Flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support

Abstract

A method includes evaluating, at a terminal, an ability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition and an operating condition prevailing at the terminal; and providing capability information including information about the assessed capability of the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for flexible duplex signaling to indicate duplex support. Background Art

[0002] The following description of the background technology may include insights, discoveries, understandings or disclosures or associations to at least some embodiments provided by the present disclosure, as well as disclosures not known in the relevant prior art. Some such contributions of the present disclosure may be specifically pointed out below, while other such contributions of the present disclosure will be apparent from the relevant context.

[0003] In the past few years, the growth and expansion of communication networks (for example, wire-based communication networks such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or wireless communication networks such as cdma2000 (Code Division Multiple Access) systems, third generation cellular (3G) such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), fourth generation (4G) communication networks or for example based on enhanced communication networks Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), fifth generation (5G) communication networks, second generation cellular (2G) communication networks such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio System (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), or other wireless communication systems such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Bluetooth or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX))) has occurred throughout the world. Various organizations such as European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Telecommunication and Internet Converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networks (TISPAN), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), WiMAX Forum, etc., are dedicated to standards or specifications for telecommunication networks and access environments.

[0004] In the Rel-18 study item on the evolution of New Radio (NR) duplex operation, it is assumed that gNBs support duplex enhancements and that user equipment (UE) initially supports only half-duplex. However, it is expected, and has been discussed in 3GPP, that it is likely that UEs will also be expected to support duplex enhancements later, such as flexible duplex operation. Flexible duplex operation means that the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) will operate within the same time division duplex (TDD) carrier on non-overlapping frequency resources. It should also be noted that TDD refers to a duplex communication link in which the uplink is separated from the downlink by the allocation of different time slots in the same frequency band. With flexible duplex, there are different non-overlapping frequency resources that can be used simultaneously by, for example, UEs.

[0005] In this context, just to improve understandability, consider the following from the perspective of frequency division duplex (FDD). That is, in FDD, there are two carriers, one for UL and one for DL. In contrast, in flexible duplex mode, there is only one TDD carrier, which can have non-overlapping resources in UL and DL that can be used by UEs at the same time.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above, further improvements in the field of flexible duplex operation of UEs are needed.It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to improve the prior art.

[0007] The abbreviations used in this manual have the following meanings:

[0008] 2G Second Generation

[0009] 3G Third Generation

[0010] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0011] 3GGP2 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2

[0012] 4G Fourth Generation

[0013] 5G Fifth Generation

[0014] 6G Sixth Generation

[0015] AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

[0016] AN Access Node

[0017] AP Access Point

[0018] BS Base Station

[0019] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0020] CSI Channel State Information

[0021] DC Direct Current

[0022] DL Downlink

[0023] DSL Digital Subscriber Line

[0024] EDGE Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution

[0025] EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

[0026] eNB Evolved Node B

[0027] ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute

[0028] FD-SIC Flexible Duplex Self-Interference Cancellation

[0029] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0030] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0031] GPRS General Packet Radio System

[0032] GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

[0033] IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

[0034] IQ In-Phase and Quadrature

[0035] ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network

[0036] ITU International Telecommunication Union

[0037] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0038] LTE-A Long Term Evolution Advanced

[0039] MANET Mobile Ad Hoc Network

[0040] MAC Media Access Control

[0041] MAC-CE MAC Control Element

[0042] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0043] NB Node B

[0044] NR New Radio

[0045] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0046] RAM Random Access Memory

[0047] RAN Radio Access Network

[0048] RB Resource Block

[0049] ROM Read Only Memory

[0050] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0051] Rx Receiver

[0052] SCS Subcarrier Spacing

[0053] SINR Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio SMF session management functions

[0054] TISPAN Telecom and Internet converged services and protocols for advanced networks TDD Time Division Duplex

[0055] Tx Transmitter / Transmit

[0056] UE User Equipment

[0057] UL Uplink

[0058] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0059] UWB Ultra Wideband

[0060] WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

[0061] WiMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

[0062] WLAN Wireless Local Area Network Summary of the invention

[0063] The purpose of each example of the disclosed embodiment is to improve the prior art. Therefore, at least some examples of the disclosed embodiments are intended to solve at least part of the above-mentioned problems and / or problems and disadvantages.

[0064] Various aspects of examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are set out in the accompanying claims and relate to methods, apparatus and computer program products related to flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support.

[0065] This object is achieved by the method, the device and the non-transitory storage medium specified in the appended claims. Advantageous further developments are set forth in the respective dependent claims.

[0066] Flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support is implemented according to any aspect mentioned in the appended claims, thereby allowing to solve at least part of the problems and disadvantages as identified / derivable above.

[0067] Therefore, improvements are achieved by methods, apparatus, and computer program products that implement flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are described below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0069] Figure 1 shows the level of the UE relative to the distance of the UE from the gNB;

[0070] Figure 2 shows a signaling flow for dynamic flexible duplex indication according to various examples of the embodiments;

[0071] Figure 3 shows a signaling flow for dynamic flexible duplex indication according to various examples of the embodiments;

[0072] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating steps corresponding to a method according to various examples of an embodiment is shown;

[0073] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating steps corresponding to a method according to various examples of an embodiment is shown;

[0074] Figure 6 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to various examples of embodiments;

[0075] Figure 7 shows a block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to various examples of embodiments; and

[0076] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating signaling flows according to various examples of the embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] Basically, in order to properly establish and process communications between two or more endpoints (e.g., communication stations or units or functions, such as terminal devices, user equipment (UE) or other communication network units, databases, servers, hosts, etc.), one or more network units or functions (e.g., virtualized network functions) may be involved, such as communication network control units or functions, for example, access network units such as access points (APs), radio base stations (BSs), relay stations, eNBs, gNBs, etc., and core network units or functions, such as control nodes, support nodes, service nodes, gateways, user plane functions, access and mobility functions, etc., which may belong to one communication network system or different communication network systems.

[0078] In the following, different exemplary embodiments will be described using a communication network architecture based on 3GPP standards for communication networks such as 5G / NR (or 6G) as an example of a communication network to which the embodiments can be applied, without limiting the embodiments to such an architecture. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments can also be applied to other types of communication networks such as 4G and / or LTE (or even 6G), in which mobile communication principles are integrated, such as Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, mobile ad hoc networks (MANET), wired access, etc. In addition, without loss of generality, although the description of some examples of the embodiments relates to mobile communication networks, the principles of the present disclosure can be extended and applied to any other type of communication network, such as a wired communication network or data center networking.

[0079] The following examples and embodiments should be understood as illustrative examples only. Although the specification may refer to "one", "an" or "some" examples or embodiments in multiple places, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference relates to the same example or embodiment, or that the feature applies only to a single example or embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. In addition, it should be understood that terms such as "including" and "comprising" do not limit the embodiments to consisting only of the features mentioned; such examples and embodiments may also include features, structures, units, modules, etc. that are not specifically mentioned.

[0080] The basic system architecture of a (telecommunication) communication network including a mobile communication system to which examples of some embodiments apply may include the architecture of one or more communication networks, which include (multiple) radio access network subsystems and (multiple) core networks. Such an architecture may include one or more communication network control units or functions, access network units, radio access network units, access service network gateways or base transceiver stations, such as base stations (BS), access points (AP), NodeBs (NBs), eNBs or gNBs, distributed or centralized units (CUs), which control their respective coverage areas or (multiple) cells, and one or more communication stations, such as communication units or functions, such as user equipment (e.g., customer equipment), mobile devices or terminal devices (such as UEs), or another device with similar functions, such as modem chipsets, chips, modules, etc., which may also be part of a station, unit, function or application capable of communication (e.g., UE), a unit or function that can be used for a machine-to-machine communication architecture, or attached as a separate unit to such a unit, function or application capable of communication, etc., or capable of communicating through one or more channels via one or more communication beams to transmit several types of data in multiple access domains. In addition, it may also include (core) network units or network functions ((core) network control unit or network function, (core) network management unit or network function), such as gateway network unit / function, mobile management entity, mobile switching center, server, database, etc.

[0081] The general functionality and interconnection of the described units and functions (also depending on the actual network type) are known to a person skilled in the art and are described in the corresponding specifications, so a detailed description thereof is omitted herein. However, it should be noted that in addition to the units and functions described in detail below, several additional network units and signaling links may be employed to communicate with units, functions or applications, such as communication endpoints, communication network control units (e.g. servers, gateways, radio network controllers) and other units of the same or other communication networks.

[0082] The communication network architecture considered in the embodiments may also communicate with other networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network or the Internet). The communication network may also support cloud services for virtual network elements or their functions, wherein it should be noted that the virtual network portion of the telecommunications network may also be provided by non-cloud resources (e.g., an internal network, etc.). It should be understood that the network elements and / or corresponding functions of the access system, the core network, etc. may be implemented using any node, host, server, access node or entity, etc. suitable for such purposes. Typically, the network functions may be implemented as network elements on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on an appropriate platform (e.g., a cloud infrastructure).

[0083] In addition, network units, such as communication units, such as UE, mobile devices, terminal devices, endpoint terminals, terminals, control units or functions, such as access network units, such as base stations (BS), eNB / gNB, radio network controllers, core network control units or functions, such as gateway units, or other network units or functions described herein, (core) network management units or functions, and any other units, functions or applications may be implemented by software (e.g., by a computer program product for a computer) and / or hardware. In order to perform their respective processing, the corresponding devices, nodes, functions or network units used may include several devices, modules, units, components, etc. (not shown) required for control, processing and / or communication / signaling functions. Such devices, modules, units and components may include, for example, one or more processors or processor units, including one or more processing parts for executing instructions and / or programs and / or processing data, storage or memory units or devices for storing instructions, programs and / or data, used as a work area for the processor or processing part, etc. (e.g. ROM, RAM, EEPROM, etc.), input or interface devices for inputting data and instructions through software (e.g. floppy disks, CD-ROMs, EEPROMs, etc.), user interfaces for providing users with monitoring and operation possibilities (e.g. screens, keyboards, etc.), other interfaces or devices for establishing links and / or connections under the control of the processor unit or part (e.g. wired and wireless interface devices, radio interface devices including, for example, antenna units, etc., devices for forming radio communication parts, etc.), etc., wherein the corresponding devices forming the interface (e.g. radio communication parts) may also be located at a remote site (e.g. the processor may also include one or more processing parts (e.g. radio heads or radio stations, etc.). It should be noted that in this specification, the processing part should not be regarded as representing only the physical part of one or more processors, but may also be regarded as a logical division of the indicated processing tasks performed by one or more processors.

[0084] It should be understood that according to some examples, a so-called "fluid" or flexible network concept may be adopted, in which the operations and functions of a network element, a network function or another entity of the network may be performed in a flexible manner in different entities or functions (e.g., in nodes, hosts or servers). In other words, the "division of labor" between the network elements, functions or entities involved may vary from case to case.

[0085] For the purposes of this specification, a solution for achieving flexible duplex operation for a UE is disclosed, which has advantages over prior art solutions for the reasons outlined below.

[0086] That is, the performance of the UE in flexible duplex operation depends on at least one of the following factors:

[0087] UE uplink (UL) transmitter (Tx) power level, which can refer to the power level set by power control or the actual radiated output power, which also depends on external factors such as antenna loading;

[0088] UE uplink (UL) resource block (RB) allocation size;

[0089] Frequency offset between uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) resource blocks (RBs); Downlink (DL) signal power level;

[0090] Other more static transmissions, including those caused by in-phase and quadrature (IQ) imbalance, direct current (DC) leakage; and

[0091] • The ability of the UE to cancel and / or tolerate self-interference.

[0092] Since many of the above factors vary depending on the deployment scenario (e.g. macro vs. small cell), data traffic, and whether the UE is located at the cell center or cell edge, static minimum UE performance requirements are not sufficient to describe the UE performance and what the UE can be scheduled for under real-time network conditions. This is because only the UE knows the signal conditions and the implementation aspects and capabilities of the UE at a given time and under given conditions, and in reality they will always be different from the conditions that define the minimum performance requirements. Therefore, using the minimum performance requirements as a guide for how to schedule the UE will lead to non-optimal results because the network needs to make more pessimistic assumptions about the UE's flexible duplex operation capabilities.

[0093] Therefore, it would be beneficial to dynamically indicate to the network the actual current capabilities of the UE, so that the network knows when and under what assumptions the UE can support flexible duplexing under the current signal conditions. This will help achieve better flexible duplexing performance without overly complex and expensive UE and network implementations.

[0094] In the prior art, static solutions and capabilities based on minimum UE requirements and UE capability indication / signaling are provided. For example, one solution relies on the idea that if the gNB knows or the UE can report its Flexible Duplex Self-Interference Cancellation (FD-SIC) capabilities and limitations, it can dynamically configure flexible duplex scheduling as long as the UE is within or has reported to be within its capabilities.

[0095] refer to Figure 1 , shows the level at the UE relative to the distance of the UE from the gNB. Specifically, Figure 1 Basically two regions are shown: a FD-SIC region 110 that exists at a shorter distance from the gNB and a TDD region 120 that exists at a longer distance from the gNB. Thus, in the depicted scenario, whenever the distance to the gNB is low enough for the UE UL power (where a UE UL power threshold 130 is shown at the boundary segment between the FD-SIC region 110 and the TDD region 120) and / or the UE receiver (Rx) signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) to be within its UE specific threshold limits (where a UE Rx SINR threshold 140 is shown at the boundary segment between the FD-SIC region 110 and the TDD region 120), the UE (if FD-SIC capable) can be scheduled for FD-SIC operation. Further beyond the cell edge, the UE cannot guarantee adequate interference cancellation through SIC and the gNB must revert to conventional TDD UE scheduling.

[0096] Prior art solutions do not provide the network with enough information to decide on feasible flexible duplex configurations and make scheduling decisions for a given UE while taking into account the actual performance of the UE in flexible duplex mode and current conditions. More specifically, the UE only indicates whether the UE is capable of supporting flexible duplex operation, taking into account its actual flexible duplex capability under the current scheduling configuration, but does not provide the network with information about what kind of flexible duplex configurations and scheduling decisions the UE is capable of supporting. Prior art solutions mainly rely on the capabilities of the UE and measurement reports of the UE, such as event-triggered measurement reports using existing UE measurement reports such as UE SINR and UE Tx power measurements and measurement reports.

[0097] However, in the present specification, additional performance benefits of flexible duplex operation are achieved by the UE evaluating its actual ability to operate in a flexible duplex mode with different flexible duplex parameters, taking into account the current conditions (i.e., the prevailing radio conditions), and the flexible duplex parameters include at least one of the following: the Tx power of the UE, the actual UE receiver performance (e.g., demodulation performance), the actual self-interference mitigation performance of the UE, or the tolerance of the UE to self-interference. The additional performance benefits of flexible duplex operation are also achieved by the UE, which then indicates to the network what type (multiple) flexible duplex configurations and scheduling decisions (if any) it can support under given conditions. It should also be understood that if the UE cannot support flexible duplex operation under the current (i.e., prevailing) conditions and configurations, it (i.e., the UE) can also notify the network. Based on such information about the current inability to support this, the network can notice that it (i.e., the network) may need to allow a given UE to operate in, for example, half-duplex mode. These indications, provided information and / or communications between the UE and the network enable the network to decide what type of flexible duplex parameters (e.g., UL RB allocation size, frequency offset between DL RBs and UL RBs) and scheduling decisions it uses for a given UE while ensuring successful operation.

[0098] According to at least some examples of embodiments, an idea underlying the present specification is that the UE (regularly) evaluates and signals to the network whether the current (i.e., prevailing) signal and operating conditions enable the UE to use flexible duplex operation and what key flexible duplex parameters can be used when the network configures flexible duplex operation for the UE and uses the flexible duplex operation in its scheduling decisions. In this context, it should be noted that the signaling of the UE can be optimized so that information about the evaluation is only signaled from the UE to the network when needed, for example when (multiple) predefined conditions are met. Although the UE may regularly (e.g., continuously or frequently) evaluate the (predominant signal and operating) conditions, signaling to the network may not occur after each evaluation. More precisely, signaling may, for example, only occur when there is information (i.e., information about the evaluation) to signal the network so that the signaling can be optimized. The reason for this may be given when (multiple) predefined conditions are met. Furthermore, such a predefined condition may represent a (sufficient) change of the dominant signal and operating conditions from a previously dominant signal and operating condition (i.e., the dominant signal and operating conditions are so different from the signals and operating conditions that prevailed under the previously performed evaluation that signaling to the network is triggered). In this regard, the (sufficient) change may represent a change that the UE now supports additional and / or fewer flexible duplex operations compared to the previously performed evaluation.

[0099] According to various examples of embodiments, the UE evaluates its actual ability to operate in a flexible duplex mode with different flexible duplex parameters, taking into account the current radio conditions, its Tx power, the actual UE receiver performance (such as demodulation performance), the actual self-interference mitigation performance of the UE, and / or the tolerance to self-interference. After the evaluation, the UE indicates to the network what type of (multiple) flexible duplex configurations and scheduling decisions it can support under given conditions. However, it should also be noted that if no (flexible duplex) parameters and / or any scheduling need to be changed, signaling can be optimized because the UE may not indicate anything to the network. Therefore, the network may, for example, assume that the conditions have not changed (e.g., not changed sufficiently as described above), and the UE may support the same parameters and / or scheduling as the previous UL PRB allocation. Therefore, this enables the network to decide what type of flexible duplex parameters (e.g., UL RB allocation size, frequency offset between DL RB and UL RB) and scheduling decisions can be used for a given UE while ensuring successful operation. Further with respect to scheduling decisions, it should be noted that, for understandable reasons, in scheduling decisions the network decides what configuration to use (such as UL / DL configuration and / or time slot format, etc.) and / or further decides the amount of data / bits, resource block allocation size and / or where in time and frequency to send these resource blocks.

[0100] In addition, according to various examples of embodiments, a set of key parameters and configurations can be extracted so that only one index value or a few indexes are reported, and these indexes reflect that a given UE can currently support multiple parameters, configurations and / or scheduling assumptions for its flexible duplex operation. In addition, signaling can be optimized even further because only the index to the table is sent as a signal for the UE to indicate what flexible duplex operation the UE can support. In addition, according to various examples of embodiments, signaling from the UE to the network can be optimized even further because the UE only sends information such as an index value when the (dominant signal and operation) condition changes (or has (sufficiently) changed) and / or meets (multiple) specific trigger conditions. This further improved signaling from the UE can be implemented by the UE using, for example, aperiodic reporting and / or event-triggered reporting mechanisms.

[0101] Alternatively and / or additionally based on the above-mentioned reporting of the index value, according to various examples of embodiments, the UE can directly signal all of these key parameters and configurations (in a set of key parameters), such as UE Tx power, UL RB allocation size, and frequency offset between DL RB and UL RB, to the network. In one embodiment, a given index corresponds to a given parameter set, which indicates the ability of the UE to perform flexible duplexing, for example, the index indicates to the network a scheduling operation applicable to or supported by the UE. In this regard, the index can also indicate (multiple) configurations and (flexible duplexing) parameters that the UE can support flexible duplexing operations under a given (e.g., dominant) condition. If the UE cannot support the current flexible duplexing operation (i.e., the dominant condition), the UE can also use the same reporting / indication mechanism to indicate to the network. It is then expected that the UE successfully operates using flexible duplexing under the conditions reflected by the reported index and all more UE-friendly signal conditions. Therefore, alternatively and / or additionally, the index can also indicate that the UE cannot support flexible duplexing operations under the current (i.e., dominant) condition (e.g., as shown in the example in the table outlined below).

[0102] Therefore, according to at least some examples of the embodiment, the UE reports its flexible duplex operation capability under the current signal condition assuming the actual performance of the UE on site. This brings the advantage of improved flexible duplex configuration and scheduling decisions of the network, because the network does not only need to use the minimum performance requirements defined by RAN4 to estimate the UE performance. More specifically, the UE's own estimation and indication of its flexible duplex support and performance under given conditions is an advantage because it is more accurate than the network using general UE measurement reports, UE minimum requirements and UE capability indications (e.g., for its ability to mitigate FD self-interference) to try to estimate the UE's flexible duplex support. Due to different implementations, different UEs perform differently on site and are generally better than the minimum requirements specified by 3GPP RAN4.

[0103] According to various examples of embodiments, selected steps according to the solutions provided herein refer to Figure 2 In order to solve the above-mentioned and outlined technical problems, the following steps are schematically shown below for improving understandability without limiting the subject matter that can be derived from this application:

[0104] Step 210, at the gNB, for the UE: the gNB configures flexible duplexing so that the UE can report a flexible duplexing status, wherein the gNB configures flexible duplexing periodically or aperiodically.

[0105] Step 220: At the UE, for the gNB: Based on the configuration received from the gNB, the UE evaluates and sends report(s) reflecting the current (i.e., prevailing) signal conditions and the associated flexible duplex capabilities.

[0106] Step S230, at the gNB, for the UE: the gNB may configure the UE to use / not use flexible duplexing and / or may schedule the UE based on the reported capabilities.

[0107] According to at least some examples of embodiments, information about the ability of a UE to tolerate self-interference for flexible duplex (i.e., full-duplex operation on non-overlapping frequency subbands) is provided by dynamic signaling from the UE to the network (e.g., to the gNB). The ability of the UE to operate and perform in flexible duplex mode is defined as, for example, a combination of the UE's transmit power level and how many guard bands (e.g., PRBs) are required in terms of frequency between UL and DL signals. Alternatively or additionally, available RBs may be reported. This information is transmitted from the UE to the network via relevant fast layer 1L1 signaling or media access control (MAC) signaling, enabling the network to allocate the correct resources to the UE and make correct scheduling decisions based on the actual performance of the UE during flexible duplex operation, rather than just based on static minimum requirements. In view of this, it should be noted that the static minimum requirement may be defined that under given (e.g., dominant) radio and interference conditions, if, for example, its UE TX power is below 3dBm, its frequency offset between DL RB and UL RB for the current SCS is above 12 PRBs and / or its UL RB allocation size does not exceed 5 PRBs, then the UE must be able to support flexible duplex operation. However, when the UE performs better than such static minimum requirements, the UE may signal to the network that under the current (i.e., dominant) signal and interference conditions, it may support flexible duplex operation when its Tx power is, for example, below 9dBm, its frequency offset between DL RB and UL RB for the current SCS is, for example, above 4 PRBs and / or its UL RB allocation size does not exceed 15 PRBs. Therefore, this means that the UE can support flexible duplex operation under more demanding conditions and more widely support higher data rates and higher transmission powers, which means a larger coverage area.

[0108] According to various examples of embodiments, the capability of the UE to operate in flexible duplex mode, which may be extracted by dynamic L1 signaling or MAC signaling, may be covered / indicated by corresponding key parameters and / or information. Such key parameters and / or information may include at least one of the following:

[0109] That is, the corresponding key parameters and / or information may include whether the UE can transmit a specific PRB away from the current (ie, dominant) UL when the UE's transmission power is below a certain level.

[0110] Deviations from performing self-interference cancellation or tolerating self-interference.

[0111] • Indication of transmit power to the UE.

[0112] How much guard band is needed in frequency between UL and DL signals (e.g.

[0113] PRB) instructions.

[0114] • Furthermore, since the UL RB allocation size affects the amount of DL interference, the UL RB allocation size associated with the UE may be included in such corresponding key parameters and / or information.

[0115] · In addition, due to flexible duplex operation, such corresponding key parameters and / or information may include the need to change the DL modulation and coding scheme (MCS): when flexible duplex is used, UL to DL interference increases, so the DL MCS may need to be changed when flexible duplex operation is started. Typically, the UE indicates to the network what DL MCS it can support through channel state information (CSI) reporting. If / when flexible duplex operation is started in the UE, dynamic flexible duplex signaling may include an additional need to change the DL MCS (e.g., an increment to the current DL MCS). Alternatively, dynamic UE signaling for indicating UE support for flexible duplex operation may be done on the basis of maintaining the current downlink MCS.

[0116] In either case, the need for any further changes to the DL MCS may be indicated from the UE to the network through regular CSI reporting.

[0117] According to at least some examples of embodiments, the required table can be created as a combination of key parameters, indicating that flexible duplex operation is a possible parameter space. In addition, UE demodulation requirements and test cases can be defined for given conditions to ensure that the UE performs as it reports. In addition, L1 signaling from the UE to the network can be defined to indicate the capabilities of the UE that are consistent with the table structure and utilize the table information. It should be noted that the UE can perform better than the minimum requirements, thereby achieving high data rates in scheduling, for example. Therefore, the UE can indicate support for situations that are more demanding than the defined minimum requirements. In addition, when the UE performance may be better than the minimum requirements, the UE can use L1-based or MAC-based dynamic signaling to notify the UE when it can support flexible duplex / full-duplex and under which assumptions.

[0118] Table 1 presents an example according to at least some examples of embodiments of how UE dynamic signaling (e.g., L1-based or MAC-based) can be defined for a UE to indicate its flexible duplex support to the network. The table can be subcarrier spacing (SCS) specific in the specification, but the signaling format can remain the same and refer to the SCS currently being used. Additionally, in order to optimize signaling and signaling overhead, the signaling can be defined in such a way that, for example, if the UE indicates a specific flexible duplex index, such signaling can mean that the UE also supports all lower flexible duplex indices in the table.

[0119] According to at least some examples of embodiments, dynamic signaling using a flexible duplex index as shown in Table 1 may be sent from the UE to the network, for example, using L1 reporting defined in the RAN1 specification or MAC-CE based reporting defined in TS38.321, for example, as follows:

[0120] • Alternative 1: L1 reporting similar to Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) reporting, for the UE to indicate a flexible duplex index based on the UE's flexible duplex support under given (ie, prevailing) conditions. Periodic or aperiodic reporting by the UE may be configured.

[0121] · Alternative 2: MAC-CE reporting, e.g., similar to power headroom reporting with appropriate triggering conditions, for sending a report reporting the flexible duplex index based on the UE's flexible duplex support under given (i.e., prevailing) conditions. Such a report may be triggered if, for example, the UE's Tx power has changed by more than a certain value, or the UL RB allocation size or frequency offset changes. Furthermore, a periodic report may be triggered if a periodic timer or inhibit timer expires. Additionally, changes in UE internal conditions (e.g., temperature and / or battery level, etc.) may affect the UE processing capabilities and thus trigger a report.

[0122] · Alternative 3: If a slightly longer reporting delay is acceptable, event-triggered or periodic UE reporting based radio resource control (RRC) signaling can also be used to report one or more flexible duplex indexes from the UE to the network (e.g., gNB). However, it can be considered that utilizing RRC has a longer delay than utilizing L1-based or MAC-CE-based signaling.

[0123] ·Alternative 4: The UE may also directly signal to the network its (multiple) configurations and parameters that support flexible duplex operation, for example, the maximum Tx power that it may support for flexible duplex operation, the minimum frequency offset between DL RB and UL RB for the current SCS in [number of PRBs in the table below], and the maximum UL RB allocation size in [number of PRBs in the table below] that the UE may support for flexible duplex operation. It should be noted that it is also possible to directly signal which configurations and parameters the UE supports for flexible duplex operation under given (e.g., dominant) conditions, although this may not be a possible signaling scheme because it requires more bits for signaling. However, from the UE's perspective, such an alternative 4 may more strongly describe the UE's intention to signal to the network. Then, from the perspective of signaling overhead, the other alternatives 1 to 3 may be more optimized.

[0124]

[0125] Table 1: Example of a proposed flexible duplex index reporting table according to at least some examples of embodiments

[0126] As illustrated in Table 2, according to various examples of the embodiment, the dynamic signaling indication of flexible duplex support for the UE and the index may also be a combination of more than one table and more than one index to allow more independence for the parameters, such as separate indexes for narrow RB allocation and wide RB allocation, respectively.

[0127] (Part 2a)

[0128]

[0129]

[0130] (Section 2b)

[0131]

[0132] Table 2 (ie, Part 2a and Part 2b): Example of a proposed flexible index reporting table according to at least some examples of embodiments

[0133] According to various examples of embodiments, a flowchart of a signaling flow as disclosed herein is shown in Figure 3 According to Figure 3 The flowchart is similar to Figure 2and differs in the following aspects. That is, in step S310, the UE may also be configured to additionally and / or alternatively report what kind of flexible duplex operation the UE is capable of supporting under given (i.e., prevailing) conditions. The UE may perform such additional and / or alternative reporting periodically or aperiodically. In this regard, the gNB may configure the UE for such periodic or aperiodic reporting. However, it should be noted that the UE does not necessarily rely on receiving such a configuration from the gNB. Rather, any other network entity capable of communicating with the UE (e.g., a network management entity) may be enabled to provide such a configuration to the UE.

[0134] In addition, according to various examples of embodiments, in step S310, the gNB may further configure what parameters the UE should use when evaluating and reporting what flexible duplex operation the UE can support under given (i.e., dominant) conditions. Such parameters may, for example, include a selection from the key parameters outlined above and / or may represent the key parameters outlined above. Thus, such parameters include at least one of the following: UE transmission power level, frequency offset between downlink resource blocks and uplink resource blocks, UE capability to eliminate or cope with self-interference, UL RB allocation size. Thus, in other words, it can be understood that the (dominant) configuration from the network gives (e.g., determines) these parameters, which can be basically understood as indicating to the UE what to evaluate. Thus, the UE may perform the evaluation based on the received configuration, which includes parameters configured (i.e., selected and / or determined) by the gNB. However, the UE may not necessarily rely on the parameters to be provided by the gNB. More precisely, the UE may obtain a set of parameters to be considered by the network management entity, or may rely on a set of parameters pre-selected, for example, by a user.

[0135] Additionally and / or alternatively, it should be noted that at least one of the above parameters to be used by the UE may not necessarily be configured by the gNB, but may be (directly) defined in the specification. Thus, parameters that are not (directly) defined in the specification may be indicated to the UE by the network, e.g. by the gNB configuring these parameters as above. In view of this, such a case should also be understood to be covered according to various examples of embodiments, where (all) rules and parameters (to be used by the UE) for evaluation and reporting outlined above may be directly specified and solidified in the specification together with the signaling table. However, instead of defining all parameters in the specification, the network (such as, for example, the gNB (and / or the network management (core) entity)) may indicate at least one parameter to be evaluated (i.e., used by the UE for evaluation), and the specification may define that the UE needs to take into account at least one specific (additional) parameter such as, for example, the UE's ability to eliminate or cope with self-interference, since the ability to eliminate or cope with self-interference may be UE implementation specific. The UE minimum requirement may define that the UE must be able to eliminate or cope with self-interference under given conditions. Therefore, it can be understood that the UE can obtain at least one of the above parameters by obtaining such (multiple) parameters based on its (i.e., UE) specific implementation and / or (multiple) 3GPP specifications (e.g., according to the minimum UE requirements). In such a case, it can be understood that the UE obtains such (multiple) parameters from, for example, the UE itself, because the UE itself knows its specific implementation and / or specifications.

[0136] In addition, according to Figure 3 , the evaluation and the reporting of the evaluation result are divided into two steps S320 and S330. That is, the two processing steps of evaluation and reporting may not necessarily be performed as representing one processing step, but may be performed separately from each other, for example by separate processing entities. For example, it may be considered as a group of at least two UEs, where one UE performs the evaluation and at least another UE performs the reporting, thereby reporting the configuration(s) suitable for all UEs in the group, thus allowing to even further reduce the communication between the gNB and the UE.

[0137] Step S340 outlines in more detail that the configuration and / or scheduling of the UE may be further based on the reported at least one flexible duplex index.

[0138] It should also be noted that before entering flexible duplex operation, the UE cannot directly evaluate its actual flexible duplex performance, but can evaluate and report its expected performance based on the current TDD configuration and operating conditions. In this case, the mapping between the current TDD operation and the expected flexible duplex operation of the UE can be based on the characterization and / or learning of the UE from previous (successful) flexible duplex operations under similar conditions. In order to prevent the link quality from being affected by poor TDD / flexible duplex mapping, the initial UE report can be set on the conservative side (or the network can "buffer" the reported capabilities) so that it can be updated (soon after) entering the actual flexible duplex operation.

[0139] Therefore, at least some of the above various examples of embodiments provide at least some of the following advantages:

[0140] The actual capability of the UE to support flexible duplex (FD) operation under given (i.e. prevailing) conditions, rather than just the capabilities and performance required based on flexible duplex-related UE minimum requirements (which are expected to be specified by RAN4 when UE support for flexible duplex operation is introduced in 3GPP). This enables higher data rates for flexible duplex operation and greater flexibility in network scheduling decisions with FD.

[0141] • The UE directly evaluates and then indicates to the network when the UE can support flexible duplex operation and / or with what parameters and / or configurations. If a given UE is capable of supporting FD operation under current conditions, the network does not need to make any additional estimations.

[0142] • The network can then directly utilize these UE indications (ie, UE reports) to decide on (UE-related) flexible duplex configuration and scheduling decisions, rather than requiring further estimation of the UE's FD capabilities and performance.

[0143] • UEs that perform better than the minimum requirement can benefit from higher data rates because the network does not make overly conservative scheduling assumptions.

[0144] ·The UE vendor does not need to provide or indicate any implementation details to the network to optimize scheduling decisions for better performance of the UE. In this regard, it should be taken into account that the UE may consider its different implementation aspects and be designed when evaluating the (dominant signal and operation) conditions to consider whether it can support flexible duplex operation and with what parameters. For example, according to at least some examples of the embodiments, the UE knows whether the self-interference cancellation algorithm is implemented in a given device, and therefore, the UE can better support duplex operation even in more challenging conditions such as higher Tx power, larger UL RB allocation size and / or smaller frequency difference between UL and DL transmissions. In view of the additional implementation aspects to be considered by the UE according to various examples of the embodiments, the UL / DL radio front end and antenna isolation may be band and / or frequency related and therefore specific to the UE design. Alternatively and / or additionally, the UE's consideration of its different implementation aspects may also include the UE considering at least one of the following:

[0145] The form factor of the UE, e.g. the UE is a laptop since a laptop typically has better isolation capabilities than e.g. a smartphone, and other implementation aspects, such as receiver sensitivity, type of (radio) cell and / or distance to the access node.

[0146] L1 or MAC based signaling indication from UE to network has short latency, so the network has up-to-date information about what type of flexible duplex related parameters and configurations the UE can support under current (i.e. prevailing) conditions. This allows for more accurate scheduling decisions at the gNB and thus enables enhanced throughput for the UE and more efficient and flexible network flexible duplex operation.

[0147] It should be noted that the present specification may consider both flexible duplex operation using UL and DL resources on non-overlapping frequency resources and full duplex operation on partially and fully overlapping frequency resources.

[0148] Further example embodiments will be described below in conjunction with the above methods and / or devices.

[0149] Reference now Figure 4 , a flowchart illustrating steps corresponding to various examples of methods according to an embodiment is shown. Figure 4 Such processing as shown may represent and / or correspond to the reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 At least a portion of such processing as shown. In addition, as shown in reference Figure 4 Such a terminal as described may include the Figures 1 to 3 Such a UE is outlined.

[0150] Specifically, according to Figure 4, in S410, the method includes evaluating, at the terminal, a capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition or an operating condition prevailing at the terminal.

[0151] It should be noted that such an assessment may include and / or represent the above referenced combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 The evaluation is outlined in steps S220 and S320.

[0152] It should also be noted that at least one of the signal conditions or operating conditions may include at least one of the following: the terminal's transmit (Tx) power, the uplink resource block allocation size, the frequency offset between the downlink and uplink resource blocks, the performance of the terminal's receiver, the terminal's self-interference mitigation performance or the terminal's ability to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, the terminal's ability to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, or an indication of how much frequency protection band is required between the UL and DL signals.

[0153] It should also be noted that the terminal may have received a trigger to perform such an evaluation from a network access unit or from a network management entity, the network access unit may represent, for example, Figures 1 to 3 The gNB as outlined, a network management entity such as an access and mobility management function AMF, or a session management function SMF. Alternatively and / or additionally, the terminal may be associated with a group of terminals and may have received such a trigger from another terminal of the group. However, the terminal is not necessarily limited to this. Instead, the terminal may perform such an evaluation at predetermined time intervals and / or at predetermined time points. In one embodiment, the terminal may receive a trigger from a network access unit (which may represent, for example, the above reference Figures 1 to 3 The terminal may receive such a configuration or at least a part of such a configuration from a gNB as outlined above or from a network management entity (e.g., an access and mobility management function AMF or a session management function SMF). Alternatively and / or additionally, the terminal may be associated with a group of terminals and may receive such a configuration or at least a part of such a configuration from another terminal in the group.

[0154] Furthermore, in S420, the method includes providing capability information including information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal.

[0155] It should be noted that such capability information may be provided to a network entity which may have triggered the evaluation outlined above in step S410. However, the provision of capability information is not necessarily limited thereto. Rather, provision to, for example, a network management entity may (additionally and / or alternatively) be performed.

[0156] It should also be noted that such providing may be understood as sending. Furthermore, it may also be understood that the capability information is made available for acquisition by an (authorized) network entity.

[0157] Alternatively and / or additionally, such provision may be performed using signaling and / or dynamic signaling. Furthermore, it should be noted that such dynamic signaling may correspond to the above reference to e.g. Figure 2 and Figure 3 And such dynamic signaling as outlined in Tables 1 and 2.

[0158] Thus, according to at least some examples of embodiments, it should be noted that the terminal may need to evaluate and then (based on a result obtained from a potentially optional decision step performed at the terminal as to whether to perform signaling from the terminal to the network) signal (e.g., report) to the network what key configurations and parameter values ​​it (i.e., the terminal) can support for flexible duplex operation under given (i.e., prevailing) radio and interference conditions, given network and system parameters (e.g., carrier frequency, bandwidth, SCS) and a given device implementation that the terminal may be aware of itself.

[0159] In view of this, the signaling from the terminal to the network can be optimized by not sending all the key parameters but instead sending an index (e.g., a table) indicating what the maximum Tx power is, what the minimum frequency difference / offset between the DL and UL resource blocks of the currently used SCS is, and / or what the maximum uplink resource block size that the terminal can support is, so as to achieve flexible duplex operation using the current (i.e., prevailing) network and system parameters (e.g., subcarrier spacing, carrier frequency, system BW) and given (e.g., prevailing) radio and interference conditions and the terminal's own implementation assumptions.

[0160] In addition, according to at least some examples of the embodiments, the evaluation may include detecting at least one of a dominant signal condition or a dominant operating condition, and also evaluating the terminal's ability to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of the detected dominant signal condition or the detected dominant operating condition, and information about the terminal's evaluation capability may indicate at least one of the detected dominant signal condition or the detected dominant operating condition.

[0161] In addition, according to various examples of the embodiment, the method may further include: obtaining at least one flexible duplex parameter; and also evaluating the ability of the terminal to operate in the flexible duplex mode based on the obtained at least one flexible duplex parameter.

[0162] It should also be noted that such at least one flexible duplex parameter may correspond to the above reference Figures 1 to 3In addition, the obtained at least one flexible duplex parameter may include at least one of the following: the transmit Tx power of the terminal, the uplink resource block allocation size, the frequency offset between the downlink and uplink resource blocks, the performance of the terminal's receiver, the self-interference mitigation performance of the terminal or the ability of the terminal to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, the ability of the terminal to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, or an indication of how many frequency guard bands are required between UL and DL signals.

[0163] Therefore, it should be noted that according to at least some examples of embodiments, the at least one flexible duplex parameter obtained may correspond to a condition included in at least one of a signal condition or an operating condition. Therefore, it should be understood that the terminal may be triggered to consider a specific signal or operating condition based on the obtained flexible duplex parameter, and the specific signal or operating condition corresponds to the obtained flexible duplex parameter.

[0164] In addition, according to various examples of the embodiments, the method may also include at least one of the following: receiving a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration, wherein the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration indicates at least one flexible duplex parameter, or obtaining at least one flexible duplex parameter by acquiring at least one flexible duplex parameter based on terminal specifications.

[0165] It should be noted that such flexible duplex capability assessment configuration may include and / or represent as described above with reference to e.g. Figure 2 and Figure 3 And such configuration outlined by steps S210, S220, S310 and S320.

[0166] It should also be noted that the terminal may receive such a configuration from such a gNB, as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 However, the terminal is not necessarily limited thereto. Instead, the terminal may receive such a configuration or at least a portion of such a configuration from a network access unit or from a network management entity (e.g., an access and mobility management function AMF or a session management function SMF), and the network access unit may represent, for example, a session management function as described above. Figures 1 to 3 Alternatively and / or additionally, the terminal may be associated with a terminal group and may receive such a configuration or at least a part of such a configuration from another terminal of the group.

[0167] Alternatively and / or additionally, it should also be noted that the terminal may obtain such a configuration or at least a portion thereof by directly acquiring such a configuration or at least a portion thereof from a specification. That is, the configuration or at least a portion thereof may be defined based on a current, existing and / or applied implementation specification (such as, for example, a configuration or at least a portion thereof specified in one of the 3GPP specifications). Thus, another part of the configuration (as described in detail above) may be received from the network.

[0168] In addition, according to various examples of the embodiments, based on the results generated by the evaluation, information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal may indicate flexible duplex configurations supportable by the terminal and / or scheduling decisions supportable by the terminal, or that the terminal is not able to support operations in a flexible duplex mode.

[0169] Additionally, according to various examples of the embodiments, if the evaluated capability of the terminal may exceed a predetermined minimum capability level, the information about the evaluated capability of the terminal may indicate an indication that requirements exceeding the predetermined minimum capability level are supportable by the terminal.

[0170] In addition, according to various examples of embodiments, signaling may be used including at least one of layer 1L1 based reporting, media access control-control element MAC-CE based reporting, event-triggered reporting based on radio resource control RRC signaling, or periodic terminal reporting.

[0171] It should be noted that the provision may correspond to the above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 And such transmission / sending as outlined in steps S220 and S330.

[0172] Additionally, according to various examples of embodiments, L1 report-based signaling and / or dynamic signaling may be configured to be periodic or aperiodic.

[0173] Optionally, according to at least some example embodiments, signaling based on MAC-CE based reporting may be triggered if at least one of the following situations occurs: the change in the terminal's Tx power is greater than a predetermined threshold change value, the terminal's Tx power exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold power value, the uplink resource block allocation size changes, the uplink resource block frequency offset changes, a periodic timer or a prohibition timer expires, or an internal condition of the terminal (including at least one of temperature or battery level) changes.

[0174] In addition, according to various examples of embodiments, the signaling may include indicating at least one flexible duplex index related to the ability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode, wherein the at least one flexible duplex index may be an index among multiple predetermined flexible duplex indexes, each predetermined flexible duplex index being related to a corresponding combination of predetermined signal conditions and / or predetermined operating conditions.

[0175] In addition, according to at least some examples of the embodiments, multiple predetermined flexible duplex indexes can be numbered consecutively, and the indication of at least one flexible duplex index with a specific number also includes: the terminal's dominant flexible duplex support for flexible duplex indexes with a number lower than the specific number can be indicated.

[0176] In addition, according to various embodiments, if the terminal has not yet entered flexible duplex operation, the method may also include learning from flexible duplex operations previously performed under signal conditions and / or operating conditions similar to at least one of the dominant signal conditions or the dominant operating conditions, and also evaluating the terminal's ability to operate in flexible duplex mode based on the learning results from the learning.

[0177] Furthermore, according to various examples of embodiments, the method may further include: prior to providing, determining whether to provide capability information based on whether the evaluated capabilities of the terminal have changed from previous evaluated capabilities of the terminal.

[0178] It should be noted that this change may represent this change and / or sufficient change as outlined above. That is, such a change may include: a change from a previously evaluated and / or previously detected dominant condition may have been evaluated and / or detected (e.g., no effect on the flexible duplex operation to be supported by the terminal). It may also include that such a change from a previously evaluated and / or previously detected dominant condition may also result in a change (i.e., an increase, decrease and / or change) in the flexible duplex operation supported by the terminal.

[0179] The above solution allows for flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. Therefore, the above solution to be performed at the terminal is advantageous because it enables flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. Figure 2 and Figure 3 At least some of the advantages described in detail are achieved.

[0180] Reference now Figure 5 , Figure 5 Flowcharts illustrating steps corresponding to methods according to various examples of embodiments are shown.

[0181] As reference Figure 5 Such processing as shown may represent and / or correspond to the reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 At least a portion of such processing as shown. In addition, as shown in reference Figure 5 Such an access network element as described above may include Figures 1 to 3 In addition, as described in reference Figure 5Such a terminal as described may include the Figures 1 to 3 Such UE as outlined and / or as referenced Figure 4 Such a terminal is described.

[0182] Specifically, according to Figure 5 , in S510, the method includes configuring a flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration at an access network unit.

[0183] It should be noted that the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration enables the terminal to assess the ability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition or an operating condition prevailing at the terminal. Figure 4 An example of at least one of a signal condition or an operating condition is given.

[0184] It should also be noted that the configuration may correspond to the above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 And such configuration outlined by steps S210, S220, S310 and S320.

[0185] In step S520 , the method includes providing a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration.

[0186] It should be noted that providing may be understood as sending. Furthermore, providing may also be understood as enabling the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration for acquisition by the (authenticated) network entity.

[0187] It should also be noted that such a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration may be provided (ie sent) from an access network element to a terminal.

[0188] Furthermore, according to various examples of embodiments, configuration may be performed periodically, aperiodically, or represent a one-time configuration.

[0189] In addition, according to at least some examples of the embodiments, the configuration may also include: configuring at least one flexible duplex parameter; and the providing may also include: providing at least one configured flexible duplex parameter, wherein the flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration may also enable the terminal to evaluate the ability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on the configured at least one flexible duplex parameter.

[0190] In addition, according to various examples of the embodiments, the method may also include: receiving capability information based on the provided flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration, the capability information including information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal; and performing at least one of the following based on the received capability information: configuring the terminal to use or not use flexible duplex, or scheduling the terminal.

[0191] It should be noted that the execution may correspond to the above reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 Such step S230 and / or step S340 are outlined.

[0192] Optionally, according to at least some examples of the embodiments, the method may further include: obtaining whether the terminal is in flexible duplex operation, and if the terminal has not entered the flexible duplex operation, caching the received capability information.

[0193] It should be noted that the received capability information may be cached to be updated after the terminal enters the flexible duplex operation.

[0194] In one embodiment, the UE may determine / evaluate key parameters and information indicating the associated flexible duplex capability during the current operating / signaling conditions. If the determined key parameters and information indicate a changed flexible duplex capability, the UE may inform the network of the changed flexible duplex capability. This may be performed by the UE sending an indication of the key parameters and information, for example in the form of one or more indices (as outlined in the table above). The sending may be, for example, L1, MAC CE, or RRC signaling. In this way, the gNB acquires knowledge that the UE can, for example, be scheduled more freely than if the UE only meets the minimum flexible duplex capability. Scheduling may include, for example, allocating more data to the UE than if only the minimum flexible duplex capability is assumed. As described above, the key parameters to be evaluated by the gNB may be provided to the UE by the gNB in ​​the form of a configuration. The key parameters may include, for example, one or more of the following: UE transmit power level, frequency offset between downlink and uplink resource blocks, ability to eliminate or cope with self-interference, or UL RB allocation size. The current operating / signaling conditions may affect these, for example, if propagation loss, multipath delay, etc. are severe, the key parameters may need to be adjusted.

[0195] The above solution allows for flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. Therefore, the above solution to be performed at the access network element is advantageous because it enables flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. Figure 2 and Figure 3 At least some of the advantages described in detail.

[0196] Reference now Figure 6 , Figure 6 Block diagrams illustrating apparatus according to various examples of embodiments are shown.

[0197] Specifically, Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an apparatus 600 according to various examples of embodiments is shown, and the apparatus 600 may be as described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 The UEs described above and / or Figure 4 and Figure 5Such a terminal as outlined above can participate in flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. In addition, although reference is made to a terminal, a terminal can also be another device or function with a similar task, such as a chipset, a chip, a module, an application, etc., which can also be part of a network element or attached to a network element as a separate unit, etc. It should be understood that each block and any combination thereof can be implemented by various means or combinations thereof, such as hardware, software, firmware, one or more processors and / or circuit devices.

[0198] Figure 6 The device 600 shown may include a processing circuit device, a processing function, a control unit or a processor 610, such as a CPU, etc., which is suitable for implementing flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. The processor 610 may include one or more processing parts or functions dedicated to a specific process as described below, or the process may be run in a single processor or processing function. The part for performing such a specific process may also be provided as a discrete element or in one or more other processors, processing functions or processing parts, such as in a physical processor, such as a CPU or in one or more physical or virtual entities, such as reference numerals 631 and 632 represent input / output (I / O) units or functions (interfaces) connected to the processor or processing function 610. I / O units 631 and 632 may be a combined unit including a communication device toward several entities / units, or may include a distributed structure with multiple different interfaces for different entities / units. Reference numeral 620 represents a memory, which can be used, for example, to store data and programs to be executed by the processor or processing function 610 and / or act as a working storage device for the processor or processing function 610. It should be noted that the memory 620 may be implemented by using one or more memory portions of the same or different types of memory, but may also represent external memory, for example, an external database provided on a cloud server.

[0199] The processor or processing function 610 is configured to perform processing related to the above-mentioned processing. In particular, the processor or processing circuit device or function 610 includes one or more of the following sub-parts. Sub-part 611 is an evaluation part for evaluating the ability of the terminal to operate in the flexible duplex mode. Part 611 can be configured to perform according to Figure 4 In addition, subsection 612 is a providing section for providing capability information including information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal. Section 612 may be configured to perform Figure 4 The S420 process.

[0200] Reference now Figure 7 , Figure 7 Block diagrams illustrating apparatus according to various examples of embodiments are shown.

[0201] Specifically, Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to various examples of embodiments is shown, which apparatus may represent the apparatus described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 Such gNBs as outlined and / or as referenced above Figure 5 Such a network access unit as outlined may participate in flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. In addition, although reference is made to an access network unit, the access network unit may also be another device or function with similar tasks, such as a chipset, chip, module, application, etc., which may also be part of a network unit or attached to a network unit as a separate unit, etc. It should be understood that each block and any combination thereof may be implemented by various means or combinations thereof, such as hardware, software, firmware, one or more processors and / or circuit devices.

[0202] Figure 7 The device 700 shown may include a processing circuit device, a processing function, a control unit or a processor 710, such as a CPU, etc., which is suitable for implementing flexible duplex signaling for indicating duplex support. The processor 710 may include one or more processing parts or functions dedicated to a specific process as described below, or the process may be run in a single processor or processing function. The part for performing such a specific process may also be provided as a discrete element or in one or more other processors, processing functions or processing parts, such as in a physical processor, such as a CPU or in one or more physical or virtual entities, such as reference numerals 731 and 732 represent input / output (I / O) units or functions (interfaces) connected to the processor or processing function 710. The I / O units 731 and 732 may be a combined unit including a communication device toward several entities / units, or may include a distributed structure with multiple different interfaces for different entities / units. Reference numeral 720 represents a memory, which can be used, for example, to store data and programs to be executed by the processor or processing function 710 and / or act as a working storage device for the processor or processing function 710. It should be noted that the memory 720 may be implemented by using one or more memory portions of the same or different types of memory, but may also represent external memory, for example, an external database provided on a cloud server.

[0203] The processor or processing function 710 is configured to perform processing related to the above-mentioned processing. In particular, the processor or processing circuit device or function 710 includes one or more of the following sub-parts. Sub-part 711 is a configuration part for configuring a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration. Part 711 can be configured to perform according to Figure 5 In addition, subsection 712 is a providing section for providing a flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration. Section 712 may be configured to perform the following Figure 5 The S520 is processed.

[0204] It should be noted that, as mentioned above Figure 6 and Figure 7 The apparatus 600 and apparatus 700 as outlined may include other / additional sub-parts which may allow the apparatus 600 and apparatus 700 to perform the above-referenced Figure 2 and Figure 3 Such method / method steps as outlined.

[0205] Reference now Figure 8 , Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating various exemplary signaling flows according to the embodiments is shown.

[0206] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown above reference Figure 6 The apparatus 600 is generally described and is referred to above Figure 7 An example of one potential interaction of at least several potential interactions between devices 700 is outlined.

[0207] Optionally, the apparatus 700 may perform the above-referenced Figure 5 The steps S510 and S520 are summarized. Thus, the configured flexible duplex capability assessment configuration may be sent to the apparatus 600, and the apparatus 600 may receive such configuration. In addition, the apparatus 700 may perform the above-referenced steps. Figure 4 Overview of steps S410 and S420. Thus, capability information comprising information on the assessed capability of the device 600 to operate in flexible duplex mode is assessed and the resulting assessment result is sent to the device 700. Such transmission may be performed using signaling and / or dynamic signaling.

[0208] It should be understood that

[0209] -The access technology for transmitting traffic between entities in the communication network can be any suitable existing or future technology, for example, WLAN (wireless local area network), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), LTE, LTE-A, 5G, 6G, Bluetooth, infrared, etc. can be used; in addition, the embodiments can also apply wired technology, such as IP-based access technology, such as a wired network or a fixed line.

[0210] -Embodiments suitable for implementation as software code or part thereof and running using a processor or processing functionality are independent of software code and may be specified using any known or future developed programming language, such as a high-level programming language, such as Objective-C, C, C++, C#, Java, Python, Javascript, other scripting languages, etc., or a low-level programming language, such as machine language or assembler.

[0211] -The implementation of the embodiments is hardware independent and can be implemented using any known or future developed hardware technology or any mixture of these technologies, such as a microprocessor or CPU (central processing unit), MOS (metal oxide semiconductor), CMOS (complementary MOS), BiMOS (bipolar MOS), BiCMOS (bipolar CMOS), ECL (emitter coupled logic) and / or TTL (transistor-transistor logic).

[0212] - embodiments may be implemented as separate devices, means, units, components or functions, or in a distributed manner, for example, one or more processors or processing functions may be used or shared in a process, or one or more processing parts or processing parts may be used and shared in a process, where one physical processor or multiple physical processors may be used to implement one or more processing parts dedicated to the specific process,

[0213] - the device may be implemented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset or a (hardware) module including such a chip or chipset;

[0214] - The embodiments may also be implemented as any combination of hardware and software, such as ASIC (Application Specific IC (Integrated Circuit)) components, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) components or DSP (Digital Signal Processor) components.

[0215] The embodiments may also be implemented as a computer program product, including a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code being adapted to perform the processes as described in the embodiments, wherein the computer usable medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0216] Although the present disclosure has been described herein before with reference to specific embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and various modifications may be made thereto.

Claims

1. A method comprising: At a terminal, evaluating (S410) a capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition and an operating condition prevailing at the terminal; as well as Capability information is provided (S420), the capability information comprising information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The assessment includes: detecting said at least one of a dominant signal condition and a dominant operating condition, and evaluating said ability of said terminal to operate in flexible duplex mode further based on said at least one of the detected dominant signal condition and the detected dominant operating condition, and The information regarding the assessed capabilities of the terminal indicates the at least one of a detected dominant signal condition and a detected dominant operating condition.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: obtaining at least one flexible duplex parameter; as well as Based on the obtained at least one flexible duplex parameter, the capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode is evaluated.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising at least one of the following: receiving a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration, wherein the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration indicates the at least one flexible duplex parameter, or The at least one flexible duplex parameter is obtained by acquiring the at least one flexible duplex parameter based on a specification of the terminal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein Based on a result obtained from the evaluation, the information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal indicates at least one of the following: flexible duplex configurations supportable by the terminal, scheduling decisions supportable by the terminal, and An indication that the terminal is incapable of supporting operation in flexible duplex mode.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein If the assessed capabilities of the terminal exceed a predetermined minimum capability level, the information about the assessed capabilities of the terminal indicates an indication that requirements exceeding the predetermined minimum capability level can be supported by the terminal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein The at least one flexible duplex parameter obtained includes at least one of the following: The transmit Tx power of the terminal, Uplink resource block allocation size, The frequency offset between the downlink resource blocks and the uplink resource blocks, the performance of the receiver of the terminal, the self-interference mitigation performance of the terminal or the ability of the terminal to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, The ability of the terminal to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, and An indication of how much guard band is needed in frequency between the UL signal and the DL signal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The at least one of the signal condition or the operating condition comprises at least one of the following: The transmit Tx power of the terminal, Uplink resource block allocation size, The frequency offset between the downlink resource blocks and the uplink resource blocks, the performance of the receiver of the terminal, the self-interference mitigation performance of the terminal or the ability of the terminal to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, The ability of the terminal to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, and An indication of how much guard band is needed in frequency between the UL signal and the DL signal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein The providing includes using signaling based on at least one of: Layer 1L1 report, Based on the report of the media access control element MAC CE, Event-triggered reporting based on Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, and Periodic terminal reporting.

10. The method according to claim 9, Wherein the signaling based on the MAC-CE based report is triggered if at least one of the following occurs: The change in Tx power of the terminal is greater than a predetermined threshold change value, The Tx power of the terminal exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold power value, Uplink resource block allocation size changes, Uplink resource block frequency offset changes, The periodic timer or the inhibit timer expires, and An internal condition of the terminal changes, the internal condition comprising at least one of temperature and battery level.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the signaling comprises at least one flexible duplex index indicating the capability of the terminal to operate in flexible duplex mode, The at least one flexible duplex index is an index among a plurality of predetermined flexible duplex indexes, each of the predetermined flexible duplex indexes being related to a corresponding combination of a predetermined signal condition and / or a predetermined operating condition.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The plurality of predetermined flexible duplex indexes are numbered consecutively, and The indication of the at least one flexible duplex index having a specific number further comprises: Indicating dominant flexible duplex support of the terminal for flexible duplex indexes having a number lower than the specific number.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising: If the terminal has not yet entered flexible duplex operation, then learning from flexible duplex operations previously performed under signal conditions and / or operating conditions similar to said at least one of the dominant signal conditions and the dominant operating condition, as well as The capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode is also evaluated based on a learning result from the learning.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: Prior to the providing, determining whether to provide the capability information is based on whether the assessed capabilities of the terminal have changed from a previous assessed capabilities of the terminal.

15. A method comprising: configuring (S510) a flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration at an access network unit, The flexible duplex capability assessment configuration enables a terminal to assess a capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition or an operating condition prevailing at the terminal; as well as The flexible duplex capability assessment configuration is provided (S520).

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The configuring further comprises configuring at least one flexible duplex parameter; and The providing further comprises providing the configured at least one flexible duplex parameter, The flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration further enables the terminal to evaluate the capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on the configured at least one flexible duplex parameter.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, further comprising: receiving capability information based on the provided flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration, the capability information comprising information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal, and Perform at least one of the following based on the received capability information: configuring the terminal to use or not use flexible duplex, and The terminal is scheduled.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: obtaining whether the terminal is in flexible duplex operation, and If the terminal has not yet entered flexible duplex operation, The received capability information is cached.

19. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: evaluating an ability of the device to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of signal conditions and operating conditions prevailing at the device; as well as Capability information is provided, the capability information comprising information regarding assessed capabilities of the device.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus caused to evaluate the ability of the apparatus to operate in a flexible duplex mode is further caused to: detect the at least one of a dominant signal condition and a dominant operating condition, and also evaluate the ability of the apparatus to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on the detected at least one of the dominant signal condition and the detected dominant operating condition, and The information regarding the assessed capabilities of the device is indicative of the at least one of a detected dominant signal condition and a detected dominant operating condition.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: obtaining at least one flexible duplex parameter; and Based on the at least one flexible duplex parameter, the ability of the apparatus to operate in a flexible duplex mode is evaluated.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform at least one of the following: receiving a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration, wherein the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration indicates the at least one flexible duplex parameter, and The at least one flexible duplex parameter is obtained by acquiring the at least one flexible duplex parameter based on a specification of the device.

23. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein Based on an evaluation result of the evaluation, the information about the evaluated capabilities of the device indicates at least one of the following: Flexible duplex configurations supported by the device, the scheduling decisions that can be supported by the device, and An indication that the apparatus is incapable of supporting operation in flexible duplex mode.

24. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein If the assessed capabilities of the device exceed a predetermined minimum capability level, the information about the assessed capabilities of the device indicates an indication that requirements exceeding the predetermined minimum capability level can be supported by the device.

25. The device according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein The at least one flexible duplex parameter obtained includes at least one of the following: The transmit Tx power of the terminal, Uplink resource block allocation size, The frequency offset between the downlink resource blocks and the uplink resource blocks, the performance of the receiver of the terminal, the self-interference mitigation performance of the terminal or the ability of the terminal to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, The ability of the terminal to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, and An indication of how much guard band is needed in frequency between the UL signal and the DL signal.

26. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 25, wherein The at least one of the signal condition and the operating condition comprises at least one of the following: The transmit Tx power of the terminal, Uplink resource block allocation size, The frequency offset between the downlink resource blocks and the uplink resource blocks, the performance of the receiver of the terminal, the self-interference mitigation performance of the terminal or the ability of the terminal to perform self-interference cancellation, the terminal's tolerance to self-interference, The ability of the terminal to change the downlink modulation and coding scheme MCS due to flexible duplex operation, and An indication of how much guard band is needed in frequency between the UL signal and the DL signal.

27. The apparatus of any one of claims 19 to 26, wherein the apparatus is further caused to provide the capability information by using signaling based on one of: Layer 1L1 report, Based on the report of the media access control element MAC CE, Event-triggered reporting based on Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, and Periodic device reports.

28. The device according to claim 27, Wherein the signaling based on the MAC-CE based report is triggered if at least one of the following occurs: The change in the Tx power of the device is greater than a predetermined threshold change value, The Tx power of the device exceeds or falls below a predetermined threshold power value, Uplink resource block allocation size changes, Uplink resource block frequency offset changes, The periodic timer or the inhibit timer expires, and An internal condition of the device changes, the internal condition comprising at least one of temperature or battery level.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the apparatus is further caused to indicate in the signaling at least one flexible duplex index related to the capability of the apparatus to operate in flexible duplex mode, The at least one flexible duplex index is an index among a plurality of predetermined flexible duplex indexes, each of the predetermined flexible duplex indexes being related to a corresponding combination of a predetermined signal condition and / or a predetermined operating condition.

30. The device according to claim 29, wherein The plurality of predetermined flexible duplex indexes are numbered consecutively, and The apparatus being caused to indicate the at least one flexible duplex index having a specific number further includes an indication by the apparatus for dominant flexible duplex support for flexible duplex indexes having a number lower than the specific number.

31. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 30, wherein the device is further caused to: If the device has not yet entered flexible duplex operation, then learning from flexible duplex operations previously performed under signal conditions and / or operating conditions similar to said at least one of the dominant signal conditions and the dominant operating condition, as well as The ability of the device to operate in a flexible duplex mode is also evaluated based on a learning result from the learning.

32. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 31, wherein the device is further caused to: Prior to providing the capability information, a determination is made whether to provide the capability information based on whether the assessed capabilities of the device have changed from assessed capabilities of a previous device.

33. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: configuring a flexible duplex capability assessment configuration at an access network element, the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration enabling a terminal to assess a capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on at least one of a signal condition and an operating condition prevailing at the terminal; as well as The flexible duplex capability assessment configuration is provided.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the apparatus is further caused to configure at least one flexible duplex parameter; and providing the flexible duplex capability assessment configuration based on also providing the configured at least one flexible duplex parameter, The flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration further enables the terminal to evaluate the capability of the terminal to operate in a flexible duplex mode based on the configured at least one flexible duplex parameter.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 or 34, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: receiving capability information based on the provided flexible duplex capability evaluation configuration, the capability information comprising information about the evaluated capabilities of the terminal, and Perform at least one of the following based on the received capability information: configuring the terminal to use or not use flexible duplex, and The terminal is scheduled.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: obtaining whether the terminal is in flexible duplex operation, and If the terminal has not yet entered flexible duplex operation, The received capability information is cached.

37. A computer program product for a computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of any one of claims 1 to 14 or any one of claims 15 to 18 when the product is run on the computer.

38. A computer program product according to claim 37, wherein: The computer program product comprises a computer readable medium having the software code portions stored thereon, and / or The computer program product can be directly loaded into the internal memory of the computer and / or can be transmitted via a network by at least one of uploading, downloading or pushing.

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