Systems and methods for TDD configuration of smart nodes

Abstract

Systems and methods for time division duplex (TDD) configuration for intelligent nodes are presented. The network node may receive a message from the wireless communication node for a link communicatively coupled between the network node and the wireless communication node or between the network node and the wireless communication device. The message may include first information indicating one or more Time Division Duplex (TDD) configurations of the link and / or second information indicating one or more carriers of the link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for time division duplex (TDD) configuration of intelligent nodes. Background Art

[0002] Coverage is a fundamental aspect of cellular network deployment. Mobile operators rely on different types of network nodes to provide blanket coverage in their deployments. Therefore, new types of network nodes are considered to increase the flexibility of mobile operators in network deployment. For example, some systems or architectures introduce Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), which is a new type of network node that does not require a wired backhaul and can be enhanced in some other systems. Another type of network node is the RF repeater, which simply amplifies and forwards any signal they receive. RF repeaters have been widely deployed in 2G, 3G, and 4G to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full-stack cells. Summary of the invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present application are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems existing in the prior art, and provide additional features, which will become apparent when referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, the present application discloses example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented in an exemplary manner, rather than restrictive, and it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art who has read the present disclosure that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A network node (e.g., a Smart Node (SN)) may receive a message from a wireless communication node (e.g., a base station (BS), a gNB, or a transmission and reception point (TRP)) for a link communicatively coupled between the network node and the wireless communication node or between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). The message may include first information indicating one or more time division duplex (TDD) configurations of the link and / or second information indicating one or more carriers of the link.

[0005] In some implementations, the link may include at least one of the following links: a first forwarding link from a wireless communication node to a network node; a second forwarding link from a network node to a wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from a network node to a wireless communication device; a fourth forwarding link from a wireless communication device to a network node; a first control link from a wireless communication node to a network node; and / or a second communication link from a network node to a wireless communication node.

[0006] In some implementations, the message may be received via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. In some implementations, the RRC signaling may include new RRC signaling or traditional RRC signaling. In some implementations, the message may be received via at least one of Medium Access Control Control Element (MACCE) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling. In some implementations, the DCI signaling includes a single DCI signaling or multiple DCI signalings.

[0007] In some implementations, the message may be received via a first type of DCI signaling and a second type of DCI signaling corresponding to the first format and the second format, respectively. In some implementations, the first format associated with the first unit of the network node may reuse a traditional DCI format having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a slot format indicator-radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI) (or may be referred to as a CRC check code, CRC check information). The second format associated with the second unit of the network node may reuse a traditional DCI format having a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI.

[0008] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a slot format indication-radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI). A second format associated with a second unit of the network node may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI.

[0009] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI. A second format associated with a second unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

[0010] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI. A second format associated with a second unit of a network node may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

[0011] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may use a first new DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI. A second format associated with a second unit of a network node may use a second new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI. In some implementations, the legacy DCI format may be DCI format 2_0. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. The drawings or diagrams are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only exemplary embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0013] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in which the technology disclosed in the present application can be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example base station and user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing an example network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing transmission links between a BS and a SN and between a SN and a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 5An example of an SN Communication Unit (CU) and an SN Forwarding Unit (FU) in the same frequency band according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0018] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method for TDD configuration of a SN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0020] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the techniques disclosed in the present application can be implemented. In the discussion below, the wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such an example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 102"; also called a wireless communication node) and a user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also called a wireless communication device) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 covering a geographic area 101. In Figure 1 1, BS 102 and UE 104 are contained within the respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating with its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users.

[0021] For example, BS 102 can operate on the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 can communicate via downlink radio frame 118 and uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 can be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, the BS 102 and UE 104 are non-limiting examples of "communication nodes", which can generally practice the methods disclosed in the present application. According to various embodiments of the present solution, these communication nodes are capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0022] Figure 2A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for sending and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution is shown. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, as described above, the system 200 may be used in applications such as Figure 1 The wireless communication environment 100 may be used to communicate (eg, transmit and receive) data symbols.

[0023] System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and a user equipment 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 204"). BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. BS 202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described in the present application.

[0024] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the system 200 may also include Figure 2 Modules of any number outside the modules shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits and processing logics relevant to the embodiments described in the present application can be realized with hardware, computer-readable software, firmware or any actual combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps are generally described according to their functions. Whether this function is realized as hardware, firmware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the entire system. People familiar with the concepts described in the present application can realize these functions in a manner suitable for each specific application, but these realization decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver circuit is coupled to the downlink antenna 232 so as to receive transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Instead, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver coupled to the downlink antenna 212 receives transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time as the uplink transmitter coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, there is tight time synchronization between duplex direction changes, i.e., minimum guard times.

[0026] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with an appropriately configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 that can support a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to application to specific standards and related protocols. On the contrary, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0027] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 may be an evolved node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station. In some embodiments, UE204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or completed using a general-purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof to perform the functions described in the present application. In this manner, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0028] In addition, the steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 can be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 can each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0029] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202, which enable two-way communication between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communication module 218 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, but not limited to, the network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC)). The terms "configured for", "configured to" and their variants used in this application for a specific operation or function refer to devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, signals, etc., which perform specific operations or functions by physical construction, programming, formatting and / or arrangement.

[0030] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection Model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each representing a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as a seven-layer OSI model or a seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be a physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be a medium access control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be a radio link control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be a radio resource control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be one of the Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer or the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the present solution. It is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described in this application without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated in this application. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method disclosed in this application is merely an exemplary method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps of the disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed in this application present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise explicitly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0032] 2. System and method for time division duplex (TDD) configuration of intelligent nodes

[0033] In some systems (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR), Next Generation (NG) systems, 3GPP systems, and / or other systems), a network-controlled repeater (NCR) may be introduced to enhance the ability of a conventional RF repeater to receive and / or process side control information from the network. The side control information may allow the network-controlled repeater to perform / execute / operate its amplification and forwarding operations in a more efficient manner. Certain benefits may include at least mitigation of unnecessary noise amplification, transmission and reception with better spatial directivity, and / or simplified network integration.

[0034] NCR can be regarded as a stepping stone for reconfigurable intelligent surface (Re-configuration Intelligent Surface, RIS). RIS nodes can adjust the phase and amplitude of received signals to improve / enhance coverage (e.g., network communication coverage). The network nodes discussed in this application include but are not limited to network controlled repeaters, intelligent repeaters, enhanced RF repeaters, reconfiguration intelligent surfaces (RIS) and / or integrated access and backhaul (IAB), and for simplicity, may be represented as, referred to as, or provided as smart nodes (Smart Node, SN) (e.g., network nodes). For example, SN may include, correspond to, or refer to a network node that assists BS102 in improving coverage (e.g., avoiding / avoiding congestion / obstacles, increasing transmission range, etc.).

[0035] In some cases, when the SN Communication Unit (CU) and the SN Forwarding Unit (FU) of the SN are in the same frequency band and / or the same carrier, similar TDD UL / DL configurations may be used / assumed / configured for the C-link and the backhaul / access link. In this case, the SN CU may act as a traditional UE (for example, the method by which the SN CU obtains the TDD configuration may be the same as that of the traditional UE) and / or obtain / receive / obtain the TDD configuration from operation, management and maintenance (OAM). Subsequently, the same TDD configuration may be used for the backhaul / access link. Because the same TDD configuration is used, no new / additional signaling may be required to indicate the TDD configuration of the backhaul / access link. However, in some cases, the carrier of the SN CU may be different from the carrier of the SN FU and / or one or more carriers in / within the carrier set of the SN FU. In these cases, the TDD configuration of the SN CU carrier may not be applicable to, configured for, or used for the SN FU carrier. Therefore, it is expected that a TDD uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) configuration can be obtained in each carrier of the SN FU. The system and method in the technical solution can perform the features, operations, techniques and / or methods discussed in this application to obtain a TDD UL / DL configuration in each carrier of the SN FU, for example, for communication coupling between the SN and BS 102 and / or between the SN and UE 104.

[0036] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of an example network 300 is shown. Figure 3 As shown, one or more BSs 102A-102B (e.g., BS 102) can provide services to one or more UEs 104A, 104B (e.g., UE 104) in respective cells via corresponding one or more SNs 306A-306B (e.g., sometimes labeled as SN 306), for example, when there is congestion between BS 102 and UE 104.

[0037] Figure 4A schematic diagram 400 of transmission links between BS 102 and SN 306 and between SN 306 and UE 104 is shown. SN 306 may include or consist of at least two units or functional parts / components (e.g., sometimes referred to as functional entities), such as a Communication Unit (CU) (e.g., SN CU) and a Forwarding Unit (FU) (e.g., SN FU). The units of SN 306 may support different functions of communicating with at least one of BS 102 and / or UE 104. In some cases, a first unit (or functional entity) of SN 306 may refer to SN CU, and a second unit (or functional entity) of SN 306 may refer to SN FU, or vice versa. For example, SN CU (e.g., first unit) may be a network controlled repeater (NCR) MT. In another example, SN FU (e.g., second unit) may be an NCR forwarder / forwarding (Fwd). The SN CU may act / perform or include features similar to the UE 104, for example, receiving and decoding side control information from the BS 102. The SN CU may be a control unit, a controller, a mobile terminal (MT), a part of the UE, a third-party IoT device, etc. The SN FU may utilize the side control information received by the SN CU to perform intelligent amplification and forwarding operations. The SN FU may be a radio unit (RU), a RIS, etc.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the transmission link between BS 102 and SN 306 and the transmission link between SN 306 and UE 104 can be defined / described / provided as follows:

[0039] C1: Control link (C-link) from SN CU to BS;

[0040] C2: Control link (C-link) from BS to SN CU;

[0041] F1: backhaul link from SN FU to BS;

[0042] F2: backhaul link from BS to SN FU;

[0043] F3: Access link from UE to SN FU; and

[0044] F4: Access link from SN FU to UE.

[0045] A control link (e.g., sometimes referred to as a communication link) may refer to or mean that a signal from one side will be detected and decoded by the other side so that the information transmitted in the control link can be used to control the state of a forwarding link (e.g., a backhaul link and / or an access link, F-link). A forwarding link may mean that a signal from BS102 or UE 104 is unknown to the SN FU. In this case, the SN FU may amplify and forward the signal without decoding the signal. For example, the F1 and F3 links may correspond to or be associated with a complete uplink (UL) forwarding link (e.g., a backhaul link and an access link, respectively) from UE 104 to BS102, where F1 is the UL forwarding link of the SN FU. In addition, the F2 and F4 links may correspond to or be associated with a complete DL forwarding link (e.g., a backhaul link and an access link, respectively) from BS102 to UE 104, where F4 is the DL forwarding link of the SN FU. The F1 and F2 links may correspond to or be referred to as a backhaul link, and the F3 and F4 links may correspond to or be referred to as an access link.

[0046] Example Implementation 1

[0047] refer to Figure 5 , depicting an example 500 of an SN CU and an SN FU in the same frequency band. In some cases, when the SN CU and the SN FU are in the same frequency band (e.g., F1 in this example) and / or in the same carrier, the same TDD UL / DL configuration may be assumed / applied / used for the C-link and the backhaul / access link (e.g., F-link). The SN CU may acquire / obtain / receive the TDD configuration as a conventional UE, and / or acquire / obtain / receive the TDD configuration from OAM. The same TDD configuration as the SN CU (e.g., C-link) may be assumed for the SN FU (e.g., backhaul / access link or F-link). In this case, no new / additional signal is required to indicate the TDD configuration of the F-link. However, in the case where the SN CU carrier and the SN FU carrier (e.g., one or more carriers in a set of SN FU carriers) are different, the TDD configuration of the SN carrier may not be applied / used / configured for the SN FU carrier. Therefore, the systems and methods of the technical solutions discussed in this application can obtain the TDD UL / DL configuration of each carrier of the SN FU to establish communication between, for example, the SN 306 and the BS 102 and / or the SN 306 and the UE 104, as well as other network entities.

[0048] In various configurations, the SN (e.g., network node, SN CU) may report / notify / provide / indicate to the BS 102 (e.g., eNB, gNB, wireless communication node, or TRP) at least one New Radio (NR), LTE band, SN FU, and / or SN CU supported carrier capabilities and other information. These capabilities may include at least one of the supported NR / LTE band number (e.g., the NR band number and / or LTE band number specified in the specification), band combination, bandwidth (or aggregate bandwidth), the number of supported carriers, etc. In some cases, these capabilities may be divided into DL capabilities and UL capabilities.

[0049] In some implementations, the SN 306 may independently report the capabilities of the SN CU and the SN FU to the BS 102, for example, the parameters of the capabilities of the SN CU and the SN FU may be separately provided / defined / set. The BS 102 may transmit / send / provide / signal information of one or more TDD UL / DL configurations associated with or corresponding to one or more carriers to the SN 306 (e.g., the SN CU). The SN 306 (e.g., the SN CU) may receive information from the BS 102. The information from the BS 102 may include at least one of the information of the TDD UL / DL configuration and / or the information of the corresponding carrier. The SN 306 may use the TDD UL / DL configuration to determine the direction of the time slot / symbol on the SNFU and / or SN CU side (e.g., downlink, uplink, and / or flexible). The above capabilities of the SN 306 (e.g., the SN CU and / or the SN FU) may be notified / provided to the BS 102 by OAM (e.g., OAM connection). In some cases, the term "flexible" may refer to symbols that are not configured as DL or UL, and / or the direction of the symbols is not determined / defined / clarified.

[0050] In some implementations, BS 102 may transmit beam information, on / off information, power control information, and / or timing information, as well as other information associated with or corresponding to one or more carriers, to SN 306 (e.g., SN CU). In some cases, additional or alternative information from TDD information may be provided to perform similar features or functions discussed herein, such as determining the direction of a time slot / symbol, and / or providing carrier information to SN 306 (e.g., SN CU). The term "carrier" may be used interchangeably with or replaced with other similar terms (e.g., similar meanings), such as passband, frequency band, subband, cell or service cell, channel, etc.

[0051] In various implementations, the information of the TDD UL / DL configuration may include at least one of: periodicity (e.g., DL / UL transmission periodicity), (e.g., reference) subcarrier spacing, the number of DL slots / symbols, the number of UL slots / symbols, a set of slot configurations, a slot index, an indication of a DL / UL slot (e.g., a symbol in a slot may be a DL symbol and / or a UL symbol), a start and / or length, a bitmap for indicating DL / UL / flexible symbols / slots, a direction in a flexible symbol and / or a SN behavior / characteristic in a flexible symbol, etc.

[0052] The information of the carrier may include at least one of the following: a carrier index, a carrier group index (e.g., a carrier group includes multiple carriers or consists of multiple carriers), an NR band number (e.g., specified in the specification), a frequency of a carrier or a carrier group or an NR band (e.g., a center frequency, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), a start / end frequency, and / or a bandwidth), etc. The relationship / connection / association between the TDD UL / DL configuration and the carrier may include at least one of the following:

[0053] One TDD configuration may be associated with or correspond to one carrier and / or one carrier group, for example, TDD configuration 1 of carrier 1, TDD configuration 2 of carrier 2, TDD configuration 3 of carrier 3, etc.

[0054] A TDD configuration may be associated with or correspond to multiple carriers or multiple carrier groups, e.g.

[0055] TDD configuration 1 for carriers 1 and 2, TDD configuration 1 for carriers 3 and 4, and so on.

[0056] Multiple TDD configurations may be associated or correspond to one carrier, for example, TDD configurations 1 and 2 for carrier 1, TDD configurations 3 and 4 for carrier 2, etc.

[0057] The information about the TDD configuration and / or carrier received from the BS 102 may be carried / included / contained in at least one of the following, but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0058] System information (e.g. in SIB1);

[0059] RRC signaling;

[0060] • MAC CE and / or DCI signaling (eg, DCI format 2_0).

[0061] For RRC signaling (e.g., RRC signal carries information about TDD configuration and / or carrier), BS 102 may use new RRC signaling and / or reuse traditional RRC signaling to transmit / send the above information (e.g., information about TDD configuration) to SN 306 (e.g., SN CU and / or SN FU). For example, BS 102 may use an RRC reconfiguration message / signal to send the information.

[0062] In some implementations, the TDD configuration information and / or carrier information of the SN CU and / or SN FU may be transmitted / transmitted / sent from the BS 102 to the SN 306 via separate / independent RRC signaling or via the same RRC signaling. For example, if the TDD configuration information and / or carrier information of the SN CU and / or SN FU is sent in separate RRC signaling, and the RRC signaling for the SN CU and the SN FU is configured as the same carrier, the TDD configuration between the SN CU and the SN FU may be the same.

[0063] BS102 may configure / change / adjust the carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU or the carriers to be configured to the SN FU and / or SN CU as a carrier list / table / metric through new RRC signaling and / or traditional RRC signaling. The maximum number of carriers in the carrier list may be limited / restricted / capped to the maximum number of carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU. In this case, the number of carriers in the carrier list does not exceed the number of carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU. In some implementations, for example, in the default configuration of the SN FU (for example, the default state of the SN FU may be "on"), for each carrier added / provided to the carrier list, the NR-FU may forward a transmission (or may be referred to as transmission information, transmission content) from the BS102 or UE 104 in the carrier. For example, in the default configuration of the SN FU (e.g., the default state of the SN FU may be "off"), for each carrier that is released / removed / deleted and / or not included in the list, the NR-FU may not forward transmissions in the carrier (e.g., a carrier that is not on the carrier list).

[0064] In some implementations, for each carrier in the carrier list, an RRC structure may be designed / generated / implemented. The parameters of the RRC structure may include at least one of a carrier index and / or a TDD configuration parameter, etc. The TDD configuration parameter may include at least one of ServingCellConfigCommon (common configuration of a serving cell), tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated ServingCellConfig (dedicated TDD uplink and downlink serving cell configuration), etc. The TDD configuration of the SN FU and / or SN CU may be configured in these two parameters. For example, the TDD common configuration may be configured in the former parameter (e.g., ServingCellConfigCommon), and / or the TDD dedicated configuration may be configured in the latter parameter (e.g., tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated ServingCellConfig).

[0065] In some implementations, the MAC CE and / or DCI signal may carry / include / contain information about the TDD configuration and / or carrier. If the information is indicated by DCI signaling, the above information may be scrambled by / mixed / included with at least one of a new SN-specific, link-specific, service-type specific and / or SN logic unit-specific Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) (e.g., SN CU and / or SN FU-related RNTI).

[0066] In the case of indicating information (e.g., TDD configuration and / or carrier information) via DCI signaling, BS102 may configure the carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU or the carriers to be configured to the SN FU and / or SN CU as at least a part of the carrier list through new RRC signaling and / or traditional RRC signaling. The maximum number of carriers in the carrier list does not exceed the maximum number of carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU. In some cases, for example, when the default state of the SN FU is "on", for each carrier added or existing in the carrier list, the NR-FU may forward data in the carrier. In some other cases, for example, when the default state of the SN FU is "off", for each carrier removed / released or not included in the carrier list, the NR-FU may not forward data in the carrier (e.g., a carrier not on the list).

[0067] In some implementations, an RRC structure may be designed for each carrier in the carrier list. The parameters included in the RRC structure may include at least one of a carrier index and / or a slot format combination, etc. The slot format combination may include at least one of a carrier index, a subcarrier spacing, a slot formation combination, a position in a DCI, etc.

[0068] In various implementations, the BS 102 may use one or more DCI signalings (e.g., one or two types of DCI signalings) to indicate the TDD configuration of the SN 306 (e.g., SN CU and / or SN FU). For example, the BS 102 may use one DCI signaling to indicate the TDD configuration of the SN 306 (e.g., SN CU and / or SN FU). In this case, the DCI signaling may be DCI format 2_0, a new RNTI, and / or a new DCI format, to name a few examples, wherein the CRC (or may be referred to as CRC check code, CRC check information) of the DCI format 2_0 is scrambled by the Slot Format Indicator-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (SFI-RNTI), and the CRC of the new DCI format is scrambled by the new RNTI. The new RNTI may be or correspond to an SN-specific, link-specific, service type-specific, and / or SN logical unit / entity-specific RNTI (e.g., an RNTI associated with the SN CU and / or SN FU).

[0069] In another example, BS102 may use two DCI signalings to indicate the TDD configuration of the SN CU and / or the SN FU, respectively. The DCI signaling indicating the SN CU (e.g., the first DCI signaling) may be DCI format 2_0 and / or the new DCI format, wherein the DCI format 2_0 has a CRC scrambled by the SFI-RNTI and / or the new RNTI, and the new DCI format has a CRC scrambled by the new RNTI. The new RNTI may be an SN-specific, link-specific, service-type-specific, and / or SN logical unit / entity-specific RNTI (e.g., an SN CU-related RNTI). Another DCI signaling indicating the SN FU (e.g., the second DCI signaling) may be DCI format 2_0 and / or the new DCI format, wherein the DCI format 2_0 has a CRC scrambled by the SFI-RNTI and / or the new RNTI, and the new DCI format has a CRC scrambled by the new RNTI. The new RNTI may be an SN-specific, link-specific, service type-specific and / or SN logical unit / entity-specific RNTI (eg, SN FU-related RNTI).

[0070] In some cases, in order to enable SN 306 to identify / determine whether the received DCI signaling is for CU and / or FU, the two DCI signaling signals may have different DCI formats, be scrambled by / included in different RNTIs, and / or have different DCI formats and be scrambled by different RNTIs, for example, as mentioned or described in at least one of the example configurations 2.1 to 2.5 in the example implementation method 2 discussed in this application.

[0071] Example Implementation 2

[0072] In some systems, the type (e.g., direction) of symbols and / or time slots can be configured as downlink (DL), uplink (UL), and / or flexible via semi-static configuration (e.g., TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon, TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated, etc.). Flexible symbols may refer to symbols other than uplink symbols and / or downlink symbols, which can be explicitly configured via semi-static configuration. However, for SN 306, flexible symbols may cause uncertainty about the behavior / characteristics of SN FU. For example, if the direction or behavior of the flexible symbol is not further clarified, it may not be clear whether SN 306 should forward / transmit uplink transmission to BS 102, forward / transmit downlink transmission to UE 104, and / or turn off / turn off / change the state of SN FU. In some cases, for example, SN 306 may assume that the flexible symbol may be wrong without further clarification. Therefore, the system and method of the technical solution discussed in the present application can further clarify the behavior of SN FU.

[0073] In various implementations, for flexible symbols based on semi-static configuration (e.g., TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon and / or TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated), BS 102 may be configured to use DCI signaling to indicate SN FU forwarding behavior / characteristics (e.g., direction, slot format, TDD configuration, etc.) on the symbol, e.g., to perform DL and / or UL forwarding. For some / remaining flexible symbols that are not indicated as at least one of UL and / or DL ​​via DCI signaling, the SN FU may be turned off / deactivated and / or may not forward signals, e.g., signals from BS 102 to UE 104 and / or signals from UE 104 to BS 102.

[0074] In some implementations, the DCI signaling indicated / provided to the SN 306 (e.g., SN CU) for configuring the SN FU may be DCI format 2_0 and / or a new DCI format, wherein the DCI format 2_0 has a CRC (or may be referred to as a CRC check code, CRC check information) scrambled by the SFI-RNTI and / or the new RNTI, and the new DCI format has a CRC scrambled by the new RNTI. The new RNTI may be an SN-specific, link-specific, service type-specific, and / or SN logical unit / entity-specific RNTI (e.g., an SN or SN FU-related RNTI), which may be different from the SFI-RNTI. The DCI signaling may indicate the direction of the flexible symbols in multiple carriers. The carrier may be configured and / or added to a carrier list, for example, a carrier list configured for the SN FU or a carrier list associated with the SN FU.

[0075] In various arrangements, the BS 102 may use multiple types of DCI signaling (e.g., two types of DCI signaling) to indicate the time slot format (e.g., TDD configuration, e.g., DL, UL, and / or flexible) of symbols (e.g., flexible symbols) on the SN CU side and / or the SN FU side, respectively. The DCI signaling may have the same or different DCI formats, and / or the same or different scrambled RNTIs. Through these two types of DCI signaling, the indication from the BS 102 may include at least one of the following configurations.

[0076] Configuration 2.1: The first type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN CU may reuse / reprocess the traditional DCI format 2_0 with CRC (or may be referred to as CRC check code, CRC check information) scrambled by the SFI-RNTI. The second type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN FU may reuse the traditional DCI format 2_0 with CRC scrambled by the new RNTI.

[0077] Configuration 2.2: The first type of DCI signaling for indicating the slot format of the SN CU may reuse the legacy DCI format 2_0 with CRC scrambled by the SFI-RNTI. The second type of DCI signaling for indicating the slot format of the SN FU may use the new DCI format with CRC scrambled by the new RNTI.

[0078] Configuration 2.3: The first type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN CU can reuse the traditional DCI format 2_0 with a CRC scrambled by the first new RNTI (e.g., the RNTI associated with the SN CU). The second type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN FU can reuse the traditional DCI format 2_0 with a CRC scrambled by the second new RNTI (e.g., the RNTI associated with the SN FU).

[0079] Configuration 2.4: The first type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN CU can reuse the traditional DCI format 2_0 with a CRC scrambled by the first new RNTI (e.g., the RNTI associated with the SN CU). The second type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN FU can use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI (e.g., the RNTI associated with the SN FU).

[0080] Configuration 2.5: The first type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN CU may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a first new RNTI (e.g., an RNTI associated with the SN CU). The second type of DCI signaling for indicating the time slot format of the SN FU may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI (e.g., an RNTI associated with the SN FU).

[0081] Additionally or alternatively, other configurations may be considered, utilized, or implemented, for example, for various types of DCI signaling to indicate the behavior of flexible symbols.

[0082] Reference now Figure 6 , shows a flow chart of a method 600 for TDD configuration of a network node (eg, SN). The method 600 may be used in conjunction with the present application. Figures 1 to 5 In general, method 600 may include sending a message (902). Method 600 may include receiving a message (904).

[0083] At operation (902), and in some arrangements, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS, a gNB, an eNB, or a TRP) may send / transmit / provide / issue / transmit a message / signal to a network node (e.g., an SN). At operation (904), and in some arrangements, the network node may receive a message from the wireless communication node. The message may be used to communicate a link (e.g., a C-link and / or an F-link) coupled between the network node and the wireless communication node and / or between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE). The message may include information, such as first information indicating one or more time division duplex (TDD) configurations of the link and / or second information indicating one or more carriers of the link.

[0084] In various implementations, the link may include at least one of the following links: a first forwarding link (F-link) (e.g., a backhaul link) from a wireless communication node to a network node (e.g., F2); a second forwarding link (e.g., a backhaul link) from the network node to a wireless communication node (e.g., F1); a third forwarding link (e.g., an access link) from the network node to a wireless communication device (e.g., F4); a fourth forwarding link (e.g., an access link) from the wireless communication device to the network node (e.g., F3); a first control link (C-link) from the wireless communication node to the network node (e.g., C2); and / or a second communication link from the network node to the wireless communication node (e.g., C1).

[0085] In some implementations, the message may be received by / via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In this case, the RRC signaling may include new RRC signaling and / or legacy RRC signaling.

[0086] In some implementations, the message may be received via at least one of a media access control element (MAC CE) signaling and / or a downlink control information (DCI) signaling. The DCI signaling may include a single DCI signaling or multiple DCI signaling. Multiple DCI signals may correspond to or include a first type and a second type. In some cases, the message may be received via a first type of DCI signaling and a second type of DCI signaling corresponding to a first format and a second format, respectively. For example, the first format and / or the second format (e.g., information or configuration) of the DCI signaling may be used to indicate the behavior / characteristics (e.g., direction) of the flexible symbol.

[0087] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node (e.g., a CU) may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a slot format indication-radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI), and a second format associated with a second unit of the network node (e.g., a FU) may reuse a legacy DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI. In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a slot format indication-radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI), and a second format associated with a second unit of the network node may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI.

[0088] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI, and a second format associated with a second unit of the network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI. In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may reuse a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI, and a second format associated with a second unit of the network node may use a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

[0089] In some implementations, a first format associated with a first unit of a network node may use a first new DCI format having a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by a first new RNTI, and a second format associated with a second unit of the network node may use a second new DCI format having a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI. In some implementations, the legacy DCI format may be DCI format 2_0, etc.

[0090] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are given only by way of example and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, these personnel will understand that the present solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described in this application. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0091] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using names such as "first," "second," etc., in this application does not generally limit the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names may be used in this application as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not indicate that only two elements may be used, or that the first element must be located before the second element in some manner.

[0092] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0093] It will be further understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design codes containing instructions (for convenience, referred to as "software" or "software modules" in this application), or any combination of these technologies. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functions. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but these implementation decisions will not cause a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0094] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components and circuits described in this application can be implemented or performed in an integrated circuit (IC) including a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described in this application.

[0095] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed in the present application may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that enables a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, and any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0096] In this application, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements to perform the relevant functions described in this application. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the relevant functions according to the implementation of the present solution.

[0097] In addition, memory or other storage and communication components may be used in the implementation of the present solution. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described the implementation of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any appropriate distribution of functions between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without departing from the present solution. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic elements or controllers. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable devices for providing the described functions, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0098] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined in this application may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown in this application, but is to be given the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed in this application, as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: A network node receives a message from a wireless communication node, the message being for a link communicatively coupled between the network node and the wireless communication node or between the network node and a wireless communication device; The message includes: first information, where the first information is used to indicate one or more time division duplex (TDD) configurations of the link; and / or second information, where the second information is used to indicate one or more carriers of the link.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The link includes at least one of the following links: a first forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a second forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication device; a fourth forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node; a first control link from the wireless communication node to the network node; or A second communication link from the network node to the wireless communication node.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The message is received via radio resource control RRC signaling.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein: The RRC signaling includes new RRC signaling or traditional RRC signaling.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The message is received via at least one of medium access control element MAC CE signaling or downlink control information DCI signaling.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 5, wherein: The DCI signaling includes a single DCI signaling or a plurality of DCI signalings.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein: The message is received via a first type of DCI signaling and a second type of DCI signaling, the first type of DCI signaling corresponding to a first format, and the second type of DCI signaling corresponding to a second format.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first format is associated with a first unit of the network node, the first format reusing a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check CRC scrambled by a slot format indication radio network temporary identifier SFI-RNTI, and the second format is associated with a second unit of the network node, the second format reusing the legacy DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first format is associated with a first unit of the network node, the first format reusing a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check CRC scrambled by a slot format indication-radio network temporary identifier SFI-RNTI, and the second format is associated with a second unit of the network node, the second format using a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a new RNTI.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first format is associated with a first unit of the network node, the first format reusing a traditional DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check CRC scrambled by a first new RNTI, and the second format is associated with a second unit of the network node, the second format reusing the traditional DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

11. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first format is associated with a first unit of the network node, the first format reusing a legacy DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check CRC scrambled by a first new RNTI, and the second format is associated with a second unit of the network node, the second format using a new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein: The first format is associated with a first unit of the network node, the first format using a first new DCI format with a cyclic redundancy check CRC scrambled by a first new RNTI, and the second format is associated with a second unit of the network node, the second format using a second new DCI format with a CRC scrambled by a second new RNTI.

13. The wireless communication method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the legacy DCI format is DCI format 2_0.

14. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A computer program product comprising computer readable program medium code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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