuration of the SBFD pattern and the configuration of the antenna switching pattern, the Rx chain of the second device 120 may be connected to only one set of antenna elements at a time. If necessary, the Rx chain may be connected to another set of antenna elements during the transition period, and at least Rx will be stopped during the transition period, or both Tx and Rx will be stopped during the transition period.

[0107] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may determine (345) at least one time point for antenna switching based on information related to antenna switching and the configuration of the SBFD pattern. For example, first device 110 may determine a point for antenna switching within the determined SBFD pattern with antenna switching based on the configuration of the SBFD pattern. First device 110 may stop (350) transmission and / or reception during antenna switching by the second device. In other words, first device 110 may stop UL and / or DL ​​in an antenna switching time period or a transition time period of an SBFD time period in the antenna switching pattern.

[0108] Likewise, the second device 120 may determine (325) at least one point for antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern and the configuration of the SBFD pattern. The second device 120 may stop (355) transmitting and / or receiving during the antenna switching.

[0109] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may determine (360) that there is no antenna switching within the remaining subset of the SBFD pattern set, for example based on information related to antenna switching. First device 110 may continue UL and DL in the SBFD time period without antenna switching or without a transition period. Similarly, second device 120 may determine (365) that there is no antenna switching within the remaining subset of the SBFD pattern set, for example based on a configuration of the antenna switching pattern. Second device 120 may continue UL and DL in the SBFD time period without antenna switching or without a transition period.

[0110] In some example embodiments, during a first SBFD pattern with antenna switching, second device 120 may determine (370) a relationship between a channel state associated with a first set of antenna elements for transmission and a channel state associated with a second set of antenna elements for reception. For example, second device 120 may determine a first channel state, such as a first channel state matrix H associated with a set of antenna elements for transmission, e.g., a non-SBFD DL time slot / symbol. P1The second device 120 may determine a second channel state, such as a second channel state matrix H associated with the antenna element group used for reception of, for example, a non-SBFD UL time slot / symbol. P2 The second device 120 may therefore determine (370) the relationship between the channel states as a relationship matrix H P1,P2 =H P1 / H P2 That is, when 2-2 / 3-2 is used, the network can calculate the channel state matrix H P1,P2 =H P1 / H P2 .

[0111] The second device 120 may perform at least one of the following during a second SBFD pattern after the first SBFD pattern based on the relationship between the channel states: transmission via the second group of antenna elements, reception via the first group of antenna elements. For example, when method 2-1 / 3-1 is used, the channel estimation will be H P2 , and is calculated as H P1 =H P2 *H P1,P2 , so that the reciprocal channel estimate can be used.

[0112] In some example embodiments, for more accurate channel reciprocity information but with more transition periods, for example, a multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) UE pairing case may be applied.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a configuration of a reference signal, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS), from the second device 120. The first device 110 may transmit the reference signal to the second device 120 in a subset of the SBFD pattern based on the configuration of the reference signal. In an example, the first device 110 may transmit certain signals according to the configuration by the second device 120 only in the subset of the SBFD pattern that determines the antenna switching. For example, SRS transmission for DL ​​beamforming by the second device 120 may be required only when the DL panel is used for UL reception (i.e., when the antenna switching is applied).

[0114] In this way, the first device 110 can be restricted to transmit using one or more SRS configurations during the time slots assuming method 2-2 / 3-2. For example, in the SBFD pattern using method 2-2 or 3-2, the SRS can be transmitted for calculating H P1,P2 =H P1 / H P2 When the SRS is transmitted in the SBFD pattern using method 2-1 or 3-1, the SRS may be transmitted for calculating H P2 .

[0115] By using the signaling diagram 300 for SBFD with Rx chains, the Rx chains can be connected to a set of antenna elements at a time to have reciprocal channel estimation but reduce the number of transition time periods. This will provide resource savings and higher throughput for the SBFD system. This solution can be applied to configuration options or methods 2, 3 or any other appropriate configuration or method for situations where there is a switch between the Rx chains connected to a set of antenna elements for DL ​​and the Rx chains connected to another set of antenna elements.

[0116] In this way, it can reduce the number of transition time periods due to switching between connections of antennas and Rx chains, thus providing resource savings and throughput improvement as well as more resources.

[0117] Figure 7 An example process 700 for determining antenna switching within an SBFD pattern according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 The perspective description method 700 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0118] At block 710, the first device 110 may receive a configuration of an antenna switching pattern and a configuration of an SBFD pattern from the second device 120. Figure 3 The configuration of the antenna switching pattern and the configuration of the SBFD pattern have been described and will not be repeated here.

[0119] At block 720, the first device 110 may determine whether a certain SBFD pattern is a SBFD pattern with antenna switching. For example, the first device 110 may make the determination for each SBFD pattern in the antenna switching pattern.

[0120] If the first device 110 determines that the specific SBFD pattern is a SBFD pattern with antenna switching, then at block 730 , the first device 110 may drop Rx or drop both Rx and Tx in an antenna switching period or a transition period of the specific SBFD pattern.

[0121] Otherwise, if the specific SBFD pattern is not a SBFD pattern with antenna switching, the first device 110 may not consider the antenna switching time period or transition time period in the specific SBFD pattern at block 740. For example, the first device 110 may continue to perform transmission or reception in the specific SBFD pattern without antenna switching.

[0122] In this way, it can reduce the number of transition periods due to switching between connections of antennas and Rx chains, thus providing resource savings and throughput improvement as well as more resources. In this way, duplex evolution for NR in unpaired spectrum can potentially be enhanced.

[0123] Several example embodiments of SBFD patterns with antenna switching have been described. It should be understood that the signaling diagram 300 and the process 700 are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The signaling diagram 300 and the process 700 may be used in any suitable combination or used alone. Using the signaling diagram 300 and / or the process 700, various SBFD patterns may be supported by the first device 110 and the second device 120. For example, both the SBFD pattern with antenna switching and the SBFD pattern without antenna switching may be configured in the same antenna switching pattern. In this way, it can reduce the number of transition time periods due to switching between the connection of the antenna and the Rx chain, thereby providing resource savings and throughput improvement and more resources. In this way, the duplex evolution for NR in the unpaired spectrum can be potentially enhanced.

[0124] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 The perspective description method 800 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0125] At block 810 , the first device 110 determines information related to antenna switching within a subset of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns of a set of SBFD patterns.

[0126] At block 820 , the first device 110 determines at least one time point for antenna switching based at least on the information related to antenna switching.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further comprises: during the antenna switching by the second device, stopping at least one of transmitting and receiving.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further includes: receiving, from a second device, a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to the SBFD pattern set to indicate antenna switching within the SBFD pattern subset; and determining information related to antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern includes at least one of: an antenna switching pattern among a set of SBFD patterns, a time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, or an indication of a subset of SBFD patterns for antenna switching.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further includes: determining at least one time point of antenna switching based on the information related to antenna switching and the configuration of the SBFD pattern.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset includes at least one of: a first time point for antenna switching, which is after the SBFD symbol and before the non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern; or a second time point for antenna switching, which is after the non-SBFD symbol and before the SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further comprises determining that there is no antenna switching within a remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further includes: receiving a configuration of the reference signal from the second apparatus; and transmitting the reference signal to the second apparatus in the subset of the SBFD pattern based on the configuration of the reference signal.

[0134] Fig. 9 FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example method 900 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, Figure 1 The perspective description method 900 of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0135] At block 910 , the second device 120 determines a configuration of antenna switching patterns corresponding to a set of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns, the configuration indicating antenna switching within a subset of SBFD patterns of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0136] At block 920 , the second device 120 determines at least one time point for antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further comprises: transmitting the configuration of the antenna switching pattern to the first device.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further comprises: stopping at least one of transmitting and receiving during the antenna switching.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern includes at least one of: an antenna switching pattern among a set of SBFD patterns, a time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, or an indication of a subset of SBFD patterns for antenna switching.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further comprises determining a configuration of the antenna switching pattern based on a moving speed of the first device.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset includes at least one of: a first time point for antenna switching, which is after the SBFD symbol and before the non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern; or a second time point for antenna switching, which is after the non-SBFD symbol and before the SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further comprises determining that there is no antenna switching within a remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further includes: transmitting a configuration of the reference signal to the first device; and receiving the reference signal from the first device in the subset of the SBFD pattern based on the configuration of the reference signal.

[0144] In some example embodiments, method 900 further includes: determining, during a first SBFD pattern with antenna switching, a relationship between a channel state associated with a first group of antenna elements for transmission and a channel state associated with a second group of antenna elements for reception; and based on the relationship between the channel states, performing at least one of the following during a second SBFD pattern following the first SBFD pattern: transmission via the second group of antenna elements, or reception via the first group of antenna elements.

[0145] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 800 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 800. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the device may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for determining information related to antenna switching within a subset of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns of a SBFD pattern set; and a component for determining at least one time point for antenna switching based at least on the information related to the antenna switching.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for ceasing at least one of transmitting and receiving during antenna switching by the second apparatus.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises: means for receiving a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to the SBFD pattern set from the second device to indicate antenna switching within the SBFD pattern subset; and means for determining information related to antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern includes at least one of: an antenna switching pattern among a set of SBFD patterns, a time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, or an indication of a subset of SBFD patterns for antenna switching.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining at least one time point for antenna switching based on the information related to antenna switching and the configuration of the SBFD pattern.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset includes at least one of: a first time point for antenna switching, which is after the SBFD symbol and before the non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern; or a second time point for antenna switching, which is after the non-SBFD symbol and before the SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining that there is no antenna switching within a remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further includes: means for receiving a configuration of a reference signal from the second apparatus; and means for transmitting the reference signal to the second apparatus in the subset of the SBFD pattern based on the configuration of the reference signal.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 800 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to perform the operations.

[0155] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 900 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 900. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for determining a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to a set of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns, the configuration indicating antenna switching within a subset of SBFD patterns in the set of SBFD patterns; and a device for determining at least one time point of antenna switching based on the configuration of the antenna switching.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for transmitting the configuration of the antenna switching pattern to the first apparatus.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for ceasing at least one of transmitting or receiving during the antenna switching.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the configuration of the antenna switching pattern includes at least one of: an antenna switching pattern among a set of SBFD patterns, a time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, or an indication of a subset of SBFD patterns for antenna switching.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for determining a configuration of the antenna switching pattern based on a moving speed of the first apparatus.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset includes at least one of: a first time point for antenna switching, which is after the SBFD symbol and before the non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern; or a second time point for antenna switching, which is after the non-SBFD symbol and before the SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for determining that there is no antenna switching within a remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further includes: means for transmitting a configuration of the reference signal to the first apparatus; and means for receiving the reference signal from the first apparatus in the subset of the SBFD pattern based on the configuration of the reference signal.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the second device also includes: a component for determining a relationship between channel states associated with a first group of antenna elements for transmission and a channel state associated with a second group of antenna elements for reception during a first SBFD pattern with antenna switching; and a component for performing at least one of the following during a second SBFD pattern following the first SBFD pattern based on the relationship between the channel states: transmission via the second group of antenna elements, or reception via the first group of antenna elements.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 900 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to perform the operations.

[0166] Fig.10 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1000 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, and one or more communication modules 1040 coupled to the processor 1010.

[0167] The communication module 1040 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1040 has one or more communication interfaces to support communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 1040 may include at least one antenna.

[0168] Processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to the clock of a synchronized master processor.

[0169] The memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1022 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0170] The computer program 1030 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 1010. The instructions of the program 1030 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1030 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 1024. The processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 1030 into the RAM 1022.

[0171] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of 1030 so that the device 1000 can perform the above-mentioned Figures 3 to 9 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0172] In some exemplary embodiments, the program 1030 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 1000 (such as in the memory 1020) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 1000. The device 1000 may load the program 1030 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 1022 for execution. In some exemplary embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0173] Fig.11 An example of a computer readable medium 1100 is shown which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1100 has a program 1030 stored thereon.

[0174] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0175] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transient computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0176] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0177] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0178] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0179] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or to perform all of the operations shown, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0180] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: determining information related to antenna switching by a second device within a subset of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns in a set of SBFD patterns; as well as At least one time point for antenna switching is determined based at least on the information related to the antenna switching.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device: During switching of the antenna by the second device, at least one of transmitting and receiving is stopped.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first device: receiving, from the second device, a configuration of an antenna switching pattern corresponding to the SBFD pattern set, to indicate the antenna switching within the SBFD pattern subset; and Based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern, the information related to the antenna switching is determined.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the configuration of the antenna switching pattern comprises at least one of the following: an antenna switching pattern among the SBFD pattern set, The time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, An indication of the SBFD pattern subset for antenna switching.

5. The first device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first device: The at least one time point for the antenna switching is determined based on the information related to the antenna switching and the configuration of the SBFD pattern.

6. The first device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset comprises at least one of the following: a first time point for the antenna switching, the first time point being after a SBFD symbol and before a non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern, A second time point for the antenna switching, the second time point is after a non-SBFD symbol and before a SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

7. The first device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first device: It is determined that no antenna switches are within the remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

8. The first device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first device: receiving a configuration of a reference signal from the second device; and Based on the configuration of the reference signal, the reference signal is transmitted to the second apparatus in the SBFD pattern subset.

9. A second device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to: determining a configuration of antenna switching patterns corresponding to a sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) pattern set, the configuration indicating antenna switching in a subset of SBFD patterns in the SBFD pattern set by the second device; as well as At least one time point for antenna switching is determined based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

10. The second device according to claim 9, wherein the second device: The configuration of the antenna switching pattern is transmitted to a first device.

11. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the second device: At least one of transmitting and receiving is stopped during the antenna switching.

12. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the configuration of the antenna switching pattern comprises at least one of the following: an antenna switching pattern among the SBFD pattern set, The time period of the antenna switching pattern, at least one offset of at least one SBFD pattern with antenna switching among the set of SBFD patterns, An indication of the SBFD pattern subset for antenna switching.

13. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the second device is further configured to: The configuration of the antenna switching pattern is determined based on a moving speed of a first device.

14. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the SBFD pattern in the SBFD pattern subset comprises at least one of the following: For a first time point of the antenna switching, the first time point is after a SBFD symbol and before a non-SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern, For the second time point of the antenna switching, the second time point is after the non-SBFD symbol and before the SBFD symbol in the SBFD pattern.

15. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the second device: It is determined that no antenna switches are within the remaining subset of the set of SBFD patterns.

16. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the second device: a configuration for transmitting a reference signal to a first device; and The reference signal in the SBFD pattern subset is received from the first device based on the configuration of the reference signal.

17. The second device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the second device: determining, during a first SBFD pattern with antenna switching, a relationship between a channel state associated with a first set of antenna elements for transmitting and a channel state associated with a second set of antenna elements for receiving; and Based on the relationship between the channel states, performing at least one of the following during a second SBFD pattern following the first SBFD pattern: transmission via the second set of antenna elements, Reception via the first set of antenna elements.

18. A method for communication, comprising: determining, at the first device, information related to antenna switching by the second device within a subset of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns in a set of SBFD patterns; as well as At least one time point for antenna switching is determined based at least on the information related to the antenna switching.

19. A method for communication, comprising: determining, at a second device, a configuration of antenna switching patterns corresponding to a set of sub-band non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) patterns, the configuration indicating antenna switching by the second device in a subset of SBFD patterns in the set of SBFD patterns; as well as At least one time point for antenna switching is determined based on the configuration of the antenna switching pattern.

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