Method and apparatus for processing signal in wireless communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system supporting a higher data rate than a 4G communication system such as LTE. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a network control retransmission (NCR) may receive control information for configuring an NCR beam from a base station through a control link, and may perform a relay between the base station and a UE on an NCR-Fwd access link by using the NCR beam configured based on the control information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the operations of user equipment (UE), repeaters, and base stations in a wireless communication system. Specifically, this disclosure relates to signal processing methods and apparatuses for repeaters that support the transmission and reception of UEs by exchanging beam information with a network, where the repeaters are capable of multi-antenna transmission and reception operations. Background Art

[0002] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology defines wide frequency bands to enable high transmission rates and new services, and can be applied not only to sub-6 gigahertz (GHz) bands such as 3.5 GHz, but also to extremely high ("above 6 GHz") bands known as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands such as 28 GHz and 39 GHz. In addition, for the sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication technology, known as the Beyond 5G system, implementation in the terahertz (THz) band (e.g., the frequency range between 95 GHz and 3 THz) is being considered to achieve data rates fifty times higher and ultra-low latency that is one-tenth of the latency of 5G mobile communication technology.

[0003] In the early stage of the development of 5G mobile communication technology, in order to support services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) and meet the associated performance requirements, standardization has been underway for the following: beamforming and massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) for reducing radio wave path loss and increasing radio wave transmission distance in ultra-high frequency bands, support for various parameter sets (numerology, operating multiple subcarrier spacings, etc.) for dynamic operations for efficient utilization of ultra-high frequency resources and time slot formats, initial access technologies that support multi-beam transmission and broadband, the definition and operation of bandwidth parts (BWPs), new channel coding schemes such as low density parity check (LDPC) codes for large data transmission and polar codes for highly reliable transmission of control information, layer 2 (L2) preprocessing, network slicing for providing dedicated networks dedicated to specific services, etc.

[0004] Currently, considering the services that the 5G mobile communication technology plan supports, discussions are underway regarding the improvement and performance enhancement of the initial 5G mobile communication technology, and physical layer standardization of technologies such as the following is being carried out: vehicle-to-everything (V2X) that enables autonomous vehicles to make driving decisions based on information about their own location and status sent by the vehicle and increases user convenience, new radio unlicensed (NR-U) that aims to enable system operation to meet various regulatory requirements in the unlicensed band, NR user equipment (UE) power saving, non-terrestrial network (NTN) which is UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in areas where communication with the terrestrial network is unavailable, positioning, and so on.

[0005] In addition, in the field of radio interface architecture / protocol, standardization of technologies such as the following is being carried out: industrial Internet of things (IIoT) that supports new services through interoperability and integration with other industries, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) that provides nodes for network service area expansion by supporting a wireless backhaul link integrated with the access link, mobility enhancement including conditional handover and dual active protocol stack (DAPS) handover, and two-step random access (two-step random access channel (RACH) of NR) that simplifies the random access process; standardization of the following is also being carried out in the system architecture / service field: 5G baseline architecture that combines network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) technologies (for example, service-based architecture or service-based interface), and mobile edge computing (MEC) that receives services based on the location of the UE.

[0006] When such a 5G mobile communication system is commercialized, exponentially growing connected devices will be connected to the communication network, and thus enhancements in the functions and performance of the 5G mobile communication system and integrated operation of the connected devices are expected to be necessary. To this end, new research will be conducted in the following areas: extended reality (XR) for efficiently supporting augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), etc., 5G performance improvement and complexity reduction by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, drone communication, etc.

[0007] Furthermore, such a development of the 5G mobile communication system will not only serve as a basis for developing technologies for ensuring coverage provided by 6G mobile communication technology in the THz band, such as new waveforms and multi-antenna transmission technologies (such as full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, and massive antennas); but also serve as a basis for developing technologies for improving the coverage of THz band signals, such as metasurface-based lenses and antennas, high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technologies using orbital angular momentum (OAM), and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS); and will also serve as a basis for developing technologies for improving frequency efficiency and system networks in 6G mobile communication technology, including full-duplex technology, satellites, AI-based communication technologies for achieving system optimization by leveraging AI from the design phase and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, next-generation distributed computing technologies for achieving service complexity levels beyond the limitations of UE computing capabilities by leveraging ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources, etc.

[0008] On the other hand, to improve the transmission and reception performance of UEs in a wireless communication system, a method of transmitting and receiving information by using MIMO technology that employs multiple antennas at the transmission and reception ends of the network and UEs has been proposed, and for UEs that can utilize such MIMO technology, there has emerged a new requirement for radio resource management (RRM) that takes into account the MIMO performance of UEs, different from traditional cell-based schemes. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Technical Problem

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for providing beam information of a network controlled repeater (NCR) to a network to improve the performance of a communication network in a wireless communication system, as well as a signal processing method and apparatus for enabling the network to manage and configure the beams of the NCR.

[0011] Solution

[0012] According to an embodiment, an operating method of a network controlled repeater (NCR) for relaying between a user equipment (UE) and a base station in a wireless communication system may include: receiving control information for NCR beam configuration from the base station via a control link, and performing relaying between the base station and the UE via an NCR forwarding (NCR-Fwd) access link by using the NCR beams configured based on the control information.

[0013] The control information for NCR beam configuration may be information for configuring at least one beam used by the NCR in the NCR-Fwd access link between the NCR and the UE.

[0014] The control information for NCR beam configuration may include: information associated with an index indicating at least one NCR beam and information associated with the operation time of at least one NCR beam.

[0015] The control information for NCR beam configuration may include information for configuring time resources for non-periodically transmitting the control information for NCR beam configuration, and may be received via downlink control information (DCI) or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0016] The control information for NCR beam configuration may include information for configuring the period of the NCR beam, and may be received via RRC signaling.

[0017] The NCR may include an NCR mobile termination (NCR-MT), and the control link may represent one or more channels between the base station and the NCR-MT.

[0018] According to an embodiment, an operating method of a base station in a wireless communication system may include: sending control information for NCR beam configuration to the NCR via a control link, and performing uplink reception or downlink transmission based on the relaying performed by the NCR using the NCR beams configured according to the control information.

[0019] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a network may efficiently manage the connectivity of UEs connected to an NCR by utilizing beam information provided to a base station by the NCR. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an example of a network control repeater (NCR) that relays signals between a base station (next-generation Node B (gNB) or BS) and a user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an analog beamforming relationship that may be used to transmit and receive signals between a base station (gNB or BS) and an NCR and between the NCR and a UE according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an example of a process in which an NCR provides NCR beam information to a base station according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram illustrating a process in which a base station determines an NCR beam on which to transmit and receive signals and allocates resources according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram illustrating a process in which a base station configures an NCR to relay a reference signal via different NCR beams.

[0025] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an example of a process in which an NCR provides a radio resource control (RRC) message including NCR beam information to a base station according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 7 FIG. is an example diagram of a process in which a base station configures an NCR beam for a UE for downlink data transmission via the NCR according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 8 FIG. is an example diagram of a process in which a base station configures an NCR beam for a UE for downlink data transmission via the NCR according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 9 FIG. is a block diagram of a network entity according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 10 FIG. is a block diagram of a UE according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the following, the operation principle of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present disclosure, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure, its description will be omitted. In addition, the terms described later are defined by considering the functions described in the present disclosure and may be changed according to the intention or habit of the user or operator. Therefore, the definition of the terms should be based on the overall description in this specification.

[0031] As used in the following description, for ease of description, terms for identifying access nodes, terms for indicating network entities, terms for indicating messages, terms for indicating interfaces between network entities, terms for indicating various types of identification information, etc. are exemplified. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms described later, and other terms representing objects having equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0032] In the following, a base station is an entity that allocates resources to a user equipment (UE), and may be at least one of a next-generation node B (gNode B), an evolved Node B (eNode B), a Node B, a base station (or BS), a radio access unit, a base station controller, and a network node. The UE may include a mobile station (MS), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a computer, or a multimedia system capable of performing communication functions. As used herein, a downlink (or DL) may refer to a radio link through which the base station sends signals to the UE, and an uplink (or UL) may refer to a radio link through which the UE sends signals to the base station. In addition, although the long-term evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system may be used as an example to describe embodiments of the present disclosure below, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to other communication systems having a similar technical background and channel configuration. For example, other communication systems may include the fifth-generation (5G) (or New Radio (NR)) mobile communication technology developed after LTE-A, and 5G described below may be a concept including traditional LTE, LTE-A, and other similar services. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure is applicable to other communication systems with some modifications without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart in the accompanying drawings and combinations of blocks of the flowchart may be executed by computer program instructions.

[0033] These computer program instructions may be loaded into a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus produce means for performing the functions specified in the flowchart block. The computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer - runnable or computer - readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer - runnable or computer - readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block. The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions for operating the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus by generating a computer - runnable process when executed in the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide operations for performing the functions described in the flowchart block.

[0034] In addition, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more runnable instructions for performing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order depending upon the functions associated with them. As used herein, the term "… unit" represents a software element or a hardware element, such as a field - programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application - specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and performs certain functions. However, the term "… unit" is not limited to software or hardware. A "… unit" may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or be configured to operate one or more processors. Thus, the term "… unit" may include, for example, elements such as software elements, object - oriented software elements, class elements, and task elements, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided by the elements and "… units" may be combined into a smaller number of elements and "… units" or may be further divided into additional elements and "… units". In addition, the elements and "… units" may be embodied as one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a constructed device or a secure multimedia card. Further, in an embodiment, a "… unit" may include one or more processors.

[0035] In the following, for ease of description, the present disclosure uses terms and names defined in the 5G system (5GS) and NR specifications as the standards defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) organization in currently existing communication standards. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms and names, but can also be uniformly applied to systems compliant with other standards. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to 3GPP 5GS / NR (5G mobile communication standard).

[0036] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an example of a network controlled repeater (hereinafter, NCR) 100 that relays signals between a base station (gNB or BS) 110 and a UE 120 according to an embodiment.

[0037] Reference Figure 1 , the NCR 100 is composed of an NCR mobile terminal (NCR-MT) 103 for exchanging control information with the base station 110 via a control link and an NCR forward (NCR-Fwd) 104 for relaying signals between the base station 110 and the UE 120.

[0038] Generally, it can be assumed that the control and backhaul links through which the NCR 100 and the base station 110 communicate have the same or similar physical channel characteristics.

[0039] Generally, it can be assumed that the NCR 100 is time-synchronized with the base station 110 and the UE 120.

[0040] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram illustrating an analog beamforming relationship that can be used to transmit and receive signals between a base station (gNB or BS) 110 and an NCR 100 and between the NCR 100 and a UE 120 according to an embodiment.

[0041] The base station 110 can transmit signals to and receive signals from the NCR 100 by using BS beams, and the NCR 100 can transmit signals to and receive signals from the base station by using NCR beams capable of transmitting and receiving corresponding BS beams in the direction of the base station. To this end, the NCR 100 can receive various reference signals sequentially transmitted by the base station 110 via the NCR beams in the direction of the base station, and perform beam selection and beam tracking to identify the BS beams and the NCR beams in the direction of the base station.

[0042] The NCR 100 can send signals to and receive signals from each of the UEs 120 by using NCR beams, and the UEs 120 can send signals to and receive signals from the NCR 100 by using UE beams capable of sending and receiving corresponding NCR beams. To this end, the UEs 120 can receive various reference signals sequentially sent or relayed by the NCR 100 via the UE beams, and perform beam selection and beam tracking to identify the NCR beams and the UE beams.

[0043] In this case, the NCR 100 can notify the UEs 120 of an identifier (ID) that can distinguish the NCR beams, or send a reference signal including the corresponding ID to the UEs 120, so that the UEs 120 can identify, select, and track the NCR 100 and the NCR beams.

[0044] On the other hand, the NCR 100 can operate transparently to the UEs 120 and can only send signals from the base station 110 to the UEs 120 without providing any NCR ID or NCR beam ID to the UEs 120. In this case, the base station 110 and the NCR 100 can only send signals generated by the base station 110 to the UEs 120 and receive signals generated by the UEs 120 from the UEs 120, and can only estimate and infer available NCR beams by exchanging these signals.

[0045] In this way, in order for the base station 110 and the NCR 100 to identify the NCR beams that can be used for sending and receiving signals to / from a specific UE 120, the NCR 100 needs to relay the reference signals sent by the base station 110 by using different NCR beams to allow the UE 120 to measure the reference signals, and then relay the measurement values of the UE 120 back to the base station 110, so as to select and track these NCR beams. To achieve this, tight beam control signal transmission and reception between the NCR 100 and the base station 110 are required.

[0046] To this end, the base station 110 needs to determine when the NCR 100 uses a beam and which beam to use to send signals to and receive signals from the base station 110 and the UEs 120.

[0047] In order to determine when the NCR 100 uses a beam and which beam to use to send and receive signals and configure resources for the NCR 100 to use a specific beam, the base station 110 first needs the beam information of the NCR 100, such as the number of available beams and the ID information of each beam. To this end, the NCR 100 needs to provide the beam information to the base station 110.

[0048] The beam information provided by NCR 100 to the base station 110 may be composed of a combination of the following information.

[0049] - The total number of beams that NCR can support

[0050] - The number of beams that NCR currently supports

[0051] - The list of beam IDs supported by NCR

[0052] - The list of beam IDs that NCR can support

[0053] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the process by which NCR provides NCR beam information to the base station according to an embodiment.

[0054] Reference Figure 3 , NCR 100 may include the beam information of NCR 100 in the uplink signal that can be sent during the initial access to the base station 110 and subsequent signal transmission / reception operations. For example, NCR 100 may include NCR beam information in the RRCSetupComplete message it sends to the base station 110 after the initial access procedure or random access procedure. In another example, NCR 100 may include NCR beam information in the UECapability message it sends to the base station 110. In another example, NCR 100 may include NCR beam information in the UEAssistanceInformation message it sends to the base station 110.

[0055] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the process by which the base station 110 determines the NCR beam on which to transmit and receive signals and allocates resources for transmission and reception according to an embodiment.

[0056] Reference Figure 4 , in operation S410, the base station 110 receives NCR beam information from NCR 100. In operation S420, the base station 110 determines which signals to transmit and receive and which NCR beam will be used for such transmission and reception by using the beam information received from NCR 100. Thereafter, in operation S430, the base station 110 determines resources such as time and frequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and then performs beam and resource scheduling to determine the NCR beam to be transmitted and received by NCR 100 on the corresponding resources. Subsequently, in operation S440, the base station 110 performs downlink transmission or uplink reception according to the scheduled resources. In operations S450 and S470, NCR 100 performs downlink relay or uplink relay by using the beam allocated according to the scheduled resources.

[0057] In an embodiment, a UE 120 belonging to an area served by an NCR 100 measures a reference signal transmitted via an NCR beam and reports the measurement to a base station 110. The base station 110 can distinguish the NCR beams through the measurement reports from the UE 120, determine the mutual relationship between these NCR beams and the reference signal to identify the channel and beam conditions of the UE 120, and schedule and transmit signals. The type of signal transmitted in this way can be a reference signal broadcast to an unspecified number of UEs 120, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a cell reference signal (CRS). The type of reference signal transmitted in this way can be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmitted to a specific UE 120 in unicast or multicast.

[0058] In an embodiment, the base station 110 can receive beam information from the NCR 100 and then allocate BS beams and corresponding reference signals for communication with the UEs 120 served by the corresponding NCR beams. The reference signal is transmitted from the base station 110 in a beam direction that can reach the NCR 100 and is transmitted in the NCR beam direction corresponding to the reference signal through the relay of the NCR 100 to reach the UE 120. There can be one or more beam directions from the base station 110 that can reach the NCR 100. The base station 110 can determine which UE to communicate with and which NCR beam will be used for this communication through the beam measurement reports received from the UEs 120 belonging to the area served by the NCR 100.

[0059] For example, the base station 110 can assign unique reference signals such as SSBs or CSI-RSs to be transmitted via each NCR beam. The measurement and reporting of these unique reference signals can represent the quality of each NCR beam, and the base station 110 and the UE 120 can perform the transmission and reception of uplink / downlink information through the relay of the NCR 100.

[0060] All signals (such as reference signals) transmitted by the base station 110 are not intended to be received by the NCR 100, but by an unspecified number of UEs 120. Therefore, the signals can reach any UE adjacent to the base station that is not in the service area of the NCR 100 and operate according to the traditional NR protocol.

[0061] Even when there is only one beam direction (antenna configuration) from which the base station 110 can reach the NCR 100, the base station 110 can assign unique reference signals to be transmitted via each NCR beam. In this case, the base station 110 can transmit as many reference signals as the number of NCR beams via one beam direction and allow the UE 120 to measure the reference signals. In this case, if there is any UE 120 adjacent to the base station 110 and present in the beam direction, the UE 120 can measure one or more reference signals via one beam direction, compare the measured values, and report the results to the base station 110. In this case, the base station 110 can discern that the reference signals are all transmitted via one beam direction and set criteria different from those for general beam measurement and tracking and beam change and fault recovery processes. For example, the base station 110 can configure the reference signal measurement to measure only one of the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE 120 and ignore the other reference signals. For example, the base station 110 can measure the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE 120 and then apply the average value of the measurements to the overlapping reference signals.

[0062] Even when the number of beam directions (antenna configurations) from which the base station 110 can reach the NCR 100 is at least one but less than the number of NCR beams, the base station 110 can assign unique reference signals to be transmitted via each NCR beam. In this case, the base station 110 can transmit as many reference signals as the number of one or more NCR beams via at least one base station beam direction and allow the UE 120 to measure the reference signals. In this case, if there is any UE 120 adjacent to the base station 110 and present in the corresponding beam direction, the UE 120 can measure one or more reference signals via one beam direction, compare the measured values, and report the results to the base station 110. In this case, the base station can discern that the reference signals are all transmitted in one beam direction (e.g., via the same antenna configuration) and set criteria different from those for general beam measurement and tracking and beam change and fault recovery processes. For example, the base station can configure the reference signal measurement to measure only one of the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE and ignore the other reference signals. For example, the base station can measure the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE and then apply the average value of the measurements to the overlapping reference signals.

[0063] When the number of beam directions (antenna configurations) from which the base station 110 can reach the NCR 100 is greater than or equal to the number of NCR beams, the base station 110 can assign, in a one-to-one manner, a beam direction corresponding to each NCR beam and then assign a unique reference signal to be transmitted in the corresponding beam direction. In this case, if there is any UE adjacent to the base station and present in the corresponding beam direction, the UE 120 can measure one or more reference signals via one beam direction, compare the measured values, and report the results to the base station 110. In this case, the base station can identify that the reference signals are all transmitted in one beam direction (e.g., via the same antenna configuration) and set criteria different from those for general beam measurement and tracking and beam change and fault recovery processes. For example, the base station can configure the reference signal measurement to measure only one of the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE and ignore the other reference signals. For example, the base station can measure the overlapping reference signals transmitted to the UE and then apply the average value of the measurements to the overlapping reference signals.

[0064] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram showing a process in which the base station 110 configures the NCR 100 to relay a reference signal via different NCR beams.

[0065] Reference Figure 5, the base station 110 can cause the NCR 100 to relay the SSB via different NCR beams for the initial access procedure or the shared random access procedure. To ensure the successful transmission and reception of uplink resources such as the physical random access channel (PRACH) resources indicated by each SSB, the base station 110 can schedule the resources of the base station 110 and the resources of the NCR 100 to relay the corresponding uplink transmission including information about the uplink resources via the same NCR beam as the NCR beam used to relay the SSB. In operation S510, the base station 110 can receive NCR beam information from the NCR 100. In operation S520, the base station 110 can determine the SSB and PRACH to be transmitted and received on each NCR beam based on the NCR beam information, and schedule the resources of the base station 110 and the NCR 100. In operation S530, the base station 110 can send the information about the scheduling to the NCR-MT 103. In operation S540, the base station 110 can send the SSB to the NCR-Fwd 104 based on the information about the scheduling. In operation S550, the NCR 100 can relay the transmission of the SSB based on the received information about the scheduling. In operation S560, the UE 120 can receive a reference signal such as an SSB (or CSI-RS) relayed by the NCR 100, and perform an initial access procedure (or random access procedure) for connecting to the base station 110 via the uplink resources indicated by the SSB. In operation S570, the NCR 100 can relay the corresponding uplink transmission via the same NCR beam as the NCR beam used to relay the SSB.

[0066] Figure 6 FIG. is an example of a flowchart showing an NCR 100 providing a radio resource control (RRC) message including NCR beam information to a base station 110 according to an embodiment.

[0067] Refer to Figure 6 , in operation S605, the NRC 100 can receive an RRCReconfiguration message from the base station 110. In operation S610, the NCR 100 can provide an RRC message including beam information, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, to the base station 110. Additionally, the NCR 100 can provide beam information to the base station 110 in an RRC connection resume request message, a beam failure recovery (BFR) message, etc.

[0068] The base station 110 may send a message requesting beam information, such as an RRCConfiguration message, to the NCR 100. The NCR 100 may provide a response message including beam information, such as an RRCReconfigurationComplete message, to it.

[0069] In addition, the NCR 100 may provide beam information to the base station 110 by defining a media access control (MAC) message, such as a MAC control element (MAC-CE), including beam information.

[0070] Figure 7 FIG. is an example diagram showing a process of the base station 110 configuring an NCR beam for downlink data transmission for the UE 120 via the NCR 100 according to an embodiment.

[0071] Reference Figure 7 , the base station 110 may send a control signal to the NCR 100 to configure the determined / configured NCR beam for the UE 120 during the duration required for downlink data transmission. The control signal may be sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 immediately when necessary, or may be configured with beam configurations for one or more resources by listing information on the NCR beams to be configured during the duration. In addition, the control signal may be configured to include a period and a beam to use a specific beam periodically at a specific time.

[0072] Through the use of a control channel, the beam configuration downlink signal sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 may be sent from the base station 110 to the NCR-MT 103.

[0073] The beam configuration downlink signal sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 may be downlink control information (DCI) at the physical (PHY) layer, a MAC-CE at the MAC layer, or a message at the RRC layer. The beam configuration downlink signal includes an indicator indicating control of the NCR beam, NCR beam information, and other information such as information about the time to use the corresponding beam.

[0074] Figure 8 FIG. is an example diagram showing a process of the base station 110 configuring an NCR beam for downlink data transmission for the UE 120 via the NCR 100 according to an embodiment.

[0075] Reference Figure 8, the base station 110 may send a pre - arranged control signal to the NCR 100 to configure a regular NCR beam change required for downlink data transmission. For example, the base station 100 may configure the NCR 100 with some pre - arranged configuration information (e.g., beam 0) such that the NCR 100 can then change the NCR beam at regular intervals.

[0076] To this end, the base station 110 may configure the start time and end time for the regular beam change for the NCR 100 and the length of time required to operate with each beam. Alternatively, the NCR 100 may be pre - configured with this information via an RRC message or the like.

[0077] This control signal may be sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 immediately when necessary, or may be configured by listing the information of the NCR beams to be configured within a duration. Additionally, the control signal may be configured to include a period and a beam to use a specific beam periodically at a specific time.

[0078] Via the control channel, the beam - configured downlink signal sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 may be sent from the base station 100 to the NCR - MT 103.

[0079] The beam - configured downlink signal sent by the base station 110 to the NCR 100 may be a DCI at the PHY layer, a MAC - CE at the MAC layer, or a message at the RRC layer. The beam - configured downlink signal includes an indicator indicating the control of the NCR beam, NCR beam information, and other information such as information about the time to use the corresponding beam.

[0080] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a network entity 900 according to an embodiment.

[0081] The network entity 900 may be the base station 110 or the NCR 100.

[0082] Reference Figure 9 , the network entity may include a transceiver 910, a controller 920, and a storage device 930. According to the above - mentioned communication method of the network entity, the transceiver 910, the controller (or processor) 920, and the storage device (or memory) 930 may operate. However, the components of the network entity 900 are not limited to the above examples. For example, the network entity 900 may include more or fewer components than those mentioned above. For example, the network entity 900 may include only the transceiver 910 and the controller 920. Additionally, the transceiver 910, the controller 920, and the storage device 930 may be implemented in the form of a single chip.

[0083] The transceiver 910 collectively refers to the transmitter of the network entity and the receiver of the network entity, and can send signals to and receive signals from the UE, other base stations, or other network devices. In this case, the signals sent and received can include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 910 can send system information and synchronization signals or reference signals to the UE. To this end, the transceiver 910 can be composed of an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the signal being transmitted and an RF receiver for low-noise amplifying the received signal and down-converting its frequency. However, this is merely an embodiment of the transceiver 910, and the components of the transceiver 910 are not limited to the RF transmitter and the RF receiver. The transceiver 910 can include a wired or wireless transceiver and can include various components for sending and receiving signals. In addition, the transceiver 910 can receive signals via a communication channel (e.g., a radio channel) and output the signals to the controller 920, and send the signals output from the controller 920 via the communication channel. In addition, the transceiver 910 can receive communication signals and output them to the processor, and send the signals output from the processor to the UE, another base station, or another entity via a wired or wireless network.

[0084] The storage device 930 can store programs and data required for the operation of the network entity 900. In addition, the storage device 930 can store control information or data included in the signals obtained by the network entity 900. The storage device 930 can be composed of storage media such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk, compact disc (CD)-ROM, and digital versatile disc (DVD), or a combination thereof. The storage device 930 can also store at least one of the information sent and received via the transceiver 910 and the information generated via the controller 920.

[0085] In the present disclosure, the controller 920 can be defined as a circuit or an application-specific integrated circuit, or at least one processor. For example, the processor can include a communication processor (CP) for performing control for communication and an application processor (AP) for controlling an upper layer such as an application program. The controller 920 can control all operations of the network entity 900 according to the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure. For example, the controller 920 can control the signal flow between blocks to perform operations according to the above flowcharts.

[0086] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a UE 1000 according to an embodiment.

[0087] Reference Figure 10 Figure 10 , the UE may include a transceiver 1010, a controller 1020, and a storage device 1030. According to the above-described communication method of the UE, the transceiver 1010, the controller 1020, and the storage device 1030 may operate. However, the components of the UE 1000 are not limited to the above examples. For example, the UE 1000 may include more or fewer components than those described above. For example, the UE 1000 may include only the transceiver 1010 and the controller 1020. In addition, the transceiver 1010, the controller 1020, and the storage device 1030 may be implemented in the form of a single chip.

[0088] The transceiver 1010 is collectively referred to as the transmitter of the UE 1000 and the receiver of the UE, and may send signals to and receive signals from a base station, another UE, or a network entity. The signals sent to and received from the base station may include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 1010 may receive system information and a synchronization signal or a reference signal from the base station. To this end, the transceiver 1010 may be composed of an RF transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of the signal being transmitted and an RF receiver for low-noise amplifying the received signal and down-converting its frequency. However, this is merely an embodiment of the transceiver 1010, and the components of the transceiver 1010 are not limited to the RF transmitter and the RF receiver. In addition, the transceiver 1010 may include a wired or wireless transceiver, and may include various components for sending and receiving signals. In addition, the transceiver 1010 may receive a signal via a radio channel and output the signal to the controller 1020, and send the signal output from the controller 1020 via a radio channel. In addition, the transceiver 1010 may receive a communication signal and output it to a processor, and send the signal output from the processor to a network entity via a wired or wireless network.

[0089] The storage device 1030 may store programs and data necessary for the operation of the UE. In addition, the memory 1030 may store control information or data included in the signals obtained by the UE. The storage device 1030 may be composed of a storage medium such as ROM, RAM, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD, or a combination thereof.

[0090] In the present disclosure, the controller 1020 may be defined as a circuit or an application-specific integrated circuit, or at least one processor. For example, the processor may include a CP for performing control for communication and an AP for controlling an upper layer such as an application program. The controller 1020 may control all operations of the UE according to the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure. For example, the controller 1020 may control the signal flow between blocks to perform operations according to the above flowchart.

[0091] Specific examples for explaining embodiments according to the present disclosure are merely one combination of each standard, method, detailed method, and operation, and a base station, NCR, or UE can process signals with each other via a combination of at least two or more of the described various techniques. In addition, in this case, signal processing in a wireless communication system including an NCR can be performed according to a method determined by at least one combination of one or two or more of the above-described techniques. For example, some operations of one embodiment can be performed in combination with some operations of another embodiment.

[0092] The method according to the embodiments described in the appended claims or the specification of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0093] When implementing the method in software, a computer-readable storage medium in which one or more programs (software modules) are stored can be provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured to be run by one or more processors within an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions for causing the electronic device to run the method according to the embodiments described in the claims and the specification of the present disclosure.

[0094] The program (software module or software) can be stored in a RAM, non-volatile memory including flash memory, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage device, CD-ROM, DVD, or other type of optical storage device, and magnetic tape cassette. Alternatively, the program can be stored in a memory configured as a combination of some or all of the devices. The memory can include a plurality of such devices.

[0095] In addition, the program can be stored in an attachable storage device, which can be accessed via a communication network, such as the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide RAN (WLAN), or storage area network (SAN), or a communication network composed of a combination thereof. The storage device can be connected to a device for performing the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure via an external port. In addition, a separate storage device on the communication network can also be connected to a device for performing the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0096] In specific embodiments of the present disclosure, according to the presented specific embodiments, the components included in the present disclosure are expressed in singular or plural forms. However, the singular or plural expression is selected to suit the situation presented for ease of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to elements in singular or plural forms, that is, elements expressed in plural forms can be configured as a single element, or elements expressed in singular forms can be configured as multiple elements.

[0097] In addition, although specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the present disclosure, various modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for operating a Network Control Repeater (NCR) that performs relaying between a User Equipment (UE) and a base station, the operating method comprising: Receive control information for NCR beam configuration from the base station via a control link; And Perform relaying between the base station and the UE via the NCR-Fwd access link by using the NCR beam configured based on the control information.

2. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration is information for configuring at least one beam used by the NCR in the NCR-Fwd access link between the NCR and the UE.

3. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information associated with an index indicating at least one NCR beam and information associated with the operation time of the at least one NCR beam.

4. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information for configuring a time resource for non-periodically transmitting the control information for the NCR beam configuration, and is received via downlink control information DCI or radio resource control RRC signaling.

5. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information for configuring the period of the NCR beam, and is received via RRC signaling.

6. The operating method according to claim 1, wherein, The NCR includes an NCR mobile terminal NCR-MT, and The control link represents one or more channels between the base station and the NCR-MT.

7. A Network Control Repeater (NCR) for performing relaying between a User Equipment (UE) and a base station, the NCR comprising: Transceiver; And At least one processor, connected to the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Receive control information for NCR beam configuration from the base station via a control link, and Perform relaying between the base station and the UE via the NCR-Fwd access link by using the NCR beam configured based on the control information.

8. The NCR according to claim 7, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration is information for configuring at least one beam used by the NCR in the NCR-Fwd access link between the NCR and the UE.

9. The NCR according to claim 7, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information associated with an index indicating at least one NCR beam and information associated with the operation time of the at least one NCR beam.

10. The NCR according to claim 7, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information for configuring a time resource for non-periodically transmitting the control information for the NCR beam configuration, and is received via downlink control information DCI or radio resource control RRC signaling.

11. The NCR according to claim 7, wherein, The control information for the NCR beam configuration includes information for configuring the period of the NCR beam, and is received via RRC signaling.

12. The NCR according to claim 7, wherein, The NCR includes an NCR mobile terminal NCR-MT, and The control link represents one or more channels between the base station and the NCR-MT.

13. A method for operating a base station in a wireless communication system, the operating method comprising: Send control information for NCR beam configuration to a network control repeater NCR via a control link; And Perform uplink reception or downlink transmission based on the relaying performed by the NCR using the NCR beam configured according to the control information.

14. A base station in a wireless communication system, the base station comprising: Transceiver;And At least one processor, connected to the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Send control information for NCR beam configuration to the network control repeater NCR via a control link, and Perform uplink reception or downlink transmission based on relaying performed by the NCR using the NCR beam configured according to the control information.

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