Control configuration prioritization for network controlled repeaters

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication device, a scheduling device and corresponding methods for the communication device and the scheduling device. For example, a communication device includes a transceiver and circuitry. The transceiver: (i) receives a signal to be relayed and transmits the received signal, (ii) transmits or receives a control signal, and (iii) receives relay configuration signaling. The circuitry (i) obtains a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, where each relay configuration is to be applied to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, and (ii) determining to apply a relay configuration of the two or more overlapping relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device within a time interval in which the two or more overlapping relay configurations overlap, where the circuitry determines to apply the relay configuration having the highest priority of the two or more overlapping relay configurations within the time interval.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the transmission and reception of signals in a communication system (such as a 3GPP communication system). Specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for such transmission and reception. Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) works on the technical specifications of next-generation cellular technologies, which are also known as the 5th Generation (5G) including the "New Radio" (NR) Radio Access Technology (RAT), operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. NR is a follower of the technologies represented by Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).

[0003] For systems such as LTE and NR, further improvements and options can facilitate the efficient operation of the communication system and specific devices related to the system. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A non-limiting and exemplary embodiment helps to improve the efficiency of a communication system including a relay node. Specifically, the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of a communication system in which a relay apparatus supports (i) simultaneous reception / transmission in different links, and (ii) separate reception / transmission (i.e., at different times) in the different links.

[0005] In one embodiment, the technology disclosed herein is characterized by an apparatus (e.g., a communication device, particularly a relay apparatus). The apparatus includes a transceiver and a circuit. The transceiver: (i) receives signals to be relayed and transmits the received signals, (ii) transmits or receives control signals, and (iii) receives relay configuration signaling. The circuit (i) obtains a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, where each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device, and (ii) determines that, within a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations that has the highest priority is applied to the signals transmitted or received by the communication device.

[0006] It should be noted that a general or specific embodiment can be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any selective combination thereof.

[0007] Other benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and the drawings. Benefits and / or advantages can be obtained individually from the various embodiments and features of the specification and the drawings, and it is not necessary to provide all of these embodiments and features in order to obtain one or more such benefits and / or advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In the following exemplary embodiments, it will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and figures.

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a 3GPP NR system is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC;

[0011] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram of the RRC connection establishment / reconfiguration process;

[0012] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the usage scenarios of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC);

[0013] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario;

[0014] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the functional communication structure of a relay node in a communication system where a node relays signals between a base station and a UE;

[0015] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the possible time conflicts between different relay configurations for the transmission or reception of control signals and / or signals to be relayed that a base station intends to apply by a relay node;

[0016] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a communication system including a relay node and a base station with their respective exemplary functional structures;

[0017] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the exemplary functional structure of the processing circuit on the relay node side;

[0018] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the exemplary functional structure of the processing circuit on the base station side;

[0019] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the exemplary steps performed by a relay node;

[0020] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the exemplary steps performed by a base station;

[0021] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with two semi-static beam configurations having different priorities;

[0022] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with a semi-static beam configuration and a beam configuration with dynamic indication, where the beam configuration with dynamic indication has a different priority from the semi-static beam configuration;

[0023] Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with semi-static and dynamically indicated beam configurations having different priority levels;

[0024] Figure 16 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with two beam configurations with dynamically indicated beams having different priorities;

[0025] Figure 17 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with a beam configuration indicated by the same dynamic control information message;

[0026] Figure 18 It is a schematic diagram showing the exemplary behavior of a relay device configured with two beam configurations and capable of applying the two beam configurations simultaneously. Detailed implementation

[0027] 5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack

[0028] 3GPP has been working on the next version of the fifth-generation cellular technology (abbreviated as 5G), including the development of a new radio access technology (NR) operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which allows for trials compliant with the 5G NR standard and commercial deployment of smart phones.

[0029] In addition, the overall system architecture adopts NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) including gNBs, thereby providing NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocol termination to UEs. gNBs are interconnected with each other via the Xn interface. gNBs are also connected to NGC (Next Generation Core) through the Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically, connected to AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) (e.g., a specific core entity performing AMF) through the NG-C interface, and connected to UPF (User Plane Function) (e.g., a specific core entity performing UPF) through the NG-U interface. Figure 1The NG-RAN architecture is shown (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0030] The user plane protocol stack of NR (see, for example, section 4.4.1 of 3GPP TS 38.300) includes the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see section 6.4 of TS 38.300), RLC (Radio Link Control, see section 6.3 of TS 38.300), and MAC (Medium Access Control, see section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayers terminated at the gNB on the network side. Additionally, a new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, subclause 6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, for example, TS38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of layer 2 functions is given in subclause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers are listed in sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in subclause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0031] For example, the Medium Access Control layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including the handling of different numerologies.

[0032] The Physical layer (PHY) is responsible, for example, for coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping the signal to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles the mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The Physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources for the transmission of a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are the PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for the uplink, and the PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) for the downlink.

[0033] Use cases / deployment scenarios of NR can include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), which have different requirements in terms of data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps for downlink and 10 Gbps for uplink) and user experience data rates that are three orders of magnitude higher than those provided by advanced IMT. On the other hand, in the case of URLLC, more stringent requirements are imposed on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for both UL and DL for user plane latency) and high reliability (1 - 10 -5 ) within 1 ms. Finally, mMTC may preferably require high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km2 in urban environments), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long-life batteries (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0034] Therefore, an OFDM parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not be well-suited for another use case. For example, compared to mMTC services, low-latency services may preferably require shorter symbol durations (and thus larger subcarrier spacings) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as TTI). Additionally, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require longer CP durations than scenarios with short delay spreads. The subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to maintain a similar CP overhead. NR can support more than one value of subcarrier spacing. Accordingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz... are currently being considered. The symbol duration T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related by the formula Δf = 1 / T u . In a similar manner to the LTE system, the term "resource element" can be used to represent the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier of an OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol length.

[0035] In the New Radio system 5G-NR, for each parameter set and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined separately for the uplink and the downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on the frequency index in the frequency domain and the symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0 or, for example, v16.2.0, section 4). For example, downlink and uplink transmissions are organized into frames with a duration of 10 ms, each frame consisting of ten subframes with a duration of 1 ms each. In a 5G NR implementation, the number of consecutive OFDM symbols in each subframe depends on the subcarrier spacing configuration. For example, for a 15-kHz subcarrier spacing, a subframe has 14 OFDM symbols (similar to an LTE-compliant implementation, assuming a normal cyclic prefix). On the other hand, for a 30-kHz subcarrier spacing, a subframe has two time slots, each time slot including 14 OFDM symbols.

[0036] Compared to the LTE parameter sets (subcarrier spacing and symbol length), NR supports multiple different types of subcarrier spacing, which are labeled by the parameter μ (in LTE, only the 15-kHz subcarrier spacing exists, corresponding to μ = 0 in NR). The NR parameter set types are outlined in 3GPP TS 38.211, v15.7.0.

[0037] 5G NR functional split between NG-RAN and 5GC

[0038] Figure 2 Shows the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC. The NG-RAN logical nodes are gNB or ng-eNB. The 5GC has the logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0039] Specifically, gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions:

[0040] - Functions for radio resource management, such as radio bearer control, radio access control, connection mobility control, dynamic resource allocation to the UE in the uplink and downlink (scheduling);

[0041] - IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection of data;

[0042] - Selecting the AMF at UE attachment when the route to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE;

[0043] - Routing user plane data to the (multiple) UPFs;

[0044] - Routing control plane information to the AMF;

[0045] - Connection establishment and release;

[0046] - Scheduling and transmission of paging messages;

[0047] - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (from AMF or OAM);

[0048] - Measurement and measurement report configuration for mobility and scheduling;

[0049] - Transport-level packet marking in the uplink;

[0050] - Session management;

[0051] - Support for network slicing;

[0052] - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers;

[0053] - Support for UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0054] - Distribution function for NAS messages;

[0055] - Radio access network sharing;

[0056] - Dual connectivity;

[0057] - Tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.

[0058] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is in charge of the following main functions:

[0059] - Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling termination;

[0060] - NAS signaling security;

[0061] - Access Stratum (AS) security control;

[0062] - Core Network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks;

[0063] - Idle mode UE reachability (including control and execution of paging retransmission);

[0064] - Registration area management;

[0065] - Support for intra-system mobility and inter-system mobility;

[0066] - Access authentication;

[0067] - Access authorization control, including checking roaming permissions;

[0068] - Mobility management control (subscription and policy);

[0069] - Support for network slicing;

[0070] - Session Management Function (SMF) selection.

[0071] In addition, the User Plane Function (UPF) is in charge of the following main functions:

[0072] - Anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable);

[0073] - External PDU session point for interconnecting with the data network;

[0074] - Packet routing and forwarding;

[0075] - Packet inspection and user plane part for policy rule enforcement;

[0076] - Traffic usage reporting;

[0077] - Uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network;

[0078] - Branch point to support multi-homed PDU sessions;

[0079] - QoS handling for the user plane, such as packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement;

[0080] - Uplink traffic verification (SDF to QoS flow mapping);

[0081] - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering.

[0082] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) is in charge of the following main functions:

[0083] - Session management;

[0084] - UE IP address allocation and management;

[0085] - Selection and control of the UP function;

[0086] - Configure traffic steering at the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the correct destination;

[0087] - Control part of policy enforcement and QoS;

[0088] - Downlink data notification.

[0089] RRC connection establishment and reconfiguration procedures

[0090] Figure 3 Shows some interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entities) in the context of the UE transitioning from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED in the NAS part (see TS38.300).

[0091] RRC is a higher layer signaling (protocol) for UE configuration and gNB configuration. Specifically, this transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities, etc.) and sending it to the gNB together with an "INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST". Then, the gNB activates the AS security with the UE, which is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Thereafter, the gNB performs reconfiguration by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE as a response to establish a signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2) and one or more data radio bearers (DRBs). For a signaling-only connection, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped since no SRB2 and DRB are established. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF of the completion of the establishment procedure using an "INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE".

[0092] Accordingly, in the present disclosure, entities of the fifth generation core (5GC) (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) are provided, which include a control circuit for establishing a next generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB, and a transmitter for sending an initial context establishment message to the gNodeB via the NG connection to establish a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE). Specifically, the gNodeB sends radio resource control (RRC) signaling containing a resource allocation configuration information element (IE) to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. Then, the UE performs uplink transmission or downlink reception based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0093] IMT Usage in 2020 and Beyond

[0094] Figure 4 Some use cases of 5G NR are shown. In the Third Generation Partnership Project New Radio (3GPP NR), three use cases that have been envisioned for IMT-2020 to support a variety of services and applications are being considered. The specification for Phase 1 of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) has been completed. In addition to further expanding eMBB support, current and future work will also involve the standardization of ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communication. Figure 4shows some envisioned usage scenarios of IMT in 2020 and beyond (e.g., see ITU-R M.20183 Figure 2 ).

[0095] URLLC use cases have strict requirements on functions such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers for future vertical applications (such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, remote medical surgery, distribution automation in smart grids, transportation safety, etc.). Support for the ultra-reliability of URLLC is achieved by determining technologies that meet the requirements set by TR38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, the key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL (downlink). For a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms, the general URLLC requirement for one packet transmission is a BLER (block error rate) of 1E-5.

[0096] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in a variety of possible ways. The current scope of improving reliability includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, repetition of PDCCH, etc. However, as NR becomes more stable and developed (in terms of the key requirements of NR URLLC), the scope for achieving ultra-reliability may broaden. Specific use cases of NR URLLC in Rel.15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-security, and mission-critical applications.

[0097] In addition, the technical enhancements targeted at NR URLLC aim at latency improvement and reliability improvement. Technical enhancements for latency improvement include configurable parameter sets, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition of data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means stopping a transmission for which resources have already been allocated and using the allocated resources for another transmission that has been requested later but has lower latency / higher priority requirements. Accordingly, an already authorized transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption can be applied independently of a specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission of service type B (such as eMBB). Technical enhancements regarding reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table with a 1E-5 target BLER.

[0098] The use cases of mMTC (massive machine type communication) are characterized by a very large number of connected devices that typically transmit relatively small amounts of non-delay-sensitive data. The devices need to be low-cost and have a very long battery life. From the perspective of NR, using very narrow bandwidth parts is a possible solution to save power and extend battery life from the UE's perspective.

[0099] As described above, it is expected that the reliability range in NR becomes wider. A key requirement in all cases, especially necessary for URLLC and mMTC, is high reliability or ultra-reliability. From the perspective of radio and the network, several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability. Generally speaking, several key potential areas can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity in the frequency domain, time domain, and / or spatial domain. Generally, these areas are applicable to reliability regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0100] For NR URLLC, other use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, the transportation industry, and power distribution, including factory automation, the transportation industry, and power distribution. The more stringent requirements are higher reliability (up to 10 -6 levels), higher availability, a packet size of up to 256 bytes, time synchronization on the order of a few μs (where the value can be 1 μs or a few μs, depending on the frequency range), and short latency on the order of 0.5 to 1 ms (specifically, a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms, depending on the use case).

[0101] In addition, for NR URLLC, several technical enhancements have been identified from the perspective of the physical layer. These technologies include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. In addition, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are related to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. PUSCH enhancements related to mini-slot level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements have also been identified. The term "mini-slot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that includes a smaller number of symbols than a slot (a slot including 14 symbols).

[0102] QoS Control

[0103] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require guaranteed flow bitrates (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require guaranteed flow bitrates (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows are the finest QoS differentiation granularity in a PDU session. QoS flows are identified by the QoS flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header on the NG-U interface within a PDU session.

[0104] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) together with the PDU session and may subsequently configure additional DRBs (when to do so depends on the NG-RAN) for the (multiple) QoS flows of the PDU session, as shown above with reference to Figure 3 shown. The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and in the 5GC associate UL packets and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and in the NG-RAN associate UL QoS flows and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0105] Figure 5 shows the 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture (see, for example, 3GPP TS23.501 v16.7.0 or v17.1.1, section 4.2.3). The Application Function (AF) (e.g., an external application server that supervises 5G services, as exemplarily described in Figure 4 interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as to support the influence of an application on traffic routing, the Access Network Exposure Function (NEF), or interaction with a policy framework for policy control (see Policy Control Function (PCF)), e.g., QoS control. Based on the operator deployment, application functions that are considered trusted by the operator may be allowed to directly interact with relevant network functions. Application functions not allowed by the operator to directly access network functions interact with relevant network functions via the NEF using the external exposure framework.

[0106] Figure 5 shows other functional units of the 5G architecture, namely, the Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), the Network Repository Function (NRF), the Unified Data Management (UDM), the Authentication Server Function (AUSF), the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), the Session Management Function (SMF), and the Data Network (DN) (e.g., operator services, Internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and run in a cloud computing environment.

[0107] Thus, in the present disclosure, an application server (e.g., the AF of the 5G architecture) is provided, which includes a transmitter and a control circuit. The transmitter sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of the URLLC, eMMB, and mMTC services to at least one of the functions (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) of the 5GC to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between the gNodeB and the UE according to the QoS requirements, and the control circuit uses the established PDU session to execute the service.

[0108] Control signal

[0109] In the present disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through the PDCCH of the physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted through the MAC control element (CE) or RRC of the higher layer. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0110] The uplink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted through the PUCCH of the physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted through the MAC CE or RRC of the higher layer. In addition, the uplink control signal may be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced by uplink control information (UCI), first-level sidelink control information (SCI), or second-level SCI.

[0111] Uplink / downlink / sidelink

[0112] The present disclosure may be applied to any one of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0113] The present disclosure may be applied to, for example, uplink channels (such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH), downlink channels (such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH), and sidelink channels (such as physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH)).

[0114] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0115] Data channel / control channel

[0116] The present disclosure may be applied to any one of the data channel and the control channel. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced by a data channel including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH and / or a control channel including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0117] Reference signal

[0118] In the present disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known (e.g., predefined, fixed) to both a base station and a mobile station and / or a relay node, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or sometimes as a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any one of a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), and a sounding reference signal (SRS). The reference signal may be used at a receiving device for estimating channel characteristics and / or for synchronization. One or more parameters of the reference signal may also be used to transmit data (control or payload), while another or more parameters of the same reference signal may be used as a reference. For example, the reference signal may be used to compare the received power with a reference power. However, the reference signal may also be used to compare phases and / or frequencies, etc.

[0119] Time interval

[0120] In the present disclosure, a time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of a time slot and a symbol, and may be a time resource unit (such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a time slot, a time slot sub-slot, a micro-slot) or a time resource unit (such as a symbol, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol) or other time resource units. The number of symbols included in one time slot is not limited to any number of symbols illustrated in the above embodiments, and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0121] Frequency band

[0122] The present disclosure may be applied to any one of an authorized frequency band and an unauthorized frequency band. It is applicable to any frequency band, but may be particularly advantageous for higher frequency bands due to the increased benefits of beamforming. Specifically, the frequency bands for 5G NR are divided into two different frequency ranges. First, there is frequency range 1 (FR1), which includes frequency bands below 6 GHz, some of which have traditionally been used by previous standards but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum supplies from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. The other frequency band is frequency range 2 (FR2), which includes frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz.

[0123] Communication

[0124] The present disclosure may be applied to any communication involving communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (sidelink communication), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0125] In addition, the present disclosure can be applied to any one of a terrestrial network or a network other than a terrestrial network (NTN: non-terrestrial network) using satellites or high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS). In addition, the present disclosure can be applied to a network with a relatively large cell size, as well as a terrestrial network with a relatively large delay compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0126] Antenna port

[0127] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed by one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, and sometimes refers to an array antenna formed by multiple antennas, etc. For example, there is no definition of how many physical antennas form an antenna port, but an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit that allows a terminal to transmit a reference signal through it. An antenna port can also be defined as the smallest unit for multiplying pre-coding vector weighting.

[0128] Downlink control channel monitoring PDCCH DCI

[0129] Many functions operated by the UE involve monitoring the downlink control channel (e.g., PDCCH, see 3GPP TS38.300 v15.6.0, section 5.2.3) to receive, for example, specific control information or data destined for the UE.

[0130] The following gives a non-exhaustive list of these functions:

[0131] - Paging message monitoring function,

[0132] - System information acquisition function,

[0133] - Signaling monitoring operation for discontinuous reception (DRX) function,

[0134] - Inactivity monitoring operation for discontinuous reception (DRX) function,

[0135] - Random access response reception for random access function,

[0136] - Reordering function of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0137] As described above, PDCCH monitoring is performed by the UE to identify and receive information intended for the UE, such as control information and user traffic (e.g., DCI on the PDCCH and user data on the PDSCH indicated by the PDCCH).

[0138] Control information in the downlink (which may be referred to as downlink control information DCI) has the same purpose in 5G NR as DCI in LTE, that is, a special set of control information that schedules, for example, a downlink data channel (e.g., PDSCH) or an uplink data channel (e.g., PUSCH). In 5G NR, many different DCI formats have been defined (see Section 7.3.1 of TS38.212 v15.6.0).

[0139] The DCI format represents a predetermined format for forming and transmitting the corresponding information. Specifically, DCI formats 0_1 and 1_1 are used to schedule PUSCH and PDSCH in a cell, respectively.

[0140] The PDCCH monitoring for each of these functions serves a specific purpose and thus starts to end. The PDCCH monitoring is typically controlled at least based on a timer operated by the UE. The timer has the purpose of controlling the PDCCH monitoring, for example, limiting the maximum amount of time for which the UE is to monitor the PDCCH. For example, the UE may not need to monitor the PDCCH indefinitely, but can stop monitoring after a period of time in order to save power.

[0141] As described above, one of the purposes of DCI on the PDCCH is the dynamic scheduling of resources in the downlink or uplink or even the sidelink. Specifically, some formats of DCI are provided to carry an indication of the resources (resource allocation, RA) of the data channel allocated to a specific user. The resource allocation may include resource specifications in the frequency domain and / or the time domain.

[0142] Physical resource block

[0143] Generally, the term "physical resource block" (PRB) refers to the smallest allocable resource unit available for (user) data transmission. In LTE and NR, a PRB has a predetermined number (e.g., 12) of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and a predetermined number of symbols (e.g., 14 OFDM symbols in LTE) in the time domain.

[0144] The term

[0145] Hereinafter, the UE, relay node, base station (network node), and procedures will be described for the new radio access technology envisioned for the 5G mobile communication system, but the new radio access technology can also be used in the LTE mobile communication system. Different embodiments and variations will also be explained. The following disclosure is facilitated by the discussions and findings described above and can be based on, for example, at least a part of them.

[0146] In general, it should be noted that many assumptions have been made herein in order to be able to explain the basic principles of the present disclosure in a clear, concise, and understandable manner. However, these assumptions should be understood as merely examples made herein for illustrative purposes, which are not necessarily essential for the present invention and thus should not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will realize that the principles disclosed hereinafter, as well as the principles set forth in the claims, can be applied to different scenarios and in ways not explicitly described herein.

[0147] In addition, some of the terms used hereinafter for processes, entities, layers, etc. are closely related to the terms used in the LTE / LTE-A systems or in the current 3GPP 5G standardization, even though the specific terms used in the context of the new radio access technology for the next communication system have not been fully determined or may ultimately change. Therefore, the terms may change in the future without affecting the functionality of the embodiments. Thus, those skilled in the art realize that the embodiments and their scope of protection should not be limited to the specific terms used herein by way of example due to the lack of updated or finally agreed terms, but should be understood more broadly in terms of the functions and concepts underlying the functions and principles constituting the present disclosure. Specifically:

[0148] Terminal

[0149] A terminal, or user terminal, or user device, or mobile station, or mobile node is referred to as a user equipment (UE) in LTE and NR. This can be a mobile device or a communication device, such as a wireless phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) stick with the functionality of a user equipment. However, the term mobile device is not limited thereto. Generally, a relay device can also have the functionality of such a mobile device, and a mobile device can also act as a relay device. For example, a terminal is a physical entity (physical node) within a communication network. In addition, a communication device can be any machine-type communication device, such as an IoT device, etc. A node can have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predetermined set of functions to the same or another node or other functional entities of the network. A node can have one or more interfaces that attach the node to the communication facilities or media through which the node can communicate. Similarly, a network entity can have a logical interface that attaches the functional entity to the communication facilities or media through which it can communicate with other functional entities or corresponding nodes.

[0150] Base station

[0151] In the present disclosure, a base station may be, for example, a transmission reception point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a remote radio head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a base station (BS), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station unit, or a gateway. Additionally, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be employed instead of a base station. A base station may be a relay device that relays communication between a higher node and a terminal. A base station may also be a roadside unit. A base station may be a scheduling node or a network node, for example, forming part of a network for providing services to terminals. Specifically, a base station may provide wireless access to terminals. Communication between a communication device (e.g., a UE or a terminal) and a scheduling device (e.g., a base station) is typically standardized and may be defined by different layers, such as PHY, MAC, RRC, etc. (see also the above discussion). In LTE and NR, the radio interface protocol stack includes a physical layer, a medium access layer (MAC), and higher layers. In the control plane, the higher layer protocol radio resource control protocol is provided. Via RRC, a base station may control the configuration of a terminal, and the terminal may communicate with the base station to perform control tasks, measurements, and other functions such as connection and bearer establishment, modification, etc. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the currently used term in 5G NR is gNB. The term "base station" or "radio base station" herein refers to a physical entity within a communication network. Like a mobile station, a base station may have several functional entities. A functional entity refers to a software or hardware module that implements and / or provides a predefined set of functions to the same or other functional entities of another node or network. The physical entity performs some control tasks regarding communication devices, including one or more of scheduling and configuration. Note that base station functions and communication device functions may also be integrated within a single device. For example, a mobile terminal may also implement the functions of a base station for other terminals. The term used in LTE is eNB (or eNodeB), while the currently used term in 5G NR is gNB. Specifically, a base station may also be a gNB in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) NR system.

[0152] Relay node

[0153] The term "relay device" or "relay node" refers to a general node (in a communication system) or any communication device that receives a signal from one entity, amplifies the signal, and transmits the signal to another entity.

[0154] In other words, the relay device can be any device controlled by a first entity (hereinafter generally assumed to be a base station / scheduling device / gNB) to relay signals between the first entity and a second entity (hereinafter generally assumed to be a UE). However, while the relay device herein is described as amplifying signals between a base station (network node, scheduling device) and a user equipment, the relay device of the present disclosure can also be used to amplify signals between, for example, two user equipments. Specifically, the relay device can be a UE, a base station (such as a gNB), an NCR, or an integrated access backhaul (IAB).

[0155] For example, the relay device can be an RF (radio frequency) repeater that does not perform baseband L1 processing such as demodulation and decoding or (H)ARQ, but only receives, amplifies, and retransmits signals. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, as the relay device can also be an intelligent repeater that performs demodulation, decoding, and / or error correction on the signal before relaying it. Specifically, the signal received by the relay device from one entity to be relayed to another entity and the corresponding signal sent by the relay device to the other entity can be the same (up to amplification) or can be different (e.g., in terms of modulation, but also e.g. due to error correction). Here, it should be noted that in the present disclosure, (i) the signal / transmission received by the relay device from one entity to be relayed to another entity is also referred to as the "signal / transmission to be relayed", and (ii) the signal / transmission of the relay node that relays the signal / transmission to be relayed is referred to as the "relayed signal / transmission". Generally, the transmission to be relayed can be (i) received from a gNB or (ii) a transmission received from the other entity and to be relayed to the gNB; and the relayed transmission can be (i) a transmission sent to the gNB or (ii) a transmission towards the other entity. Additionally, note that the present disclosure applies to relay devices regardless of their layer (RF, L1, L2, L3, etc.), applicable frequency band, multiplexing domain, etc.

[0156] Generally, relay nodes are used to extend the coverage in a cell and / or improve the performance at the cell edge, while being able to reduce costs compared to increasing the number of base stations (network nodes). In the downlink, the relay node can receive signals from a network node (e.g., a scheduling device or a base station) in the downlink, amplify them, and further send them to, for example, one or more terminals. In the uplink, the relay node can receive signals from the one or more terminals, amplify them, and further send them to a network node (e.g., a base station). Thus, the relay node can have multiple radio access interfaces, specifically:

[0157] - An interface for radio access with a UE (also referred to as an access link),

[0158] - An interface for radio access to a base station (also known as a backhaul link), and / or

[0159] - An interface for transmitting control information to and / or receiving control information from a base station (also known as a C link).

[0160] Conceptually, a relay node can be implemented at any layer (e.g., RF, L1, L2, or L3). However, for reduced complexity and cost, a simpler repeater at the physical layer may be desired.

[0161] LTE relay is different from the use of a repeater that only rebroadcasts signals (such as an RF repeater), and thus is less cost-effective. For example, an L2 relay in LTE actually receives, demodulates, and decodes data, applies any error correction, etc., and then retransmits a new signal. In this way, LTE relay can be used to enhance signal quality rather than suffer degradation due to a reduced signal-to-noise ratio when using a repeater. For LTE relay, the UE communicates with the relay node, which in turn communicates with the "host" eNB. For the links UE-relay and relay-BS, time-division multiplexing or frequency multiplexing can be used. Some other relay options have been provided, none of which support beamforming. The LTE relay concept has not been widely adopted.

[0162] 3GPP recently defined a research project, followed by a work item on network-controlled repeaters (NCR) in New Radio (Rel.18, see 3GPP RP-213562, "New SI: Study on NR Smart Repeaters", RAN#94e, December 2021, available for free at www.3gpp.org). Thus, the relay device can be a repeater that can extend network coverage, and should be more cost-effective compared to the integrated access and backhaul (IAB) introduced in Rel.16.

[0163] One of the desired features of a network-controlled repeater is the ability to perform beamforming. LTE repeaters are designed to operate in bands below 3 GHz, where beamforming is not required [TS 36.106]. This is one of the key differences between network-controlled repeaters and LTE repeaters. Network-controlled repeaters should support outdoor and indoor scenarios.

[0164] The objectives of the research project on network-controlled repeaters include the following features. The network-controlled repeater (also known as an intelligent repeater) will be used to extend network coverage on the FR1 FDD / TDD and FR2 TDD bands, and during the research period, FR2 TDD development can be prioritized for both outdoor and O2I (outdoor-to-indoor) scenarios. The repeater should be a single-hop stationary intelligent repeater that is transparent to the UE. In other words, there will only be signal paths gNB->sRelay->UE and UE->sRelay->gNB (sRelay here refers to the intelligent relay device, intelligent repeater, or network-controlled repeater that can be used interchangeably in these examples). The intelligent repeater should be able to maintain both the gNB-repeater link and the repeater-UE link simultaneously. Cost efficiency is a key consideration.

[0165] Concepts to be studied include identifying which side (control) information is necessary or desirable for an intelligent repeater that involves the assumed maximum transmission power (as defined in L1). Side information can include beamforming information, timing information for aligning transmit / receive boundaries, information about uplink and downlink TDD configurations, information for efficient interference management and improved energy efficiency, power control information for interference management, etc.

[0166] As mentioned above, amplify-and-forward (AF) relay devices (RF repeaters) are also possible for LTE. Such relay devices are transparent in the system, amplifying the received signal and forwarding it to the user. The relay device itself does not know whether the amplified signal is the desired signal received from the UE / gNB, or just interference or noise. Therefore, if not properly configured / deployed, the relay device can increase interference in the system. LTE RF repeaters have been designed to operate in frequency bands below 3 GHz where beamforming is not required (see 3GPP TS 36.106, "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); FDD repeater radio transmission and reception", version 17.0.0, available for free at www.3gpp.org). However, considering network-controlled repeaters for Rel.18 operate in both FR1 and FR2 with the possibility of beamforming. Therefore, additional considerations should be taken for their design.

[0167] Figure 6FIG. 0 shows an exemplary design of a communication system 600 including a relay device 650, which may be a network control repeater (NCR) as currently envisioned for NR. The relay device 650 includes a mobile terminal part 640 (also referred to as a mobile terminal or MT) and a radio unit (RU) part 660 as functional units. The MT part 640 may receive control signals / information from a network node (gNB) 610 and configure the RU part 660 accordingly.

[0168] It may also transmit control information to the gNB 610. Note that the MT part 640 (which may be functionally similar to a UE) may use the above-mentioned channels (e.g., in the section "Downlink Control Channel Monitoring, PDCCH, DCI" or other sections) to communicate with the gNB. The RU part 660 is responsible for receiving and amplifying signals (including data and / or control information) received from the gNB 610 and / or one or more (serving) UEs (such as the UE 690 shown in the figure). In NR, the current term for the MT interval is NCR-MT, and the current term for the RU part is NCR-Fwd (Fwd for Forward).

[0169] In Figure 6 FIG. 8, the relay device 650 also includes a transceiver, which is shown by a first transceiver part 630 and a second transceiver part 670. The first transceiver part 630 sends signals / transmissions 620 to the gNB 610 or receives signals 620 from the gNB 610 (and possibly other gNBs), and the second transceiver part 670 sends signals 680 to one or more UEs 690 or receives signals 680 from one or more UEs 690. As indicated, transmissions / signals may be sent / received via beams (e.g., may be directional transmissions). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0170] Also as Figure 6 shown, especially in NR, the link between the gNB (i.e., the device controlling the relay device) and the MT for receiving / transmitting control information is also referred to as a control link or C-link, the link between the gNB and the RU for receiving / forwarding signals is referred to as a backhaul link, and the link between the RU and the UE for receiving / forwarding signals is referred to as an access link.

[0171] Examples of control information for NCR are control signals for ON-OFF, power control, TDD UL / DL configuration, and beam configuration. Generally, semi-static and dynamic indications may be used for ON / OFF signaling and / or power control and / or beam configuration. Both dynamic and semi-static indications may be supported.

[0172] Regarding TDD UL / DL configuration, NCR can support flexible symbols. For example, the gNB can configure flexible time slots / symbols dynamically or semi-statically (i.e., the gNB can send an indication to the NCR that dynamically or semi-statically indicates whether the flexible symbol / time slot is a DL or UL symbol / time slot). Both dynamic and semi-static indications can be supported. Generally, the NCR can also be configured not to amplify signals on flexible time slots / symbols.

[0173] It should also be noted that Figure 6 An example functional communication structure of a relay device is shown. Generally, there can be one transceiver unit that processes receiving from / transmitting to any entity. Such a transceiver can include multiple antennas and amplifiers, and may include additional circuitry for implementing signal transmission and reception. It can include more than one transmit and / or receive section, enabling simultaneous transmission and reception to one or more communication peers.

[0174] Further improvement

[0175] As referred to Figure 7 As further explained, the inventors have identified problems when a relay node is configured with two or more relay configurations to be used by the relay node for signal transmission or reception.

[0176] For example, it may happen that a relay node (such as an NCR) is configured with a periodic pattern that defines rules for periodically applying one or more first relay configurations in time, and the relay node receives another indication indicating one or more second relay configurations that may conflict or overlap in time with the periodic pattern of the one or more first relay configurations. For example, as shown in line a), the gNB may intend to semi-statically configure the relay node with a periodic beam configuration that configures the relay node to use beam #0 at time slot 0 and beam #1 at time slot 3. The first beam configuration can be configured for the relay node, for example, to transmit control information through one or more radio access interfaces of the relay node. Additionally, as shown in line b), the gNB may intend to configure a dynamic indication for the relay node that indicates a second beam configuration that configures the relay node to use beam #6 from time slot 2 to 4. The first beam configuration can be configured for the relay node, for example, to transmit semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) traffic to one of the UEs served by the relay node.

[0177] However, the first beam configuration that configures the relay node to receive or transmit signals using beam #1 at time slot 3 conflicts with the second relay configuration that configures the relay node to receive or transmit signals using beam #6 at time slot 3. Therefore, the relay node may not know which of the first relay configuration or the second relay configuration will be applied at time slot 3. Specifically, in the example shown, the relay node may not know whether it is preferable to apply the first relay configuration and use beam #1 in time slot 3, as shown in row c), or whether it is preferable to apply the second relay configuration and use beam #6 in time slot 3, as shown in row d).

[0178] Furthermore, the gNB does not have the possibility to indicate to the relay node which one of the first relay configurations should be applied at time slot 3, but the only possibility for the gNB is to use a separate dynamic indication (such as a separate DCI) to indicate to the relay node to change the first relay configuration at time slot 3 or to indicate to the relay node to use beam #6 at time slot 2 and beam #6 at time slot 4. However, such an additional indication will undesirably increase the signaling overhead between the gNB and the relay node.

[0179] Generally, these problems apply to the simultaneous transmission or reception of the relay node in any link (e.g., C link, backhaul link, and / or access link), and also apply to the simultaneous transmission of the relay node in more than one link. In addition, these problems apply to the beam configurations that can be indicated to be applied by one or more of semi-static signaling or dynamic signaling, and also apply to the beam configurations that can be indicated to be applied by the firmware of the relay node.

[0180] Embodiment

[0181] The inventors have identified the possibility of providing an improved process to allow avoiding one or more of the above disadvantages. The present invention relates to different solutions and variants for such an improved process. Therefore, the present disclosure provides techniques for improving the efficiency of a communication system including a relay node. Specifically, the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of a communication system in which the relay device supports (i) simultaneous reception / transmission in different links, and (ii) separate reception / transmission (i.e., at different times) in the different links.

[0182] The present disclosure specifically provides a scheduling device, a corresponding method for the scheduling device, a communication device (e.g., adapted / configured to perform the function of a relay node in a communication system), a corresponding method for the communication device, and a (computer) program (e.g., stored in a memory), a communication system including such a scheduling device and a communication device, and an integrated circuit that controls the processes of the scheduling device / communication device to perform the corresponding methods.

[0183] In Figure 8An example of such a communication system is shown. The communication system 800 may be a wireless communication system according to the technical specifications of 5G, in particular an NR communication system. However, the present disclosure is not limited to 3GPP NR terrestrial networks (TN), and may also be applied to NTN or other wireless or cellular systems.

[0184] Figure 8 A general, simplified, and exemplary block diagram of a communication device 810 (exemplarily assumed here to be a relay node) and a scheduling device 860 (exemplarily assumed here to be located in a base station (alternatively referred to as an ng-eNB in an LTE eNB, for example) or a gNB in 5G NR) is shown. However, generally, in the case of a sidelink connection between two terminals, the scheduling device may also be a terminal. Additionally, particularly with respect to use cases of URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC, the communication device 810 may also be a sensor device, a wearable device, or a controller of a connected vehicle, or an automated machine in an industrial plant. It is assumed that the communication device 810 is capable of acting as a relay device between a base station and another communication device.

[0185] As Figure 8 shown, the communication device 810 and the scheduling device 860 (eNB / gNB) may communicate with each other via a (wireless) physical channel 850 using their transceivers 820 (relay node side) and 870 (base station side), respectively. The scheduling device 860 and the relay node 810 together form the communication system 800. The communication system 800 may also include other entities, such as Figure 1 those shown in

[0186] Transceivers and circuits

[0187] As Figure 8 (left hand side) shown, the communication device may include a transceiver and a circuit (or processing circuit), and the scheduling device may include a transceiver and a (processing) circuit.

[0188] The term "transceiver" refers to a front end that includes one or more antennas (more than one antenna in the case of beamforming). The transceiver here may also include amplifiers, some modulators for modulating baseband signals onto the system carrier, may also include D / A converters, and possibly other signal improvement circuits. Generally, a transceiver may include and / or function as a receiver and / or a transmitter. In other words, in the present disclosure, the term "transceiver" is used for the hardware and software components that allow a communication device to transmit and / or receive radio signals through a wireless channel. Thus, a transceiver corresponds to a receiver, a transmitter, or a combination of a receiver and a transmitter. Generally, it is assumed that a base station and a communication device can both transmit and receive radio signals. However, for some applications, especially those related to eMBB, mMTC, and URLLC (such as smart homes, smart cities, industrial automation, etc.), it is conceivable that a device such as a sensor only receives signals. A transmitter may be responsible for performing the transmission process and other processes related thereto. A receiver may be responsible for performing the reception process and other processes related thereto, such as monitoring the channel. Generally, a transceiver may be controlled by a circuit to perform the said transmission and / or reception.

[0189] The term "circuit" in this document refers to any hardware and / or software. For example, a circuit may include one or more processors (or processing units or any LSI), a microcontroller, programmable hardware (such as FPGAa), and / or dedicated hardware (such as ASICs or lines), and may also include other digital or analog circuits.

[0190] There may be input / output points (or nodes) between the transceiver and the processing circuit, through which the processing circuit can control the transceiver, that is, control the receiver and / or the transmitter and exchange received / transmitted data. The processing circuit may implement control tasks such as controlling the transceiver to transmit user data and control data provided by the processing circuit and / or receive user data and control data to be further processed by the processing circuit. The processing circuit may also be responsible for performing other processes, such as determination, decision-making, calculation, measurement, etc.

[0191] According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided, for example, as Figure 8The communication device 810 shown (on the left - hand side). The communication device 810 includes a transceiver 820 and a circuit 830. The transceiver 820 is configured to: (i) receive signals to be relayed and transmit the received signals, (ii) transmit or receive control signals, and (iii) receive relay configuration signaling. The (processing) circuit 830 (i) obtains a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, where each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device, and (ii) determines to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, a relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to signals transmitted or received by the communication device, where the circuit determines to apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations during the time interval.

[0192] Note that the circuit 830 can perform more functions than the above - mentioned obtaining and determining of (the) relay configuration(s), as it can, for example, further control the transceiver 820. Specifically, the circuit 830 can control the transceiver 820 to receive and transmit signals to be relayed, and transmit or receive control signals (in particular but not limited to relay configuration signaling) and / or receive or transmit other data (i.e., data that is not transmitted / received as part of the relay, for example, the relay node can be a UE that receives (non - control) data and is the ultimate recipient).

[0193] Thus, the circuit 830 is exemplarily considered to include a relay configuration circuit 835, which is configured to perform the obtaining and determining of (the) relay configuration(s). This configuration can be provided by hardware adaptation and / or by software.

[0194] Figure 9 An example functional structure of the relay configuration circuit 835 is shown. Specifically, the circuit 835 can include an overlap determination circuit 910 and a relay configuration determination circuit 920. The overlap determination circuit 910 can be responsible for (e.g., be configured to) determine (i) whether a (i.e., specific) relay configuration to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the transceiver 820 overlaps with any other relay configuration transmitted or received by the transceiver 820 during a (i.e., specific) time interval; and / or whether the transmission of a (i.e., specific) control signaling overlaps with any relay transmission. The relay configuration determination circuit 920 can be responsible for determining, based on the result(s) of the determination(s) of the overlap determination circuit 910, to apply, during the time interval, a relay configuration among the overlapping relay configurations to signals transmitted or received by the transceiver 820, which has the highest priority among the overlapping relay configurations.

[0195] Note that any one of circuits 830, 835, 910, and 920 can also implement more functions. For example, the circuit can be configured to determine resources for signal transmission / reception, particularly resources for the transmission and reception of signals to be relayed and the transmission and reception of control signals. In addition, the time of the relay configuration (e.g., start, end, and / or length) can be determined by the circuit and provided to the overlapping determination circuit 910 via an interface (if not determined by the circuit 910 itself). For example, the transceiver 820 can receive signaling (e.g., by scheduling DCI or by RRC signaling) that includes an indication indicating a validity period, a rule, or similar time period information that determines the (multiple) time intervals during which one or more relay configurations are applied to the transmission and reception of signals. The circuit can obtain the indication from the signaling, and the relay device can determine the validity period, the rule, or similar time period information from the indication.

[0196] In addition, the priority of each overlapping relay configuration can be determined by the circuit and provided to the relay configuration determination circuit 910 via an interface (if not determined by the circuit 920 itself). The determination of the priority of each overlapping relay configuration can be performed according to any possible determination method described below. Specifically, the transceiver 820 can receive signaling (e.g., by scheduling DCI or by RRC signaling) that includes an indication indicating the priority of at least one overlapping relay configuration, or the priority of at least one overlapping relay configuration can be pre-configured in the firmware of the relay node.

[0197] Corresponding to the above communication device, a communication method executed by the communication device is provided. As Figure 11 shown, the method includes (i) step S1110: receiving relay configuration signaling; (ii) step S1120: obtaining a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, each relay configuration to be applied to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device; and (iii) step S1140: determining to apply a relay configuration among two or more overlapping relay configurations to a signal to be transmitted or received by the communication device during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap. Thus, during this time interval, the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations is applied.

[0198] Corresponding to the above description of the communication device, the communication method may (optionally) include step S1130: determining (i) whether a (i.e., specific) relay configuration to be applied to signals transmitted or received by transceiver 820 overlaps with any other relay configuration to be applied to signals transmitted or received by transceiver 820 during a (i.e., specific) time interval; and / or whether the transmission of control signaling overlaps with any relay transmission. Step 1130 may also be part of step 1120 and may be based, for example, on a validity period, rule, or other time information, each of which may indicate one or more time intervals during which any relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device.

[0199] Note that if the relay device determines, for example, in step S1140, from the overlapping relay configurations, the relay configuration for transmitting or receiving signals during the period in which the relay configurations overlap, the relay device performs the transmission or reception of the control signal during that period according to the relay configuration determined for that period.

[0200] According to another exemplary embodiment, corresponding to the above method for a communication device, an integrated circuit may be provided. The integrated circuit may control the process of the communication device, which includes the steps of the above method for the communication device. The integrated circuit may be, for example, the above circuit 830 or 835, and / or may be deployed / deployable in a communication device (especially a relay node).

[0201] Also as Figure 8 (shown on the right hand side), according to another exemplary embodiment, a scheduling device 860 is provided. The scheduling device 860 includes a transceiver 870 and a circuit 880. The (processing) circuit 880 is configured to: (i) determine a plurality of relay configurations configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (ii) generate relay configuration signaling indicating each of the plurality of relay configurations; (iii) determine the priority of each relay configuration among the overlapping relay configurations during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap; and (iv) generate relay configuration signaling that includes an indication of the priority of each relay configuration among the overlapping relay configurations. The transceiver 870 (i) sends the relay configuration signaling to the communication device, and (ii) receives the relayed signal from the communication device and / or sends the signal to be relayed to the communication device, where the transceiver receives, during the time interval, signals that apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0202] Specifically, the processing circuitry may determine all or part of a plurality of relay configurations that will be used by the communication device for transmitting or receiving signals, and other relay configurations may have been set, and the communication device may be configured with them, for example, by semi-static or dynamic signaling that has been received by the communication device previously or by the firmware of the communication device. Similarly, the processing circuitry may determine the priority of all or part of the overlapping relay configurations, and the remaining priorities may have been set, and the communication device may be configured with them, for example, by semi-static or dynamic signaling that has been received by the communication device or by the firmware of the communication device. It will also become apparent from the following description that the indication for indicating a plurality of relay configurations may be sent at the same time interval or at different time intervals. Similarly, the indication for indicating the priority of a plurality of relay configurations may be sent at the same time interval or at different time intervals. Specifically, the transmission of the indication of the priority may not always be included in the relay configuration signaling indicating one of the plurality of relay configurations, but may be signaled separately or pre-configured in the relay node.

[0203] The transceiver 870 may also receive relay signals from the communication device and / or send signals to be relayed to the communication device. The circuitry 880 may implement more functions than just the determination and generation just mentioned, as it may also, for example, control the transceiver 870 to send or receive control signals (e.g., send relay configuration signaling), and / or receive or send data. In addition, the gNB may send or receive control signaling in a first resource and receive the (multiple) relay transmissions of the signals sent by the (multiple) UEs relayed by the relay device in a second resource. Generally, any transmission or reception of the transceiver 870 may be controlled by the circuitry 880.

[0204] Accordingly, the circuitry 880 is exemplarily considered to include a relay configuration circuitry 885, which is configured to perform the determination and generation. This configuration may be provided by hardware adaptation and / or by software. Figure 10 An example functional structure of the relay configuration circuitry 885 is shown. Specifically, the scheduling circuitry 885 may include: a relay configuration determination circuitry 1010, which is responsible for determining all or part of a plurality of relay configurations that will be used by the communication device for signal transmission or reception; a priority determination circuitry 1020, which may be configured to determine the priority of all or part of the overlapping relay configurations; and a signaling generation circuitry 1030, which may generate relay configuration signaling. Note that the scheduling circuitry 885 may also implement more functions, for example, it may also be responsible for determining whether a plurality of relay configurations overlap in (e.g., any) time interval or determining the (multiple) time intervals in which the relay configurations overlap.

[0205] In addition, corresponding to the above scheduling device, a communication method executed by the scheduling device is provided. As Figure 12 shown, the method includes: Step S1210: Determine a plurality of relay configurations that will be used by a communication device for signal transmission and reception; Step S1220: Determine a first resource allocation to be used by the communication device for transmitting control signaling according to a first transmission configuration and a second transmission configuration; Step S1240: Determine the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations within a time interval in which two or more of the plurality of relay configurations overlap; Step S1250: Generate a relay configuration signaling that indicates each of the plurality of relay configurations and includes an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; and Step S1260: Send the relay configuration signaling to the communication device. In addition, the method for the scheduling device may (optionally) include Step S1220: Determine whether two or more of the plurality of relay configurations overlap in one or more time intervals, and Step S1230: Determine which of the overlapping relay configurations will be applied by the communication device in one or more time intervals.

[0206] Corresponding to the above description of the communication device and the scheduling device, the determination made in Step S1230 may not necessarily be performed by the scheduling device, but may be determined by the communication device according to the priority assigned to the overlapping relay configurations, and the overlapping relay configurations may be pre-configured in the communication device. Similarly, Step S1220 may not have to be performed by the scheduling device, but may be performed by the communication device as described above in Step S1130.

[0207] According to another exemplary embodiment, corresponding to the above method for the scheduling device, an integrated circuit is provided. The integrated circuit is used to control the process of the scheduling device, and the process includes the steps of the above method for the scheduling device. The integrated circuit may be, for example, the above circuit 880 or 885, and / or may be deployed / capable of being deployed in a communication device (especially a scheduling device).

[0208] It should also be noted that the order of the steps can be the same as Figure 11 and Figure 12As shown in , they are different, and / or some steps can be performed together or even jointly. For example, as further explained below, the base station can perform any number of determination steps (S1220, S1230, S1240) and / or combinations of determination steps (S1220, S1230, S1240) together / jointly, perform the generation of relay configuration signaling in step S1250 in one step, and / or send the relay configuration signaling in a single time period or multiple separate time periods (step S1260). In addition, any step performed by the base station can generally be performed jointly with the corresponding steps of other relay nodes, and is performed in consideration of the traffic conditions and quality requirements of the services used by one or more UEs, where the UE receives the relayed signal and / or sends the signal to be relayed to the (multiple) relay nodes.

[0209] In addition, note that since the present disclosure relates to a (scheduling) device that configures a communication device (e.g., a relay node) and the communication device, the details and embodiments described herein apply to (and can be implemented by) each of the communication device and the scheduling device, as well as the corresponding methods and integrated circuits, unless explicitly stated or the context otherwise indicates. Specifically, the scheduling device can be configured to generate and send control signals as described below, and the communication device can be configured to receive such signaling and obtain corresponding indications therefrom. Specifically, any step / operation described below can be performed or controlled by circuit 830 (on the communication device side) and / or circuit 880 (on the base station side). In addition, any receiving and sending steps can be performed by transceiver 820 (on the UE side) and / or transceiver 870 (on the base station side) (e.g., by being controlled by the corresponding circuit to perform).

[0210] Relay Configuration

[0211] In general, the term "relay configuration" should be understood broadly as any setting / configuration of the state or parameters related to the operation of the relay node (receiving and transmitting the signals to be relayed or control signals), in particular related to the (multiple) transmissions of the relay node, where the relay node relays the signals to be relayed (also referred to as relay transmission in this disclosure), or sends control signaling to the gNB or receives control signaling from the gNB. In particular, the gNB may indicate a relay configuration to the relay node for configuring the parameters or states of the transmission and / or reception of signals on any interface of the relay node (backhaul link, C-link, access link), either individually or jointly. In other words, any relay configuration may configure the transmission or reception on each interface of the relay node individually (i.e., individually for each link (backhaul link, C-link, access link)), or configure the transmission or reception on each interface of the relay node jointly, collectively for all links (backhaul link, C-link, access link). Thus, the relay node may be configured with different relay configurations for each link within the same time interval, or configured with a single relay configuration applied to all links.

[0212] Specifically, the relay configuration may specify: (i) whether the transmission of the signal is to be performed; (ii) the transmission power for the transmission by the relay device, (iii) whether the flexible symbol of the slot format is a downlink symbol or an uplink symbol, (iv) whether the flexible slot of the slot format is a downlink slot or an uplink slot, (v) the TDD UL / DL configuration for the transmission or reception of the signal, (vi) the beam configuration for the transmission or reception of the signal (e.g., such as the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) in LTE / NR), and / or (vii) the bandwidth part for the transmission or reception of the signal. It should be noted that the relay configuration may specify any number and combination of the above points (i) to (vii), and / or may specify other parameters related to the relay transmission.

[0213] In general, at a given time, one relay configuration (for each link or jointly for all three links) is active, and the relay node performs the reception and transmission of signals according to the relay configuration. According to the above points (i) to (vii), the relay configuration signaling for indicating the relay configuration for the signal transmitted by the relay node may include an indication indicating one or more of the above points (i) to (vii) as part of the relay configuration indication. Similarly, the relay configuration signaling for indicating the relay configuration for the signal received by the relay node may include an indication indicating one or more of the above points (iii) to (vii) as part of the relay configuration indication.

[0214] Regarding the above points (iv) and (v), it is further noted that the present invention is not limited to the case where the granularity of the time slot format is given in the form of time slots or symbols. Generally, any duration / interval other than time slots or symbols can be used.

[0215] Generally, any such relay configuration is intended to be active or used by the relay node for transmitting or receiving signals ("applied to" the signals) during a specific time interval, which can also be expressed as one or more validity periods of the relay configuration. The validity period of the relay node can include, for example, one or more consecutive or non-consecutive time intervals or time resource units. The time resources of the validity period of any relay configuration can be indicated to the relay node by dynamic or semi-static signaling, or can be pre-configured in the relay node.

[0216] In other words, the validity period of the relay configuration can be each individual part or the sum of the time intervals during which the relay configuration will be activated by the relay node or will be applied by the relay node to perform signal transmission or reception.

[0217] Here, it is noted that the validity period (i.e., the time interval) of the relay configuration is generally defined by the length / duration of the validity period and a reference time point (e.g., the start or end point of the validity period). Generally, the length of the validity period and the reference time point can be determined, indicated, obtained, etc. together or in separate steps. Note that both the length of the validity period and the said reference time point are indications of the validity period of the relay configuration. In other words, the validity period indication can indicate the length of the validity period and / or indicate the absolute position of the validity period based on the reference time point on which it is fixed.

[0218] For example, the base station can configure the validity period length and one or more start positions of the validity period for any relay configuration (e.g., semi-statically or dynamically). The start position of the validity period of the relay configuration can also be implicitly indicated by the time when the relay configuration signaling is received by the relay device. For example, the start of the validity period of the relay configuration can be the start of the next time slot after receiving the relay configuration signaling indicating the relay configuration (or the start plus a predetermined offset and / or plus an offset explicitly indicated by the relay configuration signaling). Thus, there can be two (separate) validity period signaling: (i) the first validity period (length) signaling, which includes a "validity length indication" indicating the length of the validity period of a specific relay configuration and / or configuring the length of the validity period of the relay configuration; and (ii) the second validity period signaling, which indicates the said reference point and / or the periodicity of the validity period.

[0219] Overlap and determination of overlap

[0220] Note that, in the present disclosure, the term "overlap" refers to an overlap in time. More specifically, a first relay configuration and a second relay configuration can be considered to overlap when at least a part of the validity period of the first relay configuration is intended to be active or used by the relay node at the same moment as a part of the validity period of the second relay configuration (i.e., at the (multiple) overlapping moments).

[0221] For example, the relay node or the gNB can determine whether two relay configurations overlap based on the resources allocated to the two transmissions. In other words, if the time index (e.g., time slot / symbol index) of the resources of the validity period or active time of the first relay configuration (e.g., at least one) is the same as the time index (e.g., time slot / symbol index) of the validity period or active time of the second relay configuration (e.g., any), the first relay configuration and the second relay configuration can be considered to overlap (e.g., determined to overlap by the relay device and / or the gNB).

[0222] As described above, when it is necessary to determine (e.g., in step S1140 or step S1230) a relay configuration for the relay node to transmit or receive a signal for a time interval, it can be determined (e.g., in step S1130 or step S1220) whether two or more relay configurations overlap in the time interval. Note that, in the present disclosure, the determination of whether relay configurations overlap can be performed only for a specific frequency range (e.g., BWP). For example, when determining whether two or more relay configurations overlap, only the relay transmissions in a specific / predefined / configured frequency range (e.g., the frequency range for the transmission or reception of the signal to which two or more relay configurations are to be applied) can be considered. Then, a relay configuration that overlaps with another relay configuration outside of the said frequency will still be considered non-overlapping.

[0223] In addition, the determination of whether relay configurations overlap can be performed separately for each interface of the relay node (i.e., each link (backhaul link, C link, access link)). A relay configuration that overlaps with another relay configuration configured for another interface (or link) will still be considered non-overlapping. Alternatively, the determination can be performed jointly for the interfaces (links) such that two relay configurations configured for different interfaces (links) can also be considered to overlap in time.

[0224] As described above, the relay device can obtain multiple relay configurations based on an indication included in the signaling (such as relay configuration signaling) received from the gNB. In addition, the relay device can determine, for example, based on an indication included in the signaling received from the gNB, the (multiple) validity periods of one or more of the multiple relay configurations, and / or the validity periods of one or more of the multiple relay configurations can be pre-configured in the relay node. The gNB can indicate the relay instance (i.e., the validity period of the relay configuration) dynamically or semi-statically.

[0225] In other words, NCR can know the validity period of the relay configuration from a predefined configuration, RRC signaling, or received DCI. For example, the relay node can receive control signaling from the gNB that includes one or more indications of the validity period of the relay configuration, obtain the indication(s) from the signaling, and determine the validity period based on the obtained indication(s). Based on the known validity period, the relay device can then determine (S1130) when and whether an overlap occurs.

[0226] Priority of Relay Configuration

[0227] In the present disclosure, the term "priority" refers to an index indicating the order in which overlapping relay configurations are to be applied to the transmission or reception of signals during a specific time interval. The priority of the relay configuration can be determined separately for the reception and transmission of signals to be relayed by the relay node and for the reception and transmission of control signals. Alternatively, the priority of the relay configuration for the transmission and reception of control signals and the priority of the relay configuration applied to the transmission and reception of signals to be relayed by the relay node can be determined on a common scale. In other words, the priority of the relay configurations configured to be used by the relay node during a specific time interval can be determined separately for each interface of the relay node (i.e., each link (backhaul link, C-link, access link)) or jointly for all interfaces (links).

[0228] Accordingly, the priority of the relay configuration can be used as a measure of the importance of the relay configuration or the signal to which the relay configuration is applied.

[0229] The use of the priority of the relay configuration allows the gNB to indicate to the relay node which of the possible and active relay configurations is preferred during a specific time interval when two or more relay configurations overlap or conflict. A similar use of the priority allows the relay node to determine which relay configuration has the highest priority and thus the highest importance when the relay node determines that two or more of the indicated relay configurations overlap or conflict during a specific time interval. Thus, by indicating the priority of the relay configuration, the base station can notify the relay node of the prioritized relay configurations that will be applied in the case of overlapping relay configurations in time. On the other hand, by determining the priority of the overlapping relay configurations, the relay node can know which overlapping relay configuration to apply in the case of overlapping relay configurations.

[0230] The priority of the relay configuration can be configured in the relay node by the firmware of the relay node, or can be indicated by the gNB to the relay node via dynamic signaling (e.g., via DCI) and / or semi-static signaling (e.g., via RRC signaling) and can be obtained by the relay node accordingly. In addition, as will be apparent from the following description, the priority of the relay configuration can be implicitly indicated by the relay configuration signaling indicating the relay configuration.

[0231] The priority of the relay configuration can be indicated to the relay node, for example, by using a limited number of priority levels (e.g., 2 or 4) supported by the relay node. Thus, the minimum (lowest possible) priority level can be associated with the highest priority, or alternatively, the maximum (highest possible) priority level can be associated with the highest priority. Alternatively, the relay node can receive an indication from the base station that indicates high priority (HP) as the highest priority among two priority levels, and low priority (LP) as the lowest priority among two priority levels.

[0232] To indicate the number of supported priority levels, circuit 835 can generate a priority level report (capability report) that includes an indication of a predetermined number of supported priority levels, and transceiver 820 can send the priority level report. For example, in response to receiving a priority level report request from the base station, the priority level report can be generated and sent by the relay node.

[0233] Override

[0234] Generally, a relay node can be configured with more than one relay configuration in the same time period. Then, the relay configuration among these relay configurations can override other relay configurations, that is, can be used to send and receive signals in this time period, without considering (multiple) other overlapping relay configurations in this time period. More specifically, the relay node can determine the priority of the (multiple) overlapping relay configurations in this time period, and select the relay configuration with the highest priority assigned to it for sending and receiving signals in this time period (e.g., through dynamic or semi-static indication). Then, the remaining relay configurations with lower priority than the selected relay configuration are ignored and not considered for application to signal transmission or reception within this time period.

[0235] Exemplary embodiments

[0236] Different examples are given below. First, the exemplary embodiments of these examples will be explained in conjunction with the relay configuration that specifies different beam configurations, that is, in the scenario where the relay node is configured by the relay configuration to apply a specific beam configuration at the time resources indicated to the relay node. However, the different examples and their basic concepts are equally applicable to embodiments related to other parameters specified by the relay configuration (e.g., the parameters described in points (i) to (vii) above). In addition, although in the following examples, time slots are used as exemplary time resource units for determining the time intervals of relay configuration overlap, the present disclosure should not be limited to this. Instead, the time interval for determining overlapping relay configurations can be any applicable time resource unit.

[0237] According to the first example, two or more relay configurations are configured with two different semi-static relay configurations that are assigned different priorities. In Figure 13 An exemplary implementation of such a scenario is shown. As is evident from row a) of this figure, the first beam configuration is indicated to the relay node by semi-static indication, and this first beam configuration configures the relay node to use beam #0 at time slot 0, beam #1 at time slot 3, and beam #2 at time slot 6 for transmitting or receiving signals. Additionally, as shown in row b), a second beam configuration is indicated to the relay node, and this second beam configuration configures the relay node to use beam #6 from time slot 2 to 4.

[0238] Therefore, for time slots where the indicated beam configurations do not conflict (i.e., do not overlap), the relay node uses the beam indicated by the active relay configuration to transmit or receive signals, as shown in row c). However, the relay node determines that the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration overlap at time slot 3, such that the relay node will select the beam configuration to be applied at time slot 3 according to the priorities assigned to the first and second beam configurations. In this example, two priority levels are used, namely high priority (HP) and low priority (LP), which can be indicated to the relay node by higher-level signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), or can be pre-configured in the relay node.

[0239] In this example, the first beam configuration can be used, for example, for the relay node to transmit and receive signals during a time interval, where the transmission or reception can be control information (such as a synchronization signal block (SSB)) received by the relay node through a control link, or other common control information relayed by the relay node through relay links (backhaul link and access link). Accordingly, the first beam configuration can be assigned a high priority. The second beam configuration can be used, for example, for the relay node to transmit and receive signals during a time interval, where an SPS signal or other data signals are received from the base station and / or where the received SPS or data signals are transmitted to a specific UE. Accordingly, the second beam configuration can be assigned a low priority.

[0240] Therefore, by using the priorities assigned to the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration, the relay node determines to apply Beam #1 for signal transmission or reception at time slot 3. Thus, the use of an unexpected beam configuration for transmitting or receiving control information to be transmitted or received at time slot 3 is avoided, which may cause deterioration of the transmission of control signaling. On the other hand, when scheduling the second beam configuration for the relay node, the base station can use consecutive time intervals as the scheduling unit, and enable the base station to only need to indicate one consecutive time interval (time slots 4 to 6) for the second relay configuration, but not need to indicate separate time intervals (at time slot 4 and time slot 6) for the second relay configuration. Therefore, the processing in the base station for configuring a specific relay configuration for the relay node can be simplified.

[0241] The present disclosure is not limited to the case of a relay configuration semi-statically indicated to the relay node, but can also be applied to a relay configuration dynamically indicated to the relay node.

[0242] According to the second example, at least one relay configuration among the multiple relay configurations is indicated by semi-static signaling, and at least one relay configuration among the multiple relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the priority of at least one relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling is different from the priority of at least one relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling.

[0243] For example, the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling can be higher than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling. This will allow the application of the semi-static relay configuration to be prioritized in case of overlap with the dynamically indicated relay configuration, so that the semi-static relay configuration can be used for the transmission and reception of control signals as described in the first example.

[0244] Alternatively, the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling can be lower than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling. This will allow the application of the dynamically indicated relay configuration to be prioritized in case of overlap with the semi-static relay configuration, thus increasing the flexibility of scheduling the dynamic relay configuration. For example, setting the priorities in this way can allow the base station to semi-statically configure a default relay configuration at a predetermined period or at periodic time intervals, but change the default relay configuration for a (i.e., specific) time interval by dynamic indication (e.g., considering the user traffic requirements of one or more UEs served by the relay node).

[0245] In Figure 14An example behavior of a relay node configured with semi-static beam configurations and dynamically indicated beam configurations is shown. The relay node is configured with a first beam configuration by semi-static indication, as shown in row a), which configures the relay node to use beam #0 at time slot 0, beam #1 at time slot 3, and beam #2 at time slot 6 for transmitting or receiving signals. Additionally, the relay receives a dynamic indication at time slot 1 via DCI, from which the relay node obtains a second beam configuration, as shown in row b), which configures the relay node to use beam #6 from time slot 2 to 4.

[0246] Accordingly, for time slots where the indicated beam configurations do not conflict (i.e., do not overlap), the relay node uses the beam indicated by the active relay configuration for transmitting or receiving signals, as shown in row c). However, the relay node determines that the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration overlap (conflict) at time slot 3, such that the relay node will select the beam configuration to be applied at time slot 3 based on the priorities assigned to the first and second beam configurations. In this example, the relay node is configured with two priority levels, namely high priority (HP) and low priority (LP), and is configured to assign high priority to the relay configuration indicated by semi-static signaling and low priority to the relay configuration indicated by dynamic signaling.

[0247] Accordingly, for time slot 3, the relay node determines that the first beam configuration has the highest priority among the overlapping relay configurations (i.e., the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration). Thus, the relay node determines to use beam #1 at time slot 3, which is configured by the first beam configuration having the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations at time slot 3 in this example.

[0248] Accordingly, in this example, by using priorities to assign the highest priority level to the beam configuration that is semi-statically indicated, it is avoided that control information intended to be transmitted or received by the relay node or the base station at time slot 3 can be transmitted or received using an unexpected beam configuration configured by the second beam configuration indicated dynamically. Accordingly, degradation of the transmission of control signaling between the base station and the relay node can be avoided in all time slots where the relay node is configured with a semi-static beam configuration as the relay configuration. On the other hand, when scheduling the second beam configuration for the relay node, the base station can use a continuous time interval as the scheduling unit, such that the base station only needs to indicate one continuous time interval (time slots 4 to 6) for the second relay configuration in a single DCI, but does not need to use separate DCIs to indicate separate time intervals (at time slot 4 and time slot 6) for the second relay configuration. Thus, the processing in the base station for configuring the relay node with a specific relay configuration can be simplified.

[0249] In this example, the base station may indicate to the relay node whether the semi-static beam (relay) configuration or the dynamically indicated beam (relay) configuration is assigned the HP level or the LP level when indicating one of the beam configurations in the beam configuration or at different times (e.g., before indicating one or all of the beam configurations in the beam configuration). Alternatively, such information may be pre-configured in the firmware of the relay node.

[0250] According to the third example, the indication of the relay configuration (which is signaled dynamically) may also indicate the priority of the indicated relay configuration. Specifically, in the third example, at least one of the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the dynamic signaling includes priority information that indicates the priority of the corresponding relay configuration. This implementation may be particularly beneficial in scenarios where the relay node has applied two or more semi-static relay configurations and different priorities have been assigned to the two or more semi-static relay configurations, for example, taking into account the content of the signals to be transmitted or received using the configured relay configurations.

[0251] Figure 15 An example behavior of a relay device configured with two semi-static beam configurations (relay configurations) assigned different priority levels and additionally receiving a dynamically indicated beam configuration (relay configuration) is shown. As can be deduced from row a), the relay node is semi-statically configured with a first beam configuration that configures the relay node to transmit or receive signals using beam #0 at time slot 0, beam #1 at time slot 3, and beam #2 at time slot 6. Additionally, as shown in row b), a second beam configuration is indicated to the relay node, which configures the relay node to use beam #6 from time slot 2 to 4.

[0252] In this scenario, the relay node supports a finite number of priority levels, which is greater than 2, e.g., up to N priority levels (priority 0, priority 1, priority 2, …, priority N). The priority levels may be sorted in such a way that a small priority level or priority index indicates a high priority, meaning priority 0 > priority 1 > priority 2 > … > priority N. Alternatively, the priorities may be sorted the other way around, i.e., a large priority level or priority index indicates a high priority, meaning priority 0 < priority 1 < priority 2 … < priority N.

[0253] In Figure 15In the example, the first beam configuration is assigned a priority level of priority 0, and the second beam configuration is assigned a priority level of priority 2. Here, the priority levels are sorted to follow the rule priority 0 > priority 1 > priority 2, such that the first beam configuration is assigned a higher priority than the second beam configuration. Accordingly, in time slot 3 where the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration overlap, the relay node determines that beam #1 configured by the first beam configuration will be used for signal transmission and reception because the first beam configuration has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations in time slot 3.

[0254] In addition, the relay node receives a dynamic indication at time slot 3 via DCI, from which the relay node obtains a third beam configuration, as shown in row c), which configures the relay node to use beam #4 in time slots 4 to 6. The dynamic indication indicating the third beam configuration may include, for example, priority information in the form of a certain number of bits included in the control information, which indicates the priority of the third beam configuration, which is priority 1 in this example. Generally, the number of bits included in the control information and used to indicate the priority level of the relay configuration may depend on the number of defined priority levels. For example, if two priority levels are supported (e.g., HP and LP as described above), one bit may be used, and if up to four priority levels are supported (e.g., priority 0, priority 1, priority 2, priority 3), two bits may be used, and so on.

[0255] Since the third beam configuration is assigned a priority of 1, it has a lower priority than the (semi-static) first beam configuration, but has a higher priority than the (semi-static) second beam configuration. Accordingly, in time slot 4 where the third beam configuration and the second beam configuration overlap, the relay node determines that beam #4 configured by the third beam configuration will be used for signal transmission and reception because the third beam configuration has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations in time slot 4. Similarly, in time slot 6 where the first beam configuration and the third beam configuration overlap, the relay node determines that beam #2 configured by the first beam configuration will be used for signal transmission and reception because the first beam configuration has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations in time slot 6.

[0256] Thus, by using priority information to indicate the corresponding relay configuration, the gNB may variably set the priority of the dynamically indicated relay configuration. For example, considering the user traffic requirements of one or more UEs served by the relay node, or considering the importance of the content of the signals sent by the indicated relay configuration and other (semi-static) relay configurations already configured for the relay node, the gNB may determine the priority of the relay configuration. Thus, by indicating the priority information, the gNB can more flexibly control the priority level of the relay configuration configured for the relay node. It is noted that the priority information does not have to be included in the same control information message that indicates the corresponding relay configuration, but can be indicated dynamically or semi-statically with a separate control information message. In addition, the relay node can receive not only the priority information for the dynamically indicated relay configuration from the base station, but also the priority information for the semi-statically indicated relay configuration from the base station.

[0257] In a fourth example, as an alternative to or in addition to indicating the priority information of the relay configuration, the gNB may indicate to the relay node the coverage information for a (i.e., specific) relay configuration, which indicates to the relay node to prioritize the corresponding relay configuration in each time interval when the corresponding relay configuration overlaps with other relay configurations configured for the relay node. Specifically, in the third example, at least one of the multiple relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the dynamic signaling includes coverage information that indicates the relay configurations with coverage overlap within the time interval. The coverage information may be included, for example, in the dynamic indication that indicates the relay configuration in the form of a flag (e.g., 1 bit), which indicates whether other relay configurations with coverage overlap are present in each time period. In other words, the coverage information has the function of setting the priority of the corresponding relay configuration to the highest priority among the overlapping relay configurations in each time interval when the corresponding relay configuration overlaps with another relay configuration.

[0258] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, in addition to the priority information described in the third example, the overlap information may also be included in the dynamic indication. For example, if the dynamic indication Figure 15 of the third beam configuration in the indication will include the coverage information indicating the beam configurations with coverage overlap (i.e., the second beam configuration in time slot 4 and the first beam configuration in time slot 6), the relay node will set the priority of the third beam configuration to the highest priority independent of the indicated priority level. Accordingly, the relay node will cover the second beam configuration in time slot 4 and the first beam configuration in time slot 6, i.e., will transmit or receive signals using beam #6 in time slots 4 to 6 as configured by the third beam configuration.

[0259] Accordingly, by including coverage information in the indication for indicating the relay configuration, the base station can indicate the importance of the indicated relay configuration in a simple manner without requiring high signaling overhead.

[0260] According to the fifth example, the priority (or priority level) of the relay configuration can be implicitly determined by the relay node from the control information, and the corresponding relay configuration is indicated to the relay node by using the control information, so that the priority (or priority level) of the corresponding relay configuration can be indicated to the relay node without generating additional signaling overhead. In other words, the relay node can determine the priority of the relay configuration. Specifically, the circuit 835 can determine the priority of at least one relay configuration among a plurality of relay configurations according to the reception time of the control information indicating the corresponding relay configuration.

[0261] Therefore, for example, the relay configuration indicated by the control information with a later reception time has a higher priority than the relay configuration indicated by the control information with an earlier reception time. In Figure 16 An example behavior of a relay device for determining the priority of a relay configuration based on the reception time of the corresponding control information is shown. As shown in row a) of the example shown, the relay node receives a first dynamic indication in time slot 1, and the relay node obtains a first beam configuration therefrom, which configures the relay node to use beam #0 to transmit or receive signals to / from the gNB or the served UE in time slots 2 to 4. Additionally, as shown in row b), the relay node receives a second dynamic indication in time slot 2, and the relay node obtains a second beam configuration therefrom, which configures the relay node to use beam #1 to transmit or receive signals to / from the gNB or the served UE in time slot 3. Since the second dynamic indication is received at a later time resource (time interval), the relay node can implicitly determine that the second beam configuration has a higher priority than the first beam configuration. Accordingly, in time slot 3, the relay node determines that the second beam configuration has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations, such that the relay node determines to apply beam #1 to the transmission or reception of signals in time slot 3 as configured by the second beam configuration.

[0262] By assigning a higher priority to the relay configuration indicated at a later time interval, the gNB can configure a new relay configuration for the relay node more flexibly. However, for example, due to the importance of the content to be transmitted or received by the relay configuration indicated earlier (such as content related to SSB signaling or other control information), it is also possible that the relay configuration indicated at an earlier timing is assigned a higher priority.

[0263] Additionally or as a first alternative, circuit 835 may determine the priority of at least one relay configuration among a plurality of relay configurations according to the format used for transmitting control information. For example, the format used for transmitting control information is the DCI format, and a relay configuration transmitted using a specific DCI format may be assigned a specific priority. The assignment between the specific DCI format and the priority of the relay configuration indicated by using the specific DCI format may be indicated to the relay node by semi-static signaling (e.g., RRC signaling), or may be pre-configured in the relay node (e.g., in the firmware of the relay node).

[0264] Additionally or as a second alternative, circuit 835 may determine the priority of at least one relay configuration among a plurality of relay configurations according to the number of frequency resources or the bandwidth used for transmitting control information. For example, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a higher number of frequency resources or a larger bandwidth has a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a lower number of frequency resources or a lower bandwidth. Since a higher number of frequency resources or a larger bandwidth for transmission can achieve higher reliability of the transmitted DCI, when the relay configuration indicated by a more reliable indication overlaps with a conflicting relay configuration indicated by a less reliable indication, the relay configuration indicated by the more reliable indication is prioritized in this way.

[0265] Additionally or as a third alternative, circuit 835 may determine the priority of at least one relay configuration among a plurality of relay configurations according to the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) used for transmitting control information. For example, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a higher number of PRBs may have a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a lower number of PRBs. Since a higher number of PRBs for transmission can achieve higher reliability of the transmitted DCI, when the relay configuration indicated by a more reliable indication overlaps with a conflicting relay configuration indicated by a less reliable indication, in this way, the relay configuration indicated by the more reliable indication is preferred.

[0266] Additionally or as a third alternative, circuit 835 may determine the priority of at least one relay configuration among a plurality of relay configurations according to the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for transmitting control information. For example, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a lower MCS may have a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a higher MCS. Since a lower MCS for transmitting control information can achieve higher reliability of the transmitted DCI, when the relay configuration indicated by a more reliable indication overlaps with a conflicting relay configuration indicated by a less reliable indication, in this way, the relay configuration indicated by the more reliable indication is preferred.

[0267] According to the sixth example, a relay node may receive indications for multiple relay configurations in the same dynamic control information message, and the relay node may determine the priorities of overlapping relay configurations indicated by the same dynamic control information message based on the positional order of the control information within the dynamic control information message. Specifically, at least two overlapping relay configurations may be indicated by control information included within the same dynamic control information message, and circuitry 835 determines the priority of each of the multiple relay configurations among two or more relay configurations based on the positional order of the control information within the dynamic control information message. For example, a relay configuration indicated by control information having a later position within the dynamic control information message may have a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information having an earlier position within the dynamic control information message.

[0268] In Figure 17 an example behavior of a relay device configured with multiple beam configurations indicated by the same dynamic control information message is shown. As is apparent from row a), the relay node receives DCI at time slot 0 as an example of a dynamic control information message. The DCI indicates three different beam configurations, namely, a first beam configuration at a first position that configures the relay node to use beam #0 in time slots 1 to 4, a second beam configuration at a second position that configures the relay node to use beam #1 in time slots 1 to 2, and a third beam configuration at a third position that configures the relay node to use beam #2 in time slots 2 to 3. Since the third beam configuration is received at the latest position in the DCI, the relay node determines that the third beam configuration has the highest priority among the three indicated beam configurations and that the second beam configuration has the second highest priority among the three indicated beam configurations. Accordingly, the relay node determines to use beam #2 to transmit or receive signals in time slots 2 to 3 because it is configured by the third beam configuration, which has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations in time slots 2 to 3 (i.e., among all three beam configurations in time slot 2 and the first and third beam configurations in time slot 3). Similarly, the relay node determines to use beam #1 to transmit or receive signals in time slot 1 because it is configured by the second beam configuration, which has the highest priority among the overlapping beam configurations in time slot 1 (i.e., among the first and second beam configurations in time slot 1). The relay node uses beam #0 indicated by the first beam configuration only in time slot 4, which has the lowest priority among the three indicated beam configurations and does not overlap with the other indicated beam configurations in time slot 4.

[0269] Accordingly, the determination of priorities according to the sixth example allows the base station to indicate more than one relay configuration in a single DCI (Dynamic Control Information message), while ensuring that the relay node knows which of the indicated relay configurations to apply during a specific time interval. Accordingly, the efficiency of indicating relay configurations can be improved, and the signaling overhead can be further reduced.

[0270] It should be noted that when determining the priorities of relay configurations indicated in the same Dynamic Control Information message, a positional relationship different from the above-described positional relationship can also be applied. For example, it can be determined that a relay configuration indicated by control information having an earlier position within the Dynamic Control Information message has a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information having a later position within the Dynamic Control Information message.

[0271] Although it has been assumed so far for simplicity that the relay node can apply a single relay configuration during each time period, the relay node may be able to apply more than one relay configuration to the transmission or reception of a signal simultaneously. Specifically, according to the seventh example, the transceiver of the relay node can simultaneously apply at least two relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, and the circuit determines, for a time interval, which at least two of the overlapping relay configurations to apply to the signal transmitted or received by the communication device based on the priorities of the overlapping relay configurations. Figure 18 An example behavior of a relay device configured with two beam configurations during the same time interval and capable of applying the two beam configurations simultaneously is shown. Although, by way of example, one of the beam configurations here is configured semi-statically, while the other beam configuration is configured by dynamic indication (similar to Figure 14 the example shown), the seventh example is not limited to this scenario, but can be applied to any overlapping beam configurations (relay configurations), regardless of whether they are indicated by dynamic signaling, semi-static signaling, or the firmware of the relay node.

[0272] The relay device is configured with a first beam configuration by semi-static indication as shown in row a), which configures the relay node to transmit or receive signals using beam #0 at time slot 0, beam #1 at time slot 3, and beam #2 at time slot 6. Additionally, the relay device receives a dynamic indication via DCI in time slot 1, from which the relay node obtains a second beam configuration as shown in row b), which configures the relay node to use beam #6 from time slot 2 to 4. Accordingly, the relay node determines that the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration overlap in time slot 3. In this example, the first beam configuration and the second beam configuration are assigned the same priority (or priority level). Since the relay node is able to use both beam configurations simultaneously, for example, two beams for two separate signal transmissions or receptions, the relay node determines to use beam #1 configured by the first beam configuration and beam #6 configured by the second beam configuration for signal reception or transmission in time slot 3. However, the beam indicated by a third beam configuration having a lower priority than the first beam configuration and the third beam configuration will not be applied by the relay node in time slot 3.

[0273] Since the relay node can be capable of applying more than one relay configuration simultaneously, it can apply a combined relay configuration to signal transmission or reception, which combines two or more overlapping relay configurations in the time interval as described above. Accordingly, by determining the priorities of the overlapping relay configurations, if more relay configurations are configured for a time interval than the relay node can apply in the same time interval, the relay node can determine which overlapping relay configurations should be combined.

[0274] In addition to the above example, the relay node can determine the priorities of the overlapping relay configurations based on the importance of the signals to be transmitted or received by each overlapping relay transmission, so as to avoid, for example, a relay configuration configured for transmitting control signals being overwritten by another relay configuration. For this purpose, the relay device can use sequence information that associates the content of the signals to be transmitted or received by the relay node with the priorities of the relay configurations to be applied to the signals. Specifically, when determining the priorities of two or more overlapping relay configurations, circuit 835 can obtain sequence information that indicates the priority of each of the two or more relay configurations, and can determine the priorities of the two or more overlapping relay configurations in the time interval according to the sequence information and the content of the signals, where the signals are transmitted or received by the communication device, and each of the two or more overlapping relay configurations will be applied to the signals.

[0275] Sequence information may associate the priority of a specific relay configuration with the importance of a signal that is sent or received by configuring a relay node with the specific relay configuration. For example, the SSB signaling sent through one of the interfaces of the relay node should always be received by the relay node or relayed by the relay node to the serving UE, such that the relay configuration applied to the reception (or transmission) of the SSB signaling should not be overridden by any configuration for signals received (or transmitted) by the relay node in the same time interval. Also, for example, a signal sent or received with a dynamically indicated relay configuration may be considered more important than a signal sent or received with a relay configuration indicated by RRC signaling and not including SSB transmission. For example, the sequence information may specify a priority order of relay configurations (listed from highest priority to lowest priority):

[0276] 1) A semi-statically indicated relay configuration configured for the transmission or reception of SSB signaling,

[0277] 2) A dynamically indicated relay configuration,

[0278] 3) A relay configuration configured for the reception or transmission of configured grant or SPS signaling,

[0279] 4) A relay configuration indicated based on RRC and unrelated to the transmission or reception of SSB signaling.

[0280] If the relay node determines that two or more such relay configurations overlap, the relay node may determine the priority of the overlapping relay configurations based on the above list and the indication received by the relay device for indicating the relay configuration. For example, if a first indication indicates a first relay configuration configured for the transmission or reception of SSB signaling, and a second indication indicates a second relay configuration configured for the reception or transmission of configured grant signaling, then if the two relay configurations overlap in a time interval, the relay station determines to apply the first relay configuration based on the above order.

[0281] The above order may be stored in a list in the relay device, and the order list may be configured by the firmware of the communication device, and / or may be configured or changed by the gNB through dynamic signaling and / or semi-static signaling.

[0282] In addition, although in the previous description, different links of the relay node have been described (i.e., referring to Figure 6Separate reception / transmission in the described control link, backhaul link, and access link), but each of the above examples can also be applied to the joint definition of the relay configuration for the control link and the backhaul link. Specifically, circuit 835 can determine that within a period of time: if the relay configuration to be applied to the transmission or reception of control signals (via the C link) overlaps with the relay configuration of the signals to be relayed (via the access link and the backhaul link), then the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations is applied. In other words, if the first relay configuration defined for transmitting or receiving control signals via the control link overlaps in time with the second relay configuration defined for transmitting and receiving the signals to be relayed via the backhaul link, the relay device determines the priorities of the first relay configuration and the second relay configuration, and determines that one of the two overlapping relay configurations with the higher priority is used for signaling on both links at the overlapping moment.

[0283] Since the signaling of control signals via the control link can be considered more important than the signaling signaled via the backhaul link, the relay configuration to be applied to the control signals (i.e., configured for the control link) can have a higher priority than the relay configuration to be applied to the signals to be relayed (i.e., configured for the backhaul link).

[0284] Accordingly, for this case, the order information for determining the priorities of the relay configurations can specify the priority order of the relay configurations (listed from high priority to low priority):

[0285] 1) The relay configuration configured for the semi-static indication of transmitting or receiving SSB signaling via the control link,

[0286] 2) The relay configuration dynamically indicated via the control link,

[0287] 3) The relay configuration configured for receiving or transmitting the configured authorization or SPS signaling via the control link,

[0288] 4) The relay configuration based on RRC indication via the control link,

[0289] 5) The relay configuration configured for the semi-static indication of transmitting or receiving SSB signaling via the backhaul link,

[0290] 6) The relay configuration dynamically indicated via the backhaul link,

[0291] 7) The relay configuration configured for receiving or transmitting the configured authorization or SPS signaling via the backhaul link,

[0292] 8) The relay configuration based on RRC indication via the backhaul link.

[0293] Using the above order, it is possible to ensure that the reception and transmission of control information are prioritized, thereby avoiding deterioration in the reception and transmission of control signals due to conflicts or overlaps between an expected relay configuration and another relay configuration for signaling that is only configured for less important signals. Therefore, by determining the priority of the relay configuration, even when two relay configurations for different link configurations of a relay node overlap during a specific time interval, the relay node can determine the relay configuration to be used.

[0294] Hardware and software embodiments of the present disclosure

[0295] The present disclosure can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each of the above embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be controlled in part or in whole by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI can be formed as a single chip, or one chip can be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI can include data input terminals and data output terminals coupled thereto. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI here can be referred to as an IC (integrated circuit), a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI. However, the technology for implementing integrated circuits is not limited to LSIs, and can be achieved by using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or dedicated processors. In addition, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) that can be programmed after manufacturing the LSI, or a reconfigurable processor in which the connection and setting of circuit units inside the LSI can be reconfigured, can be used. The present disclosure can be implemented as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technology replaces LSIs due to advancements in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, future integrated circuit technology can be used to integrate the functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0296] The present disclosure can be implemented by any kind of device, equipment, or system having a communication function, referred to as a communication device. For example, a relay node and a network node can be considered (respectively) as communication devices.

[0297] The communication device can include a transceiver and a processing / control circuit as described above. The transceiver can include and / or serve as a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver, as a transmitter and a receiver, can include an RF (radio frequency) module, which includes an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, etc., and one or more antennas.

[0298] Some non - limiting examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., cellular phones, smartphones), tablet computers, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital cameras / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, and transportation vehicles that provide communication functions (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), as well as various combinations thereof.

[0299] The communication device is not limited to being portable or movable, and may also include any kind of non - portable or fixed device, equipment, or system, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other "things" in the "Internet of Things (IoT)" network.

[0300] Communication may include exchanging data via, for example, cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, etc., and various combinations thereof.

[0301] The communication device may include devices such as controllers or sensors coupled to a communication device that performs the communication functions described in the present disclosure. For example, the communication device may include a controller or sensor that generates control signals or data signals used by the communication device that performs the communication functions of the communication device.

[0302] The communication device may also include infrastructure such as base stations, access points, and any other device, equipment, or system that communicates with or controls the devices such as those in the above non - limiting examples.

[0303] In addition, various embodiments may also be implemented by software modules executed by a processor or directly in hardware. Combinations of software module and hardware implementations are also possible. The software modules may be stored on any kind of computer - readable storage medium. Specifically, according to another embodiment, a non - transitory computer - readable recording medium is provided. The recording medium stores a program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of the method according to the present disclosure.

[0304] By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that is accessible by a computer. In addition, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. However, it should be understood that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do not include connections, carrier waves, signals or other transient media, but rather are directed to non-transitory tangible storage media. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0305] It should also be noted that the various features of different embodiments can be taken alone or in any combination as the subject matter of another embodiment. Those skilled in the art will understand that many variations and / or modifications can be made to the present disclosure as shown in the specific embodiments. Therefore, this embodiment is considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

[0306] Other aspects

[0307] According to a first aspect, there is provided a communication device. The communication device includes a transceiver and a circuit. The transceiver: (i) receives a signal to be relayed and transmits the received signal, (ii) transmits or receives a control signal, and (iii) receives relay configuration signaling. The circuit: (i) obtains a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, and (ii) determines to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, a relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, wherein the circuit determines to apply, during the time interval, a relay configuration having the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0308] According to a second aspect provided in addition to the first aspect, at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by semi-static signaling, and at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling is different from the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling.

[0309] In an alternative embodiment of the second aspect, the priority of the relay configuration indicated by semi-static signaling is higher than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by dynamic signaling.

[0310] In another alternative embodiment of the second aspect, the priority of the relay configuration indicated by semi-static signaling is lower than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by dynamic signaling.

[0311] According to a third aspect provided in addition to the first or second aspect, the priorities of multiple relay configurations are configured by at least one of the following: (i) the firmware of the communication device; (ii) dynamic signaling; and / or (iii) semi-static signaling.

[0312] According to a fourth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to third aspects, at least one relay configuration among multiple relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the dynamic signaling includes priority information indicating the priority of the corresponding relay configuration.

[0313] According to a fifth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects, at least one relay configuration among multiple relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the dynamic signaling includes coverage information indicating relay configurations with overlapping coverage within a time interval.

[0314] In an alternative embodiment of the fifth aspect, the coverage information sets the priority of the corresponding relay configuration to the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0315] According to a sixth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a circuit determines the priority of at least one relay configuration among multiple relay configurations based on at least one of the following: (i) the reception time of control information indicating each of two or more overlapping relay configurations; (ii) the format for transmitting the control information; (iii) the number of frequency resources for transmitting the control information; (iv) the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for transmitting the control information; and / or (v) the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for transmitting the control information.

[0316] In an alternative embodiment of item (i) of the sixth aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information with a later reception time has a higher priority than the relay configuration indicated by the control information with an earlier reception time.

[0317] In an alternative embodiment of item (ii) of the sixth aspect, the format is a DCI format, and in a further alternative embodiment of item (ii) of the sixth aspect, the priority corresponding to the format is indicated semi-statically.

[0318] In an alternative implementation of item (iii) of the sixth aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information transmitted using a higher number of frequency resources has a higher priority than the relay configuration transmitted using a lower number of frequency resources.

[0319] In an alternative implementation of item (iv) of the sixth aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information transmitted using a higher number of PRBs has a higher priority than the relay configuration transmitted using a lower number of PRBs.

[0320] In an alternative implementation of item (v) of the sixth aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information transmitted using a lower MCS has a higher priority than the relay configuration transmitted using a higher MCS.

[0321] According to a seventh aspect provided in addition to any of the first to sixth aspects, at least two overlapping relay configurations are indicated by control information included in the same dynamic control information message, and the circuit determines the priority of each relay configuration among the multiple relay configurations in the two or more relay configurations based on the positional order of the control information within the dynamic control information message.

[0322] In an alternative implementation of the seventh aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information with a later position within the dynamic control information message has a higher priority than the relay configuration indicated by the control information with an earlier position within the dynamic control information message.

[0323] In another alternative implementation of the seventh aspect, the relay configuration indicated by the control information with an earlier position within the dynamic control information message has a higher priority than the relay configuration indicated by the control information with a later position within the dynamic control information message.

[0324] According to an eighth aspect provided in addition to any of the first to seventh aspects, the transceiver is capable of simultaneously applying at least two relay configurations to the signals transmitted or received by the communication device, and the circuit determines to apply at least two of the overlapping relay configurations to the signals transmitted or received by the communication device within a time interval according to the priority of the overlapping relay configurations.

[0325] In an alternative implementation of the eighth aspect, the circuit determines to apply at least two relay configurations with the same priority within a time interval.

[0326] According to a ninth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to eighth aspects, when determining the priority of two or more overlapping relay configurations, the circuit obtains order information indicating the priority of each of the two or more relay configurations, and determines the priority of the two or more overlapping relay configurations within a time interval according to the order information and the content of the signal, where the signal is sent or received by a communication device and each of the two or more overlapping relay configurations will be applied to the signal.

[0327] In an alternative embodiment of the ninth aspect, the order information is configured by at least one of the following: (i) the firmware of the communication device; (ii) dynamic signaling; and / or (iii) semi-static signaling.

[0328] According to a tenth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the circuit determines that within a period of time: if the relay configuration to be applied to the control signal overlaps with the relay configuration to be applied to the signal to be relayed, then apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0329] In an alternative embodiment of the tenth aspect, the relay configuration to be applied to the control signal has a higher priority than the relay configuration to be applied to the signal to be relayed.

[0330] According to an eleventh aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the communication device supports a predetermined number of priority levels, and the circuit determines the priority of each of the two or more overlapping relay configurations according to the priority levels of the overlapping relay configurations.

[0331] In an alternative embodiment of the eleventh aspect, the relay configuration with a smaller priority level has a higher priority than the relay configuration with a larger priority level.

[0332] In a further alternative embodiment of the eleventh aspect, the relay configuration with a smaller priority level has a higher priority than the relay configuration with a larger priority level.

[0333] According to a twelfth aspect provided in addition to the eleventh aspect, the circuit generates a priority level report, where the priority level report includes a predetermined number of indications of the priority levels supported by the communication device; and the transceiver sends the priority level report.

[0334] According to a thirteenth aspect, a scheduling device is provided. The scheduling device includes a circuit and a transceiver. The circuit: (i) determines a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device, (ii) generates relay configuration signaling indicating each of the plurality of relay configurations, (iii) determines, for each of the overlapping relay configurations during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, a priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; and (iv) generates relay configuration signaling that includes an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations. The transceiver: (i) transmits the relay configuration signaling, and (ii) receives a relayed signal from the communication device and / or transmits a signal to be relayed to the communication device, wherein the transceiver receives, during the time interval, a signal from the communication device that applies the relay configuration having the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0335] The scheduling device according to the thirteenth aspect may further implement the corresponding features of any one of the second to twelfth aspects.

[0336] According to a fourteenth aspect, a method for a communication device is provided. The method includes the steps of: (i) receiving relay configuration signaling; (ii) obtaining, from the relay configuration signaling, a plurality of relay configurations, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (iii) determining, for a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, to apply, to signals to be transmitted or received by the communication device, the relay configurations among the two or more overlapping relay configurations, wherein, during the time interval, the relay configuration having the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations is applied; and (iv) by applying the determined relay configuration, receiving a signal to be relayed and transmitting the received signal and / or transmitting or receiving a control signal.

[0337] Other aspects of the method according to the fourteenth aspect are provided, which correspond to the steps performed by a communication device provided by any one of the second to thirteenth aspects.

[0338] According to a fifteenth aspect, a method for a scheduling device is provided. The method includes the following steps: (i) determining a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (ii) determining, for each relay configuration in the overlapping relay configurations during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, a priority of the relay configuration; (iii) generating relay configuration signaling that indicates each of the plurality of relay configurations and includes an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; (iv) transmitting the relay configuration signaling; and (v) receiving, from the communication device, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the plurality of relay configurations; and (vi) receiving, during the time interval, from the communication device, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the relay configuration having the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0339] According to a sixteenth aspect, an integrated circuit (which may be deployed in a communication system, particularly in a relay node) is provided. The integrated circuit controls a process of a communication device, the process including the following steps: (i) receiving relay configuration signaling; (ii) obtaining, from the relay configuration signaling, a plurality of relay configurations, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (iii) determining to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to signals to be transmitted or received by the communication device, wherein, during the time interval, the relay configuration having the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations is applied; and (iv) receiving, by applying the determined relay configurations, signals to be relayed and transmitting the received signals and / or transmitting or receiving control signals.

[0340] For example, the integrated circuit according to the sixteenth aspect may include: an interface to a transceiver capable of receiving and transmitting signals; and circuitry (by hardware or software) configured to perform the following operations: (i) configuring, via the interface, the transceiver to receive relay configuration signaling; (ii) obtaining, from the relay configuration signaling, a plurality of relay configurations, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (iii) determining to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to signals to be transmitted or received by the communication device, wherein, during the time interval, the relay configuration having the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations is applied; and (iv) configuring, via the interface, the transceiver to relay signals according to another relay configuration during a valid period; and (viii) configuring, via the interface, the transceiver to receive signals to be relayed and transmit the received signals and / or transmit or receive control signals by applying the determined relay configurations.

[0341] The integrated circuit of the sixteenth aspect may further implement the corresponding features of any one of the second to twelfth aspects.

[0342] According to the seventeenth aspect, there is provided an integrated circuit (which may be deployed in a communication device, particularly a scheduling device). The integrated circuit controls a process of the scheduling device, and the process includes the following steps: (i) determining a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by the communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (ii) determining, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; (iii) generating relay configuration signaling that indicates each of the plurality of relay configurations and includes an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; (iv) transmitting the relay configuration signaling, and (v) receiving, from the communication device, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the plurality of relay configurations; and (vi) receiving, from the communication device during the time interval, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the relay configuration with the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0343] For example, the integrated circuit according to the seventeenth aspect may include: an interface to a transceiver capable of receiving and transmitting signals; and circuitry (either hardware or software) configured to perform the following operations: (i) determining a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by the communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; (ii) determining, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; (iii) generating relay configuration signaling that indicates each of the plurality of relay configurations and includes an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; (iv) configuring the transceiver via the interface to transmit the relay configuration signaling, (v) configuring the transceiver via the interface to receive, from the communication device, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the plurality of relay configurations, and (vi) configuring the transceiver via the interface to receive, from the communication device during the time interval, a relayed signal or a control signal applying the relay configuration with the highest priority among two or more overlapping relay configurations.

[0344] The integrated circuit of the seventeenth aspect may also implement the corresponding features of any one of the second to twelfth aspects.

[0345] According to the eighteenth aspect, a program stored on a (non-transitory) storage medium and including code instructions that, when executed on one or more processors of a user device, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of any of the above methods (the fourteenth and fifteenth aspects and their corresponding other aspects).

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: a transceiver, the transceiver: - receiving a signal to be relayed and transmitting the received signal, - transmitting or receiving a control signal, and - receiving relay configuration signaling; and a circuit, the circuit: - obtaining a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device; - determining to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, a relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, - wherein the circuit determines to apply, during the time interval, a relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by semi-static signaling, and at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling, and the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling is different from the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling, optionally, wherein the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling is higher than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling, or optionally, wherein the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the semi-static signaling is lower than the priority of the relay configuration indicated by the dynamic signaling.

3. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein, the priority of the plurality of relay configurations is configured by at least one of the following: - the firmware of the communication device; - dynamic signaling; and / or - semi-static signaling.

4. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling; and the dynamic signaling includes priority information indicating the priority of the corresponding relay configuration.

5. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations is indicated by dynamic signaling; and the dynamic signaling includes coverage information indicating coverage of the overlapping relay configurations during the time interval, optionally, wherein the coverage information sets the priority of the corresponding relay configuration to the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

6. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, the circuit determines the priority of at least one relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations according to at least one of the following: - the reception time of control information indicating each relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations, optionally, wherein the relay configuration indicated by the control information with a later reception time has a higher priority than the relay configuration indicated by the control information with an earlier reception time; - the format for transmitting the control information, optionally, wherein the format is a DCI format, and optionally, wherein the priority corresponding to the format is indicated semi-statically; - The number of frequency resources for transmitting the control information. Optionally, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a higher number of frequency resources has a higher priority than a relay configuration transmitted using a lower number of frequency resources; - The number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for transmitting the control information. Optionally, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a higher number of PRBs has a higher priority than a relay configuration transmitted using a lower number of PRBs; and / or - The modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for transmitting the control information. Optionally, a relay configuration indicated by control information transmitted using a lower MCS has a higher priority than a relay configuration transmitted using a higher MCS.

7. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, at least two of the overlapping relay configurations are indicated by control information included in the same dynamic control information message, and the circuit determines the priority of each of the multiple relay configurations among the two or more relay configurations based on the positional order of the control information within the dynamic control information message, and optionally, a relay configuration indicated by control information having a later position within the dynamic control information message has a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information having an earlier position within the dynamic control information message, and optionally, a relay configuration indicated by control information having an earlier position within the dynamic control information message has a higher priority than a relay configuration indicated by control information having a later position within the dynamic control information message.

8. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, the transceiver is capable of simultaneously applying at least two relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device, and the circuit determines to apply at least two of the overlapping relay configurations to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device within the time interval according to the priority of the overlapping relay configurations, optionally, the circuit determines to apply at least two relay configurations having the same priority within the time interval.

9. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, when determining the priority of the two or more overlapping relay configurations, the circuit: - obtains order information indicating the priority of each of the two or more relay configurations; and - determines the priority of the two or more overlapping relay configurations within the time interval according to the order information and the content of the signal, the signal being transmitted or received by the communication device and each of the two or more overlapping relay configurations being to be applied to the signal, optionally, the order information is configured by at least one of the following: - the firmware of the communication device; - dynamic signaling; and / or - semi-static signaling.

10. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, the circuit determines within a time period: If the relay configuration to be applied to the control signal overlaps with the relay configuration to be applied to the signal to be relayed, then apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations. Optionally, the relay configuration to be applied to the control signal has a higher priority than the relay configuration to be applied to the signal to be relayed.

11. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, the communication device supports a predetermined number of priority levels, and wherein the circuit determines the priority of each relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations according to the priority level of the overlapping relay configurations. Optionally, a relay configuration with a small priority level has a higher priority than a relay configuration with a large priority level, or Optionally, a relay configuration with a small priority level has a higher priority than a relay configuration with a large priority level.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein, the circuit generates a priority level report, and the priority level report includes an indication of a predetermined number of priority levels supported by the communication device; and the transceiver transmits the priority level report.

13. A scheduling device, comprising: a circuit, the circuit: - determines a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device, - generates relay configuration signaling indicating each relay configuration among the plurality of relay configurations, - determines the priority of each relay configuration among the overlapping relay configurations during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, - generates relay configuration signaling, the relay configuration signaling including an indication of the priority of each relay configuration among the overlapping relay configurations; and a transceiver, the transceiver: - transmits the relay configuration signaling; and - receives the relayed signal from the communication device and / or transmits the signal to be relayed to the communication device, - wherein, the transceiver receives, during the time interval, the signal of the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations applied by the communication device.

14. A method for a communication device, the method comprises the following steps: receiving relay configuration signaling; obtaining a plurality of relay configurations from the relay configuration signaling, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to a signal transmitted or received by the communication device; determining to apply the relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to the signal to be transmitted or received by the communication device during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, wherein, during the time interval, apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations; receiving the signal to be relayed by applying the determined relay configuration and transmitting the received signal and / or transmitting or receiving a control signal.

15. A method for a scheduling device, the method comprises the following steps: Determine a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; Determine, for each relay configuration in the overlapping relay configurations, a priority during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap; Generate relay configuration signaling indicating each of the plurality of relay configurations and including an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; Transmit the relay configuration signaling; And Receive a relayed signal or a control signal that applies the plurality of relay configurations from the communication device; And During the time interval, receive from the communication device a relayed signal or a control signal that applies the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

16. An integrated circuit for a process of controlling a communication device, the process comprises: Receive relay configuration signaling; Obtain from the relay configuration signaling a plurality of relay configurations, wherein each relay configuration is to be applied to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; Determine to apply, during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap, the relay configuration among the two or more overlapping relay configurations to signals to be transmitted or received by the communication device, wherein, during the time interval, apply the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations; Receive a signal to be relayed by applying the determined relay configuration and transmit the received signal and / or transmit or receive a control signal.

17. An integrated circuit for a process of controlling a scheduling device, the process comprises: Determine a plurality of relay configurations, the plurality of relay configurations being configured to be applied by a communication device to signals transmitted or received by the communication device; Determine, for each relay configuration in the overlapping relay configurations, a priority during a time interval in which two or more relay configurations overlap; Generate relay configuration signaling indicating each of the plurality of relay configurations and including an indication of the priority of each of the overlapping relay configurations; Transmit the relay configuration signaling; And Receive a relayed signal or a control signal that applies the plurality of relay configurations from the communication device; And During the time interval, receive from the communication device a relayed signal or a control signal that applies the relay configuration with the highest priority among the two or more overlapping relay configurations.

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