Method and apparatus for beam directivity at network control repeater

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a technique for configuring a repeater device by control signaling in a wireless communication system. In some embodiments, the repeater device is configured to form a separate coverage area. For example, the repeater device determines a first coverage area based on a first beam at the repeater device paired with a network device, wherein the first coverage area corresponds to a direction such that the first beam falls within the first coverage area for serving a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device. Based on the first indication, the repeater device determines one or more coverage areas with respect to the first coverage area, where the one or more coverage areas are configured to communicate with a user equipment via an access link of the repeater device.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 882,989, filed on August 8, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including wireless communication systems having a repeater device controlled by another device.

[0004] background

[0005] Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to send data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs).

[0006] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to communicate between base stations of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0007] Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

[0008] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (also sometimes referred to as a gNode B or gNB).

[0009] The RAN provides communication services together with external entities through its connection with the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0010] The frequency bands of 5G NR may be divided into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, frequency range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating at frequencies below 6 GHz, some of which may be used by previous standards and may potentially be expanded to cover new spectrum products from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have a smaller range but potentially higher available bandwidth than the frequency bands in FR1. The skilled person will recognize that these frequency ranges, provided by way of example, may vary over time or from region to region. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 2 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components and communication links associated with a repeater device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0015] Figure 4 is another block diagram illustrating exemplary components and communication links associated with a repeater device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0016] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating exemplary coverage areas associated with a repeater device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0017] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6CExemplary operations of a base station and a relay device and signaling interactions therebetween according to the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 7 An exemplary method for assigning indices to access link coverage areas according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 8 Exemplary methods for communication according to embodiments disclosed herein are illustrated.

[0020] Fig. 9 Another exemplary method for communication according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0021] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Acronyms

[0023] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most commonly used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below:

[0024] CE: Control Element

[0025] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0026] DL: Downlink

[0027] FR: Frequency range

[0028] Fwd: forward

[0029] MAC: Media Access Control

[0030] MT: Mobile station called

[0031] NCR: Network Control Repeater

[0032] NR: New Radio

[0033] NW: Network

[0034] OAM: Operations Administration and Maintenance

[0035] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0036] PRACH: Physical Random Access Channel

[0037] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0038] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0039] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0040] RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0041] RX: Receive

[0042] SSB: Synchronization Signal Block

[0043] TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator

[0044] TDD: Time Division Duplex

[0045] TX: Transmit

[0046] UE: User Equipment

[0047] UL: Uplink

[0048] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. Various embodiments are described with respect to a UE. However, reference to a UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, a UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing devices configured for wireless communication. UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 106. In an embodiment, RAN 106 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 102 and UE 104 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively) with RAN 106, wherein each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, that implement connection 108 and connection 110.

[0050] In this example, connection 108 and connection 110 are air interfaces that implement such communication coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 106, such as, for example, LTE and / or NR. In some embodiments, UE 102 and UE 104 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 116. UE 104 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via connection 120. By way of example, connection 120 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 118 may include In this example, AP 118 may be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) without going through CN 124.

[0051] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 112 or base station 114 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, base station 112 or base station 114 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 122. In an embodiment where wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN124 is EPC), interface 122 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to EPC. In an embodiment where wireless communication system 100 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 124 is 5GC), interface 122 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to 5GC, between base station 112 (e.g., gNB) and eNB connected to 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC (e.g., CN 124).

[0052] The RAN 106 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the CN 124. The CN 124 may include one or more network elements 126 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 102 and users of UE 104) connected to the CN 124 via the RAN 106. The components of the CN 124 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0053] Generally speaking, application server 130 may be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) that use Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with CN 124. Application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 102 and UE 104 via CN 124. Application server 130 may communicate with CN 124 via IP communication interface 132.

[0054] Figure 2 A system 200 for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218 according to embodiments disclosed herein is shown. The system 200 can be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 202 can be, for example, a relay device of the wireless communication system. The network device 218 can be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) of the wireless communication system, such as described in connection with Figure 1 The associated depicted base station 112 or base station 114.

[0055] The wireless device 202 may include one or more processors 204. The processor 204 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 202, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0056] The wireless device 202 may include a memory 206. The memory 206 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 204). The instructions 208 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 206 may also store data used by the processor 204 and results calculated by the processor.

[0057] The wireless device 202 may include one or more transceivers 210 that may use radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 212 of the wireless device 202 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the wireless device 202 with other devices (e.g., network device 218) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0058] The wireless device 202 may include one or more antennas 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 212, the wireless device 202 may utilize the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 212 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resource. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting device and the receiving device to implement this aspect). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 202 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied at the wireless device 202, which multiplexes the data streams across the antennas 212 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, so that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where the data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0059] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of signals transmitted by the antennas 212 are relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 212 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0060] The wireless device 202 may include one or more interfaces 214. The interfaces 214 may be used to provide input to the wireless device 202 or output from the wireless device. For example, a wireless device 202 that is a UE may include an interface 214, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, buttons, etc., to allow a user of the UE to input and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits that allow communication between the UE and other devices (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 210 / antenna 212 described above), and may be based on known protocols (e.g., etc.) to perform the operation.

[0061] The network device 218 may include one or more processors 220. The processor 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the network device 218, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0062] The network device 218 may include a memory 222. The memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 220). The instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 222 may also store data used by the processor 220 and results calculated by the processor.

[0063] The network device 218 may include one or more transceivers 226, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuits that use an antenna 228 of the network device 218 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the network device 218 with other devices (e.g., wireless device 202) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0064] The network device 218 may include one or more antennas 228 (eg, one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 228, the network device 218 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beamsteering, etc. as described.

[0065] The network device 218 may include one or more interfaces 230. The interface 230 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 218. For example, the network device 218 as a base station may include an interface 230 composed of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 226 / antenna 228 described above), which enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., in order to achieve the purpose of performing operations, management, and maintenance of the base station or other equipment operably connected to the base station.

[0066] In some cases, direct wireless communication between multiple devices may be difficult because the first device (e.g., Figure 1 UE 102 or UE 104 in the system and a second device (e.g., Figure 1 Base station 112 or base station 114 or Figure 2 There is a blockage between the network devices 218 in the first device or because the first device is out of the coverage of the second device. In this scenario, the repeater device (e.g., Figure 2 The wireless device 202 in the embodiment of the present invention can be configured to extend the coverage of the second device by amplifying the signal transmitted between the first device and the second device. In some examples, the repeater device can be dynamically controlled by the network device so that the configuration of the repeater device can be dynamically adjusted or reconfigured according to the conditions of the wireless communication system.

[0067] Figure 3303 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components and communication links associated with a relay device 303 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The relay device 303 may communicate with a base station 301 and a UE 305, wherein traffic between the base station 301 and the UE 305 is received and transmitted through the relay device 303. The base station 301 may correspond to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The repeater device 303 may correspond to any of the base stations or network devices. Figure 2 of wireless device 202.

[0068] like Figure 3 As shown, the repeater device 303 includes a MT unit 303a and a Fwd unit 303b. The MT unit 303a can communicate with the base station 301, and control or configure the repeater device 303 (e.g., Fwd unit 303b) based on the control signaling (including control information) from the base station 301. The Fwd unit 303b can provide a relay (e.g., receiving, amplifying and transmitting) function to allow the communication of traffic (e.g., user data, control information of UE 305) from the base station 301 to reach the UE 305 and / or enable the traffic from the UE 305 to reach the base station 301. In an example, the Fwd unit 303b is an analog direct-through device (e.g., without storage and forwarding capabilities). In another example, the Fwd unit 303b includes a storage and forwarding function.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, a control link 312 may be established between the base station 301 and the repeater device 303 (specifically, the MT unit 303a). The control link 312 may be bidirectional and implemented based on the Uu interface protocol. Therefore, the base station 301 may configure or control the repeater device 303 by exchanging control information for the repeater device 303 with the MT unit 303a via the control link 312. In other words, the control link 312 may carry control information for the repeater device 303, including various instructions for configuring or controlling the repeater device discussed below.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, a backhaul link 314 may be established between the base station 301 and the relay device 303 (specifically, the Fwd unit 303b), and an access link 316 may be established between the UE 305 and the relay device 303 (specifically, the Fwd unit 303b). Therefore, the relay device 303 communicates with the base station 301 via the backhaul link 314, and communicates with the UE 305 via the access link 316. In other words, the backhaul link 314 may carry simulated UL traffic and DL traffic between the base station 301 and the relay device 303, and the access link 316 may carry simulated UL traffic and DL traffic between the relay device 303 and the UE 305.

[0071] In some embodiments, the control link 312 and the backhaul link 314 between the base station 301 and the repeater device 303 may both correspond to a first beam pair (not shown). In DL, the first beam pair includes a TX beam at the base station 301 and an RX beam at the repeater device 303; in UL, the first beam pair includes a TX beam at the repeater device 303 and an RX beam at the base station 301. In some embodiments, beam correspondence may be assumed for the first beam pair. In some embodiments, the first beam pair (e.g., the control link and / or the backhaul link) may operate within the FR1 or FR2 frequency range. In some embodiments, the control link 312 may be implemented using a relatively small BWP that is in-band with the BWP allocated for UL transmission and / or DL ​​transmission between the base station 301 and the UE 305.

[0072] In some embodiments, the access link 316 between the repeater device 303 and the UE 305 may correspond to a second beam pair (not shown). In the DL, the second beam pair includes a TX beam at the repeater device 303 and an RX beam at the UE 305; in the UL, the second beam pair includes a TX beam at the UE 305 and an RX beam at the repeater device 303. In some embodiments, beam correspondence may be assumed for the second beam pair. In some embodiments, the second beam pair (e.g., access link) may operate in the FR1 or FR2 frequency range.

[0073] By providing control information to the repeater device via control link 312, the base station 301 can control the operation of the Fwd unit 303b through the MT unit 303a. For example, the base station 301 can configure the MT unit 303a with the control information so that the MT unit 303a configures the Fwd unit 303b (e.g., via signal path 303c). In addition, the base station 301 can directly control the Fwd unit 303b via the backhaul link 314. For example, the base station 301 can schedule UL transmissions and DL transmissions for processing by the Fwd unit 303b.

[0074] Figure 4 3 is another block diagram illustrating exemplary components and communication links associated with a relay device 303 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The relay device 303 may communicate with a network device 401, a wireless device 401′, and a UE 305. The network device 401 may correspond to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The repeater device 303 may correspond to any of the base stations or network devices. Figure 2 The wireless device 401' may correspond to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Any of a base station, network equipment or wireless device.

[0075] Refer to the above Figure 3 The description can be better understood Figure 4 The differences between them are explained below. Figure 4 As shown, the repeater device 303 can establish a control link 312 and a backhaul link 314 separately with different devices (i.e., the network device 401 and the wireless device 401'). Specifically, the control link 312 is established between the network device 401 and the repeater device 303 (specifically, the MT unit 303a). Therefore, the network device 401 can configure or control the repeater device 303 by exchanging control information for the repeater device 303 with the MT unit 303a via the control link 312. With reference to the example in which the control link 312 and the backhaul link 314 correspond to the same beam pair between the base station 301 and the repeater device 303 Figure 3 In comparison, Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 4 , the control link 312 and the backhaul link 314 may correspond to different beam pairs between the network device 401 and the relay device 303 or between the wireless device 401 ′ and the relay device 303 .

[0076] In this manner, the network device 401 can control the operation of the Fwd unit 303b through the MT unit 303a. For example, the network device 401 can configure the MT unit 303a with control information so that the MT unit 303a configures the Fwd unit 303b.

[0077] In some embodiments, the repeater device 303 is an NCR, and the control information for the repeater device 303 may be referred to as side control information, which may include beamforming information, timing information for aligning the transmission / reception boundary of the repeater device 303, information about UL-DL TDD configuration, ON-OFF information for efficient interference management and improved energy efficiency, or power control information for efficient interference management, etc. Some examples of the various indications for configuring or controlling the repeater device discussed below may be carried in the side control information.

[0078] In the following, base station and network device are used interchangeably with respect to the control function of a repeater device. Although examples and embodiments are described more with a base station, the network device is equally applicable at least with respect to the control or configuration of a repeater device.

[0079] Figure 5A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary coverage area associated with a repeater device 303 according to embodiments disclosed herein. Figure 5AAs shown, the repeater device 303 is configured with multiple coverage areas for providing services to UEs or for communicating with base stations or network devices. Specifically, there are four coverage areas associated with the repeater device 303, namely, a first coverage area 501, a second coverage area 503, a third coverage area 505, and a fourth coverage area 507. In some embodiments, the first coverage area 501 is configured to communicate with a base station or a network device via a backhaul link and / or a control link, and the other coverage areas are configured to communicate with multiple UEs via an access link. In the present disclosure, the first coverage area 501 may be named a control link coverage area or a backhaul link coverage area, and coverage areas 503-507 may be named access link coverage areas.

[0080] exist Figure 5A In the example of , by configuring multiple (i.e., 3) and separate access link coverage areas to provide services, the opportunity of the repeater device 303 to cover more UEs can be increased, and these UEs can be distributed in various directions around the repeater device 303, or the repeater device 303 can provide flexible coverage for one or more UEs in a specific direction by activating one or more corresponding coverage areas separately. Figure 5B The benefits may be apparent when compared to the example in FIG. 5 , where two coverage areas are associated with a relay device and only one fixed coverage area 503 is an access link coverage area configured to provide service only to UEs located in that direction.

[0081] In some implementations, coverage areas are provided by repeater devices 303 like sectors. Therefore, coverage areas may be referred to as coverage sectors, and the two terms may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure. In some implementations, coverage areas may be provided, for example, by using separate directional antennas, or by using antenna arrays via beamforming. In one embodiment, all coverage areas may be substantially equidistant. In another embodiment, access link coverage areas are substantially equidistant. The term "equidistant" may indicate that any neighbors of a plurality of coverage areas are formed to have substantially equal space to each other.

[0082] In some embodiments, coverage area 501 may be used as a reference for forming access link coverage areas 503-507. In some examples, the reference coverage area corresponds to a direction such that a beam used to serve a control link or a backhaul link between a repeater device and a network device falls within the reference coverage area. Figure 5A , beam 511 is a beam used to form a beam pair for serving a control link or a backhaul link between the relay device 303 and the base station 301 (or the network device 401). Reference coverage area 501 is a coverage area in which beam 511 falls.

[0083] In some embodiments, the access link coverage area corresponds to a corresponding wider direction for determining beams, which can be configured to communicate with the UE via the access link of the repeater device. For example, the repeater device 303 can be configured to perform beamforming within one or more indicated access link coverage areas. By configuring the repeater device 303 to direct one or more beams within a specific coverage area, the beam directivity at the repeater device 303 can be improved in the sense that the access link beam will not be directed to an area where service may not be required (e.g., during a defined time period). In some embodiments, such beamforming can be named as coverage area-based beamforming. It should be understood that, with such beamforming, even when the base station cannot control the direction of each access link beam, the base station can control such beam directions at the level of the access link coverage area.

[0084] Repeater device coverage configuration capabilities

[0085] In some embodiments, in order to reflect the support of the repeater device for individual and flexible coverage configuration, capabilities can be introduced for the repeater device. For example, the repeater device can report its capabilities to the network device so that the network device can configure the coverage area of ​​the repeater device based on or within the capabilities.

[0086] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information that explicitly indicates whether the repeater device supports separate configuration of coverage areas for one or more frequency ranges. For example, a one-bit flag may be used for such indication for a specific one or more frequency ranges.

[0087] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information indicating the total number of coverage areas supported by the repeater device for one or more frequency ranges. The total number of one or more frequency ranges may be the same or different. In an example, the total number is used as an implicit indication that the repeater device supports separate configurations of coverage areas for the corresponding frequency ranges.

[0088] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information that explicitly indicates whether the repeater device supports separate configuration for horizontal coverage areas, and / or information that explicitly indicates whether the repeater device supports separate configuration for vertical coverage areas. Again, for a specific frequency range or ranges, a one-bit flag may be used for such indication.

[0089] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information indicating that the repeater device supports multiple horizontal coverage areas and / or vertical coverage areas for one or more frequency ranges. The number of one or more frequency ranges may be the same or different. In an example, the number is used as an implicit indication that the repeater device supports separate configurations of horizontal coverage areas and / or vertical coverage areas for the corresponding frequency ranges.

[0090] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information that explicitly indicates whether the repeater device supports coverage area-based beamforming for one or more frequency ranges. For example, a one-bit flag may be used for such indication for a specific one or more frequency ranges.

[0091] In a specific implementation, the capability includes information indicating that the repeater device supports multiple beams within at least one coverage area for one or more frequency ranges. The number of one or more frequency ranges may be the same or different. In an example, the number is used as an implicit indication that the repeater device supports coverage area-based beamforming for the corresponding frequency range.

[0092] Forming coverage area

[0093] Fig. 6A 2 illustrates exemplary operations of a base station 301 and a relay device 303 and signaling interactions therebetween according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Fig. 6A In the example of FIG. 5 , the base station 301 may configure or control the repeater device 303 based on the capability of the repeater device 303 to form a separate coverage area.

[0094] like Fig. 6A As shown, at 611, the base station 301 determines the number of one or more coverage areas to be formed by the repeater device 303. In the example, the one or more coverage areas include only the access link coverage area. In another example, in addition to the access link coverage area, the one or more coverage areas also include a control link coverage area and / or a backhaul link coverage area. The number of coverage areas may be based on the capabilities of the repeater device 303, or further based on the locations that need to be covered. For example, the base station 301 may detect UEs located at these locations over a relatively long period of time. Therefore, depending on the capabilities of the repeater device 303, the base station 301 may configure or control the repeater device 303 to form a separate coverage area. In some embodiments, a separate coverage area may include a horizontal coverage area and / or a vertical coverage area.

[0095] like Fig. 6A As shown, at 613, the base station 301 provides a first indication of the determined number of coverage areas to the relay device 303. Tables 1a-1c below illustrate examples of the first indication.

[0096] Table 1a

[0097] Number of coverage areas Frequency Range A 3 Frequency Range B 5

[0098] Table 1b

[0099] Number of coverage areas Horizontal or vertical Frequency Range A 3 H Frequency Range B 5 V

[0100] Table 1c

[0101] Number of horizontal coverage areas Number of vertical coverage areas Frequency Range A 3 2 Frequency Range B 5 1

[0102] like Fig. 6A As shown, at 615, when the first indication is received from the base station 301, the repeater device 303 determines one or more access link coverage areas based on the number of coverage areas reflected in the first indication. Therefore, the repeater device 303 can provide services to UEs in one or more coverage areas via the access link. In some embodiments, one or more coverage areas are configured so that any neighbors of one or more coverage areas are substantially equidistant. In this way, the repeater device 303 can extend the coverage of the base station 301 and distribute the coverage around the repeater device 303. When both the horizontal coverage area and the vertical coverage area are configured, the repeater device 303 can form a coverage area in 3D space.

[0103] As discussed with reference to FIG. 5 , there is a control link or backhaul link coverage area 501 at the repeater device. In some embodiments, such a coverage area may be used as a reference (e.g., in terms of direction) for the repeater device 303 to form an access link coverage area. The coverage area 501 may be determined and formed based on a beam pair between the repeater device and the base station or network device. Thus, the beam pair may fall within the coverage area. It should be understood that the beam pair includes a TX beam at a base station or network device in DL and an RX beam at a repeater device; and the beam pair includes a TX beam at a repeater device and an RX beam at a base station or network device in UL. For example, beam correspondence may be assumed for a beam pair. In some embodiments, the beam pair is determined based on a beam management program between the repeater device and the base station or network device, or the beam pair is determined based on the initial settings of the repeater device.

[0104] In some implementations, the first indication may be semi-statically or dynamically configured by the base station or network device via at least one of RRC signaling, MIB, SIB, MAC CE, or DCI. After the initial configuration, the base station or network device may reconfigure the formation of the coverage area at the relay device based on another round of operations 611-615.

[0105] In some implementations, instead of reflecting the number of coverage areas in the first indication, the number of coverage areas may be hard-coded on the repeater device, for example, via the OAM entity.The base station may obtain the number of coverage areas from the repeater device or the OAM entity.

[0106] Index coverage area

[0107] Figure 7An exemplary method 700 for assigning indices to access link coverage areas according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. It should be understood that these operations may be performed by both the base station 301 and the relay device 303.

[0108] like Figure 7 As shown, at 701, a first index is assigned to a reference coverage area (e.g., a control link or backhaul link coverage area). For example, index "0" may be assigned to the first coverage area 501. At 703, an index is assigned to each of the one or more access link coverage areas in a sequential order relative to the first index. For example, indexes "1", "2", and "3" are assigned to the second coverage area 503 to the fourth coverage area 507.

[0109] Since the operation can be performed at both the base station 301 and the repeater device 303, both parties have a consistent mapping of indices to the corresponding coverage areas. Therefore, the coverage area can be indicated by using the indices between the base station 301 and the repeater device 303. This will help the base station 301 configure the repeater device 303 at least in terms of the coverage area, as discussed below.

[0110] In some embodiments, when the coverage area is updated, for example, the number of coverage areas and / or the direction of the coverage area is changed, the coverage area will be re-indexed by method 700. In some cases, the reference coverage area may be changed from the coverage area of ​​index "0" to the coverage area of ​​index "1", and the previous reference coverage area becomes the access link coverage area. In this case, given that the coverage area formed is the same (no change), no re-indexing is required. Again, the base station 301 and the repeater device 303 will have a consistent understanding of the effect of the changes in the above two coverage areas.

[0111] Activation of coverage areas

[0112] Figure 6B 2 illustrates exemplary operations of a base station 301 and a relay device 303 and signaling interactions therebetween according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Figure 6B In the example of , the base station 301 may configure or control the repeater device 303 to activate a separate coverage area. It should be understood that the formed coverage area will provide coverage or service after being activated.

[0113] like Figure 6BAs shown, at 621, the base station 301 determines how to activate the configured access link coverage area of ​​the repeater device 303 so as to provide services to the UE within the corresponding coverage area. In some specific implementations, the base station 301 determines which configured access link coverage area to activate. For example, the determination may be based on the service demand within each coverage area at the time, which can be detected by the base station 301. In the example, the base station 301 determines to activate some or all of the coverage areas 503-507. In another example, the base station 301 also determines the duration for activating the corresponding coverage area, which durations may be the same or different. In another example, the base station 301 determines to activate the corresponding coverage area in a periodic scanning manner.

[0114] like Figure 6B As shown, at 623, the base station 301 provides a second indication to the repeater device 303, which at least reflects the index of the coverage area to be activated. In some embodiments, the second indication also includes the activation duration of each coverage area, and / or the time period for scanning the activated coverage area. Tables 2a-2d below illustrate examples of the second indication.

[0115] Table 2a

[0116] Index of the coverage area to be activated 1,3

[0117] Table 2b

[0118] Index of coverage area Waiting for activation? 1 1 2 0 3 1

[0119] Table 2c

[0120] Index of coverage area Waiting for activation? Duration 1 1 X ms 2 0 — 3 1 Y

[0121] Table 2d

[0122]

[0123] like Figure 6BAs shown, at 625, when the second indication is received from the base station 301, the repeater device 303 activates one or more coverage areas (e.g., some or all of the coverage areas 503-507) based on the index of the coverage area included in the second indication. Through the separate configuration / activation of the coverage area, the repeater device 303 can provide coverage as needed and avoid waste of resources associated with providing coverage where there is no service demand. In an example, as indicated by the index, the repeater device 303 individually activates some or all of the coverage areas 503-507. In another example, the repeater device 303 activates each coverage area for the duration included in the second indication. In another example, the repeater device 303 activates the corresponding coverage area in a periodic scanning manner according to the period included in the second indication.

[0124] In some implementations, the second indication may be semi-statically or dynamically configured by the base station or network device via at least one of RRC signaling, MIB, SIB, MAC CE, or DCI.After the initial configuration, the base station or network device may reconfigure the activation of the coverage area through another round of operations 621-625.

[0125] Beamforming within coverage area

[0126] Figure 6C 2 illustrates exemplary operations of a base station 301 and a relay device 303 and signaling interactions therebetween according to the embodiments disclosed herein. Figure 6C In the example of , the base station 301 can configure or control the repeater device 303 to perform coverage area based beamforming based on the capabilities of the repeater device 303. In some embodiments, the coverage area can be implemented as a wider beam than the beam directed in the coverage area. Therefore, the index of the coverage area can also be referred to as a beam index (i.e., the index of the wider beam), and the TCI state can be configured and indicated within such a beam index.

[0127] like Figure 6C As shown, at 631, the base station 301 determines the number of beams (or "access link beams" hereinafter) to be formed by the repeater device 303 within one or more activated access link coverage areas. The base station 301 may also determine the beam configuration of each of the access link beams.

[0128] like Figure 6C As shown, at 633, the base station 301 provides a third indication reflecting the number of access link beams of the corresponding activated coverage area. In some embodiments, the third indication also includes the beam configuration of each access link beam in the access link beam. Tables 3a-3b below illustrate examples of the third indication.

[0129] Table 3a

[0130] Index of the access link coverage area Number of access link beams Beam Index 1 3 1,2,3 2 2 7,8 3 3 4,5,6

[0131] Table 3b

[0132]

[0133] like Figure 6C As shown, at 635, when the third indication is received from the base station 301, the repeater device 303 determines one or more access link beams within the corresponding coverage area based on the number included in the third indication. At the same time or subsequently, the repeater device 303 may direct the determined one or more access link beams within the corresponding coverage area. In some embodiments, the repeater device 303 obtains the beam configuration of each access link beam in the access link beams from the third indication, and configures the access link beam accordingly.

[0134] In some implementations, the third indication may be semi-statically or dynamically configured by the base station or network device via at least one of RRC signaling, MIB, SIB, MAC CE, or DCI. After the initial configuration, the base station or network device may reconfigure the coverage area-based beamforming through another round of operations 631-635.

[0135] Configuration of access link beams

[0136] Referring to Table 3a, for an access coverage area with index "1" (eg, Figure 5A In the second coverage area 503 in FIG3a , the base station 301 configures three access link beams. Since the base station 301 and the repeater device 303 have consistent index allocations for the access link coverage areas, the repeater device 303 can determine that three access link beams are configured for the second coverage area 503 based on the index "1". In Table 3a, beam indices "1", "2", and "3" are configured for the three beams. Therefore, the repeater device 303 can direct the three beams based on the beam indices. In some embodiments, the directionality of the three beams can be transparent to the base station 301, which means that the repeater device 303 (rather than the base station 301) can control the directions of the three beams indexed as "1", "2", and "3" in the second coverage area 503.

[0137] In the example of Table 3b, the base station may configure beam index sets 1-8 across the access link coverage areas instead of allocating three separate beam index sets to the corresponding access link coverage areas. Thus, the repeater device 303 may have greater freedom to direct the beams within each access link coverage area based on the number of access link beams indicated.

[0138] In Tables 3a-3b, the beam index indicates the beam configuration of the access link beam. In some implementations, a TCI state index may be used to correspond to the beam index. In some embodiments, when a specific beam index or TCI state index is indicated by DCI, the DCI may indicate the index of the source coverage area and the index of the source reference signal jointly (e.g., via a single DCI code point) or separately (e.g., via separate DCI code points).

[0139] In some embodiments, in addition to the index of the source reference signal, the index of the access link coverage area is introduced into the TCI state as the source coverage area. Type D QCL can be defined in the TCI state. In this way, if the TCI state index is indicated to the access link beam within a specific coverage area, the specific signal or channel on the access link beam will be received with the same spatial RX parameters as the source reference signal received in the source coverage area. Tables 4a-4b below illustrate examples of TCI states. As can be seen, both SSB and CSI-RS can be used as source reference signals. In some embodiments, the TCI state can be configured by the base station 301 or the repeater device 303.

[0140] Table 4a

[0141]

[0142] Table 4b

[0143]

[0144] Unified TCI framework for repeater equipment

[0145] In some specific implementations, the TCI state index may indicate multiple TCI states via separate TCI indications. For example, the multiple TCI states include at least one TCI state of the PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of the PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of the PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of the PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of the downlink forwarding from the relay device to the user equipment; and / or at least one TCI state of the uplink reception from the user equipment at the relay device. In some examples, the network device may perform a method of providing a first plurality of TCI states to the relay device via a first TCI state index, wherein the first plurality of TCI states include those TCI states as listed herein. Therefore, after receiving the first TCI state index, the relay device may perform a method of obtaining a first plurality of TCI states from the first TCI state index.

[0146] In some specific implementations, the TCI state index may indicate multiple TCI states via a joint TCI indication. For example, the multiple TCI states include at least one joint TCI state of a PDCCH from a network device to a repeater device, a PDSCH from a network device to a repeater device, a PUCCH from a repeater device to a network device, and a PUSCH from a repeater device to a network device. The multiple TCI states also include at least one joint TCI state of a downlink forwarding from a repeater device to a user equipment and an uplink reception from a user equipment at a repeater device. In some examples, the network device may perform a method of providing a second plurality of TCI states to a repeater device, wherein the second plurality of TCI states include those joint TCI states as listed herein. In some examples, the joint TCI state may be indicated by a single TCI index or a single TCI field in a DCI. Alternatively, the above two joint TCI states may be indicated by two different TCI indexes or two different TCI fields in the DCI. Therefore, after receiving the DCI, the relay device may perform a method of obtaining a second plurality of TCI states from a corresponding TCI index (TCI index) or a TCI field.

[0147] Exemplary method for a repeater device

[0148] Figure 8 An exemplary method 800 for communication according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The method 800 may be performed by the repeater device 303. Figure 8 As shown, at 801, the repeater device 303 determines a first coverage area based on a first beam at a repeater device paired with a network device. In some embodiments, the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the network device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a reception beam for receiving from the network device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both a transmission beam and a reception beam. In some embodiments, the first coverage area is determined so that the first beam in the direction toward the network device falls within the first coverage area. At 803, based on the first indication, the repeater device 303 determines one or more coverage areas about the first coverage area. In some embodiments, the one or more coverage areas are configured to indicate a beam direction for communicating with a user equipment via an access link of the repeater device.

[0149] In some implementations, method 800 further includes: assigning a first index to the first coverage area; and assigning the index to each of the one or more coverage areas in a sequential order relative to the first index.

[0150] In some implementations, the first coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than the first beam, and / or the second coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than any of the one or more beams.

[0151] In some implementations, the first beam is determined based on a beam management procedure between the repeater device and the network device, or based on an initial setup of the repeater device.

[0152] In some implementations, the first indication includes a number of one or more coverage areas based on a capability of the repeater device, and the one or more coverage areas are formed such that any neighbors of the one or more coverage areas are substantially equidistant.

[0153] In some specific implementations, method 800 also includes: activating a second coverage area among the one or more coverage areas based on a second indication including an index of the second coverage area, and / or activating one or more coverage areas individually or in a periodic scanning manner, and the activation duration of the one or more coverage areas is the same or different.

[0154] In some implementations, method 800 further includes directing one or more beams within the second coverage area based on a third indication, and the third indication includes a beam configuration associated with at least one coverage area of ​​the one or more coverage areas.

[0155] In some implementations, at least one of the first indication, the second indication, or the third indication is hard-coded on the repeater device via an OAM entity, or is semi-statically or dynamically configured by the network device via at least one of: RRC signaling; MIB; SIB; MAC CE; or DCI.

[0156] In some specific implementations, method 800 also includes: for a second beam among one or more beams within a second coverage area, in a corresponding TCI state, in addition to an index of a source reference signal, also indicating an index of a source coverage area, wherein the source reference signal includes at least one of an SSB or a CSI-RS; and a type of QCL indicating the TCI state, wherein the type of QCL is QCL type D.

[0157] In some implementations, method 800 further includes identifying the second beam based on a DCI from the network device, wherein the DCI indicates an index of the second coverage area and an index of the second beam via a single DCI code point or via separate DCI code points.

[0158] In some specific implementations, method 800 also includes: providing capabilities of the repeater device to the network device, and wherein the capabilities include information indicating at least one of the following: the total number of coverage areas per frequency range; whether the repeater device supports separate configuration of horizontal coverage areas and / or separate configuration of vertical coverage areas; the number of horizontal coverage areas and / or vertical coverage areas per frequency range; whether the repeater device supports coverage area-based beamforming; or the number of beams within at least one coverage area per frequency range.

[0159] In some implementations, the repeater device is an NCR in 5G NR, and at least one of the first indication, the second indication, and the third indication is included in the side control information transmitted through the control link.

[0160] In some specific implementations, the method 800 further includes: obtaining a plurality of TCI states from the TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states include: at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; and / or at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device;

[0161] In some specific implementations, method 800 also includes: obtaining multiple TCI states from the TCI state index, wherein the multiple TCI states include: at least one joint TCI state of PDCCH from the network device to the relay device, PDSCH from the network device to the relay device, PUCCH from the relay device to the network device, and PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; and / or at least one joint TCI state of PDCCH from the network device to the relay device and PDSCH from the network device to the relay device.

[0162] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of method 800. The apparatus may be, for example, a repeater device, such as repeater device 303, as described herein.

[0163] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 800. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a repeater device (such as memory 206 of wireless device 202 as a repeater device, as described herein).

[0164] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of method 800. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a wireless device (such as wireless device 202 as a repeater device, as described herein).

[0165] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 800. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a repeater device (such as wireless device 202 as a repeater device, as described herein).

[0166] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or in connection with one or more elements of method 800 .

[0167] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of method 800. The processor may be a processor of a repeater device (such as processor 204 of wireless device 202 as a repeater device, as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in a processor and / or on a memory of a repeater device (such as memory 206 of wireless device 202 as a repeater device, as described herein).

[0168] Exemplary methods of network devices

[0169] Fig. 9 Another exemplary method 900 for communication according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The method 900 may be performed by a network device such as a base station 301. Fig. 9As shown, at 901, a network device such as a base station 301 determines a first coverage area of ​​a repeater device based on a first beam at a network device paired with a repeater device. In some embodiments, the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the repeater device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a reception beam for receiving from the repeater device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both a transmission beam and a reception beam. In some embodiments, the first coverage area is determined so that the first beam in the direction toward the repeater device falls within the first coverage area. At 903, a network device such as a base station 301 provides a first indication of the number of one or more coverage areas to the repeater device. In some embodiments, the number of one or more coverage areas is based at least on the capability of the repeater device, and the one or more coverage areas are to be determined by the repeater device relative to the first coverage area, and the one or more coverage areas correspond to the corresponding wider direction for determining the beam, which can be configured to communicate with the user equipment via the access link of the repeater device.

[0170] In some implementations, method 900 further includes: assigning a first index to the first coverage area; and assigning the index to each of the one or more coverage areas in a sequential order relative to the first index.

[0171] In some implementations, the first coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than the first beam, and / or the second coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than any of the one or more beams.

[0172] In some implementations, the first beam is determined based on a beam management procedure between the repeater device and the network device, or based on an initial setup of the repeater device.

[0173] In some specific implementations, method 900 also includes: providing a second indication to the repeater device for activating a second coverage area, the second indication including an index of a second coverage area among the one or more coverage areas, and / or activating one or more coverage areas individually or in a periodic scanning manner, and the activation duration of the one or more coverage areas is the same or different.

[0174] In some implementations, method 900 further includes providing a third indication to the repeater device for directing one or more beams within the second coverage area, and the third indication includes a beam configuration associated with at least one of the one or more coverage areas.

[0175] In some specific implementations, method 900 also includes: semi-statically or dynamically configuring at least one of the first indication, the second indication, or the third indication via at least one of the following: RRC signaling; MIB; SIB; MAC CE; or DCI.

[0176] In some specific implementations, method 900 also includes: for a second beam among one or more beams within a second coverage area, in a corresponding TCI state, in addition to an index of a source reference signal, also indicating an index of a source coverage area, wherein the source reference signal includes at least one of an SSB or a CSI-RS; and a type of QCL indicating the TCI state, wherein the type of QCL is QCL type D.

[0177] In some implementations, method 900 further includes indicating a second beam of the one or more beams to the relay device using a DCI, wherein the DCI indicates an index of the second coverage area and an index of the second beam via a single DCI code point or via separate DCI code points.

[0178] In some implementations, method 900 further includes obtaining, from the repeater device, capabilities of the repeater device.

[0179] In some embodiments, the network device is a gNB in ​​a 5G NR, and at least one of the first indication, the second indication, and the third indication is included in side control information transmitted via a control link.

[0180] In some implementations, the method 900 further includes: providing a plurality of TCI states via a TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states are provided in a separate TCI indication and include: at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; and / or at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device;

[0181] In some specific implementations, method 900 also includes: providing multiple TCI states via a TCI state index, wherein the multiple TCI states are provided in a joint TCI indication and include: at least one joint TCI state of PDCCH from the network device to the relay device, PDSCH from the network device to the relay device, PUCCH from the relay device to the network device, and PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; and / or at least one joint TCI state of PDCCH from the network device to the relay device and PDSCH from the network device to the relay device.

[0182] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of method 900. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus that is a base station (such as network device 218 that is a base station, as described herein).

[0183] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 900. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as memory 222 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0184] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuits operable to perform one or more elements of method 900. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus that is a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0185] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of method 900. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus that is a base station (such as network device 218 that is a base station, as described herein).

[0186] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or in connection with one or more elements of method 900 .

[0187] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of method 900. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as processor 220 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein). For example, the instructions may be located in a processor and / or on a memory of a base station (such as memory 222 of network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0188] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, a circuit system associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc. as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein.

[0189] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0190] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general or special purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0191] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment may be used in one embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless expressly stated herein.

[0192] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0193] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for the sake of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A repeater device, comprising: one or more antennas configured to perform wireless communications; a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to cause the repeater device to: determining, at the repeater device, a first coverage area based on the first beam, where the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the network device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a receiving beam for receiving from the network device via the control link or the backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both the transmit beam and the receive beam, and wherein the first coverage area is determined such that the first beam in a direction towards the network device falls within the first coverage area; and Based on the first indication, one or more coverage areas are determined with respect to the first coverage area, wherein the one or more coverage areas are configured to indicate a beam direction for communicating with a user equipment via an access link of the relay device.

2. The repeater device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to: assigning a first index to the first coverage area; and An index is assigned to each of the one or more coverage areas in a sequential order relative to the first index. 3 . The repeater device according to claim 1 , wherein the first beam is determined based on a beam management procedure between the repeater device and the network device, or based on an initial setting of the repeater device.

4. The repeater device of claim 2, wherein the first indication comprises a number of the one or more coverage areas based on a capability of the repeater device, and the one or more coverage areas are formed such that any neighbors of the one or more coverage areas are substantially equidistant.

5. The repeater device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to activate the second coverage area of ​​the one or more coverage areas based on a second indication including an index of the second coverage area, and / or The processor is further configured to enable the repeater device to activate the one or more coverage areas individually or in a periodic scanning manner, and activation durations of the one or more coverage areas are the same or different.

6. A repeater device according to claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to direct one or more beams within the second coverage area based on a third indication, and wherein the third indication includes a beam configuration associated with at least one of the one or more coverage areas, wherein at least one beam configuration is associated with a specific coverage area, or is associated with a group of coverage areas.

7. The repeater device according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the first indication, the second indication, or the third indication is hard-coded on the repeater device via an OAM entity, or is semi-statically or dynamically configured by the network device via at least one of: RRC signaling; MIB; SIB; MAC CE; or DCI.

8. The repeater device of claim 6, wherein the first coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than the first beam, and / or the second coverage area is implemented as a wider beam than any beam of the one or more beams.

9. The repeater device of claim 8, wherein for a second beam of the one or more beams within the second coverage area, the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to: In a corresponding TCI state, in addition to an index of a source reference signal, an index of a source coverage area is also indicated, wherein the source reference signal includes at least one of an SSB or a CSI-RS; and Indicates the type of QCL in the corresponding TCI state, wherein the type of QCL is QCL type D.

10. A repeater device according to claim 8, wherein for a second beam among the one or more beams within the second coverage area, the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to identify the second beam based on a DCI from the network device, wherein the DCI indicates an index of the second coverage area and an index of the second beam via a single DCI code point or via separate DCI code points.

11. The repeater device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to provide the capabilities of the repeater device to the network device, and wherein the capabilities include information indicating at least one of: Total number of coverage areas per frequency range; whether the repeater device supports separate configuration of horizontal coverage areas and / or separate configuration of vertical coverage areas; The number of horizontal coverage areas and / or vertical coverage areas per frequency range; Whether the repeater device supports beamforming based on coverage area; or The number of beams within at least one coverage area per frequency range.

12. The repeater device according to claim 6, wherein the repeater device is an NCR in 5G NR, and wherein at least one of the first indication, the second indication, and the third indication is included in side control information transmitted through the control link.

13. The repeater device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to obtain a plurality of TCI states from a TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states comprises: at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; At least one TCI state forwarded from the relay device to the downlink of the user equipment; and / or At least one TCI state received at the relay device from the uplink of the user equipment.

14. The repeater device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the repeater device to obtain a plurality of TCI states from a TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states are determined from a joint TCI indication and comprises: at least one joint TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device, a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device, a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device, and a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; and / or At least one joint TCI state of downlink forwarding from the relay device to the user equipment and uplink reception from the user equipment at the relay device.

15. A network device, comprising: one or more antennas configured to perform wireless communications; a transceiver coupled to the one or more antennas; and a processor, the processor being coupled to the transceiver and configured to cause the network device to: Determining a first coverage area of ​​a repeater device based on a first beam at the network device, wherein the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the repeater device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a receiving beam for receiving from the repeater device via the control link or the backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both the transmit beam and the receive beam, and wherein the first coverage area is determined such that the first beam in a direction towards the repeater device falls within the first coverage area; as well as A first indication of a number of one or more coverage areas is provided to the repeater device, wherein the number of the one or more coverage areas is based at least on a capability of the repeater device and the one or more coverage areas are to be determined by the repeater device relative to the first coverage area, wherein the one or more coverage areas correspond to respective wider directions for determining a beam that can be configured for communicating with a user equipment via an access link of the repeater device.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the network device to: assigning a first index to the first coverage area; and An index is assigned to each of the one or more coverage areas in a sequential order relative to the first index.

17. The network device according to claim 16, The processor is further configured to cause the network device to provide a second indication to the repeater device for activating the second coverage area, wherein the second indication includes an index of a second coverage area among the one or more coverage areas, or The processor is further configured to enable the network device to activate the one or more coverage areas individually or in a periodic scanning manner, and activation durations of the one or more coverage areas are the same or different.

18. A network device according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the network device to provide a third indication to the repeater device for directing one or more beams within the second coverage area, and wherein the third indication includes a beam configuration associated with at least one of the one or more coverage areas, wherein at least one beam configuration is associated with a specific coverage area, or is associated with a group of coverage areas.

19. A method for communication, the method comprising: Via a repeater device: Determine a first coverage area at the repeater device based on a first beam, wherein the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the network device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a receiving beam for receiving from the network device via the control link or the backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both the transmit beam and the receive beam, and wherein the first coverage area is determined such that the first beam in a direction towards the network device falls within the first coverage area; and Based on the first indication, one or more coverage areas are determined with respect to the first coverage area, wherein the one or more coverage areas are configured to indicate a beam direction for communicating with a user equipment via an access link of the relay device.

20. A method for communication, the method comprising: Via network device: Determining a first coverage area of ​​a repeater device based on a first beam at the network device, wherein the first beam corresponds to a transmission beam for transmitting to the repeater device via a control link or a backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or a receiving beam for receiving from the repeater device via the control link or the backhaul link between the repeater device and the network device, or both the transmit beam and the receive beam, and wherein the first coverage area is determined such that the first beam in a direction towards the repeater device falls within the first coverage area; and A first indication of a number of one or more coverage areas is provided to the repeater device, wherein the number of the one or more coverage areas is based at least on a capability of the repeater device and the one or more coverage areas are to be determined by the repeater device relative to the first coverage area, wherein the one or more coverage areas correspond to respective wider directions for determining a beam that can be configured for communicating with a user equipment via an access link of the repeater device.

21. A method for communication, the method comprising: A plurality of TCI states are provided by the network device to the repeater device, wherein the plurality of TCI states include: at least one first joint TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device, a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device, a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device, and a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; and at least one second joint TCI state of a downlink forwarding from the relay device to the user equipment and an uplink reception at the relay device from the user equipment, The at least one first joint TCI state and the at least one second joint TCI state are indicated by a single TCI index or a single TCI field in the DCI.

22. A method for communication, the method comprising: A plurality of TCI states are provided by the network device to the repeater device via a TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states include: at least one TCI state of a PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; At least one TCI state forwarded from the relay device to the user equipment downlink; and / or At least one TCI state received at the relay device from the uplink of the user equipment.

23. A method for communication, the method comprising: Via a repeater device: A plurality of TCI states are obtained, wherein the plurality of TCI states include: at least one first joint TCI state of a PDCCH from a network device to the relay device, a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device, a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device, and a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; and at least one second joint TCI state of a downlink forwarding from the relay device to the user equipment and an uplink reception at the relay device from the user equipment, The at least one first joint TCI state and the at least one second joint TCI state are obtained from a single TCI index or a single TCI field in the DCI.

24. A method for communication, the method comprising: A plurality of TCI states are obtained from a TCI state index, wherein the plurality of TCI states include: At least one TCI state of the PDCCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PDSCH from the network device to the relay device; at least one TCI state of a PUCCH from the relay device to the network device; at least one TCI state of a PUSCH from the relay device to the network device; At least one TCI state forwarded from the relay device to the user equipment downlink; and / or At least one TCI state received at the relay device from the uplink of the user equipment.

25. A computer program product comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the method according to any one of claims 19 to 24 to be implemented.

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