System and method for resource indication

Abstract

A system and method for resource indication are presented. A network node may receive at least one signaling including secondary control information, SCI, from a wireless communication node. The network node may communicate over at least one link between the network node and the wireless communication device or between the wireless communication nodes according to the SCI.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for resource indication. Background Art

[0002] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a standardization organization, is currently developing a new air interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: 5G Access Network (5G-AN), 5G Core Network (5G GC) and User Equipment (UE). In order to facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of 5GC (also known as Network Functions) have been simplified, some of which are software-based and some of which are hardware-based so that these elements can be adjusted as needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems raised in the prior art, as well as to provide additional features, which will become readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when combined with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are given as examples rather than limitations, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this disclosure that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments while still within the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to the following system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A network node (e.g., a Network Controlled Repeater (NCR or NetConRep), a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS)) may receive at least one signaling including Side Control Information (SCI) from a wireless communication node (e.g., a Base Station (BS)). The network node may communicate (e.g., transmit and / or receive) according to the SCI through at least one link between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a User Equipment (UE)) or between wireless communication nodes. The at least one link may include at least one of the following: 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; or a fourth forwarding link from a wireless communication device to a network node.

[0005] In some embodiments, the SCI may include at least one of the following: beam information, including L indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding beam used in forwarding, where L is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time information, including T indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding applicable time of at least one beam, where T is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time unit information, including U indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding time length of a symbol or time slot applicable to at least one beam, where U is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; frequency information, including F indications, Each indication is used to indicate the corresponding applicable frequency resources of at least one beam, where F is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; polarization information, including P indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding applicable polarization of at least one beam, where P is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; forwarding direction information, including D indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding forwarding direction of at least one beam, where D is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; or power information, including G indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding forwarding power of at least one beam, where G is an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least one signaling may include at least one of: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) signaling, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling. The first format of the at least one signaling may include: a corresponding field for each of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications. The second format of the at least one signaling may include: a corresponding list for each group of L indications, T indications, U indications, F indications, P indications, D indications, and G indications, respectively.

[0007] In some embodiments, the third format of at least one signaling may include: a corresponding set of indications for each of the N forwarding resources. N may be an integer value corresponding to the maximum of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G. Each set of indications may include a corresponding indication from each of at least one of the following: L indications, T indications, U indications, F indications, P indications, D indications, or G indications.

[0008] In some embodiments, the fourth format of at least one signaling may include at least one of the following: a corresponding field for each of at least some of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications; or a corresponding set of indications for each of at least some of the N forwarding resources. N may be an integer value corresponding to a maximum value of any two or more of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G. Each set of indications may include a corresponding indication from each of at least one of the following: L indications, T indications, U indications, F indications, P indications, D indications, or G indications.

[0009] In some implementations, L may be an integer value that is: defined or configured for a plurality of network nodes; defined or configured according to capabilities of the network nodes; or equal to zero.

[0010] In some embodiments, T=L, which may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable time; T=1, which may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common time, or may have a time resource index indicating at least one applicable time; or T=0.

[0011] In some embodiments, U=1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common time unit; U=0; or U=L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable time unit.

[0012] In some embodiments, F = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable frequency; F = 1 may represent a one-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common frequency; F = 0; or 0 < F < L may represent associating a common frequency resource with some of the L beams.

[0013] In some embodiments, P = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable polarization; P = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common polarization; P = 0; or 0 < P < L may represent associating a common polarization with some of the L beams.

[0014] In some embodiments, D = 1 may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable forwarding direction; D = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common forwarding direction; D = 0; or 0 < D < L may represent associating a common forwarding direction with some of the L beams.

[0015] In some embodiments, G = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable power indication; G = 1 may represent a one-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common power indication; G = 0; or 0 < G < L may represent associating a common power indication with some of the L beams.

[0016] In some embodiments, a network node may determine the actual number of beams (L1) based on: (i) the number of time indications determined to be valid, or (ii) the number of applicable times indicated by a time resource index. The network node may determine the actual number of beams (L1) according to radio resource control (RRC) or medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling. The network node may determine the actual number of times (T1) according to radio resource control (RRC) or medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0017] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may send at least one signaling including secondary control information (SCI) to a network node (e.g., a network-controlled repeater (NCR) or a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)). The network node may communicate according to the SCI via at least one link between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) or a wireless communication node. Description of the Drawings

[0018] 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.

[0019] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in which the technology disclosed herein can be implemented;

[0020] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example base station and user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 An example implementation of a network controlled repeater NCR according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 shows an example beam list field according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5 shows an example forwarding resource field according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6 shows an example forwarding resource field according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 A flow chart of resource indication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0027] Figure 1An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 may 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 referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also referred to as a wireless communication device) that may 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. 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.

[0028] For example, BS 102 may operate on an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 may communicate via downlink radio frames 118 and uplink radio frames 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes", which may generally implement the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes may communicate wirelessly and / or wired.

[0029] Figure 2 A 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 transmit (eg, send and receive) data symbols.

[0030] 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 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 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 herein.

[0031] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the system 200 may further include Figure 2 Any number of modules outside the modules shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in 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 such functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and design limitations imposed on the entire system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein can implement such functions in an appropriate manner for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" (UL) transceiver 230, which includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each of which includes a circuit coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or the uplink 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" (DL) transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each of which includes a circuit coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or the downlink 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 so that the uplink receiver circuit is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 at the same time as the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 to receive transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time so that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 at the same time as the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 to receive transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. In some embodiments, tight time synchronization with minimal guard times between changes in duplex direction is provided.

[0033] 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 array 212 / 232, which can support specific wireless communication protocols and modulation schemes. 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 variants thereof.

[0034] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 can be an evolved node node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station or a pico station. In some embodiments, UE 204 can be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers, wearable computing devices, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 can be implemented or completed by 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, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof to perform the functions described herein. In this way, the processor can be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, or the like. The processor can 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 such configuration.

[0035] In addition, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by the processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. The memory modules 216 and 234 may 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, the memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that the processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to the memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. The memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, the memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0036] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional 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 traffic. 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 can 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 conjugations used herein for a specific operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function.

[0037] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "OSI 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 of which represents a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines logical networks and effectively describes computer data 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 implementations, the sixth layer may be a Non Access Stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0038] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present solution. It is apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications may be made to the examples described herein 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 herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely example methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the steps of the disclosed methods or processes may 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 herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0039] 2. System and method for resource indication

[0040] As New Radio (NR) systems move to higher frequencies (e.g., approximately 4 GHz for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) deployments and over 24 GHz for Frequency Range 2 (FR2) deployments), the coverage challenges are exacerbated by deteriorating propagation conditions compared to lower frequencies. Therefore, it may be necessary to further increase the density of cells. Although it is preferred to deploy conventional full-stack cell sites, such deployment is not always a feasible (e.g., backhaul is not available) and / or economically viable option. In order to provide comprehensive coverage in cellular network deployments at a relatively low cost, Radio Frequency (RF) repeaters with full-duplex amplification and forwarding operations can be used in 2G, 3G, and 4G systems. However, RF repeaters may not be efficient for 5G NR systems, which can use beam management to facilitate directional transmission in high frequency bands defined for Time Division Duplex (TDD). RF repeaters without beam management capabilities cannot provide suitable beamforming gain in signal forwarding and may cause unnecessary interference.

[0041] In order to deal with / handle / manage the above-mentioned problems, a network controlled repeater NCR may be considered, which may utilize auxiliary control information SCI from the BS to implement intelligent controllable amplification and forwarding operations. The SCI may include beam information and / or applicable resources, such as beams, time resources, or frequency resources. The NCR (sometimes referred to as a network node or intelligent node / repeater) may use indicated beams (e.g., indicated according to beam information) and / or applicable resources (e.g., indicated according to time resource information) to perform / conduct / implement amplification and forwarding operations. If the NCR has multiple panels, the panel-specific SCI may adopt / include / provide resource information as described below.

[0042] In addition, a reconfigurable smart surface RIS may also be considered to be able to achieve controllable forwarding. In this case, the SCI discussed in the present disclosure may also be applicable to the RIS. The RIS may have a large number of controllable reflective elements, which may be divided into element groups for efficient control. The SCI for each element group may employ / include / provide resource information as described below.

[0043] In the present disclosure, a method for providing resource information through different signaling is proposed for a wireless network using NCR / RIS. A signaling design of SCI of NCR / RIS is proposed. Related issues may include one or more examples listed below.

[0044] Example 1: Which signaling can be used to carry resource information?

[0045] Example 2: What are the possible signaling formats?

[0046] Example 3: How to determine the values ​​of L, T, U, F, P, D, G?

[0047] Example 4: How to determine the fields actually indicated in the signaling?

[0048] Example 5: How to determine the bit size of each resource indication?

[0049] Example 6: How to determine the applicable bandwidth part (BWP) of forwarding link (F link) 1 and 2 (return link)?

[0050] RF repeaters can be used in 2G, 3G, and 4G deployments to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full-stack cells with various transmission power characteristics. RF repeaters may be the simplest and most cost-effective way to improve network coverage. The main advantages of RF repeaters can be low cost, easy deployment, and RF repeaters do not increase latency. The main disadvantage is that RF repeaters amplify signals and noise. Therefore, RF repeaters may increase interference (e.g., signal pollution) in the system. Within RF repeaters, there can be different categories based on power characteristics and the amount of spectrum that the RF repeater can be configured to amplify (e.g., single band or multi-band). RF repeaters can be non-regenerative relay nodes and can simply amplify and forward signals in an omnidirectional manner.

[0051] From a functional perspective, Figure 3 The general structure of NCR (NetConRep) is provided in (e.g., as a replacement / improvement for RF repeaters). The NCR controller (NetConRep-controller) can maintain a control link (C-link) between the BS and the NCR to enable information exchange (e.g., carrying SCI). The NCR radio unit (Network Controlled RepeaterRadio Unit, NetConRep-RU) can use forwarding links (F-links) to forward data between the BS and the UE, which can refer to F-links for backhaul (e.g., F-links 1 and 2 or backhaul links) and F-links for access (e.g., F-links 3 and 4 or access links). The behavior of the F-links can be controlled based on the SCI received from the BS.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, the transmission links between BS to NCR and NCR to UE can be defined / described / provided as follows: C link 1: control link from BS to NCR CU;

[0053] C link 2: control link from NCR CU to BS;

[0054] F link 1: forwarding link from BS to NCR FU;

[0055] F link 2: forwarding link from NCR FU to BS;

[0056] F link 3: forwarding link from NCR FU to UE;

[0057] F link 4: Forwarding link from UE to NCR FU.

[0058] The forwarding operation on F links 1 and 2 (backhaul links) can reuse the resource information and indication mechanism of C links. The forwarding operation on F links 3 and 4 (access links) can use dedicated resource information and indication mechanism. In the present disclosure, a corresponding signaling design is proposed.

[0059] To facilitate proper forwarding operation, the resource information of the NCR may include at least one of the following indications: The resource information may be applied to a beam or a link, wherein a link may include one or more beams having the same forwarding direction.

[0060] The beam information may include L (L≥0) beam indications, which may be used to indicate beams used in forwarding.

[0061] The time information may include T (T ≥ 0) time indications or time resource indices, each of which may provide applicable time for at least one beam or link. In some embodiments, if the time resource index is indicated, T may be equal to 1. The time information may further include U (U ≥ 0) time unit indications, each of which may provide a time length of a symbol or time slot applicable to at least one beam or link.

[0062] The frequency information may include F (F≥0) frequency indications, which may be applicable frequency resources of at least one beam or link.

[0063] The polarization information may include P (P ≥ 0) polarization indications, where the P polarization indications may be applicable polarizations for at least one beam or link.

[0064] The uplink UL / downlink DL / full duplex (FD) indication may include D (D≥0) direction indications, where the D direction indications may be forwarding directions of at least one beam or link.

[0065] The power information may include G (G≥0) power indications, and the G power indications may be applicable to at least one beam or link.

[0066] Two or more of the above resource information may be jointly indicated (eg, resource indication including paired beams and time).

[0067] Implementation Example 1: What kind of signaling can be used to carry resource information?

[0068] From the perspective of signaling design, resource information can be carried by at least one of radio resource control RRC signaling, medium access control element MAC CE signaling, or downlink control information DCI signaling. The combination of different layer signaling can save signaling costs.

[0069] Example 1: RRC only; MAC CE only

[0070] Semi-static or common resources can be configured or indicated via RRC signaling and / or MAC CE signaling, which may not change frequently. The main benefit of this approach is to save dynamic signaling costs. For example, if common frequency resources are applied to all beams, the common frequency resources can be configured via RRC signaling and / or MAC CE signaling.

[0071] Example 2: RRC+MAC CE+DCI; RRC+DCI; MAC CE+DCI

[0072] The candidate resource set can be configured via RRC signaling. MAC CE signaling and / or DCI signaling can be used to select a subset of resources or one of them from the configured candidate resource set. The main benefit of this method is to save signaling costs by converting resource indications into resource index (e.g., in a set or subset) indications. For example, a list of time indications can be configured via RRC signaling. In some embodiments, a time indication set can be selected from a list via MAC CE signaling. A time indication in the time indication set can be indicated via DCI signaling from the list or from a selected set. The corresponding time indication indexes in the list and the set can be used for MAC CE signaling and DCI signaling, respectively. For another example, a polarization list can be configured via MAC CE signaling. A polarization can be indicated via DCI signaling in the list.

[0073] Example 3: DCI only

[0074] Dynamic resources with limited bit size, such as beam indication (e.g., beam index), can be carried by DCI signaling. The main benefit is more timely compared to higher layer signaling. For example, the beam index can be indicated by DCI signaling for dynamic scheduling forwarding.

[0075] Implementation Example 2: What are the possible signaling formats?

[0076] In order to correctly decode the signaling, the NCR may need to know the signaling format and the corresponding bit size. The BS can determine the amount of resource information in the signaling (e.g., the number of beams used) based on the BS's scheduling requirements for each NCR. Multiple NCRs with different scheduling requirements can be connected to the same BS. Therefore, NCR-specific signaling may be appropriate / needed / utilized (e.g., DCI with cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with an NCR-specific radio network temporary identifier (Radio Network Temporary Identifier, RNTI)). Possible DCI formats are proposed as examples of signaling designs. RRC signaling and / or MAC CE signaling may also adopt these formats.

[0077] Example 1: Resource information with separate fields

[0078] The resource information may include a respective field for each of L, T, U, F, P, D, and / or G indications. The resource information may have a plurality of separate fields that may include L beam indications, T time indications, U time unit indications, F frequency indications, P polarization indications, D direction indications, and / or G power indications.

[0079] -Beam indication 1 ...

[0081] -Beam indicator L

[0082] - Time indication 1 ...

[0084] -Time indication T

[0085] -Time unit 1 ...

[0087] -Time unit U

[0088] -Frequency indication 1 ...

[0090] -Frequency indication F

[0091] -Polarization indication 1 ...

[0093] -Polarization indicator P

[0094] - Direction 1 ...

[0096] - Direction Indicator D

[0097] -Power indication 1

[0098] …

[0099] -Power indicator G

[0100] Example 2: Resource information with separate list fields (e.g., each separate list has a separate field)

[0101] The resource information may include a corresponding list for each group. The resource information may have multiple separate lists as follows, and each of the multiple separate lists may include L beam indications, T time indications, U time unit indications, F frequency indications, P polarization indications, D direction indications and / or G power indications, respectively.

[0102] -Beam List

[0103] -schedule

[0104] - List of time units

[0105] -Frequency List

[0106] - Polarization list

[0107] -Directions list

[0108] -Power List

[0109] Taking the beam list field as an example, the structure may be a concatenated set of multiple beam indications (eg, beam indices), such as Figure 4 Other resource lists may adopt a structure with a cascade indication of a corresponding number of elements (T, U, F, P, D, and G).

[0110] Example 3: Resource information with combined fields

[0111] The resource information may include a corresponding set of indications for each of the N forwarding resources. The resource information may be provided in groups / pairs. Each forwarding resource may include a set of associated resource indications. The parameters of the N forwarding resources may be determined by the maximum value of {L, T, U, F, P, D, G}.

[0112] -Forwarding resource 1

[0113] -Forwarding resource 2 ...

[0115] -Forwarding resources N forwarding resources

[0116] In some embodiments, each forwarding resource may include only beam, time and frequency indications. The structure may be a cascaded set / arrangement of different resource indications, such as Figure 5 shown. Figure 5An example forwarding resource field for forwarding resource 1 is shown.

[0117] Example 4: Resource information containing composite fields and individual fields

[0118] The forwarding resource in Example 3 and the separate field in Example 1 can be used together in the signaling format. For example, the time unit, frequency indication, polarization indication, direction indication, and power indication can be common to all beams. This common resource information can be provided in a separate field to reduce signaling costs. For example, the forwarding resource field can include beam and time information. Parameter N 转发 The resource can be determined by the maximum value of {L, T}. Other resources can be provided in separate fields.

[0119] -Forwarding resource 1

[0120] -Forwarding resource 2 ...

[0122] -Forwarding resources N forwarding resources

[0123] - Time unit

[0124] -Frequency indication

[0125] -Polarization indication

[0126] -direction

[0127] -Power indication

[0128] As an example, the structure of forwarding resource 1 is Figure 6 Shown in.

[0129] Implementation Example 3: How to determine the values ​​of L, T, U, F, P, D, G?

[0130] Example 1: Determine the number of beam indicators L

[0131] The beam information may include L indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding beam to be used in forwarding. L may be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0132] (1) L can be a fixed value or a common configurable value for all NCRs. For example, L=4 can be a predefined value or a common configuration for all NCRs. The advantage is that no NCR-specific configuration is required.

[0133] If NCR 1 has only 2 beams, the first 1 to 2 beam indication fields can be used for DCI signaling. NCR 1 can ignore / neglect the last 2 beam indication fields, which can be filled with dummy bits by the BS.

[0134] If NCR 2 has 8 beams, a maximum of 4 beams can be indicated in the DCI signaling.

[0135] (2) L can be a configurable value for each NCR. The benefit is that the value of L can be set appropriately to suit the function of the NCR.

[0136] If NCR 1 has at least 4 beams, L=4 may be configured for NCR 1. A maximum of 4 beams may be indicated to NCR 1 in DCI signaling.

[0137] If NCR 2 has at least 8 beams, L=8 may be configured for NCR 2. A maximum of 8 beams may be indicated to NCR 2 in DCI signaling.

[0138] (3) L may be zero, which may indicate / indicate / represent that there is no beam field in the RRC / MAC CE / DCI signaling. In this case, the beam to be used may be implicitly indicated by other resource information fields.

[0139] For example, NCR 1 may have 8 beams indexed as {1, 2...8}. The BS may only use beams {1, 2...4} to serve the coverage holes. Therefore, the BS / OAM may configure a fixed beam pattern of {1, 2...4} to NCR 1. The number of beams in the beam pattern (e.g., L beams) may be 4. L beams may indicate / represent a fixed value for both the BS and the NCR. Since the fixed value does not change until the BS / OAM applies a new configuration, the fixed value may be omitted in the SCI. These 4 beams may be used for forwarding if the corresponding time indication is valid. Other fields (e.g., beam enable / disable bitmap) may also be added in the DCI signaling to indicate the beams used. The benefit is that the beam indication field may not be required in the DCI signaling.

[0140] Example 2: Determine the number of time indications T

[0141] The time information may include T indications, each T indication being used to indicate a corresponding applicable time of at least one beam. T may be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0142] (1) T = L (L≠0) or T = L beams, which may illustrate / indicate / mean that a one-to-one mapping is used to associate beams with time. This mapping is a simple way to provide the applicable time for each beam.

[0143] (2) T = 1. In some embodiments, T = 1 may illustrate / indicate / represent a time resource index corresponding to a time resource, and the time resource index includes at least one time indication. The time resource list may be pre-configured to the NCR via RRC and / or MAC CE signaling. An example of the time resource list is provided below (Table 1). Each time resource may have a different number of time indications.

[0144]

[0145] Table 1

[0146] In some embodiments, T = 1 may illustrate / indicate / represent that an L-to-one mapping is used to associate a beam with time. If the NCR supports simultaneous beams (e.g., FDMed or SDMed beams) during the same applicable time period, this mapping may be used as a special case.

[0147] (3) T = 0, which may illustrate / indicate / represent that time may be implicitly indicated by the DCI signaling itself. The beam indication may become effective when the DCI signaling is received. The beam may change upon receiving another DCI signaling.

[0148] Example 3: Determine the number of time unit indications U

[0149] The time unit information may include U indications, each indication being used to indicate the corresponding time length of the symbol or time slot applicable to at least one beam. U may be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0150] (1) U = 1, which may illustrate / indicate / represent that a common time unit (e.g., the same symbol length) applies to all beams indicated in the DCI.

[0151] (2) U = 0, which may illustrate / indicate / represent that the time unit is not indicated in the DCI signaling, but may be fixed or pre-configured via RRC or MAC CE signaling, or indicated from the Administration, And Maintenance (OAM).

[0152] (3) U = L (L ≠ 0) or U = L beams, which may illustrate / indicate / represent that a one-to-one mapping is used to associate a beam with a time unit. For example, multiple beams may use different carrier frequencies (e.g., in FR1 and FR2) and corresponding different symbol lengths.

[0153] (4) 0 < U < L (L ≠ 0) or L beams, which may illustrate / indicate / represent that some (but not all) beams share the same time unit. In this case, the beams using the same time unit may be listed under the corresponding time unit.

[0154] Example 4: Determine the number of frequency indicators F

[0155] The frequency information may include F indicators, each indicator being used to indicate the corresponding applicable frequency resource of at least one beam. F can be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0156] (1) F = L (L ≠ 0) or F = L beams, which may indicate / suggest / represent a one-to-one mapping for associating beams with frequencies (frequency resources). This mapping can be a simple way to provide the applicable frequency resources for each beam.

[0157] (2) F = 1, which may indicate / suggest / represent an L-to-one mapping for associating beams with frequencies. This mapping can be used as a special case (e.g., using a common frequency bandwidth in a forwarding operation).

[0158] (3) F = 0, which may indicate / suggest / represent that the frequency indicator is implicitly determined by the BS / OAM using a fixed support or a fixed configured frequency resource (e.g., system bandwidth).

[0159] (4) 0 < F < L (L ≠ 0) or L beams, which may indicate / suggest / represent that some (but not all) beams share the same frequency resources. In this case, the beams using the same frequency resources can be listed under the corresponding frequency indicator.

[0160] Example 5: Determine the number of polarization indicators P

[0161] The polarization information may include P indicators, each indicator being used to indicate the corresponding applicable polarization of at least one beam. P can be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0162] (1) P = L (L ≠ 0) or P = L beams, which may indicate / suggest / represent a one-to-one mapping for associating beams with polarizations.

[0163] (2) P = 1, which may indicate / suggest / represent an L-to-one mapping for associating beams with polarizations. This mapping can be used as a special case (e.g., using a common polarization in a forwarding operation).

[0164] (3) P = 0, which may indicate / suggest / represent that the polarization indicator is implicitly determined by the BS / OAM using a fixed support or a fixed configured polarization (e.g., {linear, cross, Right-Hand Circular Polarized (RHCP), Left-Hand Circular Polarized (LHCP)}).

[0165] (4) 0 < P < L (L ≠ 0) or P = L beams, which may indicate / suggest / imply that some (but not all) beams share the same polarization. In this case, the beams with the same polarization can be listed under the corresponding polarization indication.

[0166] Example 6: Determine the number of direction indications D

[0167] The forward direction information may include D indications, each indication being used to indicate the corresponding forward direction of at least one beam. D can be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0168] (1) D = L (L ≠ 0) or D = L beams, which may indicate / suggest / imply that a one-to-one mapping is used to associate the beams with the forward directions.

[0169] (2) D = 1, which may indicate / suggest / imply that an L-to-one mapping is used to associate the beams with the forward directions. This mapping can be used as a special case (e.g., using a common direction in the forwarding operation).

[0170] (3) D = 0, which may indicate / suggest / imply that the direction indication can be determined implicitly (e.g., by the BS / OAM using a fixed TDD configuration).

[0171] (4) 0 < D < L (L ≠ 0) or L beams, which may indicate / suggest / imply that some (but not all) beams share the same forward direction. In this case, the beams with the same direction can be listed under the corresponding direction indication.

[0172] Example 7: Determine the number of power indications G

[0173] The power information may include G indications, each indication being used to indicate the corresponding forward power of at least one beam. G can be an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0174] (1) G = L (L ≠ 0) or G = L beams, which may indicate / suggest / imply that a one-to-one mapping is used to associate the beams with the power indications.

[0175] (2) G = 1, which may indicate / suggest / imply that an L-to-one mapping is used to associate the beams with the power indications. This mapping can be used as a special case (e.g., using a common power indication in the forwarding operation).

[0176] (3) G = 0, which may indicate / suggest / imply that the power indication is not included in the DCI, which can be determined by the implementation or configured by the BS / OAM.

[0177] (4) 0 < G < L (L ≠ 0) or L beams, which may indicate / suggest / imply that some (but not all) beams share the same power indication. In this case, the beams with the same power indication can be listed under the corresponding power indication.

[0178] Implementation Example 4: How to determine the actual indication field in the signaling (for SCI)?

[0179] The parameters / values L, T, U, F, P, D, and / or G can be determined by using the method in Implementation Example 3. With these parameters, the DCI bit size for NCR decoding can be known. However, NCR may know / realize the number of actually indicated beams L1 (L1 ≤ L or L1 ≤ L beams) and other associated resources to perform the forwarding operation. The following method can determine the value of L1.

[0180] Example 1: L1 is implicitly determined by time information

[0181] If T = L (L ≠ 0) or T = L beams, the number of actually indicated beams L1 can be implicitly determined by time information. The first L1 beam indications can have the corresponding L1 time indications. For the remaining / (subsequent) (L - L1) beam indications, the corresponding (L - L1) time indications can be invalid (only the first L1 time indications can be used / are valid). For example, the last (L - L1) time indications can have the same start time and end time, which may indicate / suggest a duration of zero. Another example is that the last (L - L1) time indications can have an invalid value for the duration (e.g., zero or out-of-range value).

[0182] If T = 1, the time information is the time resource index described in Implementation Example 3 and Example 2. The number of actually indicated beams L1 can be determined by the number of time indications in the time resource selected by the gNB.

[0183] Example 1a: Add a field for the number of actually indicated time in the DCI signaling

[0184] A field for the number of actually indicated time T1 can be added in the same DCI signaling. The bit length of T1 is equal to The first L1 (L1 = T1) beam indications may be valid. T1 can be provided via other signaling (e.g., RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling).

[0185] Example 2: Add a field for the number of actually indicated beams in the DCI signaling

[0186] A field for the number of actually indicated beams L1 can be added in the same DCI signaling. The bit length of L1 is equal to The first L1 beam indication may be valid. L1 may be provided via other signaling (eg, RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling).

[0187] Example 3: L=0 and adding beam enable / disable bitmap in DCI signaling

[0188] If NCR is configured with L 波 If the fixed beam pattern of the beam is not a fixed beam pattern, a beam enable / disable bitmap can be added in the same DCI signaling. The bit size of the bitmap can be L 波 Each bit in the bitmap may correspond to an L-beam. A "1" bit may indicate that the beam is enabled. A "0" bit may indicate that the beam is disabled.

[0189] Example 4: L1 determined by invalid beam index

[0190] If the NCR has 10 beams, then 4 bits may be needed (For up to 16 beam indication values) to index / indicate the beam and values ​​of [0, 1, ..., 9] are all valid. In DCI signaling, the BS can indicate up to 10 valid beams. Due to the capabilities of the NCR, the NCR can ignore / disregard the last 6 beam indications. The first L1 beam indications may include a valid beam index. For the next 10-L1 beam indications, for example, an invalid beam index 15 may be used.

[0191] Implementation Example 5: How to determine the bit size of each resource indication?

[0192] The overall bit size of DCI signaling may be determined by (1) parameters / values ​​L, T, U, F, P, D, and / or G, and (2) the bit size of each resource indication. The bit size of each resource indication may depend on the resource format, which will be described in detail below.

[0193] Example 1: Bit size per beam indicator

[0194] The beam indication may be a beam index or other equivalent index, such as a reference signal (RS) index, a spatial filter index, or a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state ID. The bit size of each beam indication may be determined by the number of beams of the NCR. For example, an NCR may have 16 beams and the bit size of each beam indication may be 4 bits.

[0195] Example 2: Bit size of each time indication

[0196] The applicable time may be at least one of the following formats: (1) the start time + end time of the beam; (2) the start time + duration of the beam; (3) for multiple beams with continuous applicable time and negligible beam switching time, the start time + duration 1 + duration 2 + ... + duration L; (4) the start and length indicator (SLIV) of the beam; or (5) the time indication index of the beam based on the configured time indication. In some embodiments, the start time may include a start time slot and / or a start symbol, which may depend on the hierarchical time unit defined in the communication system. Similarly, the end time may include an end time slot and / or an end symbol. The duration may include multiple consecutive time slots and / or multiple consecutive symbols. In an NR system, if a 15kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS) is used, a 10ms frame may include 10 time slots. If the start / end slot range is in a frame (e.g., [0, 1, ... 9]), the start / end slot may be represented using 4 bits. If the start / end symbol is within one time slot (e.g., [0, 1, ... 13]), the start / end symbol can be represented using 4 bits. If the duration in symbols ranges within a frame (e.g., [0, 1, ... 139]), then the duration may require / utilize 8 bits In some implementations, the SLIV may be inherited from an already defined definition that is no longer than one slot and may use 7 bits. A similar approach may be used to define a slot-level SLIV.

[0197] As described in implementation example 1, different layer signaling may be used to carry SCI. In implementation examples 1 and 2, if 16 time indications are preconfigured via RRC signaling, one of the time indications (or time indication indexes) may be indicated / identified via DCI signaling. The corresponding time indication index may be used in DCI signaling, which may utilize 4 bits.

[0198]

[0199] Example 3: Bit size indicated per time unit

[0200] The time unit may determine the absolute time length of the forwarding operation. The time unit may be calculated using a reference subcarrier spacing (SCS) (eg, 1 / SCS) or may be directly given by an absolute time length (eg, 1 millisecond).

[0201] For example, the reference SCS may be provided in the time information. The enumeration type with the value {scs15 or 60, scs30 or 120} in the Master Information Block (MIB) may be reused. In this example, the bit size may be 1 bit. Depending on the carrier in FR1 or FR2, the time unit can be calculated as 1 / SCS. For another example, if the reference SCS is determined by the default (or configured) SCS (e.g., the SCS used by the C link), the time unit can be omitted in the time information. The corresponding bit size can be 0. For another example, an absolute time length can be provided in the time information. An enumerated type with a value of {0.125ms, 0.25ms, 0.5ms, 1ms} can be used. In this example, the bit size can be 2 bits.

[0202] Example 4: Bit size per frequency indication

[0203] The frequency resource can be at least one of the following formats: (1) logical index of the frequency band (e.g., carrier or BWP); (2) starting physical resource block (PRB) + ending PRB; (3) starting PRB + number of consecutive PRBs; or (4) frequency domain resource allocation in the current DCI (e.g., resource indication value (RIV)). In the NR system, each NCR can be configured with N BWP (e.g., an integer number) of dedicated BWPs. For example, if N BWP =4, 2 bits can be used for BWP index. Similarly, if multiple carriers are configured, the bit size can be determined. The bit size of the start PRB, the end PRB, and the number of consecutive PRBs can be determined by the number of PRBs in the system bandwidth. In addition, the start PRB and the end PRB can be represented by an offset relative to point A. The frequency domain resource allocation in DCI format 0_0 of the NR system can be reused. The bit size is Where N_PRB is the number of PRBs of the configured bandwidth (eg, system bandwidth or BWP).

[0204] Example 5: Bit size per polarization indication

[0205] The bit size used for polarization information can be determined by the value of P and the polarization modes supported by NCR. For example, if NCR supports polarization modes of {linear, cross, right-hand circular polarization RHCP, left-hand circular polarization LHCP}, 2 bits can be used.

[0206] Example 6: Bit size of each direction indication

[0207] The bit size used for the direction information can be determined by the value of D and the duplex mode supported by the NCR. For example, if the NCR supports full duplex, the direction can be {UL, DL, FD} and 2 bits can be used. If the NCR does not support full duplex, the direction can be {UL, DL} and 1 bit can be used.

[0208] Example 7: Bit size of each power indication

[0209] The power indication may be in at least one of the following formats: (1) the transmission power of the beam; (2) the amplification gain of the beam; or (3) an incremental value of the transmission power or the amplification gain. The transmission power of the NCR may be indicated by the BS. The NCR may derive the amplification gain by the following formula: amplification gain = transmission power / input power. The bit size of the transmission power may be determined by the value range. For example, if the value range is an integer (-16..15), 5 bits may be used. The amplification gain may be indicated by the BS. The transmission power of the NCR may be calculated as: transmission power = minimum (maximum power, input power * amplification gain), where "*" indicates multiplication in the linear domain. The bit size of the amplification gain may be determined by the value range. For example, if the value range is an integer (0..31), 5 bits may be used. If the incremental value of the transmission power is indicated, the new transmission power of the NCR may be calculated as: transmission power_new = minimum (maximum power, transmission power_old + incremental value_power), where "+" indicates addition to the incremental value_power in dB in the logarithmic domain. If the incremental value of the gain is indicated, the new gain of the NCR can be calculated as: gain_new = gain_old + incremental value_gain, where "+" means adding to the incremental value_gain in dB in the logarithmic domain. In some embodiments, the new transmission power may not exceed the maximum power. The bit size of the incremental value can be determined by its value range. For example, if the value range of the incremental value is an integer (-16..15), 5 bits can be used.

[0210] The forwarding operation on F links 1 and 2 (backhaul links) can reuse the resource information and indication mechanism of C link. Next, the corresponding signaling design is proposed.

[0211] Implementation Example 6: How to determine the applicable bandwidth part (BWP) of forwarding link (F link) 1 and 2 (backhaul link)?

[0212] The forwarding operation on F links 1 and 2 (backhaul links) can reuse the resource information and indication mechanism of C link. The corresponding signaling design is proposed.

[0213] The NCR controller can receive SCI from the BS via the C link. The resource information and indication mechanism of the C link can use RRC, MAC CE and DCI signaling. For example, RRC signaling can be used to configure at least one of the TCI state list / spatial relationship list / unified TCI state list for beam indication on the C link. MAC CE signaling and / or DCI signaling can be used to select (or activate / deactivate) one or more TCI states / spatial relationships / unified TCI states. Since F link 1 and 2 (backhaul link) and C link share the same communication conditions, the TCI state list / spatial relationship list / unified TCI state list configured by RRC for the C link can be reused by F link 1 and 2 (backhaul link).

[0214] However, for F links 1 and 2 (backhaul links), a new MAC CE (different from the MAC CE for the C link) can be used to select (or activate / deactivate) one or more TCI states / spatial relationships / unified TCI states. The following options are proposed regarding DL and / or UL BWP applicable to the new MAC CE.

[0215] Example 1: How to determine the DL BWP applicable to a new MAC CE.

[0216] In some embodiments, the DL BWP may be an active DL BWP.

[0217] In some implementations, the DL BWP may be an initial DL BWP.

[0218] In some implementations, the DL BWP may be the first activated DL BWP configured via RRC signaling (eg, firstActiveDownlinkBWP-Id).

[0219] In some implementations, the DL BWP may be a default DL BWP configured via RRC signaling (eg, defaultDownlinkBWP-Id).

[0220] In some implementations, a dedicated field may be defined in new MAC CE signaling to indicate the DL BWP as a code point of the DCI bandwidth part indicator field.

[0221] In some embodiments, a dedicated field (eg, a bit flag) may indicate whether the DL BWP is an activated DL BWP or an initial DL BWP. For example, a value of 0 may describe / indicate an initial DL BWP. A value of 1 may describe / indicate an activated DL BWP.

[0222] Example 2: How to determine the UL BWP applicable to a new MAC CE.

[0223] In some implementations, the UL BWP may be an activated UL BWP.

[0224] In some implementations, the UL BWP may be an initial UL BWP.

[0225] In some implementations, the UL BWP may be the first activated UL BWP configured via RRC signaling (eg, firstActiveUplinkBWP-Id).

[0226] In some implementations, a dedicated field may be defined in a new MAC CE to indicate the UL BWP as a code point of the DCI bandwidth part indicator field.

[0227] In some implementations, a dedicated field (eg, a bit flag) may indicate whether the UL BWP is an activated UL BWP or an initial UL BWP. For example, a value of 0 may describe / indicate an initial UL BWP. A value of 1 may describe / indicate an activated UL BWP.

[0228] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method 700 for resource indication is shown. The method 700 may be used in conjunction with the present invention. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method 700 may be implemented by any one or more components and devices described in detail. In general, in some embodiments, the method 700 may be performed by a network node. Depending on the embodiment, additional, fewer or different operations may be performed in the method 700. At least one aspect of the operation involves a system, method, apparatus or computer-readable medium.

[0229] A network node (e.g., a network controlled repeater (NCR), a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)) may receive at least one signaling including supplementary control information (SCI) from a wireless communication node (e.g., a base station (BS)). The network node may communicate (e.g., transmit and / or receive) through at least one link between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) or between wireless communication nodes according to the SCI. The at least one link may include at least one of the following: 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; or a fourth forwarding link from a wireless communication device to a network node.

[0230] In some embodiments, the SCI may include at least one of the following: beam information, including L indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding beam used in forwarding, where L is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time information, including T indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding applicable time of at least one beam, where T is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time unit information, including U indications, each indication is used to indicate a corresponding time length of a symbol or time slot applicable to at least one beam, where U is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; frequency information, including F indications, Each indication is used to indicate the corresponding applicable frequency resources of at least one beam, where F is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; polarization information, including P indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding applicable polarization of at least one beam, where P is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; forwarding direction information, including D indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding forwarding direction of at least one beam, where D is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; or power information, including G indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding forwarding power of at least one beam, where G is an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

[0231] In some embodiments, the at least one signaling may include at least one of: radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. The first format of the at least one signaling may include: a corresponding field for each of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications. The second format of the at least one signaling may include: a corresponding list for each group of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications, respectively.

[0232] In some embodiments, the third format of at least one signaling may include: a corresponding set of indications for each of the N forwarding resources. N may be an integer value corresponding to the maximum of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G. Each set of indications may include a corresponding indication from each of at least one of the following: L indications, T indications, U indications, F indications, P indications, D indications, or G indications.

[0233] In some embodiments, the fourth format of at least one signaling may include at least one of the following: the respective fields of each of at least some of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications; or the respective set of indications of each of at least some of the N forwarding resources. N may be an integer value corresponding to the maximum value among any two or more of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G. Each set of indications may include the respective indications from each of at least one of the following: the L indications, the T indications, the U indications, the F indications, the P indications, the D indications, or the G indications.

[0234] In some embodiments, L may be an integer value that is: defined or configured for a plurality of network nodes; defined or configured according to the capabilities of the network nodes; or equal to zero.

[0235] In some embodiments, T = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable time; T = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common time, or may have a time resource index indicating at least one applicable time; or T = 0.

[0236] In some embodiments, U = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common time unit; U = 0; or U = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable time unit.

[0237] In some embodiments, F = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable frequency; F = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common frequency; F = 0; or 0 < F < L may represent associating a common frequency resource with some of the L beams.

[0238] In some embodiments, P = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable polarization; P = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common polarization; P = 0; or 0 < P < L may represent associating a common polarization with some of the L beams.

[0239] In some embodiments, D = L may represent a one-to-one mapping associating each beam with a corresponding applicable forwarding direction; D = 1 may represent an L-to-one mapping associating L beams with a common forwarding direction; D = 0; or 0 < D < L may represent associating a common forwarding direction with some of the L beams.

[0240] In some embodiments, G = L can represent a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable power indication; G = 1 can represent a one-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common power indication; G = 0; or 0 < G < L can represent associating a common power indication with some of the L beams.

[0241] In some embodiments, a network node may determine the actual number of beams (L1) based on (i) the number of time indications determined to be valid, or (ii) the number of applicable times indicated by a time resource index. The network node may determine the actual number of beams (L1) based on radio resource control (RRC) or medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling. The network node may determine the actual number of times (T1) based on radio resource control (RRC) or medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0242] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may send at least one signaling including secondary control information (SCI) to a network node (e.g., a network-controlled repeater (NCR) or a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)). The network node may communicate according to the SCI over at least one link between the network node and a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) or a wireless communication node.

[0243] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are given by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Similarly, the various figures may depict example architectures or configurations provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, those skilled in the art 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. Additionally, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above exemplary embodiments.

[0244] It should also be understood that any reference to elements using names such as "first", "second", etc. generally does not limit the number or order of those elements. Instead, these names are used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, the reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must be located before the second element in some manner.

[0245] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques. For example, the 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.

[0246] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand 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 code containing instructions (for convenience, referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), 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. Those of ordinary skill in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0247] In addition, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC) including a general-purpose processor, which may include 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 herein.

[0248] 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 herein 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 may be any available medium that a computer can access. As an example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0249] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements to perform the relevant functions described herein. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module to perform the relevant functions according to the implementation of the present solution.

[0250] 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 suitable functional distribution may be used between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains without departing from the present solution. For example, the functions illustrated as being performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable devices that provide the described functions, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0251] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein 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 herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The network node receives at least one signaling including supplementary control information SCI from the wireless communication node; as well as The network node communicates according to the SCI via at least one link between the network node and a wireless communication device or the wireless communication node.

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

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SCI includes at least one of the following: beam information, including L indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding beam used in forwarding, where L is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time information, including T indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding applicable time of at least one beam, where T is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; time unit information, including U indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding time length of a symbol or a time slot applicable to at least one beam, wherein U is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; Frequency information, including F indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding applicable frequency resource of at least one beam, where F is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; Polarization information, including P indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding applicable polarization of at least one beam, where P is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; forwarding direction information, comprising D indications, each indication being used to indicate a corresponding forwarding direction of at least one beam, where D is an integer value greater than or equal to 0; or The power information includes G indications, each indication is used to indicate the corresponding forwarding power of at least one beam, where G is an integer value greater than or equal to 0.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one signaling includes at least one of the following: radio resource control RRC signaling, medium access control element MAC CE signaling or downlink control information DCI signaling.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first format of the at least one signaling comprises a respective field for each of the L, T, U, F, P, D and G indications.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second format of the at least one signaling comprises: a corresponding list for each group of the L indications, the T indications, the U indications, the F indications, the P indications, the D indications and the G indications, respectively.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The third format of the at least one signaling includes: a corresponding set of indications for each of the N forwarding resources, wherein at least one of the following is satisfied: N is an integer value corresponding to the maximum value of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G; or Each group of indications includes a respective indication from each of at least one of: the L indications, the T indications, the U indications, the F indications, the P indications, the D indications, or the G indications.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The fourth format of the at least one signaling includes at least one of the following: the respective fields of each of at least some of the L, T, U, F, P, D, and G indications; or a respective set of indications for each of at least some of the N forwarding resources, where at least one of the following is satisfied: N is an integer value corresponding to the maximum of any two or more of L, T, U, F, P, D, and G; or each set of indications includes respective indications from at least one of the following: the L indications, the T indications, the U indications, the F indications, the P indications, the D indications, or the G indications.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein: L is an integer value that is: defined or configured for a plurality of network nodes; defined or configured according to the capabilities of the network nodes; or equal to zero.

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein: T = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable time; T = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common time, or having a time resource index indicating at least one applicable time; or T＝0。 11. The method according to claim 3, wherein: U = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common time unit; U＝0； or U = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable time unit.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein: F = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable frequency; F = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common frequency; F = 0; or 0 < F < L, representing an association of a common frequency resource with some of the L beams.

13. The method according to claim 3, wherein: P = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable polarization; P = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common polarization; P＝0； or 0 < P < L, representing an association of a common polarization with some of the L beams.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein: D = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable forwarding direction; D = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common forwarding direction; D＝0； or 0 < D < L, representing an association of a common forwarding direction with some of the L beams.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein: G = L, representing a one-to-one mapping that associates each beam with a corresponding applicable power indication; G = 1, representing an L-to-one mapping that associates the L beams with a common power indication; G＝0； or 0 < G < L, representing an association of a common power indication with some of the L beams.

16. The method according to claim 3, the method further comprising: the network node determines the actual number of beams L1 according to: the number of time indications determined to be valid, or the number of applicable times indicated by the time resource index.

17. The method according to claim 3, comprising: The network node determines the actual number of beams L1 according to radio resource control RRC or medium access control element MAC CE signaling.

18. The method according to claim 3, comprising: The network node determines the actual number T1 according to radio resource control RRC or medium access control element MAC CE signaling.

19. A method comprising: The wireless communication node sends at least one signaling including auxiliary control information SCI to the network node, Wherein, the network node communicates according to the SCI through at least one link between the network node and the wireless communication device or the wireless communication node.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

21. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19.

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