Power headroom reporting and control for relays

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communication by a network entity, the method generally comprising: receiving a relay power headroom report (RPHR) for at least a first relay; and performing one or more actions based on the RPHR to maintain a link between a user equipment (UE) and the network entity or another UE.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 945,469, filed on September 15, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to techniques for power headroom reporting for wireless systems deploying repeaters.

[0004] Related technologies

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available wireless communication system resources with those users.

[0006] Although wireless communication systems have made tremendous technical progress over the years, challenges still exist. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between wireless transmitters and wireless receivers. Therefore, there is a continuous desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communication systems, including, for example: improving the speed and data carrying capacity of communications, improving the efficiency of using shared communication media, reducing the power used by transmitters and receivers when performing communications, improving the reliability of wireless communications, avoiding redundant transmission and / or reception and related processing, improving the coverage area of ​​wireless communications, increasing the number and types of devices that can access wireless communication systems, increasing the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of wireless communication media available for use, etc. Therefore, there is a need to further improve wireless communication systems to overcome the above-mentioned technical challenges and other challenges. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect provides a method for wireless communication by a network entity. The method includes receiving a relay power headroom report (RPHR) for at least a first relay; and performing one or more actions based on the RPHR to maintain a link between a user equipment (UE) and the network entity or another UE.

[0008] Another aspect provides a method for wireless communication by a controller. The method includes determining a power headroom for at least a first relay; and sending a RPHR indicating the power headroom for at least the first relay to a network entity.

[0009] Other aspects provide: an apparatus operable to, configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform any one or more of the foregoing methods and / or those described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising code for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein; and / or an apparatus comprising components for performing the foregoing methods and those described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus may include a processing system, a device having a processing system, or a processing system cooperating through one or more networks.

[0010] For purposes of illustration, the following description and drawings set forth certain features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0013] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station architecture is depicted.

[0014] Figure 3 Aspects of an example base station and example user equipment are depicted.

[0015] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are described.

[0016] Figure 5 An example multi-hop deployment of wireless repeaters in which aspects of the present disclosure may be utilized is depicted.

[0017] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Depicts examples of situations that may affect repeater performance and operation.

[0018] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Depicted are example operations for relay power headroom reporting and control for downlink transmissions in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 8 Depicted are example operations for relay power headroom reporting and control for uplink transmissions in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Fig. 9 Depicted are example operations for repeater power headroom reporting and control for sidelink transmissions in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig.10 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0022] Fig.11 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0023] Fig.12 Aspects of an example communications device are depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for power headroom reporting and control for repeaters.

[0025] In wireless communication systems, a power control mechanism responsible for setting the transmit power for uplink transmissions from user equipment (UE) is implemented on the base station side. Via this mechanism, the base station sends a transmit power control (TPC) command that controls the back-off (BO) of the UE power amplifier (PA). One challenge with this approach is that the base station may not know how much power the UE can transmit without potentially violating some radio access network (RAN) requirements, such as error vector magnitude (EVM), in-band emission (IBE), and adjacent channel interference (ACI) requirements.

[0026] To address this challenge, a closed-loop control mechanism provides information about the available power change limits at the UE in the form of a Power Headroom (PH) Report (PHR). This mechanism may be sufficient for the case where there is a direct link between the UE and gNb, since the link budget (LB) in such cases is dictated by the transmit power and the channel attenuation. The transmit power is dictated by the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of the signal at the transmitter, and therefore, the PAPR of the signal at the input of the PA has a direct impact on the LB.

[0027] However, in some cases, repeaters can be used to enhance coverage so that the path between the UE and the base station may involve multiple hops. In such cases, when there is at least a single amplify-and-forward (AF) repeater in the link, the dynamic range (DR) of the signal at the input of each hop in the link is dictated not only by the DR of the transmit (Tx) signal, but also by the aggregate backhaul (BH) channel from the transmitter to the specific hop. In addition, the PAPR may increase from one hop to another due to multipath channel effects.

[0028] If the transmitter knows the BH channel (from the transmitter to a particular hop), the DR at the input of that particular hop can be controlled by the PAPR reduction block (in TX). In this case, the BH channel impact can be mitigated to achieve the desired PAPR at the input of the particular hop (thus being able to optimize its power efficiency). Unfortunately, the transmitter (e.g., gNb for downlink transmissions) is typically unaware of the absolute gain that each repeater can (or should) apply to optimize end-to-end (E2E) LB or any other key performance indicator (KPI).

[0029] However, aspects of the present disclosure may help provide this information in the form of repeater power headroom reports (RPHRs). The information in these reports may include the PH values ​​of certain AF repeaters in the link, thereby providing the base station with insight into the repeater's ability to amplify the signal. Thus, the information in the RPHR may help optimize the E2E parameters for uplink transmissions and / or downlink transmissions, improving overall system performance and user experience.

[0030] Introduction to wireless communication networks

[0031] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks. Although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G and / or 5G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0032] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network 100 is depicted in which various aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0033] In general, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). A network entity is typically a communication device and / or a communication function performed by a communication device (e.g., user equipment (UE), base station (BS), component of a BS, server, etc.). For example, various functions of a network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network may be considered network entities. In addition, the wireless communication network 100 includes ground aspects, such as ground-based network entities (e.g., BS 102), and non-ground aspects, such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which may include airborne network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., ground BSs) and user equipment.

[0034] In the depicted example, the wireless communication network 100 includes a BS 102, a UE 104, and one or more core networks (such as an evolved packet core (EPC) 160 and a 5G core (5GC) network 190) that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links (including wired and wireless links).

[0035] Figure 1 Various example UEs 104 are depicted, which may more generally include: a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player, a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Always-On (AON) device, an edge processing device, or other similar devices. UE 104 may also be more generally referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a remote device, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, and others.

[0036] BS 102 wirelessly communicates with (e.g., transmits signals to or receives signals from) UE 104 via communication link 120. Communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmissions from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmissions from BS 102 to UE 104. In various aspects, communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0037] BS 102 may generally include: Node B, enhanced Node B (eNB), next generation enhanced Node B (ng-eNB), next generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, transmission and reception point, and / or other. Each of BS 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell, and may overlap in some cases (e.g., small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, a BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographic area), a pico cell (covering a relatively small geographic area, such as a stadium), a femto cell (relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0038] Although BS102 is depicted as a single communication device in various aspects, BS102 can be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of the base station may be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, to name a few examples. In another example, various aspects of the base station may be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., BS102) may include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In an example in which the base station includes components located at various physical locations, the various components may each perform a function so that the various components together implement functionality similar to that of a base station located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station including components located at various physical locations may be referred to as a decomposed radio access network architecture (such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture). Figure 2 An example decomposed base station architecture is depicted and described.

[0039] Different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0040] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, frequency bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 410 MHz-7125 MHz, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as "below 6 GHz". Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 24,250 MHz-52,600 MHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave"). A base station (e.g., a mmWave base station such as BS180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio bands may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0041] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and, for example, the UE 104 may be through one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various aspects. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL).

[0042] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path loss and shorter range than communications at lower frequencies. Figure 1 180) may utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to improve path loss and range. For example, BS 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays, to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, BS 180 may send beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from BS 180 in one or more receive directions 182". UE 104 may also send beamformed signals to BS 180 in one or more transmit directions 182". BS 180 may also receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182'. BS 180 and UE 104 may then perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of BS 180 and UE 104. It is noteworthy that the transmit direction and receive direction of BS 180 may be the same or different. Similarly, the transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may or may not be the same.

[0043] Wireless communication network 100 also includes Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via communication link 154 in, for example, the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[0044] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0045] The EPC 160 may include various functional components, including: a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172, such as in the depicted example. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0046] Generally, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) streaming media service, and / or other IP services.

[0047] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and / or may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to BSs 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and / or may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0048] 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including: access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, session management function (SMF) 194, and user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196.

[0049] AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. AMF 192 provides, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0050] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through UPF 195, which is connected to IP Services 197 and provides IP address allocation for UEs and other functions for 5GC 190. IP Services 197 may include, for example, the Internet, Intranet, IMS, PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0051] In various aspects, a network entity or network node may be implemented as a converged base station, a decomposed base station, a component of a base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, to name a few examples.

[0052] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station 200 architecture is depicted. The disaggregated base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210 that may communicate directly with a core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both. The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 240 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0053] Each of the units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, the units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, the unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive signals on a wireless transmission medium or send signals to one or more of the other units, or both.

[0054] In some aspects, the CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 210. The CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0055] DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 240. In some aspects, DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) depending at least in part on functional divisions such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 230 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 230 or with control functions hosted by CU 210.

[0056] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, the RU 240 controlled by the DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 230 and the CU 210 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0057] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. In addition, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205 .

[0058] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (such as via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 225.

[0059] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 205 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0060] Figure 3 Aspects of an example BS 102 and UE 104 are depicted.

[0061] In general, BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-334t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a-332t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS 102 can transmit and receive data between BS 102 and UE 104. BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communication.

[0062] Generally speaking, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-352r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a-354r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from a data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to a data sink 360). The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0063] Regarding example downlink transmissions, BS 102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information can be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or others. In some examples, the data can be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0064] The transmit processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols (such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)).

[0065] The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide an output symbol stream to a modulator (MOD) in a transceiver 332a-332t. Each modulator in the transceiver 332a-332t may process a corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in the transceivers 332a-332t may be transmitted via antennas 334a-334t, respectively.

[0066] To receive downlink transmissions, UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r that can receive downlink signals from BS 102 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a-354r, respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a-354r can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator can further process the input samples to obtain received symbols.

[0067] A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0068] With respect to example uplink transmissions, the UE 104 also includes a transmit processor 364 that may receive and process data from a data source 362 (e.g., for a PUSCH) and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., for a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be pre-decoded by a TX MIMO processor 366, if applicable, further processed by a modulator in the transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0069] At BS 102, uplink signals from UE 104 may be received by antennas 334 a-334 t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332 a-332 t, detected by MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 104. Receive processor 338 may provide decoded data to data sink 339 and decoded control information to controller / processor 340.

[0070] Memory 342 and memory 382 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0071] The scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0072] In various aspects, the BS 102 may be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 312, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, a transmit processor 320, a controller / processor 340, a TX MIMO processor 330, a transceiver 332a-332t, an antenna 334a-334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 334a-334t, a transceiver 332a-332t, a RX MIMO detector 336, a controller / processor 340, a receive processor 338, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0073] In various aspects, the UE 104 may also be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 362, a memory 382, ​​a transmit processor 364, a controller / processor 380, a TX MIMO processor 366, a transceiver 354a-354t, an antenna 352a-352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 352a-352t, a transceiver 354a-354t, a RX MIMO detector 356, a controller / processor 380, a receive processor 358, a memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0074] In some aspects, the processor may be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and send (output) data to or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to send or receive data, respectively.

[0075] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Describes a method for use in a wireless communication network such as Figure 1 Various aspects of the data structure of the wireless communication network 100).

[0076] Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe, Figure 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and Figure 4D FIG480 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G subframe.

[0077] Wireless communication systems may utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such systems may also support half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). OFDM and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) can be used to maximize the system bandwidth (e.g., Figure 4B and Figure 4D The modulation symbols may be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0078] The wireless communication frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure may also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0079] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4C In the wireless communication frame structure, TDD is used, where D is DL, U is UL, and X is used flexibly between DL / UL. The UE can be configured with a time slot format (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received time slot format indicator (SFI). In the depicted example, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized 1ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot format. The subframe may also include micro-time slots, which typically have fewer symbols than the entire time slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0080] In certain aspects, the number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and the parameter set. For example, for time slot configuration 0, different parameter sets (μ) 0 to 5 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 time slots per subframe, respectively. For time slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow for 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for time slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / time slot and 2μ time slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are a function of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2 μ × 15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Thus, parameter set μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and parameter set μ=5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0081] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4DAs depicted in , a resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending, for example, over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0082] like Figure 4A As illustrated, some REs carry Figure 1 and Figure 3 The RS may include a demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0083] Figure 4B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated.The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising, for example, nine RE Groups (REGs), each REG comprising, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0084] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is transmitted by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 104) is used to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity.

[0085] A Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing.

[0086] Based on the physical layer identifier and the physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) that is not sent via the PBCH, and / or paging messages.

[0087] like Figure 4CAs illustrated, some REs carry DMRS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible). The UE may send DMRS for PUCCH and DMRS for PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS may be sent, for example, in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. The UE 104 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0088] Figure 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0089] Overview of Power Headroom Report

[0090] UE battery life has a great impact on user experience, which is a key factor to meet different use cases in 5G NR, including ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). To help extend battery life, a UE power headroom report (PHR) can be transmitted by the UE to the network to improve energy efficiency. The PHR indicates the value of the power headroom (PH) available in the UE. As mentioned above, the PH generally indicates the difference between the maximum transmit power allowed by the UE and the currently evaluated uplink transmission on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), which can be described by the following formula:

[0091] PH=P max -P pusch ,

[0092] A negative PH value usually means that the current PUSCH transmit power has exceeded the maximum allowed transmit power, and the RB allocation can be reduced in the next scheduling. A positive PH value usually means that the current PUSCH transmit power is lower than the allowed transmit power, and the RB allocation can be maintained or increased.

[0093] The PH may be reported via a MAC control element, which may have fields for one or more component carriers. For example, each field may have 6 bits to indicate 64 levels from 0 to 63, each of which corresponds to a range of PH values. The PH value (in terms of dB) may be obtained by using the 6-bit value indicated in the MAC CE as an index into a power headroom report mapping table. In other words, the power headroom report mapping table maps each 6-bit PH value to a range, so that given the reported 6-bit value, the network can determine the range of PH quantities (in dB) measured by the UE.

[0094] Overview of Repeater Operation

[0095] Next generation (5G) wireless networks have stated the goal of providing ultra-high data rates and supporting a wide range of application scenarios. Integrated access and backhaul (IAB) systems including repeaters have been studied in 3GPP as a possible solution to help support these goals.

[0096] In IAB, a wireless backhaul solution is adopted to connect the cells (IAB nodes) to the core network (which uses wired backhaul). Some attractive features of IAB are support for multi-hop wireless backhaul, sharing the same technology (e.g., NR) and resources (e.g., frequency band) for access and backhaul (BH) links.

[0097] There are various possible architectures for IAB nodes, including Layer 2 (L2) and Layer 3 (L3) solutions, and the specific architecture deployed may depend on which layers of the protocol stack are implemented in the intermediary node (IAB node), for example, an L2 relay may implement the PHY / MAC / RLC layers.

[0098] Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to L1 relays (referred to as repeaters). L1 relays / repeaters have many attractive features. For example, such repeaters are relatively simple, low-cost, low-power, and wirelessly connected to a donor or another relay (e.g., a gNB).

[0099] An example application of how repeaters can be used to help improve coverage by overcoming blockage (obstruction of RF signals by objects). It is generally understood that blockage is a major problem in mmW (e.g., high frequency) where beamforming is used to transmit directional signals. Repeaters can allow gNBs to serve UEs even if objects may block at least some directional RF signals from reaching the UE. If a repeater is not blocked, it can receive RF signals from the gNB and resend (e.g., amplify and forward) those signals to reach the UE (even though the UE may be blocked from receiving signals directly from the gNB). Thus, L1 repeaters can be used as a relatively simple and inexpensive solution to provide protection against blockage, extend coverage of MMW cells, and fill coverage holes.

[0100] In some cases, a repeater may receive an RF signal in one panel (corresponding to a receive or Rx beam) and may transmit (retransmit) the signal in another panel (corresponding to a transmit or Tx beam). For example, a repeater may simply amplify a received signal and forward the signal to become a transmit signal (e.g., amplify and forward or A / F). A repeater may be able to receive an RF (e.g., downlink) signal from a base station and relay the RF signal to a UE (e.g., a UE that is blocked from receiving an RF signal directly from a base station). In the other (uplink) direction, a repeater may receive an RF signal from a UE and relay the RF signal to a base station.

[0101] In some cases, the receive and transmit panels of a repeater may be used to implement some fixed beam patterns. For wider coverage, the beam pattern is typically wider, and thus high array gain may not be achieved. A repeater may typically not know whether a signal is downlink or uplink in a TDD system and operate in both directions simultaneously (full duplex).

[0102] As described above, certain types of repeaters generally perform the following basic operations: receive analog RF signals on their RX antennas (e.g., based on a certain configured RX beamforming), amplify the power of the received analog RF signals, and send the amplified signals from their TX antennas (e.g., based on a certain configured TX beamforming). In some cases, beamforming may be implemented via a phased antenna array configured by a controller, and amplification may be implemented by a variable gain amplifier. The repeater may also communicate some control signals with a server (e.g., a base station used as a donor, a control node, etc.) via a control interface. The control interface may be implemented out-of-band (operating outside the carrier frequency on which the Rx signal is received) or in-band (e.g., using a smaller bandwidth portion of the same carrier frequency). The out-of-band control interface 820 may be implemented, for example, via a separate (e.g., low-frequency) modem using a different radio technology (such as BT) or a different frequency (LTE NB-IoT).

[0103] Aspects related to power headroom reporting and control for repeaters

[0104] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for power headroom reporting and control for repeaters.

[0105] For example, aspects of the present disclosure provide for a repeater (such as Figure 55. The power headroom reporting and control mechanism of the repeaters 506 (repeaters 1...n) shown. As described above, the repeaters can be used to help deliver uplink transmissions and downlink transmissions between a base station (e.g., gNB 502) and a UE 504 from a backhaul (BH) 510 to an access link 520. One or more of the repeaters can be AF repeaters, and the dynamic range (DR) of the signal at the input of each repeater can be dictated by the aggregated BH and access link from the transmitter to a particular hop.

[0106] In a typical scenario, the BH SNR of the repeater can be expected to be relatively high. For example, in a deployment with 100MHz BW and a macro cell with a transmit power of 26.1dBm and a peak antenna gain of 33.9dB, a small cell with a Tx power of 16.9dBm and a peak antenna gain of 25.1dB, the BH SNR can be above 20dB 90% of the time. Assuming that the primary cell is a macro cell or a small cell, the repeater can have a peak antenna gain of 19.8dB and a noise figure of 6.7dB.

[0107] By providing a repeater PHR (RPHR) for a specific hop, the channel impact can be mitigated to achieve a desired PAPR at the input of the specific hop in order to optimize its power efficiency. Various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to a variety of different scenarios, where the RPHR at certain repeaters can help optimize E2E parameters for uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission, improving overall system performance and user experience.

[0108] For example, some repeaters may be connected to the grid, while other repeaters may not be connected to the grid, but to a renewable energy source with a dynamic power supply (such as solar or wind). Repeaters connected to the renewable energy source may reduce the power amplifier (PA) bias to reduce power consumption. This reduction in PA bias may immediately affect the LB of the entire link, and some type of adjustment should be applied.

[0109] This can be Fig. 6A 6 and 7. The example shown in FIG. 6 is understood by assuming two repeaters 606 (Repeater 1 and Repeater 2) to assist transmissions between gNB 602 and target UE 604. As shown, Repeater 1 may be connected to a power grid 630, and Repeater 2 may be connected to a solar power source 632. Therefore, Repeater 2 may have limited power at certain times of the day. During sunny hours, Repeater 2 may have enough power to operate its PA at the highest possible PA bias. During cloudy hours, there may be some power shortage, which will cause Repeater 2 to reduce the bias of its PA.

[0110] Since gNb is unaware of the power constraints, Repeater 2 may signal its PHR via RPHR (e.g., periodically). In such cases, the Repeater may calculate the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) plus the PAPR. Repeater 2 may compare the result with the bias of the PA at a given time to calculate the RPHR. Repeater 2 may then signal the RPHR to the network.

[0111] Based on the RPHR, the network (via the gNB) may take one or more actions. For example, the network may apply received signal (RX) PAPR reduction to address the PAPR at the input of Relay 2. In some cases, the gNB may adjust the gain of Relay 1. In some cases, the gNB may use an alternative repeater path (if applicable), and in such cases, the gNB may shut down Relay 2 (and / or Relay 1) to save power if needed.

[0112] Figure 6B Another example illustrated assumes that both Repeater 1 and Repeater 2 are connected to the grid. In this case, even though the BH channel can be expected to have a medium / high SNR, there may be some circumstances that may affect how the power control plan should be applied to the repeater. For example, due to a dynamic environment (or weather conditions), an obstacle 608 may appear between any hops, such as between Repeater 1 and Repeater 2.

[0113] Although gNb is generally not aware of such factors in real time, according to aspects of the present disclosure, Repeater 2 may signal the RPHR (at a certain period). In this case, Repeater 2 may calculate RSSI and RSSI plus PAPR. Repeater 2 may compare the result with the bias of the PA at a given time to calculate the RPHR. Repeater 2 may then signal the RPHR and RSSI to the network.

[0114] Based on the RPHR, the network (via the gNB) may take one or more actions. For example, if the network specifies the presence of an obstruction based on the RPHR, the network may want to increase the power of Repeater 1. To achieve this, the network may focus PAPR reduction on the RX of Repeater 1 in an effort to increase its transmit power. For example, due to the reduced PAPR at the input of the PA of Repeater 1, the PAPR on the Rx of Repeater 1 may be reduced by reducing the back-off (BO) of that repeater. In some cases, the gNB may use an alternative repeater path (if applicable), and in such cases, the gNB may shut down Repeater 2 (and / or Repeater 1) to save power if needed.

[0115] For Fig. 7A and Figure 7BTo understand power headroom reporting and control for relay 706 for downlink transmission from gNB 702 to target UE 704 according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0116] like Fig. 7A As illustrated, at a first step (1), the repeater 706 and / or repeater controller 710 may measure the RPHR. If measured by the repeater, the repeater may indicate the measured RPHR to the repeater controller. For example, the repeater and / or repeater controller may calculate the RSSI and the RSSI plus the PAPR. The repeater and / or repeater controller may compare the result with the bias of the PA at a given time to calculate the RPHR. In some cases, the repeater 2 may then signal the RPHR and RSSI to the repeater controller.

[0117] At a second step (2), the gNB may transmit a request for RPHR to the relay controller. In response, at a third step (3), the relay controller may transmit a report.

[0118] The relay controller may be configured to report RPHR for uplink transmissions, downlink transmissions, or both. In some cases, the gNB may configure the relay controller to periodically transmit RPHR. RPHR generally refers to a report that will indicate how much the relay can amplify the signal in order to maintain certain conditions such as LB, SNR, EVM, or power consumption related conditions.

[0119] In other words, even though it may not be desirable for the AF repeater to perform any digital processing (e.g., due to latency), the AF repeater may be coupled to a digital repeater controller (e.g., like a UE or any other device) for control signaling. A repeater controller may refer to a repeater controller that controls the repeater to make measurements and communicate with the network.

[0120] like Figure 7B As illustrated, at the fourth step (4), the gNB may transmit the control information to the relay controller. Then, for example, at the fifth step (5), the relay controller may signal the relay to configure the relay according to the control information. In some cases, the gNB may signal the control information to the relay controller via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), such as a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state for which the relay / controller will perform measurements.

[0121] gNb may also signal information about the receive (RX) beam (or beam set) of the repeater. For example, by default, this information may include the RX beam associated with the TCI state. However, in some cases, gNb may also request a report on the best "X" RX beams, which may allow gNb to optimize LB by utilizing beam management.

[0122] In some cases, the repeater controller may measure RSSI, PAPR, and / or optimal PA bias. Based on this information, the controller may calculate RPHR. In some cases, the measurement may be subject to the defined TCI and associated RX beams (or the "X" best RX beams if requested by gNb).

[0123] In some cases, the relay controller may signal the RPHR (in addition to the RSSI) to the network via MAC-CE or RRC. The signaling may be periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent. In some cases, the signaling may include a timestamp. By adding a timestamp, the network may be able to recover past scheduling data, which may allow the network to know what data / power was sent from a particular node or group of nodes (e.g., if a particular relay serves more than a single node).

[0124] In some cases, the network may consider the reported RSSI / RPHR (corresponding to the reported timestamp) to optimize specific criteria of the link. For example, the network may try to optimize E2E LB or power consumption constraints of a specific hop (in some cases, the network may signal which will be optimized). In some cases, optimization may involve reducing the RX PAPR of a specific hop and controlling the PA BO of the repeater.

[0125] For Figure 8 To understand power headroom reporting and control for relays for uplink transmission from UE 804 to gNB 802 according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0126] like Figure 8 As illustrated, at a first step (1), the repeater 806 and / or the controller 810 may measure the RPHR. For example, the repeater (and / or the repeater controller) may calculate the RSSI and the RSSI plus the PAPR. The repeater (and / or the repeater controller) may compare the result with the bias of the PA at a given time to calculate the RPHR.

[0127] At a second step (2), the gNB may transmit a request for RPHR to the relay controller. In response, at a third step (3A), the relay controller may transmit an RPHR report for the uplink. For uplink control, at another step (3B), the UE may also transmit a PHR report. At a fourth step (4), the gNB may transmit control information to the UE.

[0128] In some cases, gNb may combine the PHR from the UE and the RPHR from the relay in order to optimize the LB of the UL. In some cases, the combination of PHR and RPHR may increase the TX power of the UE, for example, by selecting the minimum value between RPHR and PHR.

[0129] In some cases, the network may perform power control taking into account the RPHR reported by the relay closest to the UE (or any other relay in a multi-hop link). In such cases, power control signaling may change the power level (based on information from the PHR and / or RPHR).

[0130] In some cases, the repeater may initiate (MAC-CE / RRC) for its own RPHR signaling without a network request. This may be due to a sudden change in PA bias or any other change in conditions. This may also be a conditional RPHR, for example, where the repeater may be configured to signal to the network that if the PAPR is Y then the PH is X, and if the PAPR is Q then the PH is Z.

[0131] As described above, in some cases, the network may consider the reported conditional RPHR to optimize specific criteria of the link. For example, the specific criteria may involve E2E LB optimization or power consumption constraints of a specific hop. In some cases, this can be done by reducing the RX PAPR of the specific hop and controlling its PA BO. In some cases, the network may signal BO control of the repeater based on the conditional RPHR (e.g., the signaled BO will also be conditional).

[0132] In some cases, the controller / repeater may be able to initiate its own reporting, which may include a list of RX beams with associated RPHR measurements for certain TCI states. This may be useful, for example, if the controller / repeater believes that PA power utilization may be improved. In some cases, the network may be configured to initiate transmission of an RPHR for a specific Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) state, which includes a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

[0133] In some cases, the network may take one or more actions designed to optimize at least one of the cellular link between the UE 904 and a network entity (such as the gNB 902) or the side link between the UE 904 via the relay 906, such as Fig. 9 In the case of multi-hop links, the mechanisms described herein can be used as a tool to help the network control LB and optimize power control of the link. In some cases, signaling can define what is measured by the digital controller and what is signaled back to the network (such as RPHR / RSSI). The mechanisms described herein can help optimize power efficiency and LB for multi-hop links.

[0134] Example Operations of Network Entities

[0135] Fig.10 shows a method for use by network entities such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS102 or as for Figure 2 An example of a method 1000 of performing wireless communications by a decomposed base station is discussed.

[0136] Method 1000 begins at step 1005 by receiving an RPHR for at least a first relay. In some cases, the operation of this step is as described in reference to Fig.12 The described circuits for receiving and / or codes for receiving may be or may be executed by the circuits and / or codes.

[0137] Then, method 1000 proceeds to step 1010, where one or more actions are performed based on the RPHR to maintain a link between the UE and a network entity or another UE. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the following steps. Fig.12 Circuits for performing and / or code for performing are described, or can be performed by such circuits and / or such code.

[0138] In some aspects, the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to a network entity; or a downlink signal sent from a network entity.

[0139] In some aspects, the method 1000 further includes sending configuration information indicating one or more receive beams for measuring RPHR to a controller of the first repeater. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation of Fig.12 The described circuits for transmitting and / or codes for transmitting, or executable by the circuits and / or the codes.

[0140] In some aspects, the configuration information indicates a TCI state associated with one of the receive beams.

[0141] In some aspects, the configuration information indicates at least one of: one or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or a number of best receive beams for which the controller is to include measurements in the RPHR.

[0142] In some aspects, the RPHR is received periodically, periodically, or semi-persistently.

[0143] In some aspects, the RPHR includes a timestamp; and the one or more actions include recovering past scheduling data based on the timestamp.

[0144] In some aspects, the one or more actions are designed to at least one of: optimize an end-to-end link budget between the network entity and the UE; or optimize a power consumption constraint at a hop in a link between the network entity and the UE.

[0145] In some aspects, one or more actions are designed to optimize the power consumption constraint at the one hop by reducing the receive PAPR or controlling the BO of the PA of the first repeater.

[0146] In some aspects, the method 1000 further includes sending a signal indicating whether the BO of the PA is to be applied for power conservation or link budget optimization. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the Fig.12 The described circuits for transmitting and / or codes for transmitting, or executable by the circuits and / or the codes.

[0147] In some aspects, the RPHR is associated with an uplink signal sent to a network entity; and the one or more actions include combining a power headroom from the UE and a power headroom from at least the first relay to optimize an uplink link budget.

[0148] In some aspects, the one or more actions include increasing the transmit power of the UE by selecting a minimum value between a value indicated in the RPHR and a value indicated in the PHR.

[0149] In some aspects, one or more actions also include performing power control taking into account a power headroom for a repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link, wherein performing the power control includes changing the power level based on information from at least one of: the RPHR, or the power headroom for the repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link.

[0150] In some aspects, receiving the RPHR indication satisfies a condition, wherein the condition relates to at least one of: a change in one or more PA conditions at the first repeater; or a combination of a power headroom and a PAPR value.

[0151] In some aspects, the one or more actions include reducing the receive PAPR or controlling the BO of the PA of the first repeater.

[0152] In some aspects, the controller is configured to initiate transmission of a RPHR for a particular TCI state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

[0153] In some aspects, at least one of the one or more actions is designed to optimize: a cellular link between a UE and a network entity; or a side link between UEs.

[0154] In one aspect, method 1000 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig.12 The method 1000 is performed by a communication device 1200 that includes various components operable, configured or adapted to perform the method 1000. The communication device 1200 is described in more detail below.

[0155] Please note that Fig.10 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0156] Example Actions for Controllers

[0157] Fig.11 An example of a method 1100 for wireless communication by a controller is shown. In some examples, the controller is a network entity such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS102 or as for Figure 2 In some examples, the controller is Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104.

[0158] Method 1100 begins at step 1105 by determining a power headroom for at least a first relay. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to referring to Fig.12 The described circuits for determining and / or codes for determining may be performed by or may be executed by the circuits and / or the codes.

[0159] Then, the method 1100 proceeds to step 1110, where an RPHR indicating a power headroom for at least the first relay is sent to a network entity. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the following steps. Fig.12 The described circuits for transmitting and / or codes for transmitting, or executable by the circuits and / or the codes.

[0160] In some aspects, the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to a network entity; or a downlink signal sent from the network entity.

[0161] In some aspects, the method 1100 further includes receiving configuration information from a network entity indicating one or more receive beams for measuring the RPHR. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the following. Fig.12 The described circuits for receiving and / or codes for receiving may be or may be executed by the circuits and / or codes.

[0162] In some aspects, the configuration information indicates a TCI state associated with one of the receive beams.

[0163] In some aspects, the configuration information indicates at least one of: one or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or a number of best receive beams for which the controller is to include measurements in the RPHR.

[0164] In some aspects, the RPHR is sent periodically, periodically, or semi-persistently.

[0165] In some aspects, the RPHR includes a timestamp; and the one or more actions include recovering past scheduling data based on the timestamp.

[0166] In some aspects, the controller sends the RPHR when a condition is met, wherein the condition relates to at least one of: a change in one or more PA conditions at the first repeater; or a combination of a power headroom and a PAPR value.

[0167] In some aspects, the controller is configured to initiate transmission of a RPHR for a particular TCI state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

[0168] In one aspect, method 1100 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig.12 The method 1100 is performed by a communication device 1200 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 1100. The communication device 1200 is described in more detail below.

[0169] Please note that Fig.11 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps may also be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0170] Example Communication Device

[0171] Fig.12Depicted are aspects of an example communications device 1200. In some aspects, the communications device 1200 is user equipment, such as described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104 is described. In some aspects, communication device 1200 is a network entity such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 BS102 or as for Figure 2 The decomposed base station in question.

[0172] The communication device 1200 includes a processing system 1205 coupled to a transceiver 1265 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). In some aspects (e.g., when the communication device 1200 is a network entity), the processing system 1205 can be coupled to a network interface 1275 that is configured to communicate with the communication device 1200 via a communication link (such as, for example, as described herein). Figure 2 The processing system 1205 may be configured to perform processing functions of the communication device 1200, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 1200.

[0173] The processing system 1205 includes one or more processors 1210. In various aspects, such as for Figure 3 As depicted, the one or more processors 1210 may represent one or more of the receive processor 358, the transmit processor 364, the TX MIMO processor 366, and / or the controller / processor 380. In various aspects, as for Figure 3 As described, the one or more processors 1210 may represent one or more of the receive processor 338, the transmit processor 320, the TX MIMO processor 330, and / or the controller / processor 340. The one or more processors 1210 are coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 1235 via the bus 1260. In certain aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1235 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1210, cause the one or more processors 1210 to perform: Fig.10 The method 1000 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Fig.11 The described method 1100 or any aspect related thereto. Note that references to a processor performing a function of the communication device 1200 may include one or more processors 1210 performing that function of the communication device 1200 .

[0174] In the depicted example, the computer readable medium / memory 1235 stores code (e.g., executable instructions), such as code for receiving 1240, code for executing 1245, code for sending 1250, and code for determining 1255. The processing of the code for receiving 1240, the code for executing 1245, the code for sending 1250, and the code for determining 1255 may cause the communication device 1200 to perform: Fig.10 The method 1000 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Fig.11 The described method 1100 or any aspect related thereto.

[0175] The one or more processors 1210 include circuits configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in a computer-readable medium / memory 1235, including circuits such as circuits for receiving 1215, circuits for executing 1220, circuits for sending 1225, and circuits for determining 1230. The processing of the circuits for receiving 1215, the circuits for executing 1220, the circuits for sending 1225, and the circuits for determining 1230 may cause the communication device 1200 to perform: Fig.10 The method 1000 described herein or any aspect related thereto; and / or Fig.11 The described method 1100 or any aspect related thereto.

[0176] The various components of the communication device 1200 may be provided for performing: Fig.10 Components of the method 1000 described or any aspect thereof; and / or for Fig.11 The method 1100 described herein or any aspect related thereto. For example, a component for sending, transmitting, or outputting for sending may include Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104, Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 and / or Fig.12 The illustrated communication device 1200 includes a transceiver 1265 and an antenna 1270. The components for receiving or obtaining may include Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104, Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 332 and / or antenna 334 and / or Fig.12 The transceiver 1265 and antenna 1270 of the communication device 1200 are illustrated.

[0177] Sample Clauses

[0178] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0179] Clause 1: A method for wireless communications by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a RPHR for at least a first relay; and performing one or more actions based on the RPHR to maintain a link between a UE and the network entity or another UE.

[0180] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to the network entity; or a downlink signal sent from the network entity.

[0181] Clause 3: The method of any one of clauses 1 and 2, further comprising: sending configuration information indicating one or more receive beams for measuring the RPHR to a controller of the first repeater.

[0182] Clause 4: The method of clause 3, wherein the configuration information indicates a TCI state associated with one of the receive beams.

[0183] Clause 5: The method of clause 3, wherein the configuration information indicates at least one of: one or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or a number of best receive beams for the controller to include measurements in the RPHR.

[0184] Clause 6: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the RPHR is received periodically, periodically or semi-persistently.

[0185] Clause 7: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein: the RPHR includes a timestamp; and the one or more actions include recovering past scheduling data based on the timestamp.

[0186] Clause 8: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the one or more actions are designed to be at least one of the following: optimizing the end-to-end link budget between the network entity and the UE; or optimizing the power consumption constraint at a hop in the link between the network entity and the UE.

[0187] Clause 9: The method of clause 8, wherein the one or more actions are designed to optimize the power consumption constraint at the one hop by reducing receive PAPR or controlling a BO of a PA of the first repeater.

[0188] Clause 10: The method of clause 9, further comprising sending signaling indicating whether the BO of the power amplifier is to be applied for power saving or link budget optimization.

[0189] Clause 11: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10, wherein: the RPHR is associated with an uplink signal sent to the network entity; and the one or more actions include combining the power headroom from the UE and the power headroom from at least the first repeater to optimize the uplink link budget.

[0190] Clause 12: A method as described in clause 11, wherein the one or more actions include increasing the transmit power of the UE by selecting a minimum value between the value indicated in the RPHR and the value indicated in the PHR.

[0191] Clause 13: A method according to clause 11, wherein the one or more actions also include performing power control taking into account the power headroom for the repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link, wherein performing the power control includes changing the power level based on information from at least one of: the RPHR, or the power headroom for the repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link.

[0192] Clause 14: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein receiving the RPHR indication satisfies a condition, wherein the condition involves at least one of: a change in one or more PA conditions at the first repeater; or a combination of power headroom and PAPR values.

[0193] Clause 15: The method of clause 14, wherein the one or more actions include reducing a receive PAPR or controlling a BO of a power amplifier of the first repeater.

[0194] Clause 16: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 15, wherein the controller is configured to initiate the transmission of the RPHR for a specific TCI state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

[0195] Clause 17: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 16, wherein at least one of the one or more actions is designed to optimize: a cellular link between the UE and the network entity; or a side link between the UE and at least one other UE.

[0196] Clause 18: A method for wireless communications by a controller, the method comprising: determining a power headroom for at least a first relay; and sending a RPHR indicating the power headroom for at least the first relay to a network entity.

[0197] Clause 19: The method of clause 18, wherein the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to the network entity; or a downlink signal sent from the network entity.

[0198] Clause 20: A method according to any one of clauses 18 and 19, the method further comprising: receiving configuration information from the network entity indicating one or more receive beams for measuring for the RPHR.

[0199] Clause 21: The method of clause 20, wherein the configuration information indicates a TCI state associated with one of the one or more receive beams.

[0200] Clause 22: The method of clause 20, wherein the configuration information indicates at least one of: one or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or a number of best receive beams for which the controller is to include measurements in the RPHR.

[0201] Clause 23: A method according to any of clauses 18 to 22, wherein the RPHR is sent periodically, periodically or semi-persistently.

[0202] Clause 24: A method as described in any one of clauses 18 to 23, further comprising: including a timestamp in the RPHR.

[0203] Clause 25: A method according to any one of clauses 18 to 24, wherein the controller sends the RPHR when a condition is met, wherein the condition involves at least one of: a change in one or more PA conditions at the first repeater; or a combination of power headroom and PAPR values.

[0204] Clause 26: A method according to any one of clauses 18 to 25, wherein the controller is configured to initiate the transmission of the RPHR for a specific TCI state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

[0205] Clause 27: An apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a memory including executable instructions; and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions and cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 26.

[0206] Clause 28: An apparatus comprising: means for performing the method of any one of clauses 1 to 26.

[0207] Clause 29: A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of clauses 1 to 26.

[0208] Clause 30: A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium comprising code for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 26.

[0209] Additional considerations

[0210] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein are not limited to the scope, applicability or aspects set forth in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed. Various examples may omit, replace or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, the described methods may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various actions may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described for some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionality or structures and functionality that are supplementary or alternative to the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the present invention.

[0211] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0212] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items (including single members). As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0213] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Additionally, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Additionally, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0214] The method disclosed herein includes one or more actions for implementing the method. The method actions are interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. In addition, the various operations of the method described above may be performed by any appropriate component capable of performing the corresponding function. The component may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors.

[0215] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" refers to one or more. Any claim element is not interpreted according to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "parts for...". All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout the present disclosure that are known or will be known later to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly stated in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a repeater power headroom report (RPHR) for at least a first repeater; as well as One or more actions are performed based on the RPHR to maintain a link between a user equipment (UE) and the network entity or another UE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to the network entity; or A downlink signal is sent from the network entity.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Configuration information indicating one or more receive beams for measuring the RPHR is sent to a controller of the first repeater.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration information indicates a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with one of the one or more receive beams.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the configuration information indicates at least one of: One or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or The controller is to measure the number of best receive beams included in the RPHR.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RPHR is received periodically, periodically, or semi-persistently.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The RPHR includes a timestamp; and The one or more actions include recovering past scheduling data based on the timestamp.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more actions are designed to be at least one of the following: optimizing an end-to-end link budget between the network entity and the UE; or A power consumption constraint at a hop in the link between the network entity and the UE is optimized.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more actions are designed to optimize the power consumption constraint at the one hop by reducing a received peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) or controlling a back-off (BO) of a power amplifier of the first repeater.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending signaling indicating whether the BO of the power amplifier is to be applied for power saving or link budget optimization.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The RPHR is associated with an uplink signal sent to the network entity; and The one or more actions include combining a power headroom from the UE and a power headroom from at least the first relay to optimize an uplink link budget.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more actions include increasing the transmit power of the UE by selecting a minimum value between the power headroom from the UE and the power headroom from at least the first relay.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more actions also include performing power control taking into account the power headroom for the repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link, wherein performing the power control includes changing the power level based on information from at least one of: the RPHR, or the power headroom for the repeater closest to the UE or another repeater in the link.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the RPHR indication satisfies a condition, wherein the condition relates to at least one of: a change in one or more power amplitude (PA) conditions at the first repeater; or A combination of power headroom and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) values.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more actions include reducing a received peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) or controlling a back-off (BO) of a power amplifier of the first repeater.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller of the first repeater is configured to initiate transmission of the RPHR for a specific transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more actions is designed to optimize: A cellular link between the UE and the network entity; or A side link between the UE and at least one other UE.

18. A method for wireless communication by a controller, the method comprising: determining a power headroom for at least a first repeater; as well as A relay power headroom report (RPHR) indicating the power headroom for at least the first relay is sent to a network entity.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the RPHR is associated with at least one of: an uplink signal sent to the network entity; or A downlink signal is sent from the network entity.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: Configuration information indicating one or more receive beams for measuring the RPHR is received from the network entity.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information indicates a transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state associated with one of the one or more receive beams.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the configuration information indicates at least one of: One or more parameters to be included in the RPHR; or The controller is to measure the number of best receive beams included in the RPHR.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the RPHR is sent periodically, periodically, or semi-persistently.

24. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: A timestamp is included in the RPHR.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the controller sends the RPHR when a condition is satisfied, wherein the condition relates to at least one of: a change in one or more power amplitude (PA) conditions at the first repeater; or A combination of power headroom and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) values.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to initiate transmission of the RPHR for a specific transmit configuration indicator (TCI) state, the RPHR comprising a list of one or more receive beams and associated repeater power headroom measurements.

27. A network entity configured for wireless communication, the network entity comprising: a memory including processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the network entity to: receiving a repeater power headroom report (RPHR) for at least a first repeater; as well as One or more actions are performed based on the RPHR to maintain a link between a user equipment (UE) and the network entity or another UE.

28. A controller configured for wireless communication, the controller comprising: a memory including processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions and cause the controller to: determining a power headroom for at least a first repeater; as well as A relay power headroom report (RPHR) indicating the power headroom for at least the first relay is sent to a network entity.

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