System and method for timing of smart nodes

Abstract

Systems and methods for timing of smart nodes (SNs) are presented. The network node may identify a first timing of a first frequency resource for the first link. The network node may determine a second timing for a second frequency resource of the second link. The first link may include at least one of: a first control link from the wireless communication node to the network node; or a second control link from the network node to the wireless communication node. The second link may include at least one of: a first forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a second forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication device; or a fourth forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority of PCT patent application No. PCT / CN2023 / 088645, filed on April 17, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, including but not limited to systems and methods for timing of smart nodes (SNs). Background art

[0004] Coverage is a fundamental aspect in cellular network deployments. Mobile operators rely on different types of network nodes to provide full coverage in their deployments. Thus, new types of network nodes have been considered to increase the flexibility of mobile operators in their network deployments. For example, some systems or architectures introduce integrated access and backhaul (IAB) as a new type of network node that does not require a wired backhaul and can be enhanced in some other systems. Another type of network node is an RF repeater, which simply amplifies and forwards any signal it receives. RF repeaters have been widely deployed in 2G, 3G, and 4G to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full - stack cells. Summary of the invention

[0005] Example embodiments disclosed herein are aimed at solving problems related to one or more difficulties existing in the prior art, and providing additional features that will become apparent when referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this disclosure that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0006] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A network node (e.g., a smart node (SN)) may identify a first timing of a first frequency resource for a first link. The network node may determine a second timing of a second frequency resource for a second link. The first link may include at least one of the following: a first control link from a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) to the network node; or a second control link from the network node to the wireless communication node. The second link may include at least one of the following: a first forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a second forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from the network node to a wireless communication device; or a fourth forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first frequency resource and / or the second frequency resource refers to at least one of the following: a carrier, a channel, a passband, a resource block group, a set of resource blocks, a subband, a guard band, a bandwidth part, a frequency band, an operating frequency band, a frequency range, a cell, a serving cell, or a spectrum band.

[0008] In some arrangements, the second timing may be related to the first timing, where the first timing refers to at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the second control link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by a first time delay after the first timing of the first control link or after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by a second time delay before the first timing of the second control link or before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by a third time delay after / before the third timing of the third frequency resource of the second control link, where the third time delay is related to the difference between the first timing of the first control link and the third timing of the third frequency resource of the first control link.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second timing may be related / aligned with the first timing (e.g., the first timing in Embodiment Example 1) when at least one of the following conditions is met: (a) the second frequency resource is any frequency resource within a set of frequency resources for the second link; (b) the second frequency resource is the same as the first frequency resource (e.g., the first carrier in Embodiment Example 1); (c) the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) the second frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or a cell group; (e) the second frequency resource is in the frequency resources declared by the network node; or (f) the second frequency resource is in the frequency resources reported by the network node to the wireless communication node.

[0010] In some embodiments, a first carrier (e.g., the first carrier in Embodiment Example 1 or the third carrier in Embodiment Example 2) may or may not be configured for receiving or transmitting sidelink control information.

[0011] In some embodiments, when at least one of the following conditions is met, a second timing may be related / aligned with a first timing (e.g., the third timing in Embodiment Example 2) (“aligned with...” may be an embodiment of “related to...”): (a) The first frequency resource (e.g., the third carrier in Embodiment Example 2) is a frequency resource or any carrier within a set of frequency resources for a second link; (b) The first frequency resource is the same as the second frequency resource; (c) The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) The first frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or cell group; (e) The first frequency resource is in the frequency resources declared by a network node; or (f) The first frequency resource is in the frequency resources reported by a network node to a wireless communication node.

[0012] In some embodiments, a network node may receive a first message indicating at least one or more frequency resource groups, each of the at least one or more frequency resource groups including one or more frequency resources. The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may be in the same frequency resource group of the one or more frequency resource groups. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may share a common timing value. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may be supported by a first link. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may be within a set of frequency resources for a second link. The timing of the one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the second link may be related / aligned with the timing of the one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the first link. The common timing value may include a common timing advance offset. The common timing advance offset may be indicated by a second message received by the network node from a wireless communication node, or may be determined by the network node as a default value.

[0013] In some embodiments, the common timing value may include the common timing advance command value in a timing advance command. The timing advance command may be indicated by a third message received by a network node from a wireless communication node. The network node may receive a fourth message from the wireless communication node, the fourth message indicating a reference SCS or a corresponding SCS associated with one or more frequency resources. The common timing advance command value may be relative to the reference SCS, or the largest or lowest of the SCSs, or related to the reference SCS, or the largest or lowest of the SCSs, or relative to one of the SCSs associated with a corresponding one of the one or more frequency resources for a first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource. The network node may adjust the downlink timing or uplink timing on all frequency resources in the same frequency resource group based on the common timing value.

[0014] In some embodiments, the network node may receive a first message from the wireless communication node indicating a timing offset.

[0015] In some arrangements, the unit or granularity of the timing offset refers to at least one of the following: N seconds, N milliseconds, N microseconds, N nanoseconds, N frames, N subframes, N time slots, N symbols, N·Tc or M·Tc, where N is a positive number, Tc is a time constant, and M is related to the subcarrier spacing configuration. The timing offset may include a first timing offset and / or a second timing offset. The first timing offset may include the propagation delay existing between the network node and the wireless communication node, and / or the second timing offset may include the handover delay existing between UL transmission / reception and DL transmission / reception. The first message may also indicate a third timing offset, which is a combination of the first timing offset and the second timing offset. The network node may receive a second message from the wireless communication node, the second message indicating one or more frequency resources for a second link corresponding to the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset.

[0016] In some arrangements, a network node may determine a second timing by combining a timing reference and / or a first timing offset and / or a second timing offset, including at least one of the following: the first timing of a first control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the first timing of a second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the first timing of the second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of a first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the second timing of a second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of a third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after the second timing of the first forwarding link; or the second timing of a fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset before the second timing of the second forwarding link.

[0017] In some embodiments, the timing offset may be a timing difference between a first frequency resource and a second frequency resource, or a timing difference between a current timing of a second timing and a new timing of the second timing. The first message may also indicate information corresponding to the timing offset. The information may include at least one of the following: the second frequency resource, a frequency band corresponding to the second frequency resource, or a SCS corresponding to the second frequency resource. The timing offset may include a UL timing offset and / or a DL timing offset. The network node may receive a third message from a wireless communication node indicating a plurality of timing advance offsets.

[0018] In some embodiments, a first timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets may be configured for a first frequency resource. A second timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets may be configured for a second frequency resource. The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may share a common timing advance offset, which may be indicated by a fifth message received by the network node from the wireless communication node, or may be determined by the network node as a default value.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may share a common timing advance command value in a timing advance command, and the common timing advance command value is indicated by a second message received by a network node from a wireless communication node. The common timing advance command value may be relative to a reference SCS, the maximum or minimum of a plurality of SCSs associated with the first link and the second link respectively, or relative to one of the SCSs associated with the first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource.

[0020] In some arrangements, the network node may determine a second timing, including at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the second control link, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the timing offsets after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the timing offsets before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is obtained by at least one of the following parameters: a common timing advance command value, a dedicated timing advance command value, a common timing advance offset, a dedicated timing advance offset, a timing offset. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Various example embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following figures or drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only example embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be regarded as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0022] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented;

[0023] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example base station and user equipment apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a transmission link between a BS and an SN and between an SN and a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 4A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 A framework diagram showing an example method for timing of a smart node (SN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0029] Figure 8 A flowchart showing an example method for timing of a smart node (SN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0030] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0031] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 may be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS102"; also referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment device 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE104"; also referred to as a wireless communication device), both of which may communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 that cover a geographical area 101. In Figure 1 which, BS102 and UE104 are included within the respective geographical boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating on its allocated bandwidth to provide sufficient radio coverage to its target users.

[0032] For example, BS102 may operate on the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE 104. BS102 and UE 104 may communicate via a downlink radio frame 118 and an uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS102 and UE 104 are generally described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" that may practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0033] Figure 2 FIG. shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, system 200 may be used to communicate (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols in a wireless communication environment (such as Figure 1 the wireless communication environment 100) as described above.

[0034] System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS202") and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE204"). BS202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each module being coupled and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each module being coupled and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. BS202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0035] As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, in addition to Figure 2In addition to the modules shown, system 200 may also include any number of modules. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logics described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software may depend on the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art familiar with the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a suitable manner for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternately couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to an antenna 212. A downlink duplex switch may alternately couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time-division duplex manner. The operations of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212, the uplink receiver circuitry is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for receiving transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. Conversely, the operations of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that while the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232, the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for receiving transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. In some embodiments, there is a tight time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in the duplex direction.

[0037] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 capable of supporting a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to specific standards and associated protocols. Rather, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0038] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 may be an evolved Node B (eNB), serving eNB, target eNB, femtocell, or picocell. According to some embodiments, UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, laptop computers, wearable computing devices, and the like. The processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or realized using a general-purpose processor, content addressable memory, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In this manner, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, state machine, or the like. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0039] In addition, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236 respectively, or any actual combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230 respectively such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234 respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information respectively during the execution of instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing the instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230 respectively.

[0040] Network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 202 that enable two-way communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, but not limited thereto, network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface such that base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connection to a computer network (such as a mobile switching center (MSC)). As used herein, the terms "configured to...", "configured as...", and their inflected forms with respect to a specified operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0041] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (such as wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is broken down into seven sub-components or layers, each of which represents a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model can also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or the seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer or the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is other layers.

[0042] Various example embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the present solution. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the example embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the specific order and / or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely example approaches. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise explicitly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0043] 2. Systems and methods for timing of intelligent nodes (SNs)

[0044] In some systems (such as 5G New Radio (NR), Next Generation (NG) systems, 3GPP systems, and / or other systems), as an enhancement over conventional radio frequency (RF) repeaters, a network-controlled repeater (NCR) can be introduced, which has the ability to receive and / or process side control information from the network. As discussed herein, for simplicity, network nodes including but not limited to network-controlled repeaters, intelligent repeaters, re-configuration intelligent surfaces (RIS), and integrated access and backhaul (IAB) can be represented as intelligent nodes (SNs) (such as network nodes). For example, an SN can include, correspond to, or refer to a network node that helps BS102 improve coverage (e.g., avoid / evade blockages / obstacles, increase transmission range, etc.).

[0045] In some cases, the frequency band of the carrier of the C-link (e.g., communication / control link or SN CU) can be in a different frequency band from the carrier of the F-link (e.g., forwarding link or SN FU). At least not all carriers within the set of carriers of the F-link can be the same as or in the same frequency band as the carrier of the C-link. In other words, these two operating frequency bands can be out-of-band. For example, the C-link can operate in frequency range 1 (FR1) for initial access and control of the forwarding of the F-link. The F-link can operate in frequency range 2 (FR2) for extending network coverage in the FR2 frequency band.

[0046] If the C-link and the F-link are out-of-band, there can be an Rx / Tx timing difference between the C-link and the F-link. In some embodiments, the SN FU can include a radio frequency (RF) unit that cannot detect signals itself to obtain timing synchronization. If the SN CU controls the forwarding of the SN FU based on the timing of the C-link (e.g., to perform ON / OFF, beam management, and / or power control, etc.), the timing of the C-link may be inaccurate for the F-link. Therefore, a mechanism can be implemented to obtain the accurate timing of the F-link in order to accurately control the forwarding of the SN FU.

[0047] Coverage can be a fundamental aspect of cellular network deployments. Mobile operators can rely on different types of network nodes to provide full coverage in their deployments. Therefore, new types of network nodes have been considered to increase the flexibility of mobile operators in their network deployments. For example, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) has been introduced as a new type of network node that does not require a wired backhaul. Another type of network node can be an RF repeater, which simply amplifies and forwards any signal it receives. RF repeaters have been widely deployed in 2G, 3G, and 4G to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full-stack cells. An RF repeater can have a radio unit.

[0048] As an enhancement over conventional RF repeaters, a network-controlled repeater can be introduced, which has the ability to receive and process side control information from the network. The side control information can allow the network-controlled repeater to perform its amplify-and-forward operation in a more efficient manner. Potential benefits include mitigation of unnecessary noise amplification, transmission and reception with better spatial directivity, and simplified network integration. The same mechanism for control specified in this disclosure can also be applied to other systems including reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS).

[0049] Figure 3 FIG. 300 shows a schematic diagram of the transmission links between BS102 to SN 302 and SN 302 to UE 104. SN302 can include or consist of at least two functional parts / components / units (e.g., functional entities), such as a communication unit (CU) (e.g., SN CU, sometimes referred to as the first functional entity or unit) and a forwarding unit (FU) (e.g., SN FU, sometimes referred to as the second functional entity or unit). The functional entities can support different functions. For example, SN CU can be a network-controlled repeater (NCR) MT. For another example, SN FU can be an NCR forwarder / forward (Fwd). SN CU can act as / manifest or include characteristics similar to UE104, e.g., receiving and decoding side control information from BS102. SN CU can be a control unit, controller, mobile terminal (MT), a part of a UE, a third-party IoT device, etc. SN FU can use the side control information received by SN CU to perform intelligent amplify-and-forward operations. SN FU can be a radio unit (RU), RIS, etc. For simplicity, CU (e.g., SN CU) and FU (e.g., SN FU) can respectively correspond to or refer to the first unit and the second unit.

[0050] As Figure 3 shown, the transmission links between BS102 to SN 302 and SN 302 to UE 104 can be defined / described / provided as follows:

[0051] - C1: The control link from the BS to the SN CU (e.g., the C link or the first communication link);

[0052] - C2: The control link from the SN CU to the BS (e.g., the C link or the second communication link);

[0053] - F1: The forwarding link from the BS to the SN FU (e.g., the F link or the first forwarding link, in this case, it can be a backhaul link);

[0054] - F2: From the SN FU to the BS (e.g., the F link or the second forwarding link, in this case, it can be a backhaul link);

[0055] - F3: From the SN FU to the UE (e.g., the F link or the third forwarding link, in this case, it can be an access link); and

[0056] - F4: From the UE to the SN FU (e.g., the F link or the fourth forwarding link, in this case, it can be an access link).

[0057] The control link (e.g., sometimes referred to as the communication link) can mean or imply that a signal from one side will be detected and decoded by the other side, so that the information transmitted in the control link can be used to control the state of the forwarding link (e.g., the backhaul link and / or the access link). The forwarding link can mean that the signal from the BS102 or the UE 104 is unknown to the SN FU. In this case, the SN FU can amplify and forward the signal without decoding them. For example, the F2 link and the F4 link can correspond to or be associated with the complete uplink (UL) forwarding link from the UE 104 to the BS102 (e.g., the backhaul link and the access link respectively), where F2 is the SN FU UL forwarding link. In addition, the F1 link and the F3 link can correspond to or be associated with the complete downlink (DL) forwarding link from the BS102 to the UE104 (e.g., the backhaul link and the access link respectively), where F3 is the SN FU DL forwarding link. The F1 link and the F2 link can correspond to or be called the backhaul link (B link), and the F3 link and the F4 link can correspond to or be called the access link (A link). The backhaul link and the access link can be part of the forwarding link, and the combination of the two can constitute the complete forwarding link.

[0058] Figure 4A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links is presented. For example, the frequency band of the carrier of the C link (e.g., SN CU) can be in a different frequency band from the carrier of the F link (e.g., SN FU), where these two operating frequency bands can be out-of-band. As shown, the C link can operate in frequency range 1 (FR1) for initial access and / or control of the forwarding of the F link. The F link can operate in frequency range 2 (FR2) for extending network coverage.

[0059] In the present disclosure, a carrier can be used as an example of a frequency resource to illustrate a timing method for an out-of-band scenario, which can also correspond to other frequency-related terms, such as passband, resource block (RB) group, RB set, subband, guard band, BWP, channel, frequency band, frequency resource, frequency range, operating frequency band, cell, serving cell, etc. For example, the present disclosure can be expressed as "carriers in a carrier group", which can be extended to "subbands in a cell group". The first "carrier" in the sentence can be replaced by "subband", and the second "carrier" can be replaced by "cell".

[0060] In the present disclosure, in at least one of the following cases, two frequency bands can be out-of-band:

[0061] · The two frequency bands can correspond to different carriers;

[0062] · The two carriers can be in different frequency bands or operating frequency bands;

[0063] · The two carriers can be in different frequency ranges (e.g., FR1, FR2 (FR2-1, FR2-2)); or

[0064] · If other terms such as "subband" are used to replace the carrier, out-of-band can also include the following cases:

[0065] The two subbands are different subbands.

[0066] In the following, for convenience of description, different frequency bands can be represented as "out-of-band". The frequency band can also correspond to a carrier, passband, operating frequency band, or frequency range.

[0067] If the carriers of the C-link and the F-link are out-of-band, there can be Rx / Tx timing differences between the C-link and the F-link. The FU can include an RF unit that cannot detect signals by itself to obtain timing synchronization. If the CU controls the FU forwarding based on the timing of the C-link, such as to perform ON / OFF, beam management, and / or power control, since the timing of the C-link is inaccurate for the F-link, it may cause resource conflicts, interference, and performance losses. Therefore, the systems and methods discussed herein can provide mechanisms / techniques to obtain the accurate timing of the F-link to accurately control the forwarding (e.g., forwarding operations / functions) of the FU.

[0068] In the following sections, the present disclosure presents methods for solving how to obtain the timing of the FU (F-link). The FU timing can include FU DL timing and / or FU UL timing, such as DL reception timing, UL transmission timing, DL transmission timing, and / or UL reception timing. The first two can also be referred to as B-link timing, and the latter two can also be referred to as A-link timing. Figure 5 A framework diagram of an example method for the timing of a smart node (SN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0069] The SN CU (or C-link) can operate in a first carrier. The first carrier can obtain at least the first timing of the SN CU (or C-link): the first DL (reception) timing and / or the first UL (transmission) timing. The first DL / UL timing for the SN CU can be implemented using UE mechanisms. The first DL (reception) timing can be the time for receiving on the control link for the first carrier. The first UL (transmission) timing can be the time for transmitting on the control link for the first carrier. The definitions of other types of timing can be similar to the above.

[0070] First DL timing: The SN CU can detect the DL signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) transmitted by the base station in the first carrier to obtain the first DL timing by adopting UE mechanisms.

[0071] First UL timing: The SN CU can obtain the first UL timing by adopting UE mechanisms according to the UL signal (e.g., random access channel (RACH)) transmitted by the CU in the first carrier.

[0072] One or more of the following example embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination.

[0073] Example Embodiment 1: Alignment with the Timing of the C-Link Carrier

[0074] The SN CU (or C-link) can operate in the first carrier for initial access and / or side control information reception / transmission, and can obtain the first timing in the first carrier as discussed above.

[0075] The SN FU (or F-link / B-link) can operate in the second carrier for forwarding. The second carrier can be a carrier within the set of carriers of the SN FU (or F-link / B-link). Figure 6 An example is shown. Figure 6 A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0076] The first carrier (or first frequency resource), the second carrier (or second frequency resource), or the set of carriers (or frequency resources) of the SN FU can be configured by the base station for the SN.

[0077] The timing of the second carrier of the SN FU (or B-link) can be aligned with the first timing of the SN CU (or C-link). At least one of the following example scenarios can occur:

[0078] · The DL reception timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the first DL timing (e.g., the time for reception on the control link); and / or

[0079] · The UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the first UL timing (e.g., the time for transmission on the control link); and / or

[0080] · The DL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed by an internal delay after the first DL timing. For example, the time for transmission on the access link causes an SN-specific delay (internal delay) relative to the time for reception on the control link / backhaul link. The SN-specific delay can be reported by the SN to the base station as an SN capability via RRC signaling, or notified to the base station via OAM, or declared by the vendor; and / or

[0081] · The UL reception timing of the SN FU can be advanced by an internal delay before the first UL timing. For example, the SN FU advances the time for reception on the access link by an SN-specific delay relative to the time for transmission on the control link / backhaul link.

[0082] When the second carrier satisfies at least one of the following conditions, the timing of the second carrier of the SN FU (or B-link) can be aligned with the first timing of the SN CU (or C-link).

[0083] · Condition 1: The second carrier can be any carrier within the set of carriers of the SN FU.

[0084] · Condition 2: The second carrier can be the same as the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link). · Condition 3: The second carrier and the first carrier can be in the same frequency band. The frequency band can be a spectrum band, such as an operating band or a frequency range.

[0085] · Condition 4: The second carrier can be in a cell group (or carrier group, carrier set, or frequency resource). For example, the second carrier and the first carrier can be in the same cell group. The cell group can be configured / indicated to the SN (SN CU) by the BS via system information, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control control element (MAC CE), or downlink control information (DCI) signaling. The cell group can be defined as a set of cells or carriers having the same DL or UL timing. The cell group can be a timing advance group.

[0086] · Condition 5: The second carrier can be in the frequency resource declared by the SN. The frequency resource can also refer to a carrier, a carrier set, a carrier / cell group, or one or more frequency bands. The timing of the carriers in the frequency resource can be aligned with the first timing. If the carriers are in the same frequency resource, the carriers can have the same DL or UL timing.

[0087] · Condition 6: The second carrier can be in the frequency resource reported by the SN to the BS. The frequency resource can also refer to a carrier, a carrier set, a carrier / cell group, or one or more frequency bands. The timing of the carriers in the frequency resource can be aligned with the first timing. If the carriers are in the same frequency resource, the carriers can have the same DL or UL timing.

[0088] The same timing advance offset value N TA,offset can be applied to the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link) and the second carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN FU or the F link / B link). The timing advance command for the uplink timing used for UL transmission received can be the same for the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link) and the second carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN FU or the F link / B link).

[0089] The base station can configure / indicate the subcarrier spacing (SCS) associated with the carriers (or the active UL BWP in the carriers) within the carrier set of the SN FU (or the F link / B link) to the SN (SN CU). For example, the base station can configure / indicate the SCS of the second carrier (or the active UL BWP in the second carrier) to the SN. The timing advance command value can be relative to the maximum or minimum SCS of the first carrier and the second carrier, or the timing advance command value can be relative to the SCS of the first carrier.

[0090] Example of Embodiment 2: Timing Alignment with an Additional C-Link Carrier

[0091] The SN CU (or C-link) can operate in the first carrier for initial access and / or side control information reception / transmission, and can obtain a first timing in the first carrier as discussed above.

[0092] The SN FU (or F-link / B-link) can operate in the second carrier for forwarding. The second carrier is a carrier within the carrier set of the SN FU (or F-link / B-link).

[0093] The SN CU can obtain a third timing in a third carrier of the SN CU (or C-link), for example, using a UE mechanism (detecting / transmitting some signals (such as SSB or RACH) from / to the BS) to obtain a third DL (receiving) timing and / or a third UL (transmitting) timing. Alternatively, the third carrier may not be used for side control information reception / transmission by the SN CU. Figure 7 An example is shown. Figure 7 A diagram showing two frequency ranges associated with respective links according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0094] Third DL Timing: The SN CU can detect a DL signal (such as SSB) transmitted by the base station in the third carrier to obtain the third DL timing. Alternatively, the DL signal detected by the SN CU in the third carrier can be used by the SN CU to obtain a timing (such as radio frame timing and / or SFN), and may not be used for other purposes, such as measurement.

[0095] Third UL Timing: The SN CU can obtain the third UL timing according to a UL signal (such as RACH) transmitted by the CU in the third carrier. Alternatively, the UL signal transmitted by the SN CU in the third carrier can be used by the SN CU to obtain the UL timing, and may not be used for other purposes, such as measurement.

[0096] The timing of the second carrier of the SN FU (or B-link) can be aligned with the third timing. At least one of the following example scenarios can occur:

[0097] · The DL reception timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the third DL timing; and / or

[0098] · The UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the third UL timing; and / or

[0099] · The UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the first UL timing plus / minus one or more first timing offsets. The first timing offset can be the difference between the first DL timing and the third DL timing. The new timing advance (TA) in the second carrier can be obtained or defined by the first UL timing (e.g., the TA obtained in the first carrier) plus / minus one or more first timing offsets. The SN (SN CU) can report the first timing offset and / or the associated SCS to the base station; and / or

[0100] · The DL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed by an internal delay after the third DL timing. For example, the time for transmission on the access link causes an SN-specific delay (internal delay) relative to the time for reception on the control link / backhaul link; and / or

[0101] · The UL reception timing of the SN FU can be advanced by an internal delay before the third UL timing. For example, the SN FU advances the time for reception on the access link relative to the time for transmission on the control link / backhaul link by an SN-specific delay.

[0102] When the third carrier satisfies at least one of the following conditions, the timing of the second carrier of the SN FU (or B link) can be aligned with the third timing.

[0103] · Condition 1: The third carrier can be any carrier or one carrier within the carrier set of the SN FU.

[0104] · Condition 2: The third carrier can be the same as the second carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or C link). · Condition 3: The third carrier and the second carrier can be in the same frequency band. The frequency band can be a spectrum band, such as an operating band or a frequency range.

[0105] · Condition 4: The third carrier can be in a cell group (or carrier group, carrier set, or frequency resource). For example, the third carrier and the second carrier can be in the same cell group. The cell group can be configured / indicated to the SN (SN CU) by the BS via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI signaling. The cell group can be defined as a set of cells or carriers with the same DL or UL timing. The cell group can be a timing advance group.

[0106] · Condition 5: The third carrier can be in the frequency resource declared by the SN. The frequency resource can also refer to a carrier, a carrier set, a carrier / cell group, or one or more frequency bands. If carriers are in the same frequency resource, they can have the same DL or UL timing. The third carrier and the second carrier can be in the same frequency resource.

[0107] ·Condition 6: The third carrier can be within the frequency resources reported by the SN to the BS. The frequency resources can also refer to a carrier, a set of carriers, a carrier / cell group, or (one or more) frequency bands. If carriers are within the same frequency resources, the carriers can have the same DL or UL timing. The third carrier and the second carrier can be within the same frequency resources.

[0108] The same timing advance offset value N TA,offset can be applied to the third carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link) and the second carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN FU or the F link / B link). The timing advance command for the uplink timing used for UL transmission received can be the same for the third carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link) and the second carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN FU or the F link / B link). The base station can configure / indicate the SCS associated with the carriers (or the active UL BWP in the carriers) within the carrier set of the SN FU (or the F link / B link) to the SN (SN CU). For example, the base station can configure / indicate the SCS of the second carrier (or the active UL BWP in the second carrier) to the SN. The timing advance command value can be relative to the maximum or minimum SCS of the third carrier and the second carrier, or the timing advance command value can be relative to the SCS of the third carrier.

[0109] Example implementation 3: Configuring a carrier group with the same timing

[0110] The base station can configure one or more carrier groups (or cell groups, carrier / cell sets, frequency resources / frequency bands). The configuration of the carrier group can be indicated by the base station to the SN (SN CU) via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling.

[0111] In addition, one or more of the following points can be executed.

[0112] · Each carrier group can include at least one carrier that can be supported by the SN CU, such as the first carrier. · Each carrier group can include one or more carriers within the carrier set of the SN FU, such as the second carrier.

[0113] · The SN CU can obtain the timing in each carrier supported by the SN CU (e.g., using the UE mechanism). · The timing of the carriers within the carrier set of the SN FU (B link) can be aligned with the timing of the carriers of the SN CU if the above carriers are in the same carrier group, including:

[0114] - The DL reception timing of the SN FU can be aligned with the first DL timing (e.g., the time for reception on the control link); and / or

[0115] - The UL transmission timing of the -SN FU can be aligned with the first UL timing (e.g., the time for controlling the transmission on the link); and / or

[0116] - The DL transmission timing of the -SN FU is delayed by an internal delay after the first DL timing. For example, the time for the transmission on the access link causes an SN-specific delay (internal delay) relative to the time for the reception on the control link / backhaul link; and / or

[0117] - The UL reception timing of the -SN FU is advanced by an internal delay before the first UL timing. For example, the -SN FU advances the time for the reception on the access link by an SN-specific delay relative to the time for the transmission on the control link / backhaul link.

[0118] · The SN can be provided by the base station with the value N of the timing advance offset for the carrier via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling TA,offset . If the SN is not provided for the carrier, the SN determines the default value N of the timing advance offset for the carrier TA,offset .

[0119] · The same timing advance offset value N TA,offset can be applied to the carriers in the carrier group.

[0120] · When receiving the timing advance command for the carrier group, the SN can adjust the uplink timing for the transmission on all carriers in the carrier group based on the SN expecting the same N TA,offset value for all carriers in the carrier group and based on the received timing advance command, where the uplink timing is the same for all carriers in the carrier group.

[0121] · The base station can configure / indicate the SCS associated with the carriers (or the active UL BWP in the carriers) within the carrier group to the SN (SN CU). The timing advance command value can be relative to the maximum or minimum SCS of the carrier (or the active UL BWP in the carrier), or the timing advance command value can be relative to the SCS of the carriers of the SN CU in the carrier group.

[0122] · The SN (SN CU) or OAM can report the capabilities of the frequency bands / carriers supported by the SN FU and / or SN CU to the base station. The above capabilities can include at least one of the following: frequency band number, frequency band combination, bandwidth (or aggregated bandwidth), number of supported carriers, frequency information (index, center frequency, ARFCN, start / end frequency, and / or bandwidth) of the frequency band or carrier.

[0123] · The base station can configure a carrier group for the SN (SN CU). The configuration of the carrier group can include a carrier group index (e.g., 0, 1, 2, …, or primary, secondary, …), a carrier list or a carrier group list, and frequency information (index, center frequency, absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), start / end frequency, and / or bandwidth) of the carrier or carrier group.

[0124] · If the carrier group includes a carrier of the SN CU for side control information reception / transmission, the carrier group can be defined / configured as the primary carrier group or the carrier group with index 0.

[0125] Example Embodiment 4: External System as Timing Reference

[0126] The base station can configure / indicate the second timing offset and / or the third timing offset to the SN (SN CU) via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling.

[0127] The timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can be N seconds, N milliseconds, N microseconds, N nanoseconds, N frames, N subframes, N time slots, N symbols, etc., where N is a positive number. The timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can also be a multiple of a time constant. The value of the multiple can be related to the subcarrier spacing configuration u. The time constant can be T c . T c = 1 / (Δf max · N f ), where Δf max = 480·10 3 Hz and N f = 4096. Accordingly, the timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can be, for example, T c , 64·T c , 16·64·T c or 16·64·T c / 2 u (u is the subcarrier spacing configuration, u = 0, 1, 2, 3, …, 10), etc. The subcarrier spacing configuration u can be relative to / with respect to the reference SCS, or the corresponding SCS of the first carrier and / or the carrier of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier), or the maximum or minimum SCS of the first carrier and / or the carrier of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier), or the SCS of the first carrier. The information of the above SCS can be notified by the base station to the SN.

[0128] In addition, one or more of the following points can be executed.

[0129] · The second timing offset can be the propagation delay (one-way or round-trip) between the base station and the SN and / or other types of time delays (e.g., in addition to the propagation delay). · The third timing offset can be the handover delay between DL and UL and / or other types of time delays (e.g., in addition to the propagation delay / handover delay).

[0130] · The second timing offset and the third timing offset can be combined into a single timing offset, such as a fourth timing offset. In such a case, the fourth timing offset includes the propagation delay, the handover delay, and / or other types of time delays (e.g., in addition to the propagation delay / handover delay).

[0131] · The base station can configure / indicate the second timing offset and / or the third timing offset, as well as the corresponding carrier and / or the corresponding SCS, to the SN via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling. In other words, the base station can configure / indicate the carrier and the corresponding second timing offset and / or the corresponding third timing offset and / or the corresponding SCS to the SN. The carrier can include the first carrier of the SN-CU and / or a carrier within the set of carriers of the SN-FU (e.g., the second carrier).

[0132] · The SN can use a timing system (e.g., GNSS) as a timing reference and can combine the second timing offset, the third timing offset, and / or the fourth timing offset to obtain the timing of the first carrier of the SN CU and / or a carrier within the set of carriers of the SN FU. For example,

[0133] - The DL reception timing of the SN CU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the timing reference, and / or

[0134] - The UL transmission timing of the SN CU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the timing reference, or the UL transmission timing of the SN CU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the DL reception timing of the SN CU, and / or

[0135] - The DL reception timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the timing reference, and / or

[0136] - The UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the timing reference, or the UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced by one or more second / third / fourth timing offsets after / before the DL reception timing of the SN FU, and / or

[0137] - The DL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed by an internal delay after the DL reception timing of the SN FU. For example, the time for transmission on the access link causes an SN-specific delay (internal delay) relative to the time for reception on the control link / backhaul link; and / or

[0138] - The UL reception timing of the SN FU can be advanced by an internal delay before the UL transmission timing of the SN FU. For example, the SN FU advances the time for reception on the access link by an SN-specific delay relative to the time for transmission on the control link / backhaul link.

[0139] Embodiment Example 5: Configure the timing offset between the C carrier and the F carrier

[0140] The SN CU (or C link) can operate in the first carrier for initial access and / or side control information reception / transmission, and can obtain a first timing in the first carrier, as discussed above.

[0141] The SN FU (or F link / B link) can operate in the second carrier for forwarding. The second carrier can be a carrier within the set of carriers of the SN FU (or F link / B link).

[0142] The base station can configure / indicate the fifth timing offset to the SN (SN CU) via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling.

[0143] The timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can be N seconds, N milliseconds, N microseconds, N nanoseconds, N frames, N subframes, N time slots, N symbols, etc., where N is a positive number. The timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can also be a multiple of a time constant. The value of the multiple can be related to the subcarrier spacing configuration u. The time constant can be T c .T c = 1 / (Δf max ·N f ), where Δf max = 480·10 3 Hz and N f = 4096. Accordingly, the timing offset unit (or adjusted granularity) can be, for example, T c , 64·T c , 16·64·T c or 16·64·T c / 2 u(u is the sub - carrier spacing configuration, where u = 0, 1, 2, 3, …, 10), etc. The sub - carrier spacing configuration u can be relative to / with respect to the reference SCS, or the corresponding SCS of the first carrier and / or the carrier of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier), or the maximum or minimum SCS of the first carrier and / or the carrier of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier), or the SCS of the first carrier. The information of the above - mentioned SCS can be notified by the base station to the SN.

[0144] In addition, one or more of the following points can be executed.

[0145] · The fifth timing offset can be the timing difference between the carrier of the SN CU (e.g., the first carrier) and the carriers within the carrier set of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier), or the timing difference between the frequency band of the carrier of the SN CU and the frequency band of the carrier of the SN FU.

[0146] · The base station can configure / indicate the fifth timing offset and the corresponding information to the SN via system information, RRC signaling, MAC CE, and / or DCI signaling. The corresponding information can include at least one of the following: the corresponding carrier, the corresponding frequency band, or SCS. For the corresponding carrier, it is the carrier within the carrier set of the SN FU (e.g., the second carrier). Each fifth timing offset can be associated with the carrier within the carrier set of the SN FU. For the corresponding frequency band, each fifth timing offset can be associated with the frequency band. For SCS, each fifth timing offset can be associated with SCS. The SCS can also be the SCS of the corresponding carrier of the SN FU or the active BWP of the corresponding carrier. In other words, the base station can also configure / indicate the carrier / frequency band and the corresponding fifth timing offset and / or the corresponding SCS to the SN. The carrier can include the first carrier of the SN - CU and / or the carrier within the carrier set of the SN - FU (e.g., the second carrier).

[0147] · The fifth timing offset can be further divided into a fifth DL timing offset and a fifth UL timing offset. The fifth DL timing offset is used for FU DL (e.g., receiving) timing capture, and the fifth UL (e.g., transmitting) timing offset can be used for FU UL timing capture. The BS can indicate the fifth DL timing offset and the fifth UL timing offset to the SN (SNCU).

[0148] · For the timing advance offset value N TA,offset . The same common timing advance offset value N TA,offset can be applied to the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C - link) and / or all the carriers within the carrier set of the SN FU (or the F - link / B - link). N TA,offsetIt can be configured / indicated by the BS to the SN, or can be determined by the SN as a default value. Alternatively, the base station can configure / indicate more than one timing advance offset value (e.g., two values or more) to the SN (SNCU). For example (two values), these two values can be one for band / range 1 and the other for band / range 2. Another example (two values), these two values can be one for the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SNCU or the C link), and the other for the set of carriers of the SN FU (or the F link / B link). For example (multiple values), in addition to the first carrier, each value among the multiple values can correspond to a carrier within the set of carriers of the SN FU, or each value among the multiple values can correspond to the band / range to which the carriers within the set of carriers of the SN FU belong. This means / indicates that the timing advance offset can be a dedicated timing advance offset, such as FU-dedicated, access / forward link-dedicated, carrier-dedicated, band-dedicated, etc.

[0149] · The received timing advance command can be the same for the first carrier (e.g., the carrier of the SN CU or the C link) and the carriers of the SN FU (B link). For example, the above carriers can share a common timing advance command value. The base station can also indicate dedicated timing advance command values for the carriers within the set of carriers of the SN FU. The dedicated timing advance command value can be FU-dedicated, access / forward link-dedicated, carrier-dedicated, band-dedicated, etc.

[0150] · The timing advance command value can be relative to the maximum or minimum SCS of the first carrier and the carriers of the SN FU (B link) (e.g., the second carrier), or the timing advance command value can be relative to the SCS of the first carrier.

[0151] · The timing of the SN FU (B link) in each carrier can be obtained based on the timing of the SN CU (C link) and combined with the fifth timing offset and / or the timing advance offset.

[0152] · The second timing of the second forward link can be obtained by at least one of the following parameters: the common timing advance command value, the dedicated timing advance command value, the common timing advance offset, the dedicated timing advance offset, or the timing offset.

[0153] · For example, the SN CU can start T for UL transmission before the start of the corresponding downlink frame at the SN CU TA =(N TA +N TA,offset +N others )T c where N TA is obtained from the timing advance command, N TA,offset is the timing advance offset value, Nothers Indicates other timing impacts and is optional. Then, the SN FU can start the T for UL transmission TA = (N TA + N TA,offset1 + N others + N fifth offset )T c , where, depending on whether the timing advance offset is configured as a common timing advance offset or a dedicated timing advance offset, N TA,offset1 can be the same as or different from N TA,offset . N fifth offset is the fifth timing offset.

[0154] · For another example,

[0155] - The DL reception timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced by one or more fifth timing offsets after / before the first DL timing (e.g., the time for reception on the control link), and / or

[0156] - The UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced by one or more fifth timing offsets after / before the first UL timing (e.g., the time for transmission on the control link), or the UL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed / advanced (common) timing advance command value, (common or dedicated) timing advance offset, and / or other timing parameters after / before the DL reception timing of the SN FU.

[0157] - The DL transmission timing of the SN FU can be delayed by an internal delay after the DL reception timing of the SN FU. For example, the time for transmission on the access link causes an SN-specific delay (internal delay) relative to the time for reception on the backhaul link; and / or

[0158] - The UL reception timing of the SN FU can be advanced by an internal delay before the UL transmission timing of the SN FU. For example, the SN FU advances the time for reception on the access link by an SN-specific delay relative to the time for transmission on the backhaul link.

[0159] · The fifth timing offset can be the timing difference between the current (old) timing of the FU and the new timing of the FU. In other words, the fifth timing offset can be indicated for the adjustment amount from the current timing value to the new timing value. Adjusting the fifth timing offset value by a positive or negative amount can respectively indicate advancing or delaying the corresponding amount of the DL / UL Rx / Tx timing for the FU.

[0160] It should be understood that one or more features from the above exemplary embodiments are not exclusive to a particular exemplary embodiment, but can be combined in any way (e.g., in any priority and / or order, simultaneously, or otherwise).

[0161] Figure 8 FIG. 800 shows a flowchart of a method 800 for timing of a smart node (SN). Method 800 can be implemented using any one or more of the components and devices detailed herein. In general, in some embodiments, method 800 can be performed by a network node. Depending on the embodiment, additional, fewer, or different operations can be performed in method 800. At least one aspect of the operations relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. Figures 1 to 2 A network node (e.g., a smart node (SN)) can identify a first timing of a first frequency resource for a first link. The network node can determine a second timing of a second frequency resource for a second link. The first link can include at least one of the following: a first control link from a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) to the network node; or a second control link from the network node to the wireless communication node. The second link can include at least one of the following: a first forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a second forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from the network node to a wireless communication device; or a fourth forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first frequency resource and / or the second frequency resource refer to at least one of the following: a carrier, a channel, a passband, a resource block group, a resource block set, a subband, a guard band, a bandwidth part, a frequency band, an operating band, a frequency range, a cell, a serving cell, or a spectrum band.

[0163] In some arrangements, the second timing can be related to the first timing, where the first timing refers to at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the second control link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by a first time delay after the first timing of the first control link or after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by a second time delay before the first timing of the second control link or before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by a third time delay after / before the third timing of the third frequency resource of the second control link, where the third time delay is related to the difference between the first timing of the first control link and the third timing of the third frequency resource of the first control link.

[0164]

[0165] ​In some embodiments, when at least one of the following conditions is met, the second timing may be related / aligned with the first timing (e.g., the first timing in Embodiment Example 1) ("aligned with..." may be an embodiment of "related to..."): (a) The second frequency resource is any frequency resource within the set of frequency resources for the second link; (b) The second frequency resource is the same as the first frequency resource (e.g., the first carrier in Embodiment Example 1); (c) The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) The second frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or a cell group; (e) The second frequency resource is among the frequency resources declared by the network node; or (f) The second frequency resource is among the frequency resources reported by the network node to the wireless communication node.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first carrier (e.g., the first carrier in Embodiment Example 1 or the third carrier in Embodiment Example 2) may or may not be configured for side control information reception or transmission.

[0167] In some embodiments, when at least one of the following conditions is met, the second timing may be related / aligned with the first timing (e.g., the third timing in Embodiment Example 2) ("aligned with..." may be an embodiment of "related to..."): (a) The first frequency resource (e.g., the third carrier in Embodiment Example 2) is a frequency resource or any carrier within the set of frequency resources for the second link; (b) The first frequency resource is the same as the second frequency resource; (c) The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) The first frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or a cell group; (e) The first frequency resource is among the frequency resources declared by the network node; or (f) The first frequency resource is among the frequency resources reported by the network node to the wireless communication node.

[0168] In some embodiments, the network node may receive a first message indicating at least one or more frequency resource groups, each of the at least one or more frequency resource groups including one or more frequency resources. The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may be in the same frequency resource group of the one or more frequency resource groups. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may share a common timing value. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may be supported by the first link. The one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group may be within the set of frequency resources for the second link. The timing of the one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the second link may be related / aligned with the timing of the one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the first link. The common timing value may include a common timing advance offset. The common timing advance offset may be indicated by a second message received by the network node from the wireless communication node, or may be determined by the network node as a default value.

[0169] In some embodiments, the common timing value may include the common timing advance command value in the timing advance command. The timing advance command may be indicated by a third message received by the network node from the wireless communication node. The network node may receive a fourth message from the wireless communication node, the fourth message indicating a reference SCS or the corresponding SCS associated with one or more frequency resources. The common timing advance command value may be relative to the reference SCS, or the largest or lowest of the SCSs, or related to the reference SCS, or the largest or lowest of the SCSs, or relative to one of the SCSs associated with a corresponding one of the one or more frequency resources used for the first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource. The network node may adjust the downlink timing or uplink timing on all frequency resources in the same frequency resource group based on the common timing value.

[0170] In some embodiments, the network node may receive a first message from the wireless communication node indicating a timing offset.

[0171] In some arrangements, the unit or granularity of the timing offset refers to at least one of the following: N seconds, N milliseconds, N microseconds, N nanoseconds, N frames, N subframes, N time slots, N symbols, N·Tc or M·Tc, where N is a positive number, Tc is a time constant, and M is related to the subcarrier spacing configuration. The timing offset may include a first timing offset and / or a second timing offset. The first timing offset may include the propagation delay existing between the network node and the wireless communication node, and / or the second timing offset may include the handover delay existing between UL transmission / reception and DL transmission / reception. The first message may further indicate a third timing offset, which is a combination of the first timing offset and the second timing offset. The network node may receive a second message from the wireless communication node, the second message indicating one or more frequency resources corresponding to the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset for the second link.

[0172] In some arrangements, a network node may determine a second timing by combining a timing reference and / or a first timing offset and / or a second timing offset, including at least one of the following: the first timing of a first control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the first timing of a second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the first timing of the second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of a first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the second timing of a second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of a third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after the second timing of the first forwarding link; or the second timing of a fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset before the second timing of the second forwarding link.

[0173] In some embodiments, the timing offset may be a timing difference between a first frequency resource and a second frequency resource, or a timing difference between the current timing of a second timing and the new timing of the second timing. The first message may also indicate information corresponding to the timing offset. The information may include at least one of the following: the second frequency resource, the frequency band corresponding to the second frequency resource, or the SCS corresponding to the second frequency resource. The timing offset may include a UL timing offset and / or a DL timing offset. The network node may receive a third message from a wireless communication node indicating a plurality of timing advance offsets.

[0174] In some embodiments, a first timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets may be configured for a first frequency resource. A second timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets may be configured for a second frequency resource. The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may share a common timing advance offset, which may be indicated by a fifth message received by the network node from the wireless communication node, or may be determined by the network node as a default value.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource may share a common timing advance command value in a timing advance command, and the common timing advance command value is indicated by a second message received by a network node from a wireless communication node. The common timing advance command value may be relative to a reference SCS, the maximum or minimum of a plurality of SCSs associated with the first link and the second link respectively, or relative to one of the SCSs associated with the first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource.

[0176] In some arrangements, the network node may determine a second timing, including at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the second control link, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the timing offsets after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the timing offsets before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is obtained by at least one of the following parameters: a common timing advance command value, a dedicated timing advance command value, a common timing advance offset, a dedicated timing advance offset, a timing offset.

[0177] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented by way of example rather than by way of limitation. Similarly, the various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, and these example architectures or configurations are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the example features and functions of the present solution. However, these persons will understand that the present solution is not limited to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described illustrative embodiments.

[0178] It should also be understood that any reference to elements using names such as "first", "second", etc. generally does not limit the number or order of those elements. On the contrary, these names may be used herein as a convenient means for distinguishing between two or more elements or element instances. Therefore, the reference to the first and second elements does not mean that only two elements are utilized, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0179] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols, such as those mentioned in the above description, can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0180] Those of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design code in conjunction with instructions (which may be referred to herein for convenience as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of these techniques depends on the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not result in a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0181] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit (IC) that can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits can also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration of combinations to perform the functions described herein.

[0182] If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Accordingly, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, where communication media includes any medium that enables transfer of a computer program or code from one place to another. The storage media can be any available media accessible by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include: RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, 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.

[0183] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of discussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions in accordance with embodiments of the present solution.

[0184] Furthermore, a memory or other storage device and communication components can be employed in embodiments of the present solution. It will be understood that, for clarity, the above description has described embodiments of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that, without departing from the present solution, any suitable functional distribution between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains can be used. For example, functionality described as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers can be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Accordingly, the reference to specific functional units is only a reference to the appropriate means for providing the described functionality, and not an indication of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0185] Various modifications to the described embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: identifying, by a network node, a first timing of a first frequency resource for a first link; determining, by the network node, a second timing of a second frequency resource for a second link; wherein the first link comprises at least one of the following: a first control link from a wireless communication node to the network node; or a second control link from the network node to the wireless communication node; wherein the second link comprises at least one of the following: a first forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a second forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a third forwarding link from the network node to a wireless communication device; or a fourth forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The first frequency resource and / or the second frequency resource refers to at least one of the following: carrier, channel, passband, resource block group, resource block set, subband, guard band, bandwidth part, frequency band, operating band, frequency range, cell, serving cell, or spectrum band.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The second timing is related to the first timing, and the first timing refers to at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is aligned with the first timing of the second control link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by a first time delay after the first timing of the first control link or after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by a second time delay before the first timing of the second control link or before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by a third time delay after / before the third timing of the third frequency resource of the second control link, wherein the third time delay is related to the difference between the first timing of the first control link and the third timing of the third frequency resource of the first control link.

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein The second timing is related to the first timing when at least one of the following conditions is met: (a) The second frequency resource is any frequency resource within a set of frequency resources for the second link; (b) The second frequency resource is the same as the first frequency resource; (c) The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) The second frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or cell group; (e) The second frequency resource is in the frequency resources declared by the network node; or (f) The second frequency resource is in the frequency resources reported by the network node to the wireless communication node.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The first frequency resource is configured or not configured for receiving or transmitting sidelink control information.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The second timing is related to the first timing when at least one of the following conditions is met: (a) The first frequency resource is a frequency resource or any frequency resource within a set of frequency resources for the second link; (b) The first frequency resource is the same as the second frequency resource; (c) The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency band; (d) The first frequency resource is in a frequency resource group or a cell group; (e) The first frequency resource is in the frequency resources declared by the network node; or (f) The first frequency resource is in the frequency resources reported by the network node to the wireless communication node.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the network node, from the wireless communication node a first message indicating one or more frequency resource groups, each of the one or more frequency resource groups including one or more frequency resources; Wherein, the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource are in the same frequency resource group among the one or more frequency resource groups.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein, One or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group share a common timing value.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein One or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group are supported by the first link.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein, One or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the second link are within a set of frequency resources for the first link.

11. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein, The timing of one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the second link is related to the timing of one or more frequency resources in the same frequency resource group for the first link.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The common timing value includes a common timing advance offset, which is indicated by a second message received by the network node from the wireless communication node, or is determined as a default value by the network node.

13. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The common timing value includes a common timing advance command value in a timing advance command, and the timing advance command is indicated by a third message received by the network node from the wireless communication node.

14. The wireless communication method according to claim 13, further comprising: Receiving, by the network node, from the wireless communication node a fourth message indicating a reference SCS, or a corresponding SCS associated with the one or more frequency resources; Wherein, the common timing advance command value is relative to the reference SCS, or the maximum or minimum of the SCSs, or relative to one of the SCSs associated with a corresponding one of the one or more frequency resources for the first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource.

15. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, further comprising: Adjusting, by the network node, the downlink timing or the uplink timing on all frequency resources in the same frequency resource group based on the common timing value.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the network node, from the wireless communication node a first message indicating a timing offset.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, wherein, The unit or granularity of the timing offset refers to at least one of the following: N seconds, N milliseconds, N microseconds, N nanoseconds, N frames, N subframes, N time slots, N symbols, N·Tc or M·Tc, where N is a positive number, Tc is a time constant, and M is related to the subcarrier spacing configuration.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, wherein, The timing offset includes a first timing offset and / or a second timing offset.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, The first timing offset includes a propagation delay existing between the network node and the wireless communication node, and / or the second timing offset includes a handover delay existing between UL transmission / reception and DL transmission / reception.

20. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, The first message further indicates a third timing offset, which is a combination of the first timing offset and the second timing offset.

21. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, further comprising: receiving, by the network node, from the wireless communication node a second message indicating one or more frequency resources corresponding to the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset for the second link.

22. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, further comprising: determining, by the network node, the second timing by combining a timing reference and / or the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset, including at least one of the following: the first timing of the first control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the first timing of the second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the first timing of the second control link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference; the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the timing reference, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset after the second timing of the first forwarding link; or the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the first timing offset and / or the second timing offset before the second timing of the second forwarding link.

23. The wireless communication method according to claim 16, wherein, The timing offset is a timing difference between the first frequency resource and the second frequency resource, or a timing difference between the current timing and the new timing in the second timing.

24. The wireless communication method according to claim 23, wherein, The first message further indicates information corresponding to the timing offset, and the information includes at least one of the following: the second frequency resource, the frequency band corresponding to the second frequency resource, or the SCS corresponding to the second frequency resource.

25. The wireless communication method according to claim 23, wherein, The timing offset includes a UL timing offset and / or a DL timing offset.

26. The wireless communication method according to claim 23 further includes: receiving, by the network node, from the wireless communication node, a third message indicating a plurality of timing advance offsets.

27. The wireless communication method according to claim 26, wherein, A first timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets is configured for the first frequency resource, and a second timing advance offset among the plurality of timing advance offsets is configured for the second frequency resource.

28. The wireless communication method according to claim 28, wherein, The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource share a common timing advance offset, which is indicated by a fifth message received by the network node from the wireless communication node, or is determined as a default value by the network node.

29. The wireless communication method according to claim 30, wherein, The first frequency resource and the second frequency resource share a common timing advance command value in a timing advance command, which is indicated by a second message received by the network node from the wireless communication node.

30. The wireless communication method according to claim 29, wherein, The common timing advance command value is relative to a reference SCS, the maximum or minimum of a plurality of SCSs respectively associated with the first link and the second link, or one of the SCSs associated with the first link, or the SCS of the first frequency resource, or the SCS of the second frequency resource.

31. The wireless communication method according to claim 23 further includes: determining, by the network node, the second timing, including at least one of the following: the second timing of the first forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the first control link; the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the first timing of the second control link, or the second timing of the second forwarding link is delayed / advanced by one or more of the timing offsets after / before the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the third forwarding link is delayed by one or more of the timing offsets after the second timing of the first forwarding link; the second timing of the fourth forwarding link is advanced by one or more of the timing offsets before the second timing of the second forwarding link; or the second timing of the second forwarding link is obtained by at least one of the following parameters: a common timing advance command value, a dedicated timing advance command value, a common timing advance offset, a dedicated timing advance offset, a timing offset.

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