Radio resource determination method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a radio resource determination method and device. In accordance with an embodiment of the present application, an exemplary method comprises: receiving, by a network node from another network node, first information indicating at least one first set of beams for a link between the network node and a remote device; and determining an association between a beam and a time domain resource for the link between the network node and the remote device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication techniques, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for radio resource determination, such as time domain resource determination for a beam between a repeater and a remote device. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. Wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources such as time, frequency, and power. Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth generation (4G) systems such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may also be referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

[0003] According to RP-213592, intelligent repeaters (also known as "network controller repeaters") will be studied and identified. In addition, according to the RAN1#110 agreement, the time domain resources corresponding to the access link beam can be determined according to the beam indication. Because there are various channels / reference signals (RS) in communication between the network side and the remote side, the time domain resources associated with all these channels / RS should be accommodated by the time domain resources configured or predefined for one or more beams. These channels / RS include but are not limited to: synchronization signal (SS) / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB), paging, resource opportunity (RO), periodic channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), configured authorized physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), PUSCH repetition, semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc.

[0004] Therefore, the industry needs to solve the technical problem of how to determine the radio resources of the beam used for the link between the repeater and the remote device to accommodate various channels / RSs. Summary of the invention

[0005] One object of the present application is to provide a technical solution for radio resource determination, in particular a method and apparatus for determining radio resources, such as time domain resources of a beam for a link between a repeater and a remote device.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide a network node, such as a repeater, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receive first information indicating at least one first set of beams used for a link between the network node and a remote device from another network node via the transceiver; and determine an association between the beams used for the link between the network node and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information from other network nodes indicating at least one of the following: periodicity in the time domain, offset in the time domain, duration in the time domain, subcarrier spacing (SCS), a set of start symbols within the duration, or the length of the time domain resource.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, the length of a single symbol is determined by the SCS.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, symbols are divided into symbol sets based on a starting symbol and the length of the time domain resource, and each symbol set is associated with at least one beam of a corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams.

[0010] In some scenarios, the number of beams associated with each symbol set is configured by the other network node.

[0011] In some scenarios, determining the association between the beam and the time domain resource includes mapping the beam to the symbol set in a sequential manner or a cyclic manner. For example, when the number of beams in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams is less than the number of the symbol sets, the beams in the corresponding set are repeatedly mapped to the symbol set in sequence, wherein in each repetition, the beams are mapped to a corresponding subset of the symbol set in the sequential manner or the cyclic manner.

[0012] In some scenarios, when there is only one beam in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams, all of the symbol sets will be associated with the only one beam.

[0013] In some scenarios, when the number of beams in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams is the same as the number of the symbol sets, the beams in the corresponding set are associated with the symbol sets one-to-one.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information indicating a set of time domain patterns from the other network node, each time domain pattern being associated with an index.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present application, each time domain pattern is associated with at least one of the following: frame level periodicity, an offset in the time domain, at least one of a group of subframes or a group of first time slots, the number of second time slots, at least one start symbol in the second time slot, the number of opportunities in the second time slot, or the duration of an opportunity. In some scenarios, a group of time domain opportunities is determined based on each time domain pattern. Determining the association between beams and time domain resources includes: starting or restarting the mapping between beams in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams and the group of time domain opportunities based on a group of start time domain positions configured by the other network node.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource of the association is determined by a set of predefined time domain patterns, and each predefined time domain pattern is associated with an SCS or a frequency band index.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present application, each predefined time domain pattern indicates at least one of the following: periodicity, an offset in the time domain, a predefined duration in the time domain, a set of time slots and a set of starting symbols within each of the set of time slots, or a predefined length of the time domain resources.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present application, at least one symbol set is determined based on each predefined time domain pattern. In some scenarios, determining the association between the beam and the time domain resource includes: starting or restarting mapping the beam in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams to each of the at least one symbol set based on the offset.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, a second group of beams that is a subset of the set of at least one first group of beams is indicated; and if a beam in the set of at least one first set of beams is also in the second set, the network node will turn on the symbol set corresponding to the beam, otherwise, the network node will turn off the symbol set corresponding to the beam.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information indicating at least one of the following: a time slot level offset regarding signaling carrying the first information or signaling carrying the second information, a start and length indicator value (SLIV) for indicating a start symbol and a length of a symbol within a time slot, the number of symbols, the number of repetitions, and a direction indicator indicating whether the time domain resource is used for a downlink or an uplink.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present application, when the direction of the time domain resource is the same as the direction determined based on the time division duplex (TDD) configuration, the time domain resource will be associated with the corresponding beam. In some scenarios, the TDD configuration is determined based on at least one of the following: a common TDD configuration, a dedicated TDD configuration, a group common downlink control information (DCI), or dynamic side control information.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, when there is more than one association between a beam and a time domain resource, each association will be associated with a priority, and the association with the highest priority among the more than one associations will be determined for the time domain resources used for the link between the network node and the remote device.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present application, the priority of each association is configured or determined based on a corresponding time domain mode.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present application, each of the at least one first group of beams is associated with a beam set index.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, a default beam is determined for time domain resources without a configured beam, and the default beam is determined based on the latest beam configuration or determination or based on the beam with the lowest index.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present application, there are multiple beams associated with time domain resources, and each beam is used for frequency domain resources.

[0027] According to some embodiments of the present application, the frequency domain resource is a frequency band, a carrier, a bandwidth part (BWP), a group of resource blocks (RBs), or a group of resource block groups (RBGs).

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present application, the frequency domain resources are based on a starting position and the number of RBs.

[0029] Some other embodiments of the present application also provide a network node, such as a gNB, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit first information indicating at least one first set of beams used for a link between other network nodes and a remote device to another network node via the transceiver; and determine an association between the beams used for the link between the other network nodes and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0030] Some other embodiments of the present application provide a method, for example performed by a repeater, comprising: receiving, by a network node from another network node, first information indicating at least one first set of beams used for a link between the network node and a remote device; and determining an association between the beams used for the link between the network node and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0031] Some other embodiments of the present application also provide a method, for example performed by a gNB node, comprising: transmitting first information indicating at least one first set of beams used for a link between the network node and a remote device to a network node; and determining an association between the beams used for the link between the network node and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0032] In view of the above, embodiments of the present application provide a technical solution for radio resource determination, such as determining time domain resources for a beam between a relay and a UE, which can adapt to various channels / RSs and will therefore facilitate the deployment and implementation of NR. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, the description of the present disclosure is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system in a non-multi-TRP scenario according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system in a multi-TRP scenario according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0037] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure of a radio resource determination method according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0038] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary time domain resources and beam association according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0039] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary time domain resources and beam associations according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0040] Figure 7A block diagram illustrating an exemplary radio resource determination apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0041] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary radio resource determination apparatus according to some other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be implemented by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0043] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G, 3GPP LTE, etc.). It is considered that, with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present application may also be applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present application may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0044] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present application.

[0045] like Figure 1 , the wireless communication system 100 includes a UE 103 and a BS 101. Figure 1 Only one BS is illustrated in FIG. 1 , but it is considered that in some other embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 may include more BSs. Similarly, although for simplicity Figure 1 Only one UE is illustrated in FIG. 1 , but it is considered that in some other embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 may include more UEs.

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, LTE networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0047] BS 101 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a Node B, an enhanced Node B (eNB), a gNB, a home Node B, a relay node or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. BS 101 is typically part of a radio access network that may include a controller communicatively coupled to BS 101.

[0048] In addition, BS101 may be configured with one TRP (or panel) (i.e., in a single TRP scenario) or more TRPs (or panels) (i.e., a multi-TRP scenario). That is, one or more TRPs are associated with BS101. The TRP may function like a small BS. Two TRPs may have the same cell ID (identifier or index) or different cell IDs. The two TRPs may communicate with each other via a backhaul link. This backhaul link may be an ideal backhaul link or a non-ideal backhaul link. The latency of an ideal backhaul link may be considered to be 0, and the latency of a non-ideal backhaul link may be tens of milliseconds and much larger than the latency of an ideal backhaul link, for example, about tens of milliseconds.

[0049] A single TRP may be used to serve one or more UEs 103 under the control of BS 101. In different scenarios, TRP may be referred to by different terms, which may be represented by a TCI state index or a CORESETPoolIndex value, etc. It should be understood that the TRP (or panel) configured for BS 101 may be transparent to UE 103.

[0050] UE 103 may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a car computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), or the like. According to an embodiment of the present application, UE 103 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present application, UE 103 may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, UE 103 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0051] To increase the coverage area of ​​a BS, relay nodes (eg, repeaters) may be deployed in a wireless communication system, which may improve the throughput of mobile devices (eg, UEs located in coverage holes or far away from the BS) under low signal quality.

[0052] Figure 2 and Figure 3 Exemplary scenarios of a wireless communication system with a repeater are described respectively, wherein Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 200 in a non-multi-TRP scenario according to some embodiments of the present application, and Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 300 in a multi-TRP scenario according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0053] refer to Figure 2 In an exemplary wireless communication system 200, there are multiple nodes, such as gNB 201, a first relay 203a, a second relay 203b, a first UE 205a, a second UE 205b, a third UE 205c, and a fourth UE 205d. gNB 201 may be configured with a single TRP or without a TRP. The first relay 203a is connected to gNB 201 and the first UE 205a, and the second relay 203b is connected to gNB 201, the second UE 205b, and the third UE 205c. The link between a BS (e.g., gNB 201) and a repeater (e.g., the first repeater 203a or the second repeater 203b) may be referred to as a BS-relay link (or a gNB-relay link, a backhaul link), the link between a repeater (e.g., the first repeater 203a) and a UE (e.g., the first UE 205a) may be referred to as a repeater-UE link or an access link; and the link between a BS (e.g., gNB 201) and a UE (e.g., the fourth UE 205d) may be referred to as a BS-UE link (or a gNB-UE link).

[0054] It should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that each BS (e.g., gNB 201) can be connected to one or more relays (e.g., first relay 203a and second relay 203b) and one or more UEs (e.g., first UE 205a, second UE 205b, third UE 205c, and fourth UE 205d); and each relay (e.g., first relay 203a and second relay 203b) can be connected to one or more BSs and one or more UEs. Therefore, the limited number of exemplary nodes in the wireless communication system 200 should not be considered as a limitation to the present application.

[0055] refer to Figure 3In an exemplary wireless communication system 300, there are multiple nodes, such as a gNB 301, a relay 303, and a UE 305, wherein the gNB 301 is configured with two TRPs (e.g., a first TRP 301a and a second TRP 301b) (or is associated with the two TRPs). The relay 303 is connected to each of the first TRP 301a and the second TRP 301b. Therefore, there are two links between the gNB 301 and the relay 303, one is a BS-relay link (or a gNB-relay link or a TRP-relay link) between the first TRP 301a and the relay 303, and the other is a BS-relay link (or a gNB-relay link or a TRP-relay link) between the second TRP 301b and the relay 303.

[0056] Unlike legacy relays, network-controllable relays (or smarter relays) are transparent to UEs and can maintain both BS-relay links and relay-UE links simultaneously. Although some issues regarding network-controllable relays have been discussed and resolved, there are still a number of technical issues that need to be resolved in some scenarios. For example, in a scenario where various channels and / or RSs communicate on a relay-UE link, the time domain resources associated with all channels and / or RSs should be accommodated by the time domain resource configuration of the beams of the relay-UE link.

[0057] At least to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose technical solutions for radio resource determination, such as methods and devices for determining time domain resources of a beam used for a link (eg, an access link between a relay and a UE).

[0058] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure of a radio resource determination method according to some embodiments of the present application. Although the method is described at a system level by a first network node (e.g., a relay (e.g., a network-controllable relay)) and a second network node (e.g., a BS (e.g., a gNB)), a person skilled in the art should understand that the methods implemented in the two network nodes can be implemented separately and / or combined by other devices with similar functions.

[0059] refer to Figure 4 , a first network node (e.g., a repeater) is deployed between a second network node (e.g., a gNB) and a remote device (a third node) (e.g., a UE) and can simultaneously maintain at least one first link between the first network node and the second network node (e.g., at least one BS-relay link) and at least one second link between the first network node and the third node (e.g., at least one relay-UE link).

[0060] Those skilled in the art should clearly understand that, herein, for the sake of clarity, terms such as “first” and “second” are only used to distinguish similar features or elements, etc., and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the technical solution.

[0061] The second network node (e.g., gNB) may configure at least one first set of beams for a link between the first network node (e.g., relay) and the UE. Each first set of beams includes one or more beams, which may be transmit beams or receive beams or both. In addition, the first set of different beams may be associated with different time domain and / or frequency domain resource configurations.

[0062] Regarding the term "beam", it is clearly understood by those skilled in the art. However, it has not yet been defined in the 3GPP specification and may therefore evolve into other terms. Each beam is associated with a spatial domain filter for transmission or reception (i.e., a spatial domain transmit or receive filter). Each beam may also be associated with at least one RS. For example, each beam or spatial domain filter is associated with at least one of the following: CSI-RS (or CSI-RS resource) or SSB or SRS (or SRS resource) or Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) state or joint TCI state or spatial relationship information, etc. Each TCI state or spatial relationship information or joint TCI state of at least one of the downlink and uplink may be associated with one or two quasi-co-located (QCL)-type D RSs.

[0063] In step 401, the second network node indicates at least one first group of beams to the remote device via first information (e.g., beam indication in various ways). For example, the first information may be transmitted or configured via system information block 1 (SIB1), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or DCI (e.g., group common DCI). At least one first group of beams may be directly indicated in the first information, for example, each beam is associated with a beam index, that is, each first group of beams is indicated as a first group of beam index. In some other embodiments, at least one first group of beams may be indirectly determined from the first information, for example, based on an associated RS or associated time-frequency resource indicated in the first information. In some other embodiments of the present application, each first group of beams may be associated with a beam set index. In some other embodiments of the present application, a default beam will be determined for a time domain resource without a configured beam, which may be different or the same for uplink and downlink. The default beam is configured or determined based on the latest beam (or previous beam) or determined based on the beam with the lowest index or determined based on other ways. In such a case, the first information refers to information used to determine the default beam.

[0064] Thus, in step 402, the first network node will receive the first information. Based on at least one first set of beams, in step 403 (which may be performed before or after step 401), the second network node (e.g., a gNB) will determine the association between the beam and the time domain resources for the link between the first network node and the remote device. Similarly, in step 404, the first network node (e.g., a repeater) will determine the association between the beam and the time domain resources for the link between the first network node and the remote device. The determined association between the beam and the time domain resources will at least ensure that the time domain resources associated with all relevant channels and / or RSs are accommodated by the time domain resource configuration of the beam for the link between the first network node and the remote device. With respect to the time domain resources to be associated with the beam, they may be predefined or configured to the first network node in different scenarios. In some scenarios, the beam associated with the frequency domain resources and / or panel will also be determined.

[0065] According to some embodiments of the present application, a single or multiple association (or mapping) solution may be used, and a single association of a beam to a time domain resource or multiple associations between the beam and the time domain resource may be determined. In the case of determining multiple associations, one association will be further determined, and the corresponding time domain resource will be determined for the link between the first network node and the remote device.

[0066] Thereafter, with a relay as an example of a first RAN node, a gNB as an example of a second RAN node, and a UE as an example of a remote device, more details on how to determine radio resources (e.g., time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources, etc.) will be described below in view of various exemplary embodiments (or schemes) of the present application. It should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the described solution may also be applicable to other nodes with similar functions in a wireless communication system. In addition, although different exemplary embodiments are described as focusing on different technical measures for the sake of clarity, those skilled in the art may combine the embodiments in various ways under the disclosure and teachings of the present application, but the combination is not explicitly described. In addition, the determined associations in the first network node (relay side) and the second network node (gNB side) are consistent, and therefore, although only some embodiments on the relay side are described, those skilled in the art should clearly understand the operations in the gNB side.

[0067] Solution 1

[0068] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource (e.g., symbol or symbol set) of association is indicated by a second network node (e.g., gNB) to a first network node (e.g., relay). The symbol or symbol set may correspond to at least one of CSI-RS, SRS, or PDCCH, etc. Exemplary second information from the gNB to the relay may indicate at least one of the following: periodicity in the time domain, offset in the time domain, duration in the time domain, SCS, a group of start symbols within the duration, or the length of the time domain resource. In some embodiments of the present application, the length of a single symbol may be determined by the SCS.

[0069] For example, the second information may indicate a periodicity in the time domain, an offset in the time domain, a duration in the time domain, an SCS, a set of start symbols within the duration, or a length of the time domain resource; and the time domain resource may be determined based on the second information. In another example, the second information may only indicate a periodicity in the time domain, an offset in the time domain, and a duration in the time domain configured with respect to the SCS; and the time domain resource will be determined based on the second information in combination with other relevant information (such as the SCS, etc.) predefined (or preconfigured) to the repeater. In yet another example, the second information is or includes a bitmap to indicate a set of start symbol indices within the duration or within each time slot of the duration.

[0070] Regarding the length of the time domain resource, it may also be referred to as "symbol length" or "number of symbols", etc., which indicates how many symbols are associated with the starting symbol index, that is, the number of symbols associated with the starting symbol index. According to some embodiments of the present application, the symbols may be divided into symbol sets based on the starting symbol and the length of the time domain resource, and each symbol set is associated with at least one beam of the corresponding beam set indicated by the gNB. In some scenarios, how many beams are associated with each symbol set (that is, the number of symbols associated with each symbol set) is configured or predefined by the gNB.

[0071] One or more configured beams (which may be indicated in a beam set or beam pattern) will be associated (or mapped) with at least one time domain resource, for example, in a sequential manner or a cyclic manner or otherwise. In the case where the symbols are divided into symbol sets, the one or more beams will be mapped to the symbol sets (or associated with the symbol sets) in a sequential manner or a cyclic manner or otherwise. The number of the one or more beams, for example, indicated by the beam index, may be the same as or less than the number of symbol sets. For example, in the case where the number of the one or more beams is less than the number of symbol sets, the one or more beams will be mapped to the symbol sets repeatedly in sequence, where in each repetition, the beams will be mapped to the corresponding subset of the symbol sets in a sequential manner or a cyclic manner.

[0072] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary time domain resources and beam association according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0073] refer to Figure 5 , in some scenarios (a), the illustrated duration is two time slots, e.g., time slot #0 and time slot #1, each time slot includes 14 symbols. It is assumed that each symbol set associated with the start symbol includes only one symbol, and the number of beams is the same as or different from the number of symbol sets. Beams and beam sets may be associated one-to-one, e.g., each beam index is associated with a symbol set in sequence. Specifically, there are 8 symbol sets and 8 beams in the shown duration, with 6 symbol sets (e.g., set #0 to set #5) and 6 beams (e.g., beam #0 to beam #5) in time slot #0, and 2 symbol sets (e.g., set #6 and set #7) and 2 beams (e.g., beam #6 and beam #7) in time slot #1, and each beam (or beam index) is associated with a symbol set. The illustrated mapping in the duration may be repeated in the time domain according to a periodicity or symbol set.

[0074] In some scenarios (b) and (c), the duration is also two time slots, such as time slot #0 and time slot #1, each time slot includes 14 symbols. It is assumed that each symbol set associated with the start symbol includes only one symbol, and the number of beams (e.g., 2) is less than the number of symbol sets (e.g., 8). Then, the beams will be mapped to the symbol sets repeatedly in sequence, where in each repetition, the beams will be mapped to a partial symbol set (a subset of the symbol set, which can be divided into a number determined in sequence based on the number of beams) of the entire symbol set in a sequential manner (as illustrated in scenario (b)) or a cyclic manner (as illustrated in scenario (c)) until all symbol sets are mapped. Specifically, there are 8 symbol sets in the duration shown, of which 6 symbol sets (e.g., set #0 to set #5) are in time slot #0 and 2 symbol sets (e.g., set #6 and set #7) are in time slot #1. 2 beams (e.g., beam #0 and beam #1) are repeatedly mapped to 8 symbol sets, and each beam is associated with 4 symbol sets. In scenario (b), there are two repetitions, where in the first repetition, the two beams are mapped to the first four symbol sets in a sequential manner, and in the second repetition, the two beams are mapped to the last four symbol sets in a sequential manner. In scenario (c), there are also two repetitions, where in the first repetition, the two beams are mapped to the first four symbol sets in a cyclic manner, and in the second repetition, the two beams are mapped to the last four symbol sets in a cyclic manner. Similarly, the illustrated mapping in the duration can be repeated in the time domain according to periodicity or symbol sets.

[0075] In some scenarios (d), the illustrated duration is one slot, e.g., slot #0, which includes 14 symbols. It is assumed that each symbol set associated with the start symbol includes two symbols, and the number of beams is 1. All symbol sets will be associated with only one beam. Specifically, there are 2 symbol sets, e.g., set #0 and set #1, each including 2 symbols. There is only one beam, e.g., beam #1, in the shown duration (e.g., slot #0), and only one beam is associated with both symbol sets. Similarly, the illustrated mapping in the duration may be repeated in the time domain according to a periodicity or symbol set.

[0076] Solution 2

[0077] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one associated time domain resource is indicated by second information from the gNB indicating a set of time domain patterns, wherein each time domain pattern is associated with an index (e.g., a pattern index). This may correspond to a RACH opportunity. For example, one or more time domain patterns may be configured to the relay via higher layer signaling (e.g., via SIB, RRC, or MAC CE, etc.) indicating one or more pattern indexes.

[0078] The exemplary time domain pattern is associated with at least one of: frame level periodicity, an offset in the time domain, at least one of a set of subframes or a set of first time slots (e.g., a set of first time slot indices), the number of second time slots (e.g., one or two), at least one start symbol within the second time slot, the number of opportunities within the second time slot, or the duration of the opportunity. The second time slot is part or all of the first time slot. In the case where the number of second time slots is 1, only one time slot will be selected as the second time slot. In the case where the number of second time slots is 2, the second of the two first time slots will be selected as the second time slot. In some scenarios, a set of time domain opportunities (e.g., a set of RACH opportunities) will be determined based on each time domain pattern separately (e.g., the time domain pattern indicates all required information) or in combination with other relevant information (e.g., the time domain pattern indicates only part of the required information).

[0079] One or more configured beams (which may be indicated in a beam set or beam pattern) will be associated (or mapped) with at least one time domain resource. The mapping between beams and time domain resources will start or restart based on a configured or predefined starting time domain position. For example, in the case of determining a set of time domain opportunities, a one-to-one mapping between beams and the set of time domain opportunities will start or restart based on the set of starting time domain positions configured in sequence by the gNB.

[0080] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary time domain resources and beam associations according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0081] refer to Figure 6In some scenarios (a), a group of first time slots is indicated as time slot #0, and the number of second time slots is 1, which will therefore determine time slot #0. In addition, the starting symbol (or starting symbol index) is 7, the duration of the opportunity is 2, such as two symbols, and the number of opportunities is 3. Three beams (e.g., beam #0 to beam #2) are configured for time domain resources and will be mapped to three opportunities, such as opportunity #0 to opportunity #2 in time slot #0. Therefore, each beam and opportunity will be associated one-to-one in sequence.

[0082] In some scenarios (b), a group of first time slots is indicated as time slot #0 and time slot #1, and the number of second time slots is 2, which will therefore determine time slot #1. In addition, the starting symbol (or starting symbol index) is 0, the duration of the opportunity is 2, such as two symbols, and the number of opportunities is 6. Six beams (e.g., beam #0 to beam #5) are configured for time domain resources and will be mapped to six opportunities, such as opportunity #0 to opportunity #5 in time slot #1. Therefore, each beam and opportunity will be associated one-to-one in sequence.

[0083] Solution 3

[0084] Similar to solution 2, in some embodiments of the present application, at least one time domain resource of association is also determined by a predefined (or preconfigured) rather than a configured set of time domain patterns. This may correspond to SSB. Each predefined time domain pattern is associated with an SCS or a frequency band index. The frequency band may be a frequency domain band or an operating band.

[0085] According to some embodiments of the present application, each predefined time domain pattern indicates at least one of the following: periodicity, an offset in the time domain, a predefined duration in the time domain, a set of time slots and a set of start symbols within each of the set of time slots, or a predefined length of the time domain resource. An exemplary duration is predefined as 5 ms. An exemplary symbol length is predefined as 4 symbols.

[0086] Similarly, one or more configured beams (which may be indicated in a beam set or beam pattern) will be associated (or mapped) with at least one time domain resource. Each beam may be associated with a starting symbol index. In some embodiments of the present application, at least one symbol set will be determined based on each predefined time domain pattern. Mapping one or more beams to each symbol set will start or restart based on an offset. The exemplary mapping is similar to the mapping described in Scheme 1 and will not be explicitly described again.

[0087] In some scenarios, based on the configured beams (the first set of beams, which is considered as a complete set of beams), the second set of beams will be further indicated to the repeater, and the second set of beams is a subset of the first set of beams. In the case where the beams in the first set of beams are also in the second set, the repeater will turn on the symbol set corresponding to the beam (transmission or reception will be performed on the symbol set, or the beam will be used in the corresponding time domain resource); otherwise, the network node will turn off the symbol set corresponding to the beam (transmission or reception will not be performed on the symbol set, or the beam will not be used in the corresponding time domain resource).

[0088] Solution 4

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one associated time domain resource is also indicated by second information from the gNB. The second information may indicate at least one of the following: a slot level offset for signaling carrying the first information or signaling carrying the second information, a SLIV or the like for indicating the start symbol and the length of the symbol within the time slot, a repetition number (e.g., a transmission or reception repetition number), and a direction indicator (e.g., a transmission or reception direction) indicating whether the time domain resource is used for downlink or uplink. Similarly, at least one time domain resource may be determined based on the second information alone or in combination with other relevant information. Exemplary second information is a TDD configuration and an SSB configuration, such as a TDD configuration and an SSB configuration. This may correspond to a PUSCH repetition or the like.

[0090] For example, SLIV or the like is indicated to the repeater to determine the occupied symbols within the time slot, or alternatively, the number of symbols will be configured. The symbol indicated by SLIV or the number of configured symbols may be regarded as a time domain resource unit, which may be a timing or number of symbols. For a specific time domain resource unit determined, if the corresponding time domain resource overlaps with the time domain resource associated with the second signaling indicated in scheme 3, the beam of the time domain resource will be determined by scheme 3 instead of scheme 4. The number of repetitions will be configured to indicate the number of time domain resources with respect to the time domain resource unit. The direction (e.g., downlink or uplink) will be configured for the corresponding time domain resource unit.

[0091] One or more configured beams (which may be indicated in a beam set or beam pattern) will be associated (or mapped) with at least one time domain resource. In the case of a single beam, all determined time domain resources are associated with the beam. In the case of multiple beams, there will be a mapping between the multiple beams and the time domain resources in various ways, such as similar to the mapping described in Scheme 1 or 2 or 3.

[0092] According to some embodiments of the present application, the TDD configuration is used to determine whether the time domain resource unit is actually associated with a beam. For example, in the case where the direction of the time domain resource is the same as the direction determined based on the TDD configuration, such as both are used for uplink or both are used for downlink, the time domain resource will be associated with the corresponding beam. Otherwise, the time domain resource will not be associated with the corresponding beam. If the directions are different, the repeater can also be considered to be closed on the corresponding time domain resource. For example, if the time domain resource unit is associated with the uplink and is determined to be used for the downlink based on the TDD configuration, then the indicator beam will not be used for the time domain resource. In some scenarios, the TDD configuration is determined based on at least one of the following: a common TDD configuration (e.g., TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon), a dedicated TDD configuration (e.g., TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated), a group DCI, or dynamic side control information. The dynamic side control information can be used to change the direction of the flexible symbol indicated by any one of the common TDD configuration and the dedicated TDD configuration.

[0093] In some scenarios, there is more than one association between a beam and a time domain resource, wherein each association is associated with a beam set. For example, due to multiple beam sets being configured, there may be multiple associations determined according to one scheme (e.g., scheme 1). In another example, there are multiple associations determined according to different schemes (e.g., two or more of schemes 1 to 4, respectively). Therefore, one association will be further determined from multiple associations of the relay-UE link, and thus the time domain resource or related other resources will be determined.

[0094] According to some embodiments of the present application, in the case where there is more than one association between a beam and a time domain resource, each association will be associated with a priority, and the association with the highest priority among the more than one associations will be determined for the time domain resource used for the relay-UE link. The priority of each association is configured or determined based on the corresponding time domain mode or the scheme used. For example, scheme 2 and scheme 3 can be configured to have a higher priority than others. The priority can also be indicated by information indicating the beam (beam indication or beam index indication). If there is more than one beam indication for a specific time domain resource, the relay will select the beam with the highest priority or the smallest index or apply all beams.

[0095] Some embodiments of the present application also consider beams for different frequency domain resources and / or different panels.

[0096] In some scenarios, there are multiple beams associated with time domain resources, and each beam is used for frequency domain resources. Exemplary frequency domain resources are frequency bands, carriers, BWPs, a group of RBs, or a group of RBGs. Frequency domain resources may be determined based on the starting position and the number of RBs. For example, the frequency bandwidth of a relay of a relay-UE link may be large, and the frequency bandwidth may be divided into several parts, each part being a frequency band, carrier, BWP, a group of RBs, or a group of RBGs, etc., where the starting position and the number of RBs regarding the SCS will be configured.

[0097] In the case of multiple panels in the repeater, each time domain resource with or without a frequency domain portion may be associated with more than one beam. The number of beams is configured for each time domain resource with or without a frequency portion. If the number of beams is greater than 1, the configured beams are divided into multiple groups, each beam group being associated with a determined time domain resource, for example, according to any one of Schemes 1 to 4. Beam groups may also be associated one-to-one with frequency domain resources.

[0098] In addition to the method, an embodiment of the present application also proposes a radio resource determination device.

[0099] For example, Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating a radio resource determination apparatus 700 according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0100] like Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 7 , the apparatus 700 may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 701, at least one receiving circuit system 702, at least one transmitting circuit system 704, and at least one processor 706 coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 701, the receiving circuit system 702, and the transmitting circuit system 704. The at least one processor 706 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc. The apparatus 700 may be a RAN node, such as a gNB or a relay, or the like, configured to perform the method described above.

[0101] Although elements are described in the singular in this figure, such as at least one processor 706, transmit circuit system 704, and receive circuit system 702, the plural form is contemplated unless limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, receive circuit system 702 and transmit circuit system 704 may be combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments of the present application, apparatus 700 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0102] In some embodiments of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 701 may store thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a processor to implement the method for the first RAN node described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 706 interacts with the receiving circuit system 702 and the transmitting circuit system 704 to perform the steps for the gNB or the like described above.

[0103] In some other embodiments of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable medium 701 may store thereon computer-executable instructions for causing a processor to implement the method for the second RAN node described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 706 interacts with the receiving circuit system 702 and the transmitting circuit system 704 to perform the steps of the relay or the like described above.

[0104] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a radio resource determination device 800 according to some other embodiments of the present application.

[0105] refer to Figure 8 , the device 800 (e.g., a gNB or a relay) may include at least one processor 802 and at least one transceiver 804 coupled to the at least one processor 802. The transceiver 804 may include at least one separate receive circuit system 806 and transmit circuit system 804 or at least one integrated receive circuit system 806 and transmit circuit system 804. The at least one processor 902 may be a CPU, a DSP, a microprocessor, etc.

[0106] According to some embodiments of the present application, when device 800 is a repeater, the processor is configured to: receive first information indicating at least one first set of beams used for a link between the repeater and a remote device; and determine an association between the beams used for the link between the repeater and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0107] According to some other embodiments of the present application, when the device 800 is a gNB or the like, the processor is configured to: transmit first information indicating at least one first group of beams used for a link between a repeater and a remote device; and determine an association between the beams used for the link between the repeater and the remote device and time domain resources.

[0108] The method according to the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow chart and module may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (such as a discrete element circuit), a programmable logic device or the like. In general, any device capable of implementing the flow chart shown in the figure can be used to implement the processor function of the present application. For example, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus comprising a processor and a memory. Computer programmable instructions for implementing a method are stored in a memory, and the processor is configured to execute computer programmable instructions for implementing the method. The method may be the method stated above or other methods according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0109] Alternative embodiments preferably implement methods according to embodiments of the present application in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer programmable instructions. The instructions are preferably executed by a computer executable component that is preferably integrated with a network security system. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be stored on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EEPROM, optical storage device (CD or DVD), hard drive, floppy disk drive, or any suitable device. The computer executable component is preferably a processor, but the instructions may be executed alternatively or additionally by any suitable dedicated hardware device. For example, embodiments of the present application provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer programmable instructions stored therein. The computer programmable instructions are configured to implement the methods set forth above or other methods according to embodiments of the present application.

[0110] In addition, in the present disclosure, the term "includes / including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements but also may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. Elements beginning with "a / an" or the like do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the elements without more constraints. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the term "having" and the like are defined as "comprising".

Claims

1. A network node, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, from another network node first information indicating at least one first set of beams for a link between the network node and a remote device; and An association between a beam and a time domain resource for the link between the network node and the remote device is determined.

2. The network node according to claim 1, wherein at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information from other network nodes indicating at least one of the following: periodicity in the time domain, offset in the time domain, duration in the time domain, subcarrier spacing SCS, a set of start symbols within the duration, or the length of the time domain resource.

3. The network node of claim 2, wherein symbols are divided into symbol sets based on a start symbol and the length of the time domain resource, and each symbol set is associated with at least one beam of a corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams.

4. The network node of claim 3, wherein the number of beams associated with each symbol set is configured by the other network node.

5. The network node according to claim 1, wherein at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information from the other network node indicating a set of time domain patterns, each time domain pattern being associated with an index.

6. A network node according to claim 5, wherein each time domain pattern is associated with at least one of the following: frame level periodicity, an offset in the time domain, at least one of a group of sub-frames or a group of first time slots, the number of second time slots, at least one start symbol within the second time slot, the number of opportunities within the second time slot, or the duration of opportunities. The network node of claim 6 , wherein a set of time domain opportunities is determined based on each time domain pattern.

8. The network node of claim 7, wherein determining the association between the beam and the time domain resource comprises: The mapping between the beams in the corresponding set of the at least one first group of beams and the set of time domain opportunities is started or restarted based on a set of starting time domain positions configured by the other network nodes.

9. The network node according to claim 1, wherein at least one time domain resource of the association is determined by a set of predefined time domain patterns, and each predefined time domain pattern is associated with a subcarrier spacing SCS or a frequency band index.

10. A network node according to claim 9, wherein the second set of beams indicating a subset of the set of the at least one first set of beams; and in the case where a beam in the set of the at least one first set of beams is also in the second set, the network node will turn on the symbol set corresponding to the beam, otherwise, the network node will turn off the symbol set corresponding to the beam.

11. A network node according to claim 1, wherein at least one time domain resource of the association is indicated by second information indicating at least one of the following: a time slot level offset regarding signaling carrying the first information or signaling carrying the second information, a start and length indicator value SLIV for indicating a start symbol and a length of a symbol within a time slot, the number of symbols, the number of repetitions, and a direction indicator indicating whether the time domain resource is used for a downlink or an uplink. 12 . The network node according to claim 11 , wherein in case that the direction of the time domain resource is the same as the direction determined based on the time division duplex (TDD) configuration, the time domain resource will be associated with the corresponding beam.

13. A network node according to claim 1, wherein in the case where there is more than one association between a beam and a time domain resource, each association will be associated with a priority, and the association with the highest priority among the more than one associations will be determined for the time domain resources used for the link between the network node and the remote device.

14. A network node, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: transmitting, via the transceiver, to another network node first information indicating at least one first set of beams for a link between the other network node and a remote device; and An association between a beam and a time domain resource for the link between the other network node and the remote device is determined.

15. A method for determining radio resources, comprising: receiving, by a network node from another network node, first information indicating at least one first set of beams for a link between the network node and a remote device; and An association between a beam and a time domain resource for the link between the network node and the remote device is determined.

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