Systems, methods, and devices for controlling link and backhaul link beams

Abstract

Techniques described herein may enhance communication between a network control relay (NCR) and a base station by implementing dynamic configuration and allocation of different combinations of fixed and adaptive beams for control and backhaul links. The NCR may communicate with the base station using a fixed beam for both the control link and the backhaul link. When a prompt to establish an access beam for an access link with a user equipment (UE) is detected, the NCR may switch from using a fixed beam for a backhaul link to using an adaptive beam for a backhaul link. The fixed beam may still be used for the control link, but the information exchange involving the access link may be routed to the backhaul link via the adaptive beam.

Description

[0001] Citation of Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 409,430, filed on September 23, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication networks and mobile device capabilities. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks and wireless communication services are becoming increasingly dynamic, complex, and ubiquitous. For example, some wireless communication networks may be developed to implement fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) technology, sixth generation (6G) technology, etc. Such technologies may include schemes for enabling network nodes and access points to communicate with each other in various ways. In some scenarios, this may include establishing a wireless connection between a wireless access point and a repeater of the network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The present disclosure will be easily understood and implemented through the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The same figure numerals may designate the same features and structural elements. The accompanying drawings and corresponding descriptions are provided as non-limiting examples of aspects, specific implementations, etc. of the present disclosure, and reference to "one" or "an" aspect, specific implementation, etc. may not necessarily refer to the same aspect, specific implementation, etc., and may mean at least one, one or more, etc.

[0006] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example network according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0007] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example of a network controlled repeater (NCR) according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0008] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example process for controlling link and backhaul link beams according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0009] Figures 4 to 5 is a diagram of an example of implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0010] Figure 6 to Figure 7 is a diagram of an example of implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0011] Figures 8 to 9is a diagram of an example of implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0012] Fig.10 is a diagram of an example process for setting a beam according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0013] Fig.11 is a diagram of an example of implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams according to minimum duration according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0014] Fig.12 is a diagram of an example process for reporting beam capability information according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0015] Fig.13 is a diagram of an example of components of a device according to one or more implementations described herein.

[0016] Fig.14 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein in accordance with one or more specific implementations described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in different drawings may identify the same or similar features, elements, operations, etc. In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, as other specific implementations may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0018] Wireless networks may include user equipment (UE) capable of communicating with base stations, wireless routers, satellites, and other network nodes. Such devices may operate according to one or more communication standards, such as the 2nd generation (2G) communication standard of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), the 3rd generation (3G) communication standard, the 4th generation (4G) communication standard (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)), and / or the 5th generation (5G) communication standard (e.g., New Radio (NR)). UE may refer to a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable wireless device, a vehicle capable of wireless communication, and / or another type of a wide range of devices with wireless capabilities.

[0019] In some networks, the base station may communicate with the UE via a network-control repeater (NCR). In short, the NCR can operate to expand the coverage area of ​​the base station. The base station can communicate with the NCR via a control link and a backhaul link. The control link can enable the base station to configure and manage the NCR. The backhaul link and the access link combination can provide a channel through which data is transmitted between the base station and the UE. The channel or beam used for the backhaul link and the control link can be static or fixed and can be a line-of-sight (LOS) beam. However, random environmental conditions or beam scatterers may temporarily block the beam or LOS between the NCR and the base station. In addition, although some NCRs may include NCR mobile terminal (NCR-MT) components and NCR forwarding (NCR-FWD) components that share a radio frequency (RF) unit to communicate with the base station, such NCRs may use the same beam and / or transmission configuration indicator (TCI). However, there is currently no solution or the solution is insufficient for NCR including NCR-MT components and NCR-FWD components that use different RF units and / or require different beams.

[0020] The technology described herein can enhance the communication between the NCR and the base station by implementing the dynamic configuration and allocation of different combinations of fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links. The NCR can communicate with the base station using one or more fixed beams for both the control link and the backhaul link. When a prompt to establish an access beam for an access link with a UE is detected, the NCR can switch from using a fixed beam for the backhaul link to using an adaptive beam for the backhaul link. The fixed beam can still be used for the control link, but the information exchange involving the access link can be routed to the backhaul link via the adaptive beam.

[0021] Since the resources of the adaptive beam can be configured when the adaptive beam is established, and since the NCR can establish or switch to the adaptive beam shortly after a trigger (e.g., the need to relay data between the base station and the UE), the NCR can configure the adaptive beam according to the current conditions. For example, the NCR can configure the adaptive beam to take into account temporary signal interference, such as problematic environmental conditions, beam scatterers, LOS obstacles, etc., which may cause problems for fixed beams, but can be overcome or mitigated by establishing an adaptive beam.

[0022] The techniques described herein also include schemes for switching between fixed beams and adaptive beams at specific times, for durations, and / or in response to one or more triggers or events. Schemes for using different combinations of one or more fixed beams and one or more adaptive beams for backhaul links and control links are also described. Schemes for establishing adaptive beams for different access beams, using combinations of fixed beams and adaptive beams under different conditions, and reporting beam capability information are also described. Details and examples of these and other features and techniques are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is an example network 100 according to one or more implementations described herein. Example network 100 may include UE 110-1, UE 110-2, etc. (collectively referred to as "UE 110" and individually referred to as "UE 110"), a radio access network (RAN) 120, a core network (CN) 130, an application server 140, and an external network 150.

[0024] The systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with one or more communication standards, such as the 2nd generation (2G) communication standard of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the 3rd generation (3G) communication standard, the 4th generation (4G) (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) communication standard, and / or the 5th generation (5G) (e.g., New Radio (NR)) communication standard. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the systems and devices of the example network 100 may operate in accordance with other communication standards and protocols discussed herein, including future versions or generations of 3GPP standards (e.g., the 6th generation (6G) standard, the 7th generation (7G) standard, etc.), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards (e.g., Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), etc.), etc.

[0025] As shown, UE 110 may include a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can be connected to one or more wireless communication networks). Additionally or alternatively, UE 110 may include other types of mobile or non-mobile computing devices capable of wireless communication, such as a personal data assistant (PDA), a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless handheld terminal, etc. In some specific implementations, UE 110 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device (or IoT UE), which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize transient UE connections. Additionally or alternatively, IoT UE may utilize one or more types of technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine-type communication (MTC) (e.g., to exchange data with an MTC server or other device via a public land mobile network (PLMN)), proximity services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, IoT networks, and the like. Depending on the scenario, the M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange, and the IoT network may include IoT UEs interconnected with transient connections (which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the Internet infrastructure). In some scenarios, the IoT UE may execute background applications (eg, keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0026] UE 110 may communicate and establish a connection with one or more other UEs 110 via one or more wireless channels 112, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. The connection may include an M2M connection, an MTC connection, a D2D connection, a SL connection, etc. The connection may involve a PC5 interface. In some specific implementations, UE 110 may be configured to discover each other, negotiate wireless resources between each other, and establish a connection between each other without involving intervention or communication with a RAN node 122 or another type of network node. In some specific implementations, discovery, authentication, resource negotiation, registration, etc. may involve communication with a RAN node 122 or another type of network node.

[0027] UE 110 may communicate with each other using one or more wireless channels 112. As described herein, UE 110-1 may communicate with RAN node 122 to request SL resources. RAN node 122 may respond to the request by providing UE 110 with a dynamic grant (DG) or a configured grant (CG) regarding SL resources. DG may involve a grant based on a grant request from UE 110. CG may involve a grant of resources without a grant request and may be based on the type of service provided (e.g., a service with strict timing or latency requirements). UE 110 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) process based on DG or CG, select SL resources based on the CCA process and DG or CG; and communicate with another UE 110 based on the SL resources. UE 110 may communicate with RAN node 122 using a licensed band and communicate with another UE 110 using an unlicensed band.

[0028] UE 110 may communicate and establish a connection (e.g., be communicatively coupled) with RAN 120, which may involve one or more radio channels 114-1 and 114-2, each of which may include a physical communication interface / layer. In some implementations, the UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC) as a multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) or multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), where a UE capable of multiple reception and transmission (Rx / Tx) may use resources provided by different network nodes (e.g., 122-1 and 122-2), which may be connected via non-ideal backhaul (e.g., one of the network nodes provides NR access and the other network node provides E-UTRA for LTE or NR access for 5G). In such a scenario, one network node may act as a master node (MN) and the other node may act as a secondary node (SN). The MN and the SN may be connected via a network interface, and at least the MN may be connected to CN 130. In addition, at least one of the MN or the SN may operate with shared spectrum channel access, and the functionality specified for the UE 110 may be used for an integrated access and backhaul mobile terminal (IAB-MT). Similar to the UE 110, the IAB-MT may access the network using one network node or using two different nodes with an enhanced dual connectivity (EN-DC) architecture, a new radio dual connectivity (NR-DC) architecture, etc. In some implementations, a base station (as described herein) may be an example of a network node 122.

[0029] In some implementations, the UE 110 and the base station 122 may communicate with each other via the NCR 160. The NCR 160 may operate as a repeater to improve signal quality and / or expand the coverage area of ​​the base station 122. The NCR 160 may communicate with the UE 110 via an access link, and communicate with the base station 122 via a control link and a backhaul link. The control link may enable the base station 122 to control the configuration and operation of the NCR 160, and the backhaul link may be used to transmit data between the base station 122 and the UE 110. The NCR 160 may be configured to use fixed beams for the control link and the backhaul link, and switch to an adaptive beam in response to one or more triggers or events, such as to establish an access beam to create an access link with the UE 110. Reference is made below to the NCR 160. Figure 2 The example of NCR 160 is discussed.

[0030] As shown, UE 110 may also or alternatively be connected to access point (AP) 116 via connection interface 118, which may include an air interface that enables UE 110 to communicatively couple with AP 116. AP 116 may include a wireless local area network (WLAN), a WLAN node, a WLAN termination point, etc. Connection 116 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, and AP 116 may include a wireless fidelity router or other AP. Figure 1 1, but AP 116 may be connected to another network (e.g., the Internet) without being connected to RAN 120 or CN 130. In some scenarios, UE 110, RAN 120, and AP 116 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) technology or LTE WLAN radio level integration with IPsec tunnel (LWIP) technology integrated with IPsec tunnel. LWA may involve UE 110 in RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN 120 to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP may involve UE 110 using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection interface 118) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) communicated through connection interface 118. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0031] The RAN 120 may include one or more RAN nodes 122-1 and 122-2 (collectively, RAN nodes 122, and individually, RAN nodes 122) that enable establishment of channels 114-1 and 114-2 between the UE 110 and the RAN 120. The RAN node 122 may include a network access point configured to provide a radio baseband function for data and / or voice connections between a user and a network based on one or more of the communication technologies described herein (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, etc.). Thus, as an example, the RAN node may be an E-UTRAN Node B (e.g., an enhanced Node B, eNodeB, eNB, 4G base station, etc.), a next generation base station (e.g., a 5G base station, an NR base station, a next generation eNB (gNB), etc.). The RAN node 122 may include a roadside unit (RSU), a transmit receive point (TRxP or TRP), and one or more other types of ground stations (e.g., a ground access point). In some scenarios, the RAN node 122 may be a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell, etc. having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0032] Some or all or portions of the RAN nodes 122 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these specific implementations, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement a RAN functional split, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) split, where the radio resource control (RRC) and PDCP layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other layer 2 (L2) protocol entities may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; a medium access control (MAC) / physical (PHY) layer split, where the RRC, PDCP, radio link control (RLC), and MAC layers may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122; or a "lower PHY" split, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer may be operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer may be operated by individual RAN nodes 122. The virtualization framework may allow idle processor cores of the RAN node 122 to perform or execute other virtualized applications.

[0033] In some implementations, the separate RAN nodes 122 may represent separate gNB distributed units (DUs) connected to a gNB control unit (CU) via separate F1 or other interfaces. In such implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or radio frequency (RF) front end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server located in the RAN 120 or by a server pool (e.g., a group of servers configured to share resources) in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 122 may be next generation eNBs (i.e., gNBs) that may provide Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 110 and may be connected to the 5G core network (5GC) 130 via an NG interface.

[0034] Any of the RAN nodes 122 may serve as an endpoint for an air interface protocol and may be a first point of contact for the UE 110. In some implementations, any of the RAN nodes 122 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 120, including but not limited to functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink (UL) link and downlink (DL) link dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling and mobility management. The UE 110 may be configured to communicate with each other or any of the RAN nodes 122 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink (SL) communication), although the scope of such implementations may not be limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0035] In some implementations, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 122 to the UE 110, and similar techniques may be used for uplink transmissions. The grid may be a time-frequency grid (e.g., a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid) that represents the physical resources for the downlink in each time slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is common for OFDM systems, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block may include a set of resource elements (REs); in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transport several different physical downlink channels.

[0036] In addition, the RAN nodes 122 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the UE 110 and / or each other over a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band"), an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"), or a combination thereof. In one example, the licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed band or spectrum may include a 5 GHz band. In additional or alternative examples, the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz unlicensed band, a 6 GHz band, a 60 GHz millimeter wave band, and the like.

[0037] Licensed spectrum may correspond to channels or frequency bands that are selected, reserved, regulated, etc. for certain types of wireless activities (e.g., wireless telecommunications network activities), while unlicensed spectrum may correspond to one or more frequency bands that are not restricted for certain types of wireless activities. Whether a particular frequency band corresponds to a licensed medium or an unlicensed medium may depend on one or more factors, such as frequency allocations determined by a public sector organization (e.g., a government agency, a regulatory agency, etc.) or by a private sector organization involved in developing wireless communication standards and protocols, etc.

[0038] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may operate using standalone unlicensed operation, license assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0039] The LAA mechanism can be built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a TDD system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC may be the same for DL ​​and UL. CA also includes individual service cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the service cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary service cell or PCell may provide a primary component carrier (PCC) for both UL and DL, and may handle RRC and non-access stratum (NAS) related activities. Other service cells are called SCells, and each SCell may provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require UE 110 to undergo switching. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCell"), and the LAA SCell is assisted by the PCell operating in the licensed spectrum. When the UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells indicating different physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) starting positions within the same subframe. To operate in unlicensed spectrum, the UE 110 and the RAN node 122 may also operate using independent unlicensed operation, where the UE may be configured with a PCell in the unlicensed spectrum in addition to any SCells.

[0040] The PDSCH may carry user data and higher layer signaling to the UE 110. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry, among other things, information about a transport format and resource allocation associated with the PDSCH channel. The PDCCH may also inform the UE 110 about transport formats, resource allocations, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information associated with an uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (e.g., allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 110-2 within the cell) may be performed on any of the RAN nodes 122 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 110. Downlink resource allocation information may be transmitted on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs 110.

[0041] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCE) to convey control information, where several CCEs (e.g., 6, etc.) may be composed of resource element groups (REGs), where REGs are defined as physical resource blocks (PRBs) in OFDM symbols. Before being mapped to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quaternions, which may then be arranged, for example, using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs may be used to send each PDCCH, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs may be used to send the PDCCH. Four or more different PDCCH formats may be defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16).

[0042] Some implementations may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some implementations may utilize an extended (E)-PDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to send EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREGs. In some cases, an ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0043] The RAN nodes 122 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 123. In an implementation where the system is an LTE system, the interface 123 may be an X2 interface. In an NR system, the interface 123 may be an Xn interface. In some implementations such as an independent (SA) implementation, the interface 123 may be an Xn interface. In some implementations such as a non-independent (NSA) implementation, the interface 123 may represent an X2 interface and an XN interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 122 (e.g., two or more eNBs / gNBs or a combination thereof) connected to an evolved packet core (EPC) or CN 130, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user data packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to convey information about the delivery of user data between eNBs or gNBs. For example, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from a master eNB (MeNB) to a secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 110 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that are not delivered to the UE 110; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for sending user data to the UE; etc. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions (e.g., including context transfer from a source eNB to a target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.), load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0044] As shown, RAN 120 may be connected (e.g., communicatively coupled) to CN 130. CN 130 may include a plurality of network elements 132 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 110) connected to CN 130 via RAN 120. In some implementations, CN 130 may include an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G CN, and / or one or more additional or alternative types of CNs. The components of CN 130 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some implementations, network function virtualization (NFV) may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node roles or functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 130 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 130 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources including a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0045] As shown, CN 130, application server 140 and external network 150 may be connected to each other via interfaces 134, 136 and 138, which may include IP network interfaces. Application server 140 may include one or more server devices or network elements (e.g., virtual network functions (VNFs) that provide applications that use IP bearer resources through CN 130 (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Packet Service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 140 may also or alternatively be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over IP (VoIP sessions, push-to-talk (PTT) sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.)) of UE 110 via CN 130. Similarly, external network 150 may include one or more of various networks, including the Internet, thereby providing network access to various additional services, information, interconnectivity and other network features to mobile communication networks and UE 110.

[0046] Figure 21 is a diagram of an example of a network controlled repeater (NCR) 160 according to one or more specific implementations described herein. As shown, the NCR 160 may include one or more NCR mobile terminal (NCR-MT) components 210 and one or more NCR forwarding (NCR-FWD) components 220. In general, the NCR 160 and the components of the NCR 160 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software configured to enable the NCR 160 to perform the operations, processes, and functions described herein. Although not shown, example hardware components of the NCR 160 may include one or more antennas, radio frequency circuits, baseband circuits, power management circuits, application circuits, inter-component interface circuits, communication interfaces, processors, memory devices, storage devices, etc. The hardware components may be configured to store, execute, and otherwise support information and software instructions consistent with performing one or more of the techniques described herein.

[0047] In general, the NCR 160 may be used as a relay for information between the base station 122 (or another type of network access point device) and the UE 110. The hardware and software of the NCR 160 may be arranged and configured to implement the NCR-MT component 210 and the NCR-FWD component 220. As shown, the NCR-MT component 210 may operate to establish and maintain a control link (C link) with the base station 122. The control link may be based on the NR Uu interface and may enable the exchange of information (e.g., side control information or SCI) between the NCR 160 and the base station 122. The side control information may enable the configuration and control of the NCR-FWD component 220. For example, the side control information may be used to indicate beam information (e.g., configured beams), turn beams on or off, indicate UL-DL TDD configurations, and the behavior of the NCR 160 under flexible symbols.

[0048] The NCR-FWD component 220 may operate to establish a backhaul link with the base station 122 and an access link with the UE 110. The NCR-FWD component 220 may perform amplification and forwarding of UL / DL RF signals between the gNB and the UE via the backhaul link and the access link. The NCR 160 may configure, modify, and control the functions of the NCR-FWD component 220 based on the side control information received from the base station 122. The channels / beams used for the backhaul link and the control link may be static or fixed and may be LOS beams. The beam used for the access link may be referred to as an access beam or an access beam link. The beam used for the backhaul link may be referred to as a backhaul beam or a backhaul link beam. The beam used for the control link may be referred to as a control beam or a control link beam.

[0049] In addition, the beam may be a fixed beam or an adaptive beam or a temporary beam. A fixed beam may include a beam used as a permanent beam or a default beam (e.g., a beam used to maintain a link that is intended to be a basic link and is regularly used for communication between devices). In contrast, an adaptive beam may include a beam used periodically or temporarily so that, for example, NCR 160 can respond to temporary conditions, needs, or scenarios of the network. For example, NCR 160 may use a fixed beam for a control link so that base station 122 may send control and configuration information to NCR 160. As another example, when an access link with UE 110 is established via an access beam, NCR 160 may use an adaptive beam to establish a corresponding connection with base station 122. Once the access link is no longer needed, NCR 160 may stop the access beam and the corresponding backhaul beam, but the fixed beam for the control link may remain in place.

[0050] Figure 3 3 is a diagram of an example process 300 for controlling link and backhaul link beams according to one or more implementations described herein. Process 300 may be implemented by UE 110, NCR 160, and base station 122. In some implementations, some or all of process 300 may be implemented by one or more other systems or devices (including Figure 1 In addition, process 300 may include: Figure 3 The processes 300 may include fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged operations than those depicted. For example, the process 300 may include operations that are performed before, in parallel with, and / or after one or more of the operations depicted. Furthermore, some or all of the operations of the process 300 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., relative to one or more of the other operations of the process 300. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Figure 3 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted.

[0051] Although not shown, the NCR 160 may receive control information or configuration information from the base station 122. This information may enable the NCR 160 to implement one or more of the beam management techniques and link management techniques described herein. For example, the control information or configuration information may enable the NCR 160 to implement a beam configuration including a fixed beam and an adaptive beam or a temporary beam. The NCR 160 may use the fixed beam for the control link and the backhaul link by default (block 310). However, when the NCR 160 detects that the access link beam is used to communicate with the UE 110 (at 320), the NCR 160 may switch from using the fixed beam for the backhaul link to using the adaptive beam for the backhaul link (at 330). The NCR 160 and the base station 122 may continue to use the fixed beam to communicate via the control link.

[0052] The adaptive beam may be preconfigured or dynamically determined based on one or more factors, conditions, and / or parameters related to backhaul link communications. The NCR 160 may use an adaptive beam for a backhaul link (rather than a fixed beam) as long as an access beam is used. In some implementations, the NCR 160 may determine an application time and a corresponding duration for using an adaptive beam based on an application time and a corresponding duration associated with an access beam link. The application time as described herein may correspond to the duration required for the NCR 160 to apply and begin using the beam from the time the beam is indicated. The application time may also be referred to herein as a start time.

[0053] Setting the application time and duration of the adaptive backhaul link to the application time and duration of the corresponding access link can perform corresponding communications between the UE 110 and the base station 122 based on the backhaul link and the access link (e.g., using the same symbols, respectively). For example, when there is nothing for the NCR 160 to forward, there is no need to provide beams for both the backhaul link and the access link. Once the communication between the UE 110 and the base station 122 is completed (e.g., once the application duration has expired), the NCR 160 can stop using the adaptive beam for the backhaul link and resume using the fixed beam as before (box 350). Therefore, the NCR 160 and the base station 122 can communicate via the control link and the backhaul link using a single fixed beam.

[0054] With reference to one or more of the examples described herein, although certain terms or phrases may be relied upon to describe one or more of the techniques described herein, the scope of any of these techniques is not limited to the specific terms employed. For example, terms such as fixed beam and adaptive beam are provided as non-limiting examples. In other scenarios or specific implementations, alternative terms such as beam 1 and beam 2; main beam and sub-beam, etc. may be appropriately used. In some specific implementations, beams and signaling may be associated with each other by NCR 160 via link types or instances for transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx). For example, NCR 160 may be configured to forward UL transmissions (from UE 110 to base station 122) via a backhaul link, and may receive DL transmissions (from base station 122 to UE 110) via the same backhaul link. This interrelationship may apply to signaling using fixed beams or adaptive beams. In other specific implementations, this interrelationship may not be used. For example, an UL transmission may involve one instance of a backhaul link, and a corresponding DL transmission may involve another instance of a backhaul link.

[0055] Figures 4 to 5 4 is a diagram of examples 400 and 500 implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein. As shown, examples 400 and 500 can each include time represented along a horizontal axis, fixed beams for control links over time, fixed beams and adaptive beams for backhaul links over time, and access beams for access links over a period of time. In some implementations, NCR 160 can implement techniques and features of examples 400 and 500. In addition, Figure 4 may include corresponding to Figure 3 of the course 300, and Figure 5 Can be presented Figure 3 Examples of variations of process 300 are shown below.

[0056] Reference Figure 4 , NCR 160 may receive side control information from base station 122. The side control information may cause NCR 160 to configure and / or reconfigure according to information, instructions, parameters, and / or one or more other types of information provided by the side control information. The side control information may, for example, cause NCR 160 to operate according to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam technique as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, NCR 160 may determine timing information (such as application time and duration) related to communications involving UE 110 based on the side control information.

[0057] As shown, since the access beam is not used, the NCR 160 can use a single beam to communicate with the base station 122 via the control link and the backhaul link. At some point, the NCR 160 can detect or determine that the access beam will be used for the access link to communicate with the UE 110. In some implementations, the NCR 160 can make this determination based on control information received from the base station 122 via the control link or data received from the base station 122 via the backhaul link. The control information and / or the data may be intended to be forwarded to the UE 110 via the access link.

[0058] For the backbone link, the NCR 160 can switch from using a fixed beam to using an adaptive beam. The NCR 160 can also or alternatively align the application time and duration of the adaptive beam with the application time and duration of the access link beam. For example, the NCR 160 can determine the application start time and duration of the access beam and apply the application start time and duration to the adaptive beam. In this way, the adaptive beam can be used when the access beam is used (e.g., to forward data to the UE 110). As shown, when the duration associated with the adaptive beam expires, the NCR 160 can stop using the adaptive beam from the backhaul communication and resume using the fixed beam for both the backhaul link and the control link.

[0059] Reference Figure 5 , Example 500 can be represented similar to Figure 4 The method of Example 400 is to operate in the manner of Example 400. However, instead of the NCR 160 determining the start time and end time of using the adaptive beam (based on the application time and the corresponding duration associated with the access beam), in Example 500, the NCR 160 determines the start time of the adaptive beam by aligning the start time of the adaptive beam with the application time associated with the access beam. However, the NCR 160 may not determine the duration corresponding to the application time, and therefore may not determine the time for switching from the adaptive beam back to the fixed beam. Therefore, the NCR 160 may continue to use the adaptive beam for the backhaul link. In some specific implementations, the NCR 160 may use the adaptive beam for the backhaul link until the NCR 160 receives information or explicit instructions prompting it to operate in other ways. For example, at some point, the NCR 160 may receive side control information or another type of information or prompt from the base station 122, which may cause the NCR 160 to switch back to using the fixed beam for the backhaul link.

[0060] Figure 6 to Figure 7600 and 700 are diagrams of examples implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein. As shown, examples 600 and 700 may each include time represented along a horizontal axis, one fixed beam for the control link and the backhaul link, and one adaptive beam for the control link and the backhaul link, where each beam is used for a period of time. In some implementations, NCR 160 may implement techniques and features of examples 400 and 500. In addition, Figure 6 to Figure 7 Available through Figure 3 One or more operations and / or Figure 3 Those operations are similar to one or more operations performed, but some signaling and information may be different.

[0061] Reference Figure 6 , the NCR 160 may receive side control information from the base station 122. The side control information may cause the NCR 160 to configure and / or reconfigure according to information, instructions, parameters, and / or one or more other types of information provided by the side control information. The side control information may, for example, cause the NCR 160 to operate according to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam technique as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 160 may determine timing information (such as application time) related to switching to and from the adaptive beam based on the side control information.

[0062] As shown, under normal circumstances, NCR 160 may default to using a single beam to communicate with base station 122 via a control link and a backhaul link. At some point, NCR 160 may detect a trigger, timing, or condition to switch to an adaptive beam. For example, NCR 160 may detect an application time of an adaptive beam, which may correspond to receiving DL information from base station 122. In response, NCR 160 may switch from using a fixed beam for a control link and a backhaul link to using an adaptive beam for a control link and a backhaul link. NCR 160 may continue to use an adaptive beam until an explicit instruction to switch is received (e.g., a side control message from base station 122). After receiving an explicit instruction, NCR 160 may switch back to using a fixed beam (e.g., a default beam) for a control link and a backhaul link.

[0063] Reference Figure 7, the NCR 160 may receive side control information from the base station 122. The side control information may cause the NCR 160 to configure and / or reconfigure according to information, instructions, parameters, and / or one or more other types of information provided by the side control information. The side control information may, for example, cause the NCR 160 to operate according to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam technique as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 160 may determine timing information related to switching to and from the adaptive beam (such as a minimum application time for the adaptive beam) based on the side control information.

[0064] As shown, under normal circumstances, NCR 160 may default to using a single beam to communicate with base station 122 via a control link and a backhaul link. At some point, NCR 160 may detect a trigger, timing, or condition to switch to an adaptive beam. For example, NCR 160 may detect an application time of an adaptive beam, which may correspond to receiving DL information from base station 122. In response, NCR 160 may switch from using a fixed beam for a control link and a backhaul link to using an adaptive beam for a control link and a backhaul link. NCR 160 may determine the duration of using an adaptive beam based on a minimum application time and a dedicated duration. The dedicated duration may be received from base station 122 before or in conjunction with receiving DL information. When the determined duration expires, NCR 160 may switch back to using a fixed beam (e.g., a default beam) for a control link and a backhaul link.

[0065] Figures 8 to 9 800 and 900 are diagrams of examples of implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links according to one or more implementations described herein. As shown, examples 800 and 900 may each include time represented along a horizontal axis, fixed beams for control links and backhaul links at some times over time, and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links at one time. In some implementations, NCR 160 may implement techniques and features of examples 800 and 900. In addition, Figures 8 to 9 can be Figure 3 One or more operations and / or Figure 3 Those operations are similar to one or more operations performed, but some signaling and information may be different.

[0066] Reference Figure 8, NCR 160 may receive side control information from base station 122. The side control information may cause NCR 160 to configure and / or reconfigure according to information, instructions, parameters, and / or one or more other types of information provided by the side control information. The side control information may, for example, cause NCR 160 to operate according to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam technique as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, NCR 160 may determine timing information (such as application time and duration) related to communications involving UE 110 based on the side control information.

[0067] As shown, since the access beam is not used, the NCR 160 can use a single beam to communicate with the base station 122 via the control link and the backhaul link. At some point, the NCR 160 can detect or determine that the access beam will be used for the access link to communicate with the UE 110. In some implementations, the NCR 160 can make this determination based on control information received from the base station 122 via the control link or data received from the base station 122 via the backhaul link. The control information and / or data can be DL communications intended to be forwarded to the UE 110 via the access link.

[0068] For the control link and the backbone link, the NCR 160 may switch from using a fixed beam to using an adaptive beam. The NCR 160 may also or alternatively align the application time and duration of the adaptive beam with the application time and duration of the access link beam. For example, the NCR 160 may use an adaptive beam as long as the access beam is used. In this way, the adaptive beam may be used when the access beam is used to forward data to the UE 110. In some specific implementations, the NCR 160 may use an adaptive beam for the control link and the backhaul link until the NCR 160 receives information or explicit instructions prompting it to operate in other ways. For example, at some point, the NCR 160 may receive side control information or another type of information or prompt from the base station 122, which may cause the NCR 160 to switch back to using a fixed beam for the control link and the backhaul link.

[0069] Reference Fig. 9 , example 900 can be represented similar to Figure 8800. However, rather than using the adaptive beam indefinitely (e.g., until explicit instructions are received to operate otherwise), the NCR 160 determines when and for how long the access beam should be applied. This may be based on control information and / or data received from the base station 122 via the control link or the backhaul link. Additionally, the NCR 160 may apply the timing and duration of the access link to the adaptive beam and switch back to using the fixed beam for the control link and the backhaul link once the determined duration has expired (e.g., when the access beam is no longer in use).

[0070] One or more techniques described herein may include the NCR 160 using one fixed beam for the control link and the backhaul link, one adaptive beam for the control link, and one adaptive beam for the backhaul link. In this scenario, the NCR 160 may use signaling similar to but still different from the signaling discussed above, where only one adaptive beam is used for the backhaul link alone or for both the control link and the backhaul link. In a scenario where the control link and the backhaul link each have an adaptive beam, the application time of the adaptive beam of the backhaul link may be the same as the application time of the access link based on dedicated signaling (e.g., control information) from the base station 122, or based on the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link. Additionally or alternatively, the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link may be the same as the application time of the access link based on dedicated signaling (e.g., control information) from the base station 122 (indefinitely), or based on the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link. When the adaptive beam is no longer used, the NCR 160 may resume using the fixed beam for the corresponding link. In some implementations, the conditions based on which the application time of any adaptive beam is based can be configured and reconfigured by the base station 122 (e.g., dynamically).

[0071] In addition, one or more of the techniques described herein may include the NCR 160 using one fixed beam for the control link, one fixed beam for the backhaul link, one adaptive beam for the control link, and one adaptive beam for the backhaul link. In this scenario, the NCR 160 may use signaling similar to but still different from the signaling discussed above, where only one fixed beam is used with one adaptive beam or two adaptive beams. In a scenario where the control link and the backhaul link each have a fixed beam, the application time of the adaptive beam of the backhaul link may be the same as the application time of the access link based on dedicated signaling (e.g., control information) from the base station 122, or based on the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link. Additionally or alternatively, the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link may be the same as the application time of the access link based on dedicated signaling (e.g., control information) from the base station 122 (indefinitely), or based on the application time of the adaptive beam of the control link. When the adaptive beam is no longer used, the NCR 160 may resume using the fixed beam of the corresponding link. In some implementations, the conditions based on which the application time of any adaptive beam is based can be configured and reconfigured by the base station 122 (e.g., dynamically).

[0072] Fig.10 1 is a diagram of an example process 1000 for setting a beam according to one or more implementations described herein. Process 1000 may be implemented by UE 110, NCR 160, and base station 122. In some implementations, some or all of process 1000 may be implemented by one or more other systems or devices (including Figure 1 In addition, process 1000 may include: Fig.10 The processes 1000 may include fewer, additional, differently ordered, and / or arranged operations than those depicted. For example, the process 1000 may include operations that are performed before, in parallel with, and / or after one or more of the operations depicted. Furthermore, some or all of the operations of the process 1000 may be performed independently, sequentially, simultaneously, etc., relative to one or more of the other operations of the process 1000. Thus, the techniques described herein are not limited to Fig.10 The number, sequence, arrangement, timing, etc. of the operations or processes depicted in the .

[0073] As shown, process 1000 may include base station 122 transmitting downlink control information (DCI) and / or side control information (SCI) to NCR 160 (at 1010). This may be accomplished via a fixed beam and control link between NCR 160 and base station 122. In some implementations, another type of beam and / or link may be used to provide DCI and / or SCI. DCI may include SCI, and DCI and / or SCI may include information and instructions for NCR 160 to establish or use one or more types of beams and / or one or more types of links.

[0074] Process 1000 may include establishing one or more beams and links based on the DCI and / or SCI (at 1020). For example, the DCI and / or SCI may cause or prompt the NCR 160 to use one or more access beams to establish one or more access links with the UE 110 (at 140). The DCI and / or SCI may cause or prompt the NCR 160 to use one or more adaptive and / or fixed beams to establish one or more backhaul links or control links with the base station 122 (at 140). In some implementations, the NCR 160 may continue to use the fixed beams and control links for receiving the DCI and / or SCI. In other implementations, the NCR 160 may switch from the fixed beams and / or control links when using new adaptive and / or fixed beams for new control links with the base station 122. In some implementations, the one or more beams (adaptive and / or fixed beams) used for the backhaul link may correspond to the one or more adaptive beams used for the one or more access links.

[0075] Process 1000 may include the NCR 160 determining and monitoring one or more beam and / or link application times (block 1040). For example, the NCR 160 may determine the application time of any of these beams and / or links. In some implementations, the application time of the backhaul link beam may be the same as the application time of the access beam link (e.g., based on the application time of the access beam link). When the NCR 160 establishes multiple access beams and a corresponding backhaul link beam for an access link, the application time of the backhaul link beam may be set to the application time of the first access link beam. Additionally or alternatively, when indicating multiple beams for an access link, the base station 1220 may explicitly signal the NCR 160 to set the application time of the backhaul link beam to the application time of one of the other access link beams (an access link beam other than the first access link beam).

[0076] In some implementations, process 100 may also include NCR 160 receiving additional control information (at 1060) and establishing additional beams and / or links based on the control information (block 1070). Fig.10 These operations are illustrated in order to represent the variability of operations, timing, sequence, and iterations within the scope of the techniques described herein. That is, although example 1000 may depict operations and events such as receiving control information, establishing beams and links, determining application time, and monitoring application duration at discrete times and sequences, in practice, the techniques described herein may be equally applicable to operations performed in conjunction with Fig.10 The operations and events occur at different and overlapping times and / or in different sequences, numbers of instances, etc., than those shown in .

[0077] For example, in some implementations, the base station 122 may enable the NCR 160 to establish beams and links at different times and using different links and resources. For example, the base station 122 may use one time slot to provide the NCR 160 with instructions and information for establishing an adaptive beam to establish a backhaul link with the base station 122, and use another time slot to provide the NCR 160 with instructions and information (e.g., SCI) for establishing an access beam for an access link involving the UE 110. In this scenario, the NCR 160 may determine the application time of the backhaul link beam in one or more ways (e.g., in addition to being based on the application time of the access beam).

[0078] For example, when the NCR 160 is prompted to establish a backhaul link beam before receiving an SCI for an access link beam, and the base station 122 has not provided an explicit indication of an application time for the backhaul link beam, the NCR 160 may determine to set the application (or start) time of the backhaul link beam to the application time of the access link beam even if the SCI for the access link beam is received via a different time slot. Additionally or alternatively, when an SCI for multiple access link beams is received before receiving an indication for the backhaul link beam and a minimum duration, the NCR 160 may: 1) establish the backhaul link beam after the minimum duration expires; and 2) at the application time or start time of the next access link beam indicated by the SCI. In other words, the backhaul link beam may not be applied during (e.g., in the middle of) an ongoing access link beam.

[0079] Fig.111 is a diagram of example 1100 for implementing fixed beams and adaptive beams according to minimum duration according to one or more implementations described herein. As shown, example 1100 may include time represented along a horizontal axis, fixed beams for a control link, fixed beams and adaptive beams for a backhaul link, and access beams for an access link. In some implementations, NCR 160 may implement techniques and features of example 1100. Additionally, Fig.11 Can correspond to something like Fig.10 The process of 1000 processes.

[0080] The NCR 160 may receive side control information from the base station 122. The side control information may cause the NCR 160 to configure and / or reconfigure according to information, instructions, parameters, and / or one or more other types of information provided by the side control information. The side control information may, for example, cause the NCR 160 to operate according to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam technique as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the NCR 160 may determine timing information (such as application time and duration) related to communications involving the UE 110, the access link beam, and / or the corresponding backhaul link beam based on the side control information.

[0081] As shown, since the access beam is not used, the NCR 160 can use a single beam to communicate with the base station 122 via the control link and the backhaul link. At some point, the NCR 160 can receive a backhaul beam indication from the base station 122. The backhaul beam indication can include control information or another type of prompt, trigger, or information received via the control link. The backhaul beam indication can include a minimum duration for switching from a fixed backhaul beam to an adaptive backhaul beam. The NCR 160 can initiate and monitor the minimum duration when received.

[0082] NCR 160 may also or alternatively detect or determine that one or more access beams will be used for an access link to communicate with UE 110. In some implementations, NCR 160 may determine this based on control information received from base station 122 via a control link or data received from base station 122 via a backhaul link. The control information may include DCI and / or SCI, and may indicate an application time and / or duration corresponding to one or more access beams. Assume that NCR 160 receives an indication or prompt to establish access beam 1 and access beam 2, and each access beam includes a different application time or start time. Depending on the implementation, access beam 1 and access beam 2 may correspond to one access link or different access links.

[0083] The NCR 160 may establish access beams 1 and 2 according to the application time corresponding to each beam. Since the application time of access beam 1 is before the minimum duration expires, the NCR 160 may use access beam 1 and the fixed beam of the backhaul link to relay DL information from the base station 122 to the UE 122. That is, even though the start or application time for switching from a fixed backhaul beam to an adaptive backhaul beam may generally be set to the application time of the access beam, since the application time of access beam 1 occurs before the minimum duration expires, the DL information may be relayed via the fixed backhaul beam instead of the adaptive backhaul beam. In some implementations, the minimum duration may be applied to switching from a fixed backhaul beam to an adaptive backhaul beam. In some implementations, the minimum duration may also be applied to establishing a new adaptive backhaul beam (e.g., even when one or more fixed backhaul beams are maintained).

[0084] NCR 160 may determine that the minimum duration expires before the application time of access beam 2, and thus may set the application time of the adaptive backhaul beam based on the application time of access beam 2. Therefore, NCR 160 may establish the adaptive backhaul beam and access beam 2 at the same application time, and forward DL information from base station 122 to UE 110 using the adaptive backhaul beam and access beam 2.

[0085] In some implementations, control information (e.g., DCI and / or SCI) may be used to coordinate the switch from the fixed backhaul beam to the adaptive beam with the change from access beam 1 and access beam 2. For example, the SCI from the base station 122 may indicate to coordinate the application time and duration of access beam 1 with the application time of access beam 2, so that access beam 2 starts at the end of access beam 1. In such implementations, since the application time of the adaptive backhaul beam coincides with the end of access beam 1, there is no need to maintain the fixed backhaul beam, and thus a switch from the fixed backhaul beam to the adaptive backhaul beam is performed.

[0086] Conversely, when the duration of access beam 1 continues to exceed the application time of access beam 2, NCR 160 may maintain the fixed backhaul beam that has been associated with access beam 1 and establish an adaptive backhaul beam for access beam 2. In such a specific implementation, if the duration of access beam 1 expires before the duration of access beam 2, NCR 160 may stop the fixed backhaul beam while the adaptive backhaul beam remains active. In such a scenario, NCR 160 may reestablish the fixed backhaul beam in response to one or more triggers. An example of such a trigger may include termination of the adaptive backhaul beam due to expiration of access beam 2. In another example, where the adaptive backhaul beam may be maintained indefinitely, an example of a trigger may include NCR 160 receiving an explicit instruction or indication (e.g., control information) from base station 122 to stop the adaptive backhaul beam and reestablish the fixed backhaul beam.

[0087] In some implementations, the NCR 160 may have only two backhaul beams. One backhaul beam may be fixed and the other backhaul beam may be temporary or adaptive. In such implementations, the fixed backhaul beam may be a default backhaul beam, and the adaptive backhaul beam may be activated in response to an instruction or indication to switch from a fixed adaptive beam to an adaptive beam (e.g., by the NCR 160 receiving control information and instructions from the base station 122). The configuration of the fixed beam and the adaptive beam may be implemented using a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) and / or a DCI. For example, a single bit may be used to trigger a switch from a fixed adaptive beam to an adaptive beam. In such implementations, 0 may indicate a fixed beam, and 1 may indicate an adaptive beam.

[0088] In some implementations, NCR 160 may be configured or enabled to implement only one set of beams, so that if beams are used, the same beams are used. In other implementations, NCR 160 may be configured or enabled to implement multiple sets of beams, but may implement only one set of beams in these sets of beams at a given time. In some implementations, NCR 160 may use a set of (e.g., the same) beams for both the control link and the backhaul link. That is, one fixed beam and one adaptive beam may be used for both the control link and the backhaul link. In other implementations, NCR 160 may use different beams for the control link and the backhaul link. For example, a fixed beam may be used for the control link, and an adaptive beam may be used for the backhaul link. In yet other implementations, NCR 160 may be enabled to implement or use multiple beams (e.g., more than two), from which one or more fixed beams and / or one or more adaptive beams may be configured, activated, and indicated.

[0089] Fig.12is a diagram of an example process 1200 for reporting beam capability information according to one or more implementations described herein. Process 1200 may be implemented by base station 122 and NCR 160. As shown, base station 122 may send a request for beam capability information to NCR 160. In response, NCR 160 may provide beam capability information to base station 122. In some implementations, NCR 160 may provide beam capability information to base station 122 regardless of whether a prompt or request for the information is received. For example, NCR 160 may provide beam capability information to base station 122 as part of a standardized process (e.g., a discovery process, an attachment process, a system update, a change or update of supported beams, etc., which are performed according to a predetermined schedule or periodically). In some implementations, NCR 160 may report beam capability information for fixed beams and adaptive beams in the same communication. In other implementations, beam capability information for fixed beams and adaptive beams may also or alternatively be reported in separate communications (e.g., at different times, in response to different triggers, etc.). In some implementations, if the NCR fails to explicitly indicate support for adaptive beams 160, then lack of support for adaptive beams may be indicated.

[0090] Beam capability information as described herein may include a wide range of information and information types that describe the ability of the NCR 160 to configure, establish, manage, and maintain beams (including access beams, backhaul beams, control beams, etc.). The beam capability information may include the maximum number of beams supported, beam switching capabilities, signal detection, measurement, reception, and transmission capabilities, etc. The beam capability information may also include the number of beams supported and the types of beams supported (e.g., fixed, LOS, adaptive, etc.), the maximum and / or minimum number of beams associated with different types of links (e.g., access links, backhaul links, and control links).

[0091] The beam capability information may include any type of information that may be useful or required to implement one or more of the techniques described herein. For example, the beam capability information may include information about whether the NCR 160 can support temporary beams or adaptive beams as well as fixed beams; whether the NCR 160 can support multiple adaptive beams; and whether the NCR 160 can support one beam for both the control link and the backhaul link and / or different beams for the control link and the backhaul link. Additional examples of beam capability information may include information about whether the NCR 160 can support a default and / or configurable application time for an adaptive beam in addition to an application time associated with an access link beam; and whether the NCR 160 can support a default and / or configurable duration for an adaptive beam in addition to a duration associated with an access link beam. Further examples of beam capability information may include information about whether NCR 160 can support a default and / or configurable minimum time required to apply a beam to a backhaul link (e.g., establish a beam, switch beams, etc.), and whether the application time should always be greater than or equal to the required minimum time.

[0092] FIG. 18 is a diagram of an example of components of a device according to one or more implementations described herein. In some implementations, the device 1800 may include at least an application circuit 1802, a baseband circuit 1804, an RF circuit 1806, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 1808, one or more antennas 1810, and a power management circuit (PMC) 1812 coupled together as shown. The components of the illustrated device 1800 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some implementations, the device 1800 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize the application circuit 1802, but may include a processor / controller to process IP data received from a CN or an evolved packet core (EPC)). In some implementations, the device 1800 may include additional elements, such as a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor (including one or more temperature sensors, such as a single temperature sensor, multiple temperature sensors at different locations in the device 1800, etc.) or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other implementations, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be separately included in more than one device for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0093] The application circuit 1802 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 1802 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1800. In some specific implementations, the processor of the application circuit 1802 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0094] The baseband circuit 1804 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 1804 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1806 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1806. The baseband circuit 1804 may interact with the application circuit 1802 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 1806. For example, in some specific implementations, the baseband circuit 1804 may include a 3G baseband processor 1804A, a 4G baseband processor 1804B, a 5G baseband processor 1804C, or other baseband processors 1804D of other existing generations, generations under development, or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., 5G, 6G, etc.). The baseband circuit 1804 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 1804A-D) may handle various radio control functions that can communicate with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 1806. In other implementations, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 1804A-D may be included in a module stored in the memory 1804G and executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 1804E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some implementations, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1804 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some implementations, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1804 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other aspects.

[0095] In some implementations, the memory 1804G may receive and store one or more configurations, instructions, and / or other types of information to enable dynamic configuration and allocation of different combinations of fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links. This may include using, enabling, or enabling the NCR 160 to use one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station 122 via the control link and the backhaul link, and switching to an adaptive beam in response to one or more triggers or events (such as detecting DL information to be sent to the base station 122, receiving a prompt to establish an access beam for an access link, etc.). The information and instructions may also enable or enable the NCR 160 to determine an appropriate time and duration for using an adaptive link, for switching back to a fixed beam for a backhaul link in response to one or more conditions, and the like.

[0096] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1804 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1804F. The audio DSP 1804F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other implementations may include other suitable processing elements. In some implementations, the components of the baseband circuitry may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some implementations, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1804 and the application circuitry 1802 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0097] In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1804 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1804 may support communications with NG-RAN, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc. Implementations in which the baseband circuitry 1804 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0098] RF circuit 1806 may communicate with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various specific implementations, RF circuit 1806 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 1806 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits that down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuit 1808 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuit 1804. RF circuit 1806 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits that up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuit 1804 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuit 1808 for transmission.

[0099] In some implementations, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1806 may include a mixer circuit 1806A, an amplifier circuit 1806B, and a filter circuit 1806C. In some implementations, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1806 may include a filter circuit 1806C and the mixer circuit 1806A. The RF circuit 1806 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1806D for synthesizing the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1808 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1806D. The amplifier circuit 1806B may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 1806C may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 1804 for further processing. In some implementations, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0100] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1806D to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1808. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1804 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1806C.

[0101] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1806A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1806A of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1406A may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 1806A of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1806A of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0102] In some implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect. In some alternative implementations, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative implementations, the RF circuit 1806 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and the baseband circuit 1804 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuit 1806.

[0103] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0104] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 1806D may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1806D may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0105] The synthesizer circuit 1806D can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by the mixer circuit 1806A of the RF circuit 1806. In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1806D can be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0106] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1804 or the application circuit 1802 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 1802.

[0107] The synthesizer circuit 1806D of the RF circuit 1806 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some implementations, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some implementations, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry output) to provide a fractional frequency division ratio. In some example implementations, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these implementations, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0108] In some implementations, the synthesizer circuit 1806D can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other implementations, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some implementations, the output frequency can be an LO frequency (fLO). In some implementations, the RF circuit 1806 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0109] The FEM circuitry 1808 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1810, amplify the receive signals, and provide an amplified version of the receive signals to the RF circuitry 1806 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1808 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 1806 for transmission via one or more of the one or more antennas 1810. In various implementations, amplification by the transmit or receive signal paths may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 1806, only in the FEM circuitry 1808, or in both the RF circuitry 1806 and the FEM circuitry 1808.

[0110] In some implementations, the FEM circuit 1808 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 1806). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 1808 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 1806), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more of the one or more antennas 1810).

[0111] In some implementations, the PMC 1812 can manage the power provided to the baseband circuit 1804. Specifically, the PMC 1812 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When the device 1800 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE, the PMC 1812 can generally be included. The PMC 1812 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing a desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0112] 18 shows the PMC 1812 coupled only to the baseband circuit 1804. However, in other implementations, the PMC 1812 may be additionally or alternatively coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 1802, the RF circuit 1806, or the FEM 1808) and perform similar power management operations.

[0113] In some implementations, the PMC 1812 can control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 1800. For example, if the device 1800 is in the RRC_Connected state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, then after a period of inactivity, the device can enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 1800 can be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power.

[0114] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 1800 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 1800 enters a very low power state, and it performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network, and then powers down again. The device 1800 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the device may transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0115] An additional power saving mode can prevent a device from using the network for a period longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to several hours). During this period, the device cannot connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data transmitted during this period will be significantly delayed, assuming that the delay is acceptable.

[0116] The processor of the application circuit 1802 and the processor of the baseband circuit 1804 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1804 can be used alone or in combination to perform the functions of layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1, and the processor of the baseband circuit 1804 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform the functions of layer 4 (e.g., transport communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layer). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be further described in detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be further described in detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be further described in detail below.

[0117] FIG19 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein according to some exemplary implementations. Specifically, FIG19 shows a schematic diagram of hardware resources 1900, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1910, one or more memory / storage devices 1920, and one or more communication resources 1930, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 1940. For implementations in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resources 1900.

[0118] Processor 1910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) (such as a baseband processor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1912 and processor 1914.

[0119] The memory / storage device 1920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0120] In some implementations, the memory / storage device 1920 can receive and store one or more configurations, instructions, and / or other types of information 1955 to enable dynamic configuration and allocation of different combinations of fixed beams and adaptive beams for control links and backhaul links. This can include using, enabling, or enabling the NCR 160 to use one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station 122 via the control link and the backhaul link, and switching to adaptive beams in response to one or more triggers or events (such as detecting DL information to be sent to the base station 122, receiving a prompt to establish an access beam for an access link, etc.). The information and instructions can also enable or enable the NCR 160 to determine the appropriate time and duration for using the adaptive link, for switching back to the fixed beam for the backhaul link in response to one or more conditions, and so on.

[0121] The communication resources 1930 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1904 or one or more databases 1906 via the network 1908. For example, the communication resources 1930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a universal serial bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Parts (such as Low power consumption), components and other communication components.

[0122] The instructions 1950 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 1910 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1950 may reside in whole or in part within at least one of the processor 1910 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 1920, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 1950 may be transferred to the hardware resources 1900 from any combination of the peripheral device 1904 or the database 1906. Thus, the memory of the processor 1910, the memory / storage device 1920, the peripheral device 1904, and the database 1906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0123] Embodiments herein may include subject matter, such as a method, components for performing actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium including executable instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform actions of a method or apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the described specific implementations and embodiments.

[0124] In embodiment 1, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, and an NCR may include: a memory; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to, when executing instructions stored in the memory, enable the NCR to: communicate with a base station via a control link and a backhaul link using one or more fixed beams; establish an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; establish an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; and use the adaptive beam and the access beam to relay information from the base station to the UE.

[0125] In embodiment 2, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the start time of using the adaptive beam based on the start time of using the access beam. In embodiment 3, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the duration of using the adaptive beam based on the duration associated with the access beam. In embodiment 4, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR switches back to the one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station via the backhaul link in response to expiration of the duration of using the adaptive beam.

[0126] In embodiment 5, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR switches back to the one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station via the backhaul link in response to receiving an explicit instruction from the base station. In embodiment 6, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR uses the adaptive beam to communicate with the base station via the control link. In embodiment 7, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the start time of the adaptive beam based on a minimum application time and a dedicated duration.

[0127] In embodiment 8, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the start time of the adaptive beam based on the start time associated with the access beam. In embodiment 9, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the duration of using the adaptive beam based on the duration associated with the access beam. In embodiment 10, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR establishes another adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the control link.

[0128] In embodiment 11, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the start time of the adaptive beam and the other adaptive beam based on at least one of the following: using the start time of the access beam; or dedicated signaling from the base station. In embodiment 12, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the start time of the adaptive beam based on the start time of the other adaptive beam. In embodiment 13, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the duration of the adaptive beam and the other adaptive beam based on at least one of the following: the duration associated with the access beam; or a dedicated duration signaled from the base station.

[0129] In embodiment 14, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR determines the duration of the other adaptive beam based on the duration of the adaptive beam. In embodiment 15, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein when multiple access beams are indicated, the NCR determines the start time of using the adaptive beam based on the start time of using the first access beam among the multiple access beams. In embodiment 16, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein when multiple access beams are indicated, the NCR determines the start time of using the adaptive beam based on explicit signaling from the base station.

[0130] In embodiment 17, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, when an indication for the adaptive beam is received before the side control information (SCI) indicating the access beam, the NCR determines the start time of using the adaptive beam based on the start point of the access beam. In embodiment 18, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, when an indication for the adaptive beam is received after the side control information (SCI) indicating multiple access beams, the NCR determines the start time of using the adaptive beam based on the start point of the first access beam in the multiple access beams after the minimum duration associated with using the adaptive beam. In embodiment 19, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, the NCR is limited to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam, and the one fixed beam is a default beam used to communicate with the base station via the control link and the backhaul link.

[0131] In embodiment 20, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the one or more fixed beams and the adaptive beam are configured via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI). In embodiment 21, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR is limited to one or more groups of beams for both the control link and the backhaul link. In embodiment 22, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR reports beam capability information to the base station, the beam capability information including at least one of the following: whether multiple fixed beams are supported; whether multiple beams are supported for the control link and the backhaul link; whether the start time of the adaptive beam is based on the start time of the access beam; whether the duration of the adaptive beam is based on the duration of the access beam; or whether the start time of the adaptive beam is based on the minimum duration associated with the adaptive beam. In embodiment 23, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, wherein the NCR reports the beam capability information in response to a request from the base station.

[0132] In embodiment 24, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, and a method performed by the NCR may include: using one or more fixed beams to communicate with a base station via a control link and a backhaul link; establishing an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; and establishing an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; and using the adaptive beam and the access beam to relay information from the base station to the UE.

[0133] In embodiment 25, the embodiment may also include one or more embodiments of the embodiments described herein, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising: one or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, enable the one or more processors to: communicate with a base station via a control link and a backhaul link using one or more fixed beams; establish an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; establish an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; and use the adaptive beam and the access beam to relay information from the base station to the UE.

[0134] The above description of illustrative examples, implementations, aspects, etc. of the disclosed subject matter, including what is described in the abstract of the specification, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific examples, implementations, aspects, etc. are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications can be considered within the scope of such examples, implementations, aspects, etc., as can be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art.

[0135] In this regard, while the subject matter of the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with various examples, implementations, aspects, etc. and corresponding figures, it should be understood that other similar aspects may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the disclosed subject matter, where applicable, for performing the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the subject matter without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single example, implementation, or aspect described herein, but should be interpreted in accordance with the breadth and scope of the following claims.

[0136] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components or structures (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "members") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementations illustrated herein. In addition, although particular features have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, for any given application, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

[0137] As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to be directed to the singular form. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including", "comprising", "having", "having", "with", or variations thereof are used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be included in a manner similar to the term "comprising". In addition, where one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.) are discussed, generally, the one or more numbered items may be different or they may be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0138] It is well known that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

1. A network controlled repeater (NCR), comprising: Memory; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured, when executing instructions stored in the memory, to cause the NCR to: communicating with a base station via a backhaul link using one or more fixed beams; establishing an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; establishing an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; and Information is relayed from the base station to the UE using the adaptive beam and the access beam. 2 . The NCR of claim 1 , wherein the NCR determines a start time of using the adaptive beam based on a start time of using the access beam.

3. The NCR of claim 2, wherein the NCR determines a duration for using the adaptive beam based on a duration associated with the access beam.

4. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR switches back to the one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station via the backhaul link in response to expiration of a duration of using the adaptive beam.

5. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR switches back to the one or more fixed beams to communicate with the base station via the backhaul link in response to receiving an explicit instruction from the base station.

6. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR uses the adaptive beam to communicate with the base station via a control link.

7. The NCR of claim 6, wherein the NCR determines a start time of the adaptive beam based on a minimum application time and a dedicated duration.

8. The NCR of claim 6, wherein the NCR determines a start time of the adaptive beam based on a start time associated with the access beam.

9. The NCR of claim 8, wherein the NCR determines a duration for using the adaptive beam based on a duration associated with the access beam.

10. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR establishes another adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via a control link.

11. The NCR of claim 10, wherein the NCR determines the start time of the adaptive beam and the another adaptive beam based on at least one of the following: the start time of using the access beam; or Dedicated signaling from the base station.

12. The NCR of claim 10, wherein the NCR determines a start time of the adaptive beam based on a start time of the other adaptive beam.

13. The NCR of claim 10, wherein the NCR determines the duration of the adaptive beam and the another adaptive beam based on at least one of: a duration associated with the access beam; or A dedicated duration is signaled from the base station.

14. The NCR of claim 10, wherein the NCR determines a duration of the another adaptive beam based on a duration of the adaptive beam.

15. The NCR of claim 1, wherein when a plurality of access beams are indicated, the NCR determines a start time of using the adaptive beam based on a start time of using a first access beam among the plurality of access beams.

16. The NCR of claim 1, wherein when multiple access beams are indicated, the NCR determines a start time for using the adaptive beam based on explicit signaling from the base station.

17. The NCR of claim 1, wherein when an indication for an adaptive beam is received before side control information (SCI) indicating the access beam, the NCR determines a start time of using the adaptive beam based on a start point of the access beam.

18. The NCR of claim 1, wherein when an indication for the adaptive beam is received after side control information (SCI) indicating a plurality of access beams, the NCR determines a start time for using the adaptive beam based on a start point of a first access beam among the plurality of access beams after a minimum duration associated with using the adaptive beam.

19. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR is limited to one fixed beam and one adaptive beam, and the one fixed beam is a default beam used to communicate with the base station via a control link and the backhaul link.

20. The NCR of claim 17, wherein the one or more fixed beams and the adaptive beam are configured via a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI).

21. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR is limited to one or more sets of beams for both a control link and the backhaul link.

22. The NCR of claim 1, wherein the NCR reports beam capability information to the base station, the beam capability information comprising at least one of the following: Whether multiple fixed beams are supported; Whether the control link and the backhaul link support multiple beams; Whether the start time of the adaptive beam is based on the start time of the access beam; whether the duration of the adaptive beam is based on the duration of the access beam; or Whether the start time of the adaptive beam is based on a minimum duration associated with the adaptive beam.

23. The NCR of claim 22, wherein the NCR reports the beam capability information in response to a request from the base station.

24. A method performed by a network controlled repeater (NCR), the method comprising: communicating with a base station via a control link and a backhaul link using one or more fixed beams; establishing an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; as well as establishing an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; as well as Information is relayed from the base station to the UE using the adaptive beam and the access beam.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: A start time of using the adaptive beam is determined based on a start time of using the access beam.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: One or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: communicating with a base station via a control link and a backhaul link using one or more fixed beams; establishing an adaptive beam for communicating with the base station via the backhaul link; establishing an access beam to communicate with a user equipment (UE) via an access link; and Information is relayed from the base station to the UE using the adaptive beam and the access beam.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more instructions cause the one or more processors to: A start time of using the adaptive beam is determined based on a start time of using the access beam.

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