HARQ-ACK feedback for network control repeaters

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for a network control relay (NCR) to provide hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) to a base station in a 5G NR system and higher versions. The NCR receives, from the base station, a control message that schedules resources for uplink or downlink messages. The uplink or downlink message is received, and the NCR determines whether the received message has a signal quality exceeding a quality threshold. When the signal quality exceeds the quality threshold, the uplink or downlink message is forwarded to the base station or the UE, respectively. The HARQ ACK / NACK feedback is provided to the base station, and may be provided as a joint HARQ feedback or a separate HARQ message for each of the control message and the uplink or downlink message. When the NCR receives multiple control messages from the base station, separate or joint HARQ feedback may be provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatus, systems and methods for providing hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) messages through network controlled repeaters, for example in 5G NR systems and beyond.

[0002] Related technical description

[0003] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting phone calls, many mobile devices now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these functions.

[0004] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is currently the technology of choice for most wireless network operators around the world, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed Internet access to their subscriber base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and first standardized in 2008. Since then, as the use of wireless communication systems has grown exponentially, the need for wireless network operators to support higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users has also risen. As a result, research into new radio access technologies began in 2015, and in 2017, the first version of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0005] 5G-NR (also referred to as NR) provides higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communications from device to device, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. In addition, NR may allow for more flexible UE scheduling compared to current LTE. Therefore, efforts are being made to continue the development of 5G-NR to take advantage of the higher throughput possible at higher frequencies. Improvements in this area are expected. Summary of the invention

[0006] Embodiments relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatus, systems, and methods for a network controlled repeater (NCR) to provide a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) to a base station.

[0007] In some embodiments, the NCR receives a control message from a base station over a control link, wherein the control message configures the NCR with parameters that may include resources for forwarding uplink or downlink messages.

[0008] In various embodiments, downlink messages are received from a base station over a backhaul link for forwarding to one or more user equipment (UEs), or uplink messages are received from a UE over an access link for forwarding to a base station.

[0009] It may be determined that the received uplink or downlink message is received with a signal quality exceeding a quality threshold. When the signal quality exceeds the quality threshold, the uplink or downlink message is sent to the base station or UE, respectively.

[0010] In some embodiments, HARQ ACK / NACK feedback is provided by the NCR to the base station. The HARQ ACK / NACK feedback may be provided as a separate HARQ message to confirm whether the control message and the uplink / downlink message are successfully received. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a joint HARQ feedback may be sent that provides ACK / NACK feedback for both the control message and the uplink / downlink message. In some embodiments, whether to implement separate or joint HARQ feedback may be determined based on the timing offset of the control message and the uplink / downlink message.

[0011] In some embodiments, when the NCR receives multiple control messages from the base station, separate or joint HARQ feedback may be provided.

[0012] This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the topics described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the above features are only examples and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or essence of the topics described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the topics described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] 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, in which:

[0014] Figure 1A An example wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 1B Examples of base stations and access points in communication with user equipment (UE) devices are illustrated in accordance with some embodiments.

[0016] Figure 1C An example wireless communication system including a network controlled repeater (NCR) according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 2 An example block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 3 An example block diagram of an NCR according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 4 An example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0020] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during downlink forwarding according to some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during uplink forwarding according to some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR when receiving multiple control messages according to some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 8 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing separate HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during downlink forwarding in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] Fig. 9 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing joint HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during downlink forwarding in accordance with some embodiments.

[0025] Fig.10 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing separate HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during uplink forwarding according to some embodiments.

[0026] Fig.11 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing joint HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during uplink forwarding in accordance with some embodiments.

[0027] Fig.12 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing separate HARQ-ACK feedback for SCI via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and for SCI via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) by an NCR according to some embodiments.

[0028] Fig.13 is a communication flow diagram illustrating a method for providing joint HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR for an SCI via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and for an SCI via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to some embodiments.

[0029] Although the features described herein may be 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

[0030] Acronyms

[0031] Various acronyms are used throughout this disclosure. Definitions of the most commonly used acronyms that may appear throughout this disclosure are provided below:

[0032] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0033] UE: User Equipment

[0034] RF: Radio Frequency

[0035] BS: Base Station

[0036] DL: Downlink

[0037] UL: Uplink

[0038] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0039] NR: New Radio

[0040] NCR: Network Control Repeater

[0041] DAS: Distributed Antenna System

[0042] 5GS: 5G system

[0043] 5GMM: 5GS Mobility Management

[0044] 5GC / 5GCN: 5G core network

[0045] SIM: Subscriber Identity Module

[0046] eSIM: Embedded Subscriber Identity Module

[0047] IE: Information Element

[0048] CE: Control Element

[0049] MAC: Media Access Control

[0050] SSB: Synchronous Signal Block

[0051] CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0052] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0053] PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0054] PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0055] PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0056] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0057] RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0058] CORESET: Control resource set

[0059] TCI: Send Configuration Indication

[0060] DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0061] SCI: Sidelink Control Information

[0062] UCI: Uplink Control Information

[0063] the term

[0064] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0065] Memory medium—any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROM, floppy disk, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system executing a program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media, which may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as a computer program) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0066] Carrier Media—Memory media as described above, as well as physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that convey signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0067] Programmable hardware element - includes various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGA (field programmable gate array), PLD (programmable logic device), FPOA (field programmable object array), and CPLD (complex PLD). Programmable function blocks can range from fine-grained (combinatorial logic or lookup table) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic unit or processor core). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units".

[0068] Computer system (or computer) – Any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combination of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0069] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones). TM , based on Android TM phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM 、Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to cover any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunication device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0070] Base Station—The term “base station” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0071] Processing element (or processor) – refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing functions in a device, such as user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements may include, for example, processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), programmable hardware elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and any of the above combinations.

[0072] Channel - a medium used to convey information from a transmitter (sender) to a receiver. It should be noted that, since the characteristics of the term "channel" may vary according to different wireless protocols, the term "channel" as used herein may be considered to be used in a manner that conforms to the standards of the type of device to which the term is used. In some standards, the channel width may be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths of 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel may be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. In addition, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, such as different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0073] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and includes at least a segment of the spectrum (eg, radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0074] Wi-Fi—The term "Wi-Fi" (or WiFi) has the full scope of its usual meaning and includes at least wireless communication networks or RATs that are served by wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and provide connectivity to the Internet through these access points. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard and are marketed under the name "Wi-Fi". Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0075] 3GPP Access – refers to the access (e.g., radio access technology) specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. In general, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0076] Non-3GPP access - refers to any access (e.g., radio access technology) not specified by the 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses can be divided into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted": trusted non-3GPP accesses can interact directly with the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and / or 5G Core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP interoperates with the EPC / 5GC via network entities (such as Evolved Packet Data Gateways and / or 5GNR Gateways). In general, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0077] Automatic—refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or a device (e.g., a circuit, a programmable hardware element, an ASIC, etc.) without the action or operation being directly specified or performed by a user input. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process may be initiated by input provided by a user, but subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing in information, selecting checkboxes, radio selections, etc.) is manually filling out the form, even though the computer system must update the form in response to the user action. The form may be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, a user may invoke automatic filling out of a form, but not participate in the actual filling out of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify the answers to the fields but rather they are automatically completed). This specification provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions that a user has taken.

[0078] Approximately - refers to a value that is close to a correct or exact value. For example, approximately can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of an exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" may mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold value may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or requirements of a particular application.

[0079] Concurrency - refers to parallel execution or implementation, where tasks, processes, or programs are executed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be implemented using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computing elements, or using "weak parallelism", where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0080] Various components may be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured to" is a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently performing a task, the component may be configured to perform the task (e.g., a collection of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" may be a broad statement that generally means "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when the component is not currently turned on, the component may be configured to perform a task. Typically, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to "configured to" may include hardware circuits.

[0081] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Representing a component configured to perform one or more tasks expressly intends that the component does not invoke the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. §112(f).

[0082] Figures 1A to 1C :Communication System

[0083] Figure 1A A simplified example wireless communication system according to some embodiments is illustrated. Note that Figure 1A The system is merely one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of systems, as desired.

[0084] As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipment 106A, user equipment 106B, etc. to user equipment 106N through a transmission medium. Each user equipment in the user equipment may be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE) in this article. Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as UE or UE device.

[0085] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or a cell site ("cellular base station") and may include hardware that enables wireless communications with the UEs 106A-106N.

[0086] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". The base station 102A and the UE 106 may be configured to communicate over a transmission medium using any of a variety of radio access technologies (RATs), which are also referred to as wireless communication technologies or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. It should be noted that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, it may alternatively be referred to as an "eNodeB" or "eNB". It should be noted that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternatively be referred to as a "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0087] As shown, the base station 102A may also be configured to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunications network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among other possibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communications between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Specifically, the cellular base station 102A may provide the UE 106 with various communication capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0088] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B, ..., 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UE 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0089] Thus, while base station 102A may act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-N as shown in FIG. 1 , each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals from (and possibly be within communication range of) one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-102N and / or any other base station), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also be able to facilitate communication between user devices and / or between user devices and network 100. Such cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or cells of any various other granularity that provide service area sizes. For example, base stations 102A-102B illustrated in FIG. 1 may be macro cells, while base station 102N may be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0090] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or "gNB". In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0091] It should be noted that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcast standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocols. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0092] Figure 1B A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of device 106A through device 106N) is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments in communication with base station 102 and access point 112. UE 106 may be a device with cellular communication capabilities and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0093] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in a memory. UE 106 may perform any of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or in addition, UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion of any of the method implementations described herein.

[0094] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna, or may be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio component may include any combination of a baseband processor, an analog RF signal processing circuit (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or a digital processing circuit (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more parts of a receive chain and / or a transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0095] In some embodiments, UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate with it. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used uniquely by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and a separate radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0096] Figure 1C A communication scenario is illustrated in which a network controlled relay (NCR) facilitates communication between a base station 102A and one or more UEs 102A to 106N. In some deployments, a base station may be able to effectively communicate with a subset of the UEs it serves (e.g., UE 106A), but may be out of effective range of one or more other UEs (e.g., UE 106B). In this case, the network may instruct the NCR to forward messages between UE 106B and the base station. As described in more detail below, the NCR may receive side link control information from the base station to configure the forwarding communication.

[0097] Figure 2 :Block diagram of base station

[0098] Figure 2An example block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments is illustrated. Note that Figure 3 The base station of is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 204 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuit or device, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and convert those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0099] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices (such as the UE device 106) as described above in FIG. Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in.

[0100] The network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0101] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB". In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0102] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may also be configured to communicate with the UE device 106 via the radio component 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the radio component 230 via a communication chain 232. The communication chain 232 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0103] Base station 102 may be configured to perform wireless communications using multiple wireless communication standards. In some examples, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communications according to LTE and a 5GNR radio component for performing communications according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5GNR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component that can perform communications according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0104] As further described later herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or as an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of the BS 102 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the features described herein.

[0105] In addition, as described herein, processor 204 may be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0106] In addition, as described herein, radio 230 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 230. Thus, radio 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 230. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 230.

[0107] Figure 3 :Block diagram of NCR

[0108] Figure 3 An example block diagram of a network controlled repeater (NCR) according to some embodiments is illustrated. Note that Figure 3 The NCR 108 is only one example of a possible NCR. As shown, the NCR 108 may include a processor 304 that may execute program instructions for the NCR 108. The processor 304 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 304 and convert these addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 360 and read-only memory (ROM) 350), or to other circuits or devices.

[0109] NCR 108 may include at least one network port 370. Network port 370 may be configured to couple to a base station such as a gNB and forward communications between the base station and multiple devices such as UE devices 106, as described above in FIG. Figure 2 Described in .

[0110] In some embodiments, the NCR 108 may communicate using next generation cellular technology, such as 5G New Radio (5G NR) radio access technology (RAT). The NCR 108 may include at least one antenna 334, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 334 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver, and may also be configured to communicate with the base station 102 and the UE device 106 via a radio component 330. The antenna 334 communicates with the radio component 330 via a communication chain 332. The communication chain 332 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. The radio component 330 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0111] NCR 108 may be configured to use multiple wireless communication standards for wireless communication. In some cases, NCR 108 may include multiple radio components, which may enable NCR 108 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, NCR 108 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, NCR 108 can communicate with both LTE base stations, 5G NR base stations, and possibly with the 6th generation base station. As another possibility, NCR 108 may include a multimode radio component that can perform communication according to any one of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0112] As further described later herein, NCR 108 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the specific implementation of the features described herein. The processor 304 of NCR 108 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the methods described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transient computer readable memory medium). Additionally, the processor 304 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 304 of NCR 108 together with one or more other components 330, 332, 334, 340, 350, 360, 370 may be configured to implement or support implementing part or all of the features described herein.

[0113] In addition, as described herein, processor 304 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 304. Therefore, processor 304 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 304.

[0114] In addition, as described herein, radio 330 may include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 330. Thus, radio 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio 330. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 330.

[0115] Figure 4:UE block diagram

[0116] Figure 4 An example simplified block diagram of a UE 106 according to some embodiments is illustrated. Note that Figure 4 The block diagram of the UE is only an example of a possible UE. According to the embodiment, UE 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or a mobile station, a wireless device or a wireless station, a desktop computer or a computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, a notebook or a portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC) and / or a combination of devices and other devices. As shown, UE 106 may include a group of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components may be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 400 may be implemented as a separate component or a group of components for various purposes. The group of components 400 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of UE 106.

[0117] For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), input / output interfaces such as a connector I / F 420 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; an input device such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard; an output device such as a speaker; etc.), a display 460 that may be integrated with the UE 106 or external to the UE, and cellular communication circuits 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuits 429 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, UE 106 may include wired communications circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0118] Cellular communication circuitry 430 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 as shown. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 as shown. Alternatively, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 435 and 436 in addition to or in lieu of being (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 437 and 438. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0119] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). In addition, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include a single transmit chain that can switch between radio components dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio component can be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio component, such as a second radio component that can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with the dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain. The UE 106 can be configured to communicate with one or more base stations 102 and a network controlled relay 108.

[0120] UE 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as display 460 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a separate keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0121] UE 106 may also include one or more smart cards 445 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (one or more Universal Integrated Circuit Cards) cards 445. Note that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC cards 445, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or implement SIM functionality in other ways. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that may be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or the SIM 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some embodiments (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more of the SIMs may implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such embodiments, a single SIM of the SIM may execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or a memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards that implement eSIM functionality) as needed. For example, the UE 106 may include a combination of two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0122] As described above, in some embodiments, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 may allow UE 106 to support two different phone numbers, and may allow UE 106 to communicate on corresponding two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and the second SIM 410 may support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Of course, other specific implementations and RATs are also possible. In some embodiments, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support dual card dual communication (DSDA) functionality. The DSDA functionality may allow UE 106 to be connected to two networks (and use two different RATs) at the same time, or allow two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained on the same or different networks at the same time. The DSDA functionality may also allow UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic on any phone number at the same time. In some embodiments, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls may be received using voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may support dual SIM dual standby (DSDS) functionality. The DSDS functionality may allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to standby for a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, the DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) may be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0123] As shown, the SOC 400 may include a display circuit 404, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to a display 460, and one or more processors 402, which may execute program instructions for the UE 106. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and convert those addresses to locations in a memory (e.g., a memory 406, a read-only memory (ROM) 450, a NAND flash memory 410), and / or to other circuits or devices (such as the display circuit 404, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429, the cellular communication circuit 430, the connector I / F 420, and / or the display 460). The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0124] As described above, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuits.UE 106 may be configured to perform methods for revoking and / or modifying user consent in MEC, for example in 5G NR systems and beyond, as further described herein.

[0125] As described herein, the processor 402 of the UE 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein, for example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460, the processor 402 of the UE 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0126] In addition, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 402. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 402.

[0127] In addition, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 430 and the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 430, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Similarly, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. In addition, each integrated circuit may include a circuit (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuit 429.

[0128] Network Control Repeater

[0129] It is expected that in upcoming cellular deployments (e.g., 3GPP NR Rel-18), network controlled repeaters (NCRs) can be utilized to improve downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) coverage by deploying spatially directional repeaters in areas where gNBs and / or transmit receive points (TRPs) cannot provide reliable coverage. Current implementations have deployed radio frequency (RF) repeaters that receive (without decoding), amplify, and forward transmissions between base stations and UEs. However, these repeaters are unable to form beams in a specified direction. With respect to network controlled repeaters, the motivation is to introduce the ability for repeaters to be controllable by the network in terms of spatial directionality. In particular for higher frequency ranges (FR), simply forwarding at a repeater without any specific beam direction may not be very beneficial. Therefore, repeaters that can be controlled by the network to steer transmit and / or receive beams at the repeater can further improve coverage, especially in frequency range 2 (FR2) or above 24 GHz.

[0130] To implement beamforming efficiently and dynamically, the repeater may receive control information from the network to be directed when and where to steer its Tx and Rx spatial filters (beams). Effective deployment of the NCR may involve various types of lateral control information exchanged between the gNB and the NCR, potentially including but now limited to beamforming information, timing information for aligning the transmit and / or receive boundaries of the NCR, information related to the UL-DL time division duplex (TDD) configuration, on-off information for effective interference management and improved energy efficiency, and power control information for effective interference management, among other possibilities. In various embodiments, this sidelink control information may be sent via a combination of Layer 1 (L1) and / or Layer 2 (L2) signaling.

[0131] For example, in various embodiments, the NCR providing uplink control information (UCI) including HARQ-ACK feedback may establish configurations from radio resource control (RRC), open application model (OAM), or it may be hard-coded. These configurations may include configurations of physical (PHY) channels for carrying L1 / L2 signaling, including configurations for receiving PDCCH and / or PDSCH messaging and sending PUCCH and / or PUSCH messaging. In various embodiments, the L1 / L2 signaling configurations may include configurations for downlink control information (DCI), sidelink control information (SCI), UCI, and / or medium access control (MAC) control elements (CEs).

[0132] This additional messaging between the NCR and the network may be associated with additional HARQ-ACK feedback at the NCR so that the network may be informed whether the NCR has successfully received and decoded the control messaging. In these deployments, problems may arise where the gNB does not know whether a reception error or decoding error occurred at the NCR or at the UE. For example, the NCR may typically establish both a control link (for sending control information) and a backhaul link (for sending information to be forwarded to the UE) for communications between the NCR and the gNB, as well as an access link for communications with the UE. If the gNB relies solely on HARQ-ACK feedback from the UE (where the feedback is about PDSCH transmissions), the gNB may not be able to correctly determine whether the problem is with one or both of the backhaul / control link and / or the access link. For example, if the NCR is configured to receive PDSCH transmissions from the gNB and forward them to the UE, but the NCR does not even receive the PDSCH from the gNB (e.g., if the signal strength is below a threshold on the configured Rx beam), the UE may not receive the scheduled PDSCH, and the UE may report a NACK back to the gNB. In this case, the gNB can perform HARQ retransmissions assuming that the decoding error occurred at the UE (while the error actually occurred at the NCR). To address these and other issues, embodiments herein present feedback mechanisms to help the network determine whether a transmission problem may be occurring in the backhaul / control link and / or the access link.

[0133] In various embodiments, the NCR may be configured by the network to report HARQ-ACK feedback to the gNB in ​​response to receiving lateral control information from the gNB via a control link, receiving downlink channel signals from the gNB via a backhaul link for forwarding to one or more UEs via an access link, and / or receiving uplink channel signals from one or more UEs via an access link for forwarding to the gNB via a backhaul link. In these embodiments, the associated HARQ-ACK feedback may be sent from the NCR to the gNB on a physical channel (e.g., PUSCH and / or PUCCH) via the control link.

[0134] In various embodiments, a value of 1 or a value of 0 in the HARQ-ACK feedback may variously indicate whether a particular message was received completely, received with a signal strength above a quality threshold, and / or successfully decoded. Providing HARQ-ACK feedback to indicate that the signal strength of the transmission is below a quality threshold may be beneficial by helping the network determine link quality.

[0135] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the NCR may refrain from sending HARQ-ACK feedback to indicate whether a transmission was successfully received. For example, in some embodiments, HARQ-ACK feedback is sent when an ACK or negative acknowledgement (NACK) is to be reported by the NCR to the gNB. When the gNB does not receive a NACK or ACK, it may be assumed that the NCR was unable to receive the configured / scheduled transmission and may treat it as a NACK.

[0136] In some embodiments, the NCR may be configured separately to report feedback for each of the control information and the downlink information (i.e., information to be forwarded to the UE). For example, it may be configured to report feedback only for the control information and not for the downlink information, or vice versa, or it may be configured to report feedback for both (e.g., separately or in a single joint feedback transmission).

[0137] In some embodiments, the NCR may be configured to provide HARQ-ACK feedback corresponding to a dynamically signaled forwarding channel. For example, the NCR may provide feedback corresponding to a beam dynamically indicated at the NCR for reception and / or transmission of a forwarded signal.

[0138] Figure 5 - Flowchart of NCR providing HARQ feedback for downlink forwarding

[0139] Figure 5 An example of a flow chart of a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during downlink forwarding is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 5 Aspects of the method may be implemented, for example, by a network controlled repeater (NCR) in communication with a cellular base station such as BS102 and one or more UEs 106A-N, as illustrated and described with respect to the various figures herein, or more generally, as desired in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements or components, etc., illustrated in the above figures. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements. Figure 5 Various aspects of the method may also be implemented from the perspective of a base station or a UE.

[0140] It is noted that although the present invention is described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figure 5 However, this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 5In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 8 The method can be operated as follows.

[0141] At 502, a control message is received from a base station via a control link. The control message may be received via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The base station may be a fifth generation (5G) g Node B (gNB) that sends the control message to the NCR using a 5G NR RAT. The control message may include an SCI and may be sent via a control link previously established between the base station and the NCR. The control message may configure the NCR to forward an upcoming downlink message to one or more UEs. For example, the control message may schedule resources (e.g., time and / or frequency resources) for an upcoming downlink message that the NCR may receive and forward to one or more UEs. Additionally or alternatively, the control message may configure the beamforming parameters and / or power control of the NCR for use when forwarding the downlink message. The NCR may decode the control message to determine the scheduled resources and / or other parameters for forwarding the downlink message.

[0142] In some embodiments, the NCR may be configured by a control message to receive a downlink message in time slot N and forward it to one or more UEs, and the NCR may also be configured to report feedback related to the control message and / or the downlink message to the base station (e.g., via PUSCH or PUCCH) in time slot M. Note that the HARQ feedback associated with a control message indicates whether the control message is received and successfully decoded, while the HARQ feedback associated with a downlink message indicates that the downlink message is received with a signal strength that meets a quality threshold (because the downlink message is not decoded).

[0143] The time slot M for providing HARQ feedback to the base station can be determined based on the time slot offset corresponding to the time slot N, which can be fixed or semi-statically configured according to the NCR capability. If supported, HARQ feedback can implement frequency hopping. The NCR and the base station (BS) can exchange side link control information through the control link to configure the communication between the NCR and the BS (for example, to configure resources for providing HARQ feedback) and the communication between the NCR and the UE (for example, to configure resources for forwarding downlink messages to the UE, or to configure beamforming parameters for exchanging communications with the UE, etc.).

[0144] At 504, a downlink message is received from the base station via the backhaul link. The downlink message may be received according to resources scheduled by the control message. The downlink message may be for one or more UEs, and the NCR may then forward the downlink message to one or more UEs configured by the network.

[0145] At 506, it is determined whether to forward the downlink message to the UE based on the signal quality of the downlink message. For example, it can be determined whether the downlink message is received with a signal quality exceeding a quality threshold to determine whether the downlink signal is received at the NCR with sufficient signal strength to reliably forward it to the destination UE. The quality threshold can be the L1-RSRP value of the downlink message. When the signal quality exceeds the quality threshold, the downlink message is sent to the UE via the access link. The NCR can send a downlink message to the UE without decoding the downlink message. In other words, the NCR can act as a repeater to deliver the downlink message to the UE (e.g., with an increased signal strength and / or with directional beamforming) without decoding the downlink message. When sending a downlink message, the NCR can implement beamforming with beamforming parameters configured by control information received from the base station.

[0146] A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station over the control link at 508. The HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the downlink message is received with a signal strength exceeding a quality threshold and therefore whether it is sent to the UE.

[0147] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent to the base station via the control link to indicate whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR. Figure 8 As shown in , HARQ feedback for a control message may be sent before the NCR sends a downlink message to the UE over the access link. In these embodiments, if the control message HARQ feedback is negative, the gNB may retransmit the control message before transmitting the downlink message because the gNB will be notified that the NCR did not successfully decode the control message and therefore may not have access to scheduled resources for receiving the downlink message.

[0148] In other embodiments, Fig. 9As shown, the HARQ ACK / NACK message is a joint feedback message that, in addition to indicating whether the downlink message is forwarded to the UE, also indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR. In other words, the HARQ feedback for receiving both the control message and the downlink message is merged into a single joint HARQ message. In these embodiments, a value of "0" in the HARQ message may indicate that the control message is successfully received but the downlink message is not successfully received (or is received with a signal strength below a quality threshold). A value of "1" in the HARQ message may indicate that both the control message and the downlink message are successfully received (with sufficient signal strength). Finally, when a control message (and therefore a downlink message scheduled by the control message) is not successfully received (or is received but not successfully decoded), the NCR may avoid sending a HARQ ACK / NACK message to indicate this to the base station so that the base station can retransmit the control message. Figure 8 Compared with the method shown, Fig. 9 The embodiment shown in retains resources (by transmitting fewer HARQ messages), but this advantage is obtained at the expense of extending the time it takes for the base station to be notified if the control message is not successfully decoded by the NCR. Figure 8 or Fig. 9 Any of the implementations shown in may be more ideal in different scenarios, as described in more detail below.

[0149] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Two embodiments are shown, where HARQ feedback for control messages and downlink messages are sent in two HARQ ACK / NACK messages, respectively, or together in a single message. In some embodiments, the NCR can determine whether to implement the control message based on the timing offset between the control message, the HARQ feedback for the control message and the scheduled downlink message. Figure 8 still Fig. 9 In some embodiments, the timing offset may be quantified as a time slot offset between time slots scheduled for control messages, HARQ feedback, and downlink messages, or another time unit may be used to quantify the timing offset.

[0150] For example, the NCR may determine whether a first timing offset between receiving the control message and scheduling resources for the downlink message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the control message and providing HARQ feedback for the control message to the base station. When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, the NCR may send a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station over the control link indicating whether the control message was successfully decoded by the NCR (e.g., Figure 8 Alternatively, Fig. 9As shown, when the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message may indicate that both the downlink message and the control message are successfully received by the NCR.

[0151] Figure 6 - Flowchart of NCR providing HARQ feedback for uplink forwarding

[0152] Figure 6 An example of a flow chart of a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR during uplink forwarding is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 6 Describe the uplink situation Figure 5 In addition to describing the downlink forwarding situation, Figure 6 Similar in every respect to reference Figure 5 The corresponding method steps are described. Figure 6 Aspects of the method may be implemented, for example, by a network controlled repeater (NCR) in communication with a cellular base station such as BS102 and one or more UEs 106A-N, as illustrated and described with respect to the various figures herein, or more generally, as desired in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements or components, etc., illustrated in the above figures. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements. Figure 6 Various aspects of the method may also be implemented from the perspective of a base station or a UE.

[0153] Note that although described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figure 6 However, this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 6 In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 8 The method can be operated as follows.

[0154] At 602, a control message is received from a base station via a control link. The control message may be received via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The BS may be a fifth generation (5G) g Node B (gNB) that sends the control message to the NCR using a 5G NR RAT. The control message may include an SCI and may be sent via a control link previously established between the BS and the NCR. The control message may configure the NCR to forward an upcoming uplink message from the UE to the BS. For example, the control message may schedule resources (e.g., time and / or frequency resources) for an upcoming uplink message, which the NCR will receive from the UE and forward to the BS. The NCR may decode the control message to determine the scheduled resources for the uplink message. Additionally or alternatively, the control message may configure beamforming parameters and / or power control for the NCR to use when forwarding the uplink message.

[0155] In some embodiments, the NCR may be configured by the control message to receive and forward an uplink message to the BS in time slot N, and may also be configured to report feedback (e.g., via PUSCH or PUCCH) related to the control message and / or the uplink message to the BS in time slot M, as described in more detail below. Note that the HARQ feedback associated with the control message indicates whether the control message was received and successfully decoded, while the HARQ feedback associated with the uplink message indicates that the uplink message was received with a signal strength that met a quality threshold (because the uplink message was not decoded).

[0156] The time slot M for providing HARQ feedback to the BS can be determined based on the time slot offset corresponding to the time slot N, which can be fixed or semi-statically configured according to the NCR capability. If supported, HARQ feedback can implement frequency hopping. The NCR and the BS can exchange side link control information through the control link to configure the communication between the NCR and the BS (for example, to configure resources for providing HARQ feedback) and the communication between the NCR and the UE (for example, to configure resources for receiving uplink messages sent to the UE, or to configure beamforming parameters for exchanging communications with the UE, etc.).

[0157] At 604, an uplink message is received from the UE via the access link. The uplink message may be received according to resources scheduled by the control message. The uplink message may be intended for the BS, and the NCR may then forward the uplink message to the BS as configured by the network. Upon receiving the uplink message, the NCR may implement beamforming with beamforming parameters configured by control information received from the base station. The beamforming parameters may improve the quality of the received uplink message.

[0158] At 606, determine whether to forward UL message to BS based on the signal quality of uplink message. For example, it can be determined whether uplink message is received with the signal quality exceeding quality threshold, to determine whether uplink signal is received at NCR with enough signal strength to reliably forward it to BS. The quality threshold can be the L1-RSRP value of uplink message. When signal quality exceeds quality threshold, uplink message is sent to BS by backhaul link. NCR can send uplink message to BS, and uplink message is not decoded. In other words, NCR can act as a repeater to pass uplink message to BS (for example, with the signal strength promoted and / or with directional beamforming), and uplink message is not decoded.

[0159] A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station over the control link at 608. The HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the uplink message is received with a signal strength exceeding a quality threshold and therefore whether it is sent to the BS.

[0160] In some embodiments, and as Fig.10 As shown, a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent to the base station via the control link to indicate whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR. Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , HARQ feedback for a control message may be sent before the NCR receives an uplink message from the UE over the access link. In these embodiments, if the control message HARQ feedback is negative, the gNB may retransmit the control message prior to scheduled reception of the uplink message, since the gNB will be notified that the NCR did not successfully decode the control message and thus may not have access to scheduled resources for receiving the uplink message. When HARQ feedback for control messages and uplink messages is sent separately (e.g. Fig.10 In the embodiment of the present invention, when the uplink message is not received or the uplink message is received with a signal quality below the quality threshold, the HARQ feedback for the uplink message can be set to "0" (indicating NACK), and when the uplink message is received with a signal quality that meets the quality threshold, the HARQ feedback for the uplink message can be set to "1" (indicating ACK). Alternatively, in order to save network resources, the NCR can avoid sending HARQ feedback for the uplink message to indicate ACK (for example, because forwarding the uplink message to the base station can implicitly indicate that the uplink message is received with sufficient signal quality).

[0161] In other embodiments, Fig.11As shown, the HARQ ACK / NACK message is a joint feedback message that indicates whether the uplink message is received from the UE (e.g., with sufficient signal quality) and also indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR. In other words, the HARQ feedback for receiving both the control message and the uplink message is combined into a single joint HARQ message. In these embodiments, the value "0" in the HARQ message can indicate that the control message is successfully received but the uplink message is not successfully received (or is received with a signal strength below the quality threshold). The value "1" in the HARQ message can indicate that both the control message and the uplink message (with sufficient signal strength) are successfully received. Finally, the NCR may avoid sending HARQ ACK / NACK messages to alternatively indicate: 1) when the NCR does not send an uplink message to the BS, to indicate that the control message (and therefore also the uplink message scheduled by the control message) was not successfully received (or was received but not successfully decoded) to indicate this to the BS so that the BS can retransmit the control message, or 2) when the NCR does send an uplink message to the BS, to indicate that the control message and the uplink message were successfully received. In other words, depending on whether the NCR sends an uplink message to the BS, the failure to transmit HARQ feedback may alternatively indicate a NACK for both the control message and the uplink message or an ACK for both the control message and the uplink message. Fig.10 Compared with the method shown, Fig.11 The embodiment shown in retains resources (by transmitting fewer HARQ messages), but this advantage is obtained at the expense of extending the time it takes for the base station to be notified if the control message is not successfully decoded by the NCR. Fig.10 and Fig.11 Any of the implementations shown in may be more ideal in different scenarios, as described in more detail below.

[0162] Fig.10 and Fig.11 Two embodiments are shown, where HARQ feedback for control messages and uplink messages are sent in two HARQ ACK / NACK messages, respectively, or together in a single message. In some embodiments, the NCR may determine whether to implement the control message based on the timing offset between the control message, the HARQ feedback for the control message, and the scheduling resources for the uplink message. Fig.10 still Fig.11 In some embodiments, the timing offset may be quantified as a time slot offset between time slots scheduled for control messages, HARQ feedback, and downlink messages, or another time unit may be used to quantify the timing offset.

[0163] For example, the NCR may determine whether a first timing offset between receiving the control message and scheduling resources for the uplink message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the control message and providing HARQ feedback for the control message to the base station. When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, the NCR may send a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station via the control link, indicating whether the control message was successfully decoded by the NCR (e.g., Fig.10 Alternatively, Fig.11 As shown, when the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message may indicate that both the uplink message and the control message are successfully received by the NCR.

[0164] Figure 7 -NCR provides HARQ feedback for PUCCH and PUSCH NCR flow chart

[0165] Figure 7 An example of a flow chart of a method for providing HARQ-ACK feedback by an NCR that controls messaging over both PUCCH and PUSCH from a base station is illustrated in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 7 In some respects, it is similar to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , and can be used in conjunction with various aspects of these diagrams. Figure 7 The important difference is Figure 7 The case where the NCR receives and provides HARQ feedback for individual PUCCH and PUSCH control messages received from a base station (BS) is addressed. Figure 7 Aspects of the method may be implemented, for example, by a network controlled repeater (NCR) in communication with a cellular base station such as BS102 and one or more UEs 106A-N, as illustrated and described with respect to the various figures herein, or more generally, as desired in conjunction with any of the computer circuits, systems, devices, elements or components, etc., illustrated in the above figures. For example, a processor (and / or other hardware) of such a device may be configured to cause the device to perform any combination of the illustrated method elements and / or other method elements. Figure 7 Various aspects of the method may also be implemented from the perspective of a base station or a UE.

[0166] Note that although described in a manner involving the use of communication techniques and / or features associated with 3GPP and / or NR specification documents, Figure 7 However, this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure and may be used in any suitable wireless communication system as needed. Figure 7In various embodiments, some of the elements of the method shown may be performed simultaneously in an order different from that shown, may be replaced by other method elements, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed. As shown in the figure, Figure 7 The method can be operated as follows.

[0167] At 702, a first control message is received from a BS via a control link. The first control message may be received via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The BA may be a fifth generation (5G) gNode B (gNB) that sends the first control message to the NCR using a 5G NR RAT. The first control message may include first control information and may be sent via a control link previously established between the BS and the NCR. The first control information may schedule resources (e.g., time and / or frequency resources), beamforming parameters, and / or power parameters for an upcoming downlink or uplink message that the NCR will forward between the BS and one or more UEs. The first control information may also schedule resources for a second control message. The NCR may decode the first control message to determine scheduled resources for the downlink or uplink message. The NCR may be configured to provide HARQ feedback to the BS to indicate whether the first control message was successfully decoded, which may be combined or separated from the HARQ feedback provided for the second control message, as described below.

[0168] At 704, a second control message is received from the BS via a control link. The second control message may be received via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and may include a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) including second control information to schedule resources or configure beamforming or power parameters for use by the NCR in forwarding messages between the BS and one or more UEs. In various embodiments, the control information (resource scheduling, beamforming parameters, and power parameters) may be allocated between the first control message and the second control message in various ways. The NCR may decode the second control message and may be configured to provide HARQ feedback to the BS to indicate whether the second control message was successfully decoded.

[0169] At 706, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station via the control link. The HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the second control message is successfully decoded.

[0170] In some embodiments, and as Fig.12 As shown, a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message indicating whether the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR is sent to the base station via the control link. Fig.12As shown, the HARQ feedback for the first control message may be sent before the NCR receives the second control message.

[0171] In other embodiments, Fig.13 As shown, the HARQ ACK / NACK message is a joint feedback message that indicates whether the second control message is successfully decoded, and also indicates that the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR. In other words, the HARQ feedback for receiving both the first control message and the second control message is merged into a single joint HARQ message. In these embodiments, the value "0" in the HARQ message can indicate that the first control message is successfully received but the second control message is not successfully received (or is received with a signal strength below the quality threshold). The value "1" in the HARQ message can indicate that both the first control message and the second control message are successfully received and decoded. Finally, the NCR can avoid sending any HARQ ACK / NACK message to indicate that both the first control message and the second control message are not received or are received but not successfully decoded.

[0172] and Fig.12 Compared with the method shown, Fig.13 The embodiment shown in retains resources (by transmitting fewer HARQ messages), but this advantage is obtained at the expense of extending the time it takes for the base station to be notified if the first control message is not successfully decoded by the NCR. Fig.12 and Fig.13 Any of the implementations shown in may be more ideal in different scenarios, as described in more detail below.

[0173] Fig.12 and Fig.13 Two embodiments are shown, where the HARQ feedback for the first control message and the second control message are sent in two HARQ ACK / NACK messages respectively or together in a single message. In some embodiments, the NCR can determine whether to implement the HARQ feedback based on the timing offset between the first control message, the HARQ feedback for the first control message and the second control message. Fig.12 still Fig.13 In some embodiments, the timing offset may be quantified as a time slot offset between time slots scheduled for control messages, HARQ feedback, and downlink messages, or another time unit may be used to quantify the timing offset.

[0174] For example, the NCR may determine whether a first timing offset between receiving the first control message and the second control message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the first control message and providing HARQ feedback for the first control message to the base station. When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, the NCR may send a separate HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station via the control link, indicating whether the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR (e.g., Fig.12 Alternatively, Fig.13 As shown, when the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message can provide joint feedback for both the first control message and the second control message.

[0175] 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.

[0176] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0177] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, wherein if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any one of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein or any combination of such subsets.

[0178] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a group of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, wherein the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0179] By interpreting each message / signal X received by a user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods for operating a UE described herein may become the basis for the corresponding method for operating a base station.

[0180] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to include all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A network controlled repeater (NCR), the network controlled repeater (NCR) comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, wherein the at least one radio component is configured to perform cellular communications using at least one radio access technology (RAT); one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform communications; wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the NCR to: receiving a control message from a base station via a control link, wherein the control message configures the NCR to forward downlink messages; receiving the downlink message from the base station via a backhaul link; determining whether the downlink message is received with a signal quality exceeding a quality threshold; When the signal quality exceeds the quality threshold, sending the downlink message to a user equipment (UE) via an access link; as well as A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station through the control link, wherein the HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the downlink message is sent to the UE.

2. The NCR according to claim 1, The HARQ ACK / NACK message further indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR.

3. The NCR according to claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: When the NCR fails to successfully decode the control message, refraining from sending the HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station to indicate to the base station that the control message is not successfully decoded.

4. The NCR according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: A second HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent to the base station over the control link, indicating whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR, wherein the second HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent before receiving the downlink message from the base station.

5. The NCR according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: The control message is decoded to determine scheduled resources for the downlink message.

6. The NCR according to claim 1, The NCR is configured to send the downlink message to the UE without decoding the downlink message.

7. The NCR according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: determining whether a first timing offset between receiving the control message and scheduling resources for the downlink message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the control message and providing HARQ feedback for the control message to the base station; and When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, sending a second HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station via the control link indicating whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR; in, When the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message further indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR.

8. The NCR according to claim 1, wherein the at least one RAT comprises a fifth generation new radio (5G NR) RAT, and The base station includes a g Node B (gNB).

9. A network controlled repeater (NCR), the network controlled repeater (NCR) comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, wherein the at least one radio component is configured to perform cellular communications using at least one radio access technology (RAT); one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform communications; wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the NCR to: receiving a control message from a base station via a control link, wherein the control message configures the NCR to forward an uplink message; receiving the uplink message from a user equipment (UE) via an access link; determining whether the uplink message is received with a signal quality exceeding a quality threshold; When the signal quality exceeds the quality threshold, sending the uplink message to the base station through a backhaul link; as well as A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station through the control link, wherein the HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the signal quality of the uplink message exceeds the quality threshold and whether the uplink message is sent to the base station.

10. The NCR according to claim 9, The HARQ ACK / NACK message further indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR.

11. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: When the NCR fails to successfully decode the control message, refraining from sending the uplink message and the HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station to indicate to the base station that the control message is not successfully decoded.

12. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: When the uplink message is sent to the base station, the HARQ ACK / NACK message is avoided to be sent to the base station to indicate to the base station that the control message is successfully decoded.

13. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: A second HARQ ACK / NACK message indicating whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR is sent to the base station through the control link, wherein the second HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent before receiving the uplink message from the UE.

14. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: The control message is decoded to determine scheduled resources for the uplink message.

15. The NCR according to claim 9, The NCR is configured to send the uplink message to the base station without decoding the uplink message.

16. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: determining whether a first timing offset between receiving the control message and scheduling resources for the uplink message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the control message and providing HARQ feedback for the control message to the base station; and When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, sending a second HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station via the control link indicating whether the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR; in, When the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message further indicates that the control message is successfully decoded by the NCR.

17. The NCR according to claim 9, wherein the at least one RAT comprises a fifth generation new radio (5G NR) RAT, and The base station includes a g Node B (gNB).

18. A network controlled repeater (NCR), the network controlled repeater (NCR) comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component, wherein the at least one radio component is configured to perform cellular communications using at least one radio access technology (RAT); one or more processors coupled to the at least one radio, wherein the one or more processors and the at least one radio are configured to perform communications; wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the NCR to: receiving a first control message from a base station via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), wherein the control message includes first control information; receiving a second control message from the base station through a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the second control message includes second control information; and A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) message is sent to the base station, wherein the HARQ ACK / NACK message indicates whether the second control message is successfully decoded.

19. The NCR according to claim 18, The HARQ ACK / NACK message also indicates whether the first control message is successfully decoded.

20. The NCR according to claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: When the NCR fails to successfully decode the control message, refraining from sending the HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station to indicate to the base station that the control message is not successfully decoded.

21. The NCR according to claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: A second HARQ ACK / NACK message indicating whether the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR is sent to the base station over the control link, wherein the second HARQ ACK / NACK message is sent before receiving the second control message from the base station.

22. The NCR of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: The first control message is decoded to determine one or more of the following: scheduling resources for an upcoming downlink message associated with a user equipment (UE); scheduling resources for an upcoming uplink message associated with the UE; a scheduling resource for the second control message; beamforming parameters for forwarding the upcoming downlink or uplink message; or A power parameter used to forward the upcoming downlink or uplink message.

23. The NCR of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: The second control message is decoded to determine one or more of the following: scheduling resources for an upcoming downlink message associated with a user equipment (UE); scheduling resources for an upcoming uplink message associated with the UE; beamforming parameters for forwarding the upcoming downlink or uplink message; or A power parameter used to forward the upcoming downlink or uplink message.

24. The NCR according to claim 18, wherein the first control information is received via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and The second control information is received via a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and includes a medium access channel (MAC) control element (CE).

25. The NCR according to claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to cause the NCR to: determining whether a first timing offset between receiving the first control message and receiving the second control message exceeds a second timing offset between receiving the first control message and providing HARQ feedback for the first control message to the base station; and When the first timing offset exceeds the second timing offset, sending a second HARQ ACK / NACK message to the base station through the control link indicating whether the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR; in, When the first timing offset does not exceed the second timing offset, the HARQ ACK / NACK message further indicates that the first control message is successfully decoded by the NCR.

26. The NCR according to claim 18, wherein the at least one RAT comprises a fifth generation new radio (5G NR) RAT, and The base station includes a g Node B (gNB).

27. An apparatus, comprising: Memory; and At least one processor in communication with the memory, wherein the processor is configured to cause a network controlled repeater (NCR) to operate as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium storing program instructions executable by a processor of a network controlled repeater (NCR) according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A method for operating a network controlled repeater (NCR) according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

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