Method and apparatus in wireless communication system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving a broadcast channel, the broadcast channel comprising first information indicating at least one signal or channel, the at least one signal or channel comprises at least one of the following signals: a signal related to UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal and a synchronization signal; and receiving and / or transmitting a signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, where synchronization is performed based on the synchronization signal before receiving and / or transmitting the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to a method and device in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0002] To meet the increased demand for wireless data communication services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or quasi-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or quasi-5G communication systems are also referred to as "beyond 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems."

[0003] 5G communication systems are implemented in higher-frequency (millimeter wave, mmWave) bands, such as the 60 GHz band, to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation losses and increase transmission distances, 5G communication systems utilize technologies such as beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive antennas.

[0004] In addition, in the 5G communication system, system network improvements are being developed based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communications, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, collaborative communications, coordinated multi-point (CoMP), and receiving-end interference cancellation.

[0005] In 5G systems, hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) have been developed as advanced coding modulation (ACM), as well as filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment UE in a wireless communication system is provided, comprising: receiving a broadcast channel, the broadcast channel including first information indicating at least one signal or channel, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes at least one of the following: a signal for UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal, and a synchronization signal; and receiving and / or sending the at least one signal or channel, wherein, before receiving and / or sending the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, synchronization is performed based on the synchronization signal.

[0007] In some embodiments, the communication process in which the broadcast channel is located includes at least one of the following signals or channels: a synchronization signal; a signal for indicating UE selection; a signal or channel for random access; an uplink control signal or control channel; a downlink control signal or control channel; an uplink data signal or data channel; a downlink data signal or data channel; a carrier signal; and a charging signal.

[0008] In some embodiments, the charging signal includes at least one of the following: an uplink signal and / or a downlink signal in any communication process; a signal sent and / or received by a base station or an intermediate node; any wireless signal in the environment where the UE is located; and a carrier signal CW.

[0009] In some embodiments, the broadcast channel also includes at least one of the following: information on the length of information bits corresponding to the communication process in which the broadcast channel is located; information on the length of transmission time corresponding to the time unit in which the broadcast channel is located; information on the purpose corresponding to the communication process; configuration information associated with the at least one signal or channel; information associated with the synchronization signal; information on the modulation type and / or coding type used by the at least one signal or channel; the rate and / or coding efficiency corresponding to the uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the communication process; and the operating mode corresponding to the communication process.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method also includes determining whether the signal or channel received by the UE is the broadcast channel based on at least one of the following: the location of the received signal or channel; the signal type indicator or channel type indicator corresponding to the received signal or channel; and the encoding method corresponding to the received signal or channel.

[0011] In some embodiments, the signal for indicating UE selection includes information of a UE that needs to receive the communication process in which the signal for indicating UE selection is located, wherein the UE information includes at least one of an identifier ID of at least one UE, an ID of at least one UE group, and a range of at least one UE ID.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the second signal or channel in the communication process is received, the starting position of the second signal or channel is determined based on the first indicator; and / or, the ending position of the at least one signal or channel is determined based on the second indicator; and / or when the second signal or channel in the communication process is sent, the starting position of the second signal or channel is indicated based on the first indicator, and / or, the ending position of the at least one signal or channel is indicated based on the second indicator.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second signal or channel is at least one of: a broadcast channel; a signal for indicating UE selection; a signal or channel for random access; an uplink control signal or control channel; a downlink control signal or control channel; an uplink data signal or data channel; and a downlink data signal or data channel.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the second signal or channel is received, if there is a second synchronization signal located within a predetermined time before the starting position or at the starting position, the starting position is determined based on the second synchronization signal; otherwise, the starting position is determined based on the first indicator; and / or when the second signal or channel is sent, if a second synchronization signal is sent within a predetermined time before the starting position or at the starting position, the starting position is indicated based on the second synchronization signal; otherwise, a first indicator is sent at the starting position, and the starting position is indicated based on the first indicator.

[0015] In some embodiments, the synchronization signal includes at least one of: a first synchronization signal transmitted at the starting position of the communication process; a second synchronization signal transmitted within a predetermined time before the at least one signal or channel or at the starting position of the at least one signal or channel; and a third synchronization signal with a different time domain position from the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal.

[0016] In some embodiments, the third synchronization signal includes at least one of: a synchronization signal transmitted in the middle of a signal or channel; a synchronization signal transmitted between two signals or channels; and a synchronization signal transmitted at a time domain position determined based on a preset timing relationship.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the third synchronization signal is a synchronization signal transmitted in the middle of a signal or channel, there is a third indicator before the third synchronization signal to indicate the interruption of the signal or channel, and / or there is a fourth indicator after the third synchronization signal to indicate the continued transmission of the signal or channel.

[0018] In some embodiments, the third synchronization signal transmitted at a time domain position determined based on a preset timing relationship includes at least one of the following: a synchronization signal transmitted within a time window of length T starting from a reference time point; a synchronization signal transmitted within a time window of length T starting from a reference time point, wherein the first synchronization signal and / or the second synchronization signal does not exist in the time window; a synchronization signal transmitted after a time window of length T or at least T, or every time window of length T or at least T.

[0019] In some embodiments, when the duration of a signal or a channel exceeds T, the third synchronization signal is transmitted in the middle of the signal or the channel.

[0020] In some embodiments, the reference time point includes at least one of the following: the starting position of the communication process; the starting position and / or ending position of at least one first synchronization signal; the starting position and / or ending position of at least one second synchronization signal; the starting position and / or ending position of another or the previous or previous third synchronization signal; the starting position and / or ending position of at least one downlink signal and / or channel; and the starting position and / or ending position of at least one uplink signal and / or channel.

[0021] In some embodiments, when the synchronization signal is transmitted at the start position of the communication process, the start position of the communication process is determined according to the synchronization signal.

[0022] In some embodiments, when the synchronization signal is transmitted within a predetermined time before the at least one signal or channel or at the starting position of the at least one signal or channel, the starting position of the at least one signal or channel is determined based on the synchronization signal.

[0023] In some embodiments, the broadcast channel further includes information indicating whether the communication process includes the first synchronization signal, and / or whether the second synchronization signal, and / or whether the third synchronization signal is included.

[0024] In some implementations, the method further includes: reporting whether the capability of sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal is supported.

[0025] In some embodiments, when a signal or channel is transmitted to a plurality of UEs, whether the third synchronization signal is transmitted is determined based on a capability of at least one of the plurality of UEs.

[0026] In some embodiments, the location of the third synchronization signal is determined based on a capability of the UE to support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of at least one signal or channel.

[0027] In some embodiments, when the UE sends and / or receives a signal or channel, the length of information bits corresponding to the signal or channel does not exceed N, where the value of N is determined based on the capability of the UE.

[0028] In some embodiments, if the UE's capabilities do not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal, or do not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal among other signals or channels, then N=N1; otherwise, N=N2, where N1 and N2 are values indicated, configured, or preset in the broadcast channel.

[0029] In some embodiments, the interval G between two adjacent signals or channels in the communication process is equal to 0 or greater than 0, and the value, and / or maximum value, and / or minimum value of the interval G is configured, and / or preset, and / or indicated in the signal or channel.

[0030] In some embodiments, the interval G includes at least one of the following: an interval G1 between the time point when the charging signal and / or the carrier signal starts to be transmitted and the starting position of the communication process; an interval G2 between the signal for indicating UE selection at the starting position of the communication process and the starting position of the first synchronization signal in the communication process; an interval G3-1 between the synchronization signal at the starting position of the communication process and the starting position of the broadcast channel; an interval G3-2 between the first synchronization signal at the starting position of the communication process and the starting position of the signal for indicating UE selection; an interval G4 between the end position of the broadcast channel and the starting position of the subsequent signal for indicating UE selection, or to the starting position of the subsequent load signal; at least two of the signals or channels used for random access. The interval G5-1 between signals or channels; the interval G5-2 between at least two signals or channels in the payload signal; the interval G5-3 between the broadcast channel and at least one payload signal; the interval G6 between the end position of the second synchronization signal transmitted before at least one other signal or channel or at the starting position of at least one other signal or channel and the starting position of the other at least one signal or channel; the interval G7-1 between the starting position of the third synchronization signal transmitted in the communication process and whose position is not before the starting position of the communication process or at least one other signal or channel or at the starting position of at least one other signal or channel and the end position of the previous signal or channel; and the interval G7-2 between the end position of the third synchronization signal and the end position of the subsequent signal or channel.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system is provided, the method comprising: sending a broadcast channel, the broadcast channel including first information indicating at least one signal or channel, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes at least one of the following: a signal for UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal, and a synchronization signal; and receiving and / or sending the at least one signal or channel, wherein, before receiving and / or sending the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, synchronization is performed based on the synchronization signal.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) is provided, including: a transceiver; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute the aforementioned method.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a node is provided, including: a transceiver; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute the aforementioned method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an example wireless network according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0036] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Example wireless transmit and receive paths according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0037] Figure 3a An example user equipment (UE) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 3b An example gNB according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method performed by a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 5a-5c A diagram illustrating a signal structure transmitted in a physical layer frame structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 6a-6cA diagram illustrating a synchronization signal transmitted based on a reference time point according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 7a-7c A diagram illustrating signals and / or channels transmitted in a physical layer frame structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 8 A diagram illustrating spacing between signals and / or channels transmitted in a physical layer frame structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 9 shows a block diagram of a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0045] Figure 10 A block diagram of a node according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. This description includes various specific details to facilitate understanding but should be considered as illustrative only. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

[0047] The terms and expressions used in the following description and claims are not limited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0048] It will be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0049] The terms "include" or "may include" refer to the presence of the corresponding disclosed functions, operations, or components that can be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limiting the presence of one or more additional functions, operations, or features. In addition, the terms "include" or "have" can be interpreted as indicating certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility of the presence of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0050] The term "or" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure includes any of the listed terms and all combinations thereof. For example, "A or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0051] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as understood by those skilled in the art described in this disclosure. Common terms as defined in dictionaries are interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context in the relevant technical field and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless explicitly defined in this disclosure.

[0052] Figure 1 An example wireless network 100 is shown in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The embodiment of the wireless network 100 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 can be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0053] Wireless network 100 includes gNodeB (gNB) 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 communicates with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 also communicates with at least one Internet Protocol (IP) network 130, such as the Internet, a private IP network, or other data network.

[0054] Depending on the network type, other well-known terms such as "base station" or "access point" can be used instead of "gNodeB" or "gNB." For convenience, the terms "gNodeB" and "gNB" are used in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Also, depending on the network type, other well-known terms such as "mobile station," "subscriber station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," or "user device" can be used instead of "user equipment" or "UE." For convenience, the terms "user equipment" and "UE" are used in this patent document to refer to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses a gNB, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or what is typically considered a stationary device (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0055] gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for a first plurality of user equipment (UEs) within gNB 102's coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs includes: UE 111, which may be located in a small business (SB); UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M) such as a cellular phone, wireless laptop, or wireless PDA. gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 for a second plurality of UEs within gNB 103's coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs includes UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101-103 may be capable of communicating with each other and with UEs 111-116 using 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, WiMAX, or other advanced wireless communication technologies.

[0056] The dashed lines illustrate the approximate extents of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are shown as approximately circular for purposes of illustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood that coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, can have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNB and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstacles.

[0057] As described in more detail below, one or more of gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103 include a 2D antenna array as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, one or more of gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103 supports codebook design and structure for systems with 2D antenna arrays.

[0058] although Figure 1 One example of a wireless network 100 is shown, but Figure 1 Various changes may be made. For example, wireless network 100 can include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, gNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Furthermore, gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as an external telephone network or other type of data network.

[0059] Figure 2a and Figure 2bExample wireless transmit and receive paths according to the present disclosure are shown. In the following description, transmit path 200 can be described as being implemented in a gNB (such as gNB 102), while receive path 250 can be described as being implemented in a UE (such as UE 116). However, it should be understood that receive path 250 can be implemented in a gNB and transmit path 200 can be implemented in a UE. In some embodiments, receive path 250 is configured to support codebook design and structure for systems with 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] The transmit path 200 includes a channel coding and modulation block 205, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 210, an N-point inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 215, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 220, an add cyclic prefix block 225, and an upconverter (UC) 230. The receive path 250 includes a downconverter (DC) 255, a remove cyclic prefix block 260, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 265, an N-point fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 270, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 275, and a channel decoding and demodulation block 280.

[0061] In the transmit path 200, the channel coding and modulation block 205 receives a set of information bits, applies coding (such as low-density parity check (LDPC) coding), and modulates the input bits (such as using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)) to generate a sequence of frequency-domain modulation symbols. The serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 210 converts (e.g., demultiplexes) the serial modulation symbols into parallel data to generate N parallel symbol streams, where N is the number of IFFT / FFT points used in the gNB 102 and UE 116. The N-point IFFT block 215 performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to generate a time-domain output signal. The parallel-to-serial block 220 converts (e.g., multiplexes) the parallel time-domain output symbols from the N-point IFFT block 215 to generate a serial time-domain signal. The add cyclic prefix block 225 inserts a cyclic prefix into the time-domain signal. The upconverter 230 modulates (such as upconverts) the output of the add cyclic prefix block 225 to an RF frequency for transmission via a wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered at baseband before being converted to an RF frequency.

[0062] The RF signal transmitted from gNB 102 arrives at UE 116 after traversing the wireless channel. UE 116 performs operations that are the inverse of those performed at gNB 102. Downconverter 255 downconverts the received signal to baseband frequency, and cyclic prefix removal block 260 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domain baseband signal. Serial-to-parallel block 265 converts the time-domain baseband signal into parallel time-domain signals. N-point FFT block 270 performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domain signals. Parallel-to-serial block 275 converts the parallel frequency-domain signals into a sequence of modulated data symbols. Channel decoding and demodulation block 280 demodulates and decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0063] Each of gNBs 101-103 may implement a transmit path similar to 200 for transmitting in the downlink to UEs 111-116 and may implement a receive path similar to 250 for receiving in the uplink from UEs 111-116. Similarly, each of UEs 111-116 may implement a transmit path 200 for transmitting in the uplink to gNB 101-103 and may implement a receive path 250 for receiving in the downlink from gNB 101-103.

[0064] Figure 2a and Figure 2b Each of the components in can be implemented using hardware alone, or a combination of hardware and software / firmware. As a specific example, Figure 2a and Figure 2b At least some of the components in the embodiment may be implemented in software, while other components may be implemented in configurable hardware or a mixture of software and configurable hardware. For example, FFT block 270 and IFFT block 215 may be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of the number of points N may be modified according to the implementation.

[0065] Furthermore, although described as using FFT and IFFT, this is illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Other types of transforms can be used, such as discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) functions. It should be understood that for DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the variable N can be any integer (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), while for FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the variable N can be any integer that is a power of 2 (such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0066] although Figure 2a and Figure 2b Examples of wireless transmit and receive paths are shown, but Figure 2a and Figure 2b Make various changes. For example, Figure 2a and Figure 2b The various components in can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added according to specific needs. Figure 2a and Figure 2b It is intended to illustrate examples of the types of transmit and receive paths that can be used in a wireless network. Any other suitable architecture can be used to support wireless communications in a wireless network.

[0067] Figure 3a An example UE 116 is shown in accordance with the present disclosure. Figure 3a The embodiment of UE 116 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only, and Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs have a variety of configurations, and Figure 3a The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of the UE.

[0068] UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 315, a microphone 320, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 325. UE 116 also includes a speaker 330, a processor / controller 340, an input / output (I / O) interface 345, input device(s) 350, a display 355, and memory 360. Memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0069] RF transceiver 310 receives incoming RF signals from antenna 305, transmitted by a gNB of wireless network 100. RF transceiver 310 downconverts the incoming RF signals to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 325 sends the processed baseband signal to speaker 330 (such as for voice data) or to processor / controller 340 (such as for web browsing data) for further processing.

[0070] The TX processing circuit 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320, or other outgoing baseband data (such as network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor / controller 340. The TX processing circuit 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the outgoing processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 315 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna 305.

[0071] The processor / controller 340 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute an OS 361 stored in the memory 360 to control the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor / controller 340 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals through the RF transceiver 310, the RX processing circuitry 325, and the TX processing circuitry 315 in accordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, the processor / controller 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0072] Processor / controller 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs residing in memory 360, such as operations for channel quality measurement and reporting for systems with 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. Processor / controller 340 is capable of moving data into or out of memory 360 as required by the executed processes. In some embodiments, processor / controller 340 is configured to execute applications 362 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from a gNB or operator. Processor / controller 340 is also coupled to I / O interface 345, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptops and handheld computers. I / O interface 345 serves as a communication path between these accessories and processor / controller 340.

[0073] Processor / controller 340 is also coupled to input device(s) 350 and display 355. An operator of UE 116 can input data into UE 116 using input device(s) 350. Display 355 can be a liquid crystal display or other display capable of presenting text and / or at least limited graphics (such as from a website). Memory 360 is coupled to processor / controller 340. A portion of memory 360 can include random access memory (RAM), while another portion of memory 360 can include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0074] although Figure 3a An example of a UE 116 is shown, but it is possible to Figure 3a Make various changes. For example, Figure 3a The various components in can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added according to specific needs. As a specific example, processor / controller 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Moreover, although Figure 3a The UE 116 is shown configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0075] Figure 3bAn example gNB 102 according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3b The embodiment of the gNB 102 shown in FIGURE 1 is for illustration only, and Figure 1 Other gNBs can have the same or similar configurations. However, gNBs have a variety of configurations, and Figure 3b The scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of a gNB. It should be noted that gNB 101 and gNB 103 can include the same or similar structure as gNB 102.

[0076] like Figure 3b As shown in FIG, gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 370a-370n, multiple RF transceivers 372a-372n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 374, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 376. In some embodiments, one or more of the multiple antennas 370a-370n comprise a 2D antenna array. gNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 378, memory 380, and a backhaul or network interface 382.

[0077] RF transceivers 372a-372n receive incoming RF signals from antennas 370a-370n, such as signals transmitted by a UE or other gNB. RF transceivers 372a-372n downconvert the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 376, which filters, decodes, and / or digitizes the baseband or IF signals to generate processed baseband signals. RX processing circuitry 376 sends the processed baseband signals to controller / processor 378 for further processing.

[0078] The TX processing circuitry 374 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 378. The TX processing circuitry 374 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 372a-372n receive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TX processing circuitry 374 and up-convert the baseband or IF signals into RF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 370a-370n.

[0079] The controller / processor 378 can include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 378 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals via the RF transceivers 372a-372n, the RX processing circuitry 376, and the TX processing circuitry 374 in accordance with well-known principles. The controller / processor 378 can also support additional functionality, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For example, the controller / processor 378 can perform blind interference sensing (BIS) procedures, such as those performed by a Blind Interference Sensing (BIS) algorithm, and decode received signals with interference signals subtracted. The controller / processor 378 can support any of a variety of other functions within the gNB 102. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 378 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0080] The controller / processor 378 is also capable of executing programs and other processes resident in the memory 380, such as a basic OS. The controller / processor 378 is also capable of supporting channel quality measurement and reporting for systems having 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the controller / processor 378 supports communication between entities such as web RTC. The controller / processor 378 is capable of moving data into or out of the memory 380 as needed by the executing processes.

[0081] The controller / processor 378 is also coupled to a backhaul or network interface 382. The backhaul or network interface 382 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. The backhaul or network interface 382 can support communication over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as one supporting 5G or new radio access technology, or NR, LTE, or LTE-A), the backhaul or network interface 382 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, the backhaul or network interface 382 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate over a wired or wireless local area network or with a larger network, such as the Internet, via a wired or wireless connection. The backhaul or network interface 382 includes any suitable structure that supports communication over a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

[0082] Memory 380 is coupled to controller / processor 378. A portion of memory 380 can include RAM, while another portion of memory 380 can include flash memory or other ROM. In some embodiments, a plurality of instructions, such as a BIS algorithm, are stored in the memory. The plurality of instructions are configured to cause controller / processor 378 to perform the BIS process and decode the received signal after subtracting at least one interfering signal determined by the BIS algorithm.

[0083] As described in more detail below, the transmit and receive paths of gNB 102 (implemented using RF transceivers 372a-372n, TX processing circuitry 374, and / or RX processing circuitry 376) support aggregated communications with FDD cells and TDD cells.

[0084] although Figure 3b An example of a gNB 102 is shown, but the Figure 3b For example, gNB 102 can include any number of Figure 3a . As a specific example, an access point can include a number of backhaul or network interfaces 382, and the controller / processor 378 can support routing functions to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, while shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry 374 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 376, the gNB 102 can include multiple instances of each (such as one for each RF transceiver).

[0085] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0086] The text and drawings are provided as examples only to help readers understand the present disclosure. They are not intended to, and should not be interpreted as, limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on what is disclosed herein that the embodiments and examples shown may be modified without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0087] Within Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, IoT technologies include Machine Type Communication (MTC) and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). These two communication technologies offer low cost, low power consumption, high latency, wide coverage, and large-scale access, and are suitable for IoT scenarios such as smart cities, smart factories, and remote meter reading.

[0088] IoT technology has the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and support for large-scale connections. It is usually used in application scenarios such as smart factories, smart medical care, and urban management that have a large number of devices and emphasize cost control to achieve the communication effect of the Internet of Everything.

[0089] The methods by which IoT devices receive downlink signals and send uplink signals are different from traditional wireless communication methods. Ambient IoT (AIoT) devices are a type of low-cost, low-power, low-end IoT devices. In this application, since the transmission of such IoT devices mainly relies on environmental signals, such IoT devices are called ambient IoT devices. This name is mainly for the convenience of description and is not used to limit the scope of the device.

[0090] Environmental IoT devices can receive downlink signals and send uplink signals based on their own batteries or external signal charging. The methods of receiving downlink signals and sending uplink signals of environmental IoT devices are different from traditional wireless communication methods. Downlink reception is mainly based on envelope detection, and uplink transmission can be based on backscattering. Among them, backscattering technology refers to the device modulating the carrier wave (CW) based on the carrier wave existing in the environment or sent by other nodes, modulating its own information on the CW sent by other nodes, and reflecting the modulated CW to complete the transmission of the uplink signal. The transmitting device that transmits signals based on backscattering does not generate a carrier signal that carries information, thereby eliminating the need for radio frequency circuits such as amplifiers and mixers of traditional communication equipment, thereby greatly reducing the cost of the device and the demand for power or batteries.

[0091] Due to their simple structure and basic communication principles that are different from traditional wireless communication methods, AIoT devices usually cannot be deployed and operated under traditional cell communications and need to be enhanced.

[0092] In the AIoT system, the transmission of signals / channels such as data and services can be directly transmitted between the base station and the AIoT node (such as a tag device); it can also be transmitted through an intermediate node. For example, the base station sends information related to the AIoT system to the intermediate node, and the intermediate node sends data to the AIoT node; and the AIoT node sends data to the intermediate node, and the intermediate node then sends information related to the AIoT system to the base station.

[0093] In this specification, for the services in the AIoT system, a principle similar to that of traditional cell communications is adopted, and the transmission from the base station or intermediate node to the AIoT node is called downlink transmission, and the transmission from the AIoT node to the base station or intermediate node is called uplink transmission. In addition, the transmission related to the AIoT system sent by the base station to the intermediate node can also be called downlink transmission, and the transmission related to the AIoT system sent by the intermediate node to the base station can be called uplink transmission. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the uplink / downlink transmission corresponds to the relationship between the transmitting and receiving nodes, and is not used to limit whether the transmission occurs on the uplink or downlink resources. For example, the uplink transmission in the AIoT system can also be sent and received on the downlink frequency band in the FDD system, and the downlink transmission in the AIoT system can also be sent and received on the uplink time slot in the TDD system.

[0094] The base station in this specification may also be replaced by other devices, such as a communication device as an external accessory of the base station, a relay node, an IAB node, a repeater node, and a bypass node. Any mechanism applicable to the base station in this specification may also be similarly used in scenarios where the base station is replaced by other nodes, and will not be repeated. Among them, the difference between the communication device of the external accessory of the base station and the base station may include: the device is capable of sending DL signals / channels on the UL frequency band in the FDD system and on the UL time unit in the TDD system, including sending DL signals / channels corresponding to communication between the base station and the UE and DL signals / channels corresponding to communication between the base station and the AIoT device.

[0095] The intermediate node in this specification may be at least one of a relay node, an IAB node, a repeater node, and a bypass node.

[0096] The UE in this specification includes a device node in the AIoT system, which can be a specific type of node or device, such as a tag-type device.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, lower than the threshold value can also be replaced by lower than or equal to the threshold value, higher than (exceeds) the threshold value can also be replaced by higher than or equal to the threshold value, less than or equal to can also be replaced by less than, greater than or equal to can also be replaced by greater than; and vice versa.

[0098] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, configuration information includes at least one of the following: information configured by the base station, information indicated in received signaling, information configured by a higher layer, and information pre-configured. Furthermore, the configuration information may be a set of configuration information obtained by the above method; or multiple sets of configuration information obtained by the above method, from which the UE or node may select a set of configuration information for use based on predefined conditions; or a set of configuration information obtained by the above method, where the set of configuration information includes multiple subsets, from which the UE or node may select a subset for use based on predefined conditions.

[0099] This specification describes a physical layer frame structure, which can be used in an AIoT system, and further, for communication between a UE (e.g., an AIoT node as a tag device) and a base station in the AIoT system, and / or communication between a UE and an intermediate node. This specification uses the physical layer frame structure as an example for description, but this specification is not limited to this. For example, in this specification, the physical layer frame structure and the communication process can be used interchangeably. For another example, the physical layer frame structure or the communication process can also be used interchangeably with the communication burst. Furthermore, the physical layer frame structure, the communication process, and the communication burst include all AIoT transmissions within a period of time when there is AIoT transmission, and the period of time can be a frame, a time slot, or a time unit.

[0100] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method performed by a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In S401, a broadcast channel is received, the broadcast channel including first information indicating at least one signal or channel, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes at least one of the following: a signal for UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal, and a synchronization signal. In S402, at least one signal or channel is received and / or sent. Optionally, before receiving and / or sending the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, synchronization is performed based on a synchronization signal.

[0101] In various embodiments, the UE receives a broadcast channel, which includes information for indicating the type of signal / channel, and the type includes at least one of the following: a signal for indicating UE selection, a signal / channel for random access, an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel, an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel, a carrier signal CW, and a charging signal; the UE receives and / or sends the signal / channel based on the information for indicating the type of signal / channel included in the broadcast channel; wherein, before receiving and / or sending at least one of the signals / channels, synchronization is performed based on a synchronization signal.

[0102] Receiving and / or sending the signal / channel based on the information indicating the type of the signal / channel allows the UE, base station or intermediate node to receive and / or send the signal / channel as needed, rather than sending signals / channels that include various uses and may not actually be needed according to a preset structure, thereby improving the flexibility of the configuration.

[0103] Optionally, a physical layer frame structure includes at least one of the following signals / channels: a synchronization signal; a broadcast channel; a signal for indicating UE selection; a signal / channel for random access; an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel; an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel; a carrier signal CW; and a charging signal.

[0104] Optionally, the charging signal includes at least one of the following: a downlink signal in a physical layer frame structure, a signal sent by a base station and / or an intermediate node, any wireless signal in the environment, and CW.

[0105] Optionally, the charging signal and / or CW begins transmission before the start position of the physical layer frame structure and / or continues transmission after the end position of the physical layer frame structure. Accordingly, the start position and / or end position of the physical layer frame structure are not determined based on the location of the charging signal and / or CW transmission.

[0106] Optionally, the charging signal and / or CW are transmitted at the location of the AIoT uplink transmission, and / or at least one charging signal and / or CW starts to be transmitted before the start location of at least one AIoT uplink transmission, and / or continues to be transmitted after the end location of the at least one AIoT uplink transmission. Optionally, the charging signal and / or CW are not transmitted at the location of the AIoT downlink transmission.

[0107] Optionally, although the broadcast channel in the physical layer frame structure is named broadcast, it can also be used as a multicast channel or a unicast channel. For example, if a physical layer frame structure is used to communicate with a specific AIoT UE in the system (the specific AIoT UE can be indicated by a signal / channel selected by the UE), then the broadcast channel in the physical layer frame structure can only be received by the specific AIoT UE, that is, it is actually used as a multicast or unicast channel.

[0108] Optionally, the broadcast channel in the physical layer frame structure indicates at least one of the following information:

[0109] The length of information bits corresponding to the physical layer frame structure (which may be a maximum length) and / or the length of transmission time corresponding to the physical layer frame structure (which may be a maximum length);

[0110] The purpose corresponding to the physical layer frame structure further includes at least one of the following: random access, data transmission (which may be further divided into uplink data and / or downlink data), inventory, command, positioning, and sensor. Optionally, when the purpose corresponding to the physical layer frame structure includes inventory, parameters corresponding to the inventory are further indicated;

[0111] The type of signal / channel included in the physical layer frame structure further includes at least one of the following: a signal for indicating UE selection; a signal / channel for random access; an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel; an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel;

[0112] The configuration information corresponding to at least one signal / channel included in the physical layer frame structure further includes at least one of the following: a signal format and / or length (which may be a maximum length) corresponding to the at least one signal / channel; configuration information corresponding to a signal / channel used for random access; a signal format and / or length (which may be a maximum length) corresponding to an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel; and a length (which may be a maximum length) corresponding to an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel.

[0113] The information corresponding to the synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure further includes at least one of a signal structure and a waveform length;

[0114] The modulation type and / or coding type used by the signal / channel contained in the physical layer frame structure, wherein the signal / channel may be at least one type of other signal / channel other than the broadcast channel and / or the synchronization signal; optionally, the modulation type includes at least one of OOK, BPSK, FSK, QAM-4, and QAM-16; optionally, the coding type includes at least one of PIE, FM0, Miller, and Manchester. For example, the broadcast channel indicates that the transmission of the uplink data signal and the uplink control signal in the physical layer frame structure adopts Miller code, and indicates that the transmission of the downlink data signal and the downlink control signal in the physical layer frame structure adopts FM0 code or PIE code. The base station, the intermediate node, and the UE send and / or receive AIoT signals / channels in the physical layer frame structure accordingly according to the information indicated by the broadcast channel;

[0115] At least one of a rate and a coding efficiency corresponding to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the physical layer frame structure;

[0116] The operation mode corresponding to the physical layer frame structure includes at least one of in-band, guard-band, and stand-alone.

[0117] In an exemplary embodiment, since a new UE may join the communication system each time an AIoT communication is started through a physical layer frame structure, and since there is a risk of losing memory information after the UE in the AIoT system is powered off, a broadcast channel may be included in each physical layer frame structure to indicate the information corresponding to the transmission in the physical layer frame structure. In another exemplary embodiment, a physical layer frame structure may be used for communication with a specific UE (which may be one or more). In this case, if the base station or intermediate node has already acquired the communication of the specific UE and has indicated the configuration information to the specific UE, the broadcast channel may not be included in the physical layer frame structure.

[0118] Optionally, the information indicated in the broadcast channel in the physical layer frame structure may correspond to the signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure, and not correspond to the signal / channel in other physical layer frame structures; or it may correspond to the signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure, and correspond to the signal / channel in other subsequent physical layer frame structures, until the broadcast channel in other subsequent physical layer frame structures indicates new information.

[0119] This method can also be similarly applied to synchronization signals. For example, the timing information used in a physical layer frame structure can be applied only to that physical layer frame structure. Different physical layer frame structures can use different timing information (e.g., different waveform time domain lengths) to flexibly adjust the transmission rates corresponding to physical layer frame structures for different purposes. Optionally, a synchronization signal in a physical layer frame structure can correspond to a signal / channel in that physical layer frame structure and not to a signal / channel in other physical layer frame structures. Alternatively, it can correspond to a signal / channel in that physical layer frame structure and to a signal / channel in subsequent physical layer frame structures until a new synchronization signal is transmitted in the subsequent physical layer frame structure. Alternatively, a synchronization signal in a physical layer frame structure can correspond to all signals / channels in that physical layer frame structure. Alternatively, it can correspond to a signal / channel in that physical layer frame structure that corresponds to the synchronization signal (e.g., a second synchronization signal corresponds to a signal / channel subsequent to the second synchronization signal), and / or correspond to a signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure until a new synchronization signal is transmitted in that physical layer frame structure.

[0120] Optionally, the UE determines whether the received signal / channel is the broadcast channel according to at least one of the following methods:

[0121] Determined by the position of the received signal / channel. For example, the position of the broadcast channel in a physical layer frame structure is relatively fixed, for example, it is sent after the synchronization signal at the beginning of the physical layer frame structure; then the signal / channel received at this position is the broadcast channel, and the signal received at other positions is not the broadcast channel;

[0122] Determined based on a signal / channel type indicator corresponding to a received signal / channel, where the type indicator may be at a specific location in the structure of the signal / channel, for example, a header including the type indicator may be located at the beginning of a signal / channel;

[0123] It is determined according to the coding mode corresponding to the received signal / channel. For example, the broadcast channel is always transmitted using the PIE code, and channels corresponding to other codes do not belong to the broadcast channel.

[0124] Optionally, the physical layer frame structure of the signal indicating which UEs need to receive the signal is indicated in the signal selected by the UE. The content of the indication can be at least one of the ID of a UE, the ID of a UE group, and a range of UE IDs. Optionally, the indication is provided by a sequence generated by encoding information bits, or by a preset sequence of different waveforms.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment, a physical layer frame structure includes, starting from the start position and in chronological order, the following: a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, a signal for indicating UE selection that may or may not exist, and a payload signal. Figure 7a An illustrative example of this embodiment is shown. In this example, after decoding the broadcast channel, the UE can determine whether it needs to receive the subsequent portion of the physical layer frame structure based on the purpose of the physical layer frame structure and / or based on information indicated in the signal used to instruct the UE selection. This allows UEs that are not communication targets to skip receiving part of the portion, thereby achieving power saving.

[0126] In another exemplary embodiment, the position of the signal for indicating UE selection may also be before the broadcast signal, that is, a physical layer frame structure includes, in chronological order from the starting position: a synchronization signal, a signal for indicating UE selection that may or may not exist, a broadcast channel, and a load signal. Figure 7b An illustrative example of this embodiment is shown. In this example, the UE can similarly skip part of the reception to achieve power saving. In addition, in this example, if the signal for indicating the UE selection is indicated by a specific sequence or a sequence of a specific coding method, the synchronization signal at the start position of the frame structure (i.e. Figure 7b The first synchronization signal in the UE) can correspond to a relatively loose synchronization accuracy, so that the UE can more quickly determine the information carried in the signal indicating the UE selection and determine whether to receive subsequent parts. Other synchronization signals after the signal indicating the UE selection, such as Figure 7b The second synchronization signal in the UE can correspond to a higher synchronization accuracy, so that the UE that needs to receive the subsequent part can continue to perform fine synchronization based on the synchronization signal.

[0127] In another exemplary embodiment, the position of the signal for indicating UE selection may also be at the starting position of the frame structure, that is, a physical layer frame structure includes, in chronological order from the starting position: a signal for indicating UE selection that may or may not exist, a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, and a load signal. Figure 7c An illustrative example of this embodiment is shown. In this example, the UE can similarly skip receiving the entire subsequent physical layer frame structure, achieving further power savings. However, in this example, because the signal indicating the UE's selection precedes the synchronization signal, the design of the signal indicating the UE's selection requires the use of a waveform that does not require obtaining synchronization-related information in advance.

[0128] The payload signal includes at least one of a signal / channel for random access, an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel, and an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel. The type of payload signal may be indicated in a broadcast channel. When the payload signal includes multiple types, the order of the different types may be indicated in the broadcast channel. For example, the broadcast channel may indicate that the payload signal includes, in chronological order, a signal / channel for random access and a downlink data signal.

[0129] In an exemplary embodiment, the load signal includes a signal / channel for random access and a downlink data channel. The intermediate node and / or the base station first determines which UEs can currently communicate with by random access, and sends downlink data to the determined UEs communicating with them. In another exemplary embodiment, the load signal includes a signal / channel for random access and an uplink data channel. The intermediate node and / or the base station first determines which UEs currently have the need to access the system and report their own inventory information by random access, and allocates uplink resources for uplink transmission to the UEs that successfully access the system during the random access process. In another exemplary embodiment, the load signal includes a downlink data channel and / or an uplink data channel. The intermediate node and / or the base station has already obtained the UE information in other previous communication frames, and can directly perform uplink and downlink communications without using the random access process.

[0130] There may be other synchronization signals before or in the middle of any other signal / channel except the initial synchronization signal.

[0131] Optionally, when at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure is transmitted / received, its starting position begins with a start indicator and its ending position ends with an end indicator. The at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure may be at least one of the following: a broadcast channel, a signal for indicating UE selection, a signal / channel for random access, an uplink and / or downlink control signal and / or channel, and an uplink and / or downlink data signal and / or channel. Figure 5a Schematically shows an example when at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure is a downlink data signal.

[0132] Optionally, the start / end indicator is a signal waveform with a signal structure that is different from the signal structures of the corresponding information bits '0' and '1'; for example, the signal structure corresponding to the information bit '0' is a low level of length x1 followed by a high level of length x2, and the signal structure corresponding to the information bit '1' is a high level of length x3. The start indicator is a low level of length y1 followed by a high level of length y2, and the end indicator is a low level of length y3 followed by a high level of length y4, and x1 is not equal to y1 and / or x2 is not equal to y2, and x1 is not equal to y3 and / or x2 is not equal to y4. Furthermore, the start and end indicators can correspond to the same or different signal waveforms, for example, y1 is not equal to y3 and / or y2 is not equal to y4. Optionally, the start / end indicator can also be a preset specific field, such as "000" or "111."

[0133] Optionally, when at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure is transmitted / received, if there is a synchronization signal before or at its starting position (i.e., the second synchronization signal below, see below for specific design), the synchronization signal can be sent before or after the start indicator. Figure 5a The example of the synchronization signal before the start indicator is shown in Figure 5a The positions of the second synchronization signal and the start indicator in are exchanged as an example of the synchronization signal following the start indicator.

[0134] Optionally, when at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure is transmitted / received, if the second synchronization signal exists before or at its starting position, the at least one signal / channel does not start with a start indicator. Figure 5c An example is shown in FIG. In this case, the second synchronization signal can be used as a start indicator; for example, at least one of the base station, the intermediate node, and the UE determines the starting position of the at least one signal / channel by the position of the second synchronization signal (which can be the starting and / or ending position).

[0135] Optionally, the synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure includes at least one of the following:

[0136] A synchronization signal sent at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure. For ease of description, it is referred to as the first synchronization signal in the embodiments of the present application. Optionally, there may be a CW transmission / reception before the synchronization signal sent at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure, and the CW is considered to be a CW sent / received before a physical layer frame structure, that is, not as part of the physical layer frame structure; or, there may be a CW transmission / reception before the synchronization signal sent at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure, and the CW is part of the physical layer frame structure, then the synchronization signal sent at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure refers to the earliest synchronization signal transmitted in the physical layer frame structure, and / or the earliest synchronization signal after the CW signal started in the physical layer frame structure. Due to the simple structure of the AIoT device, its timing module usually has weak performance and may not be able to maintain the system clock during the period when there is no external signal power supply. The first synchronization signal can enable the AIoT device to obtain the system clock before each communication starts, and conduct subsequent communications in the physical layer frame structure based on the clock;

[0137] A synchronization signal sent before at least one other signal / channel or at the starting position of at least one other signal / channel. For ease of description, it is referred to as the second synchronization signal in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, the at least one other signal / channel can be at least one signal / channel of other types (not synchronization signals) included in the physical layer frame structure. Optionally, when the synchronization signal is sent at the starting position of at least one other signal / channel, the synchronization signal can be part of the signal / channel structure of the at least one other signal / channel. For example, the synchronization signal is sent at the starting position of the downlink data channel, which can be understood as the channel structure of the downlink data channel including the starting synchronization signal and the downlink data after the synchronization signal. Due to the simple structure of the AIoT device, its timing module will generate clock drift when maintaining the system clock. After a period of time after each synchronization, the range of its clock drift may no longer meet the accuracy requirements; therefore, sending a synchronization signal before each signal / channel helps the AIoT device to calibrate the clock based on the synchronization signal, thereby improving the accuracy of transmitting / receiving subsequent signal channels;

[0138] A synchronization signal sent in the physical layer frame structure and whose position is not at the start position of the physical layer frame structure or before at least one other signal / channel or the start position of at least one other signal / channel. For ease of description, it is referred to as the third synchronization signal in the embodiments of the present application. The design of the clock also takes into account the clock drift problem of the AIoT device, taking into account that a physical layer frame structure allows no synchronization signal to exist before some other signals / channels, and taking into account that some other signals / channels may cause the signal / channel to be continuously transmitted for too long due to reasons such as their own large load or the use of repeated coding, the AIoT device may not always be able to calibrate the clock based on the second synchronization signal in a timely manner; therefore, the introduction of the third synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure can enable the AIoT device to perform clock calibration more flexibly according to the device performance of the AIoT and the system's requirements for clock accuracy.

[0139] Optionally, the position of the third synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure includes at least one of the following: between any two other signals / channels, in the middle of any other signal / channel, or a position determined based on a preset timing relationship.

[0140] Optionally, when the position of the third synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure is in the middle of another signal / channel, the portion of the other signal / channel before the third synchronization signal ends with a stop indicator, and / or the portion after the third synchronization signal starts with a continue indicator. Figure 5b Schematically shows an example when the other signal / channel is a downlink data signal.

[0141] Optionally, the continue indicator has the same signal structure as the start indicator used to indicate the starting position of a signal / channel, and / or the terminate indicator has the same signal structure as the end indicator used to indicate the ending position of a signal / channel, or at least two of the start indicator, the terminate indicator, the continue indicator and the end indicator have the same signal structure, thereby simplifying the design of channel detection and reducing system complexity; or, the start indicator, the terminate indicator, the continue indicator and the end indicator all have different signal structures, so that the base station, the intermediate node and the UE can accurately identify whether the signal / channel is truly ended or temporarily terminated due to the synchronization signal, thereby better detecting the third synchronization signal based on the indicator, and more easily resuming the continued reception of the signal / channel after detecting the third synchronization signal rather than treating the subsequent signal / channel as a new transmission.

[0142] Optionally, determining the position of the third synchronization signal based on a preset timing relationship includes at least one of the following methods:

[0143] Starting from a reference time point, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received within a time window of length T; or, starting from a reference time point, within a time window of length T, if the first synchronization signal, the second synchronization signal, and / or the third synchronization signal do not exist within the time window, then at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received; otherwise, the third synchronization signal does not need to be sent and / or received. Optionally, this method is used when the duration of at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure exceeds T. Optionally, in this method, sending and / or receiving at least one third synchronization signal includes: sending and / or receiving at least one third synchronization signal at any position within the time window of length T, or sending and / or receiving at least one third synchronization signal at the end position of the time window of length T (including starting to send and / or start to receive, that is, the complete sending and / or receiving process can exceed the time window; and also including completing the sending and / or receiving of the at least one third synchronization signal). For example, when the reference time point is t0, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received within [t0, t0+T]; for another example, when the reference time point is t0, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received starting at time t0+T;

[0144] After a time window of at least T or at least T, or every time window of at least T, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received; alternatively, starting from a reference time point, after a time window of at least T or at least T, or every time window of at least T, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received. Alternatively, after a time window of at least T or at least T, or every time window of at least T, if the first synchronization signal and / or the second synchronization signal and / or the third synchronization signal do not exist within the time window, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received, otherwise there is no need to send and / or receive the third synchronization signal; alternatively, starting from a reference time point, after a time window of at least T or at least T, or every time window of at least T, if the first synchronization signal and / or the second synchronization signal and / or the third synchronization signal do not exist within the time window, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received, otherwise there is no need to send and / or receive the third synchronization signal. Optionally, this method is used when the duration of at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure exceeds T. Optionally, in this method, sending and / or receiving at least one third synchronization signal includes: when the interval between the third synchronization signal and other third synchronization signals is not less than T, and / or when the interval between the position of the third synchronization signal and a reference time point is not less than T, the position of the third synchronization signal can be flexibly selected; or, sending and / or receiving (including starting sending and / or starting receiving, i.e., the complete sending process and / or receiving process can exceed the time window; and also including completing sending and / or receiving of the at least one third synchronization signal) at the end position of the time window with a length of at least T; or, sending and / or receiving (including starting sending and / or starting receiving, i.e., the complete sending process and / or receiving process can exceed the time range; and also including completing sending and / or receiving of the at least one third synchronization signal) at least one third synchronization signal within a time range of no more than T1 after the end position of the time window with a length of at least T, wherein the position of the third synchronization signal can be flexibly selected within the time range. For example, when the reference time point is t0, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received after [t0, t0+T]; for another example, when the reference time point is t0, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received starting at time t0+T; for another example, when the reference time point is t0, at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received within the range of [t0+T, t0+T+T1];

[0145] When the duration of at least one signal / channel in the physical layer frame structure exceeds T, at least one third synchronization signal is transmitted in the middle of the signal / channel. Optionally, when the starting position of the signal / channel is t0, the transmission and / or reception of the signal / channel is temporarily suspended at t0+T or at a position no later than t0+T, and the at least one third synchronization signal is transmitted and / or received; then, the transmission and / or reception of the signal / channel is resumed.

[0146] The reference time point includes at least one of the following: the starting position of the physical layer frame structure, the starting and / or ending position of at least one first synchronization signal, the starting and / or ending position of at least one second synchronization signal, the starting and / or ending position of another or the previous or preceding or at least one third synchronization signal, the starting and / or ending position of at least one uplink and / or downlink signal and / or channel. Furthermore, when the uplink and / or downlink signal and / or channel begins with a start indicator and / or a continue indicator, and / or when the uplink and / or downlink signal and / or channel ends with a stop indicator and / or an end indicator, the reference time point includes the starting position and / or ending position of at least one of the start indicator, the continue indicator, the stop indicator, and the end indicator.

[0147] Optionally, when the reference time point is at least one of the first, second, and third synchronization signals, the reference time point may be the latest of the first, second, and third synchronization signals whose time position is earlier than the third synchronization signal to be sent and / or received.

[0148] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 6a As shown, with the end position of the second synchronization signal, that is, the starting position of the downlink data signal, as a reference time point, within a time window of length T, the base station or intermediate node sends a third synchronization signal to the UE; with the end position of the third synchronization signal as a reference time point, within a time window of length T, the base station or intermediate node sends another third synchronization signal to the UE. The third synchronization signal shown in the figure is sent within the time window of length T. In another exemplary embodiment, the third synchronization signal may also start to be sent within the time window of length T.

[0149] In another exemplary embodiment, Figure 6bAs shown, with the end position of the first synchronization signal as the reference time point, within a time window of length T, since the second synchronization signal exists within the time window, there is no need to send and / or receive the third synchronization signal. Then, with the end position of the second synchronization signal as the reference time point, within a time window of length T, since the first, second, and third synchronization signals do not exist within the time window, the base station or intermediate node sends a third synchronization signal to the UE after a time window of length T, using the end position of the second synchronization signal as the reference time point. Specifically, the third synchronization signal is sent within a time range of no more than T1 after the end position of the time window of length T.

[0150] In another exemplary embodiment, Figure 6c As shown, the starting position of a downlink data signal is t0, and its duration exceeds T. The transmission and / or reception of the signal / channel is temporarily suspended at t0+T, and at least one third synchronization signal is sent and / or received; then the transmission and / or reception of the signal / channel is continued. Figure 6c The position of t0+T is calculated based on the length of the data channel itself, and a pause indicator is first transmitted at t0+T, and then the third synchronization signal is transmitted; in another exemplary embodiment, the transmission of the pause indicator can also be completed at t0+T and the transmission of the third synchronization signal can be started.

[0151] Optionally, when the base station, intermediate node, or UE determines to send the first third synchronization signal based on the above method, the third synchronization signal may not be actually sent (or may be aborted or skipped). The receiving node determines whether the third synchronization signal is actually sent based on the detected signal (for example, whether the waveform received by blind detection matches the waveform of the third synchronization signal). If it is sent, the clock may be adjusted based on the third synchronization signal.

[0152] Optionally, when the synchronization signal is sent at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure (i.e., the first synchronization signal), at least one of the UE, base station, and intermediate node can determine the starting position of the physical layer frame structure based on the synchronization signal; for example, the starting position of the physical layer frame structure is determined to be the starting position or the ending position of the first synchronization signal.

[0153] Optionally, when a synchronization signal is sent before at least one other signal / channel or at the starting position of at least one other signal / channel (i.e., a second synchronization signal), at least one of the UE, base station, and intermediate node can determine the starting point of the at least one other signal / channel based on the synchronization signal, for example, determine the starting point of the at least one other signal / channel as the starting position or ending position of the synchronization signal.

[0154] Optionally, the broadcast channel in the physical layer frame structure indicates whether the physical layer frame structure includes the first synchronization signal, and / or whether it includes the second synchronization signal, and / or whether it includes the third synchronization signal.

[0155] Because the first, second, and third synchronization signals in the above methods are used in different scenarios and for different purposes, the requirements for their capabilities may also vary. For example, the first synchronization signal needs to ensure that a completely out-of-sync UE can achieve synchronization through this signal, so the synchronization accuracy requirement for the synchronization signal is higher. The second and third synchronization signals respond to possible clock drift after the UE achieves synchronization, so the synchronization accuracy requirement for the synchronization signals is lower.

[0156] Optionally, the signal structure of the second synchronization signal and / or the signal structure of the third synchronization signal is a subset of the signal structure of the first synchronization signal; optionally, the signal structure of the third synchronization signal is a subset of the signal structure of the second synchronization signal, or is the same as the signal structure of the second synchronization signal.

[0157] Since the capabilities of AIoT devices may vary, such as in timing accuracy, the range or speed of clock drift, and the ability to cache data and temporarily suspend data reception to calibrate timing, the application of the above methods may be related to UE capabilities.

[0158] Optionally, whether the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal is supported is determined based on the UE capability. Optionally, the UE reports the capability corresponding to whether the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal is supported to the intermediate node or the base station. Accordingly, at least one of the base station, the intermediate node, and the UE determines whether to send and / or receive the third synchronization signal based on the UE's capability of whether to support the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal. For example, when the UE capability is capable of supporting the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal, and it is determined according to the various methods above that the third synchronization signal needs to be sent and / or received, at least one of the base station, the intermediate node, and the UE sends the third synchronization signal, and / or receives the third synchronization signal.

[0159] Optionally, when a signal / channel is sent to multiple UEs, it is determined whether to send a third synchronization signal based on the capability of at least one of the multiple UEs. The capability of the at least one UE may be the worst capability. For example, when a downlink data signal is sent by a base station or an intermediate node to multiple UEs, and the capabilities of the multiple UEs all support the sending and / or receiving of a third synchronization signal, the base station or the intermediate node will determine whether to send and / or receive a third synchronization signal in the middle of the downlink data signal (including determining that the position of the third synchronization signal is in the middle of the downlink data signal based on a preset timing relationship) according to the methods of other embodiments in this specification; otherwise, the base station or the intermediate node will not send and / or receive a third synchronization signal in the middle of the downlink data signal. Optionally, when a UE sends a signal / channel to one or more intermediate nodes and / or base stations, it is determined whether to send a third synchronization signal based on the capability of the UE.

[0160] Optionally, the position of the third synchronization signal is determined based on UE capabilities. Further, the position that can be used for the third synchronization signal is determined based on whether the UE capabilities support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal between other signals / channels. For example, if the position of the third synchronization signal is determined to be between two other signals / channels using the methods described in other embodiments of this specification, the third synchronization signal can be sent and / or received at this position. For another example, the position of the third synchronization signal is determined to be in the middle of another signal / channel through the methods in other embodiments of this specification (including determining that the position of the third synchronization signal is in the middle of another signal / channel based on a preset timing relationship). Then, when the UE capability supports sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of the other signal / channel, or when the capabilities of multiple UEs that need to receive the other signal / channel all support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of the other signal / channel, the third synchronization signal can be sent and / or received at this position; otherwise, when the UE capability does not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of the other signal / channel, or when the capability of at least one UE among the multiple UEs that need to receive the other signal / channel does not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of the other signal / channel, the third synchronization signal is not sent and / or received at this position.

[0161] Optionally, determining the position of the third synchronization signal based on the UE capabilities further includes: if it is determined based on the UE capabilities that the position corresponding to the third synchronization signal cannot be actually used for sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal, then delaying the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal until the UE capabilities can support it. For example, if the UE capabilities do not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal in the middle of other signals / channels, delaying the sending and / or receiving of the third synchronization signal until after the end position of the other signals / channels.

[0162] Considering that the UE capability is insufficient to support the transmission and / or reception of the third synchronization signal between other signals / channels, if the third synchronization signal is not sent but the other signal / channel is continued to be sent, the subsequent part of the other signal / channel may not be correctly received due to loss of synchronization or the decoding performance may be reduced. Another feasible method is to limit the maximum duration of the other signal / channel in the scenario where the third synchronization signal is not sent (which may be due to limited UE capability). Accordingly, the maximum duration of the other signal / channel can be limited by limiting the maximum information payload of the other signal / channel.

[0163] Optionally, when the UE sends and / or receives a signal / channel, the length of the information bits corresponding to the signal / channel does not exceed N. The value of N is determined based on the UE capability and can be reported to the intermediate node and / or base station. For example, when the UE capability does not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal, or does not support sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal among other signals / channels, N=N1; otherwise, N=N2, and optionally, other methods in this specification are used to determine the position that may be used for the third synchronization signal. Optionally, sending and receiving can correspond to the same or different N values, or different N1 and / or N2 values. N1 and N2 can be indicated in the broadcast channel, or indicated in other downlink channels, or (pre) configured, or preset values. The advantage of this method is that N1 and N2 can correspond to the maximum number of bits when the UE cannot recalibrate the clock drift through the third synchronization signal and the maximum number of bits when the clock drift can be recalibrated through the third synchronization signal, respectively. For the former, its value can be calculated based on the speed of clock drift and the accuracy of decoding timing. Therefore, when the number of information bits corresponding to the signal / channel does not exceed N1, the negative impact of the UE's clock drift on the decoding ability of the signal / channel can be ignored. That is, when the UE capability does not support clock recalibration based on the third synchronization signal, the duration of a single transmitted signal / channel can be controlled within the time range that does not require clock calibration.

[0164] Optionally, based on the mobile speed of at least one of the base station, the intermediate node, and the UE, a value of at least one of the following items is determined: a time length T corresponding to a (minimum / maximum) interval or a (minimum / maximum) period of the third synchronization signal, and a parameter N corresponding to the maximum number of bits of the signal / channel. For example, different mobile speed ranges correspond to different values or value ranges of T and / or N.

[0165] Optionally, the signals / channels included in a physical layer frame structure may be continuous or discontinuous in time. The interval between two adjacent signals / channels is denoted by G, where G may be equal to 0 (corresponding to continuous) or greater than 0 (corresponding to discontinuous). Optionally, the value, and / or maximum value, and / or minimum value of the interval G between two adjacent signals / channels may be (pre)configured, and / or preset, and / or indicated in the signal / channel.

[0166] Optionally, the interval G between two adjacent signals / channels includes at least one of the following:

[0167] The interval G1 between the time when the charging signal and / or CW starts to be transmitted and the starting position of the physical layer frame structure. In a specific example, the physical layer frame structure starts with the first synchronization signal, such as Figure 7a As shown, G1 corresponds to the interval between the time when the charging signal and / or CW starts to be transmitted and the starting position of the first synchronization signal. In another specific example, the physical layer frame structure starts with a signal for indicating UE selection, such as Figure 7c As shown, G1 corresponds to the interval between the time when the charging signal and / or CW starts to be transmitted and the starting position of the signal used to indicate the UE selection. The length of G1 may correspond to the length of time it takes for the UE's battery to be fully charged, for example, the length of time it takes for the battery to be charged to be sufficient for downlink reception and / or uplink transmission;

[0168] The signal from the start position of the physical layer frame structure to indicate the UE selection to the first synchronization signal in the physical layer frame structure (i.e. Figure 7c Optionally, when the signal for indicating UE selection is sent before other signals / channels (such as Figure 7c The length of G2 may correspond to the processing delay required for the UE to decode the signal indicating the UE selection;

[0169] The interval G3-1 between the synchronization signal at the start position of the physical layer frame structure, that is, the first synchronization signal, and the start position of the broadcast channel. Optionally, when the broadcast channel is sent after the first synchronization signal and before other signals / channels (such as Figure 7a The length of G3-1 may correspond to the processing delay of the UE to obtain clock synchronization based on the first synchronization signal;

[0170] The interval G3-2 between the synchronization signal at the start position of the physical layer frame structure, that is, the first synchronization signal, and the start position of the signal for indicating UE selection. Optionally, when the signal for indicating UE selection is sent after the first synchronization signal and before other signals / channels (such as Figure 7bAs shown), this interval is used. The length of G3-2 may correspond to the processing delay of the UE to obtain clock synchronization based on the first synchronization signal; considering that the timing accuracy required for the UE to receive the signal indicating the UE selection and the timing accuracy required for receiving the broadcast channel are different, G3-1 and G3-2 may correspond to different processing delays;

[0171] The interval G4 between the end position of the broadcast channel and the start position of the subsequent signal for indicating UE selection, or to the start position of the subsequent payload signal. Optionally, if the signal for indicating UE selection does not exist in the physical layer frame structure, or the position of the signal for indicating UE selection is before the broadcast channel, G4 corresponds to the end position of the broadcast channel to the start position of the subsequent payload signal; otherwise, G4 corresponds to the end position of the broadcast channel to the start position of the subsequent signal for indicating UE selection. The length of G4 may correspond to the processing delay corresponding to the UE receiving and decoding the broadcast channel, and / or adjusting the subsequent transmission / reception parameters according to the content of the broadcast channel; optionally, the value of G4 is indicated in the broadcast channel;

[0172] Among the signals / channels used for random access, the interval between at least two signals / channels is G5-1;

[0173] In the payload signal, an interval G5-2 between at least two signals / channels; optionally, the interval G5-2 is indicated in an earlier or earliest signal / channel among the at least two signals / channels;

[0174] an interval G5-3 between the broadcast channel and at least one payload signal; optionally, the interval G5-3 is indicated in the broadcast channel;

[0175] For the synchronization signal sent before or at the starting position of at least one other signal / channel, ie, the second synchronization signal, the interval G6 between its end position and the starting position of the at least one other signal / channel. Figure 8 An example of interval G6 is schematically shown. The length of G6 may correspond to the processing delay of the UE acquiring or calibrating clock synchronization based on the second synchronization signal. Considering that the timing accuracy required by the UE to acquire or calibrate synchronization may be different from other timing accuracy requirements, G6 may correspond to different processing delays than G3-1 and G3-2.

[0176] For the synchronization signal sent in the physical layer frame structure and whose position is not at the starting position of the physical layer frame structure or before at least one other signal / channel or the starting position of at least one other signal / channel, that is, the third synchronization signal, the interval between its starting position and the end position of the previous signal / channel is G7-1. Figure 8An example of interval G7-1 is schematically shown. When the third synchronization signal is transmitted in the middle of a signal / channel, G7-1 is the interval between the end position of the portion of the signal / channel preceding the third synchronization signal (e.g., the end of the pause indicator) and the start position of the third synchronization signal. The length of G7-1 may correspond to the processing delay required for the UE to stop or end receiving the signal / channel and prepare to begin calibrating clock timing.

[0177] For the third synchronization signal, the interval between its end position and the end position of the next signal / channel is G7-2. Figure 8 An example of interval G7-2 is schematically shown. When a third synchronization signal is transmitted in the middle of a signal / channel, G7-2 is the interval between the end of the third synchronization signal and the continuation of the portion of the signal / channel following the third synchronization signal (e.g., the start of a continuation indicator). The length of G7-2 may correspond to the processing delay required for the UE to calibrate its clock timing based on the third synchronization signal and continue to prepare for signal / channel reception.

[0178] The various intervals described above may be the intervals between the starting position and / or ending position of a previous signal / channel and the starting position and / or ending position of a subsequent signal / channel. For ease of description, the positions of some signals / channels described above use either the starting position or the ending position or do not explicitly show them. However, in other embodiments, the other may be used, or either the starting position or the ending position may be used.

[0179] Among the above-mentioned types of intervals, at least for the interval between the synchronization signal and other signals, the interval can generally be used to enable the UE (or intermediate node / base station) to receive the synchronization signal, adjust the clock timing based on the synchronization signal, and prepare to receive / send subsequent signals / channels based on the adjusted timing. This interval (which may correspond to whether the UE needs this interval, and similarly below) is generally used as a processing delay, so its value may be related to the UE capability. For example, when the UE capability is sufficient to cache signals for a period of time, and receive and process the synchronization signal while caching the newly received signal, the interval between the synchronization signal and the subsequent signal / channel may be zero. For UE capabilities related to caching, since there may be differences in the caching method and caching capability for channels with and without repetition enabled, the value of this interval may also be related to whether repetition is enabled for other signals.

[0180] In addition, the value of this interval may also be related to whether the other channels after the synchronization signal belong to the uplink or downlink. For example, there needs to be a processing delay between the UE receiving the downlink synchronization signal and sending the uplink signal / channel to allow the UE to adjust the clock timing and send based on the adjusted clock; however, there can be no interval between the UE receiving the downlink synchronization signal and receiving other downlink signals / channels, that is, they are continuous. The UE caches the synchronization signal and other subsequent downlink signals / channels, and receives and processes the synchronization signal while caching the newly received downlink signal. It then adjusts the clock timing based on the synchronization signal and receives and decodes other downlink signals / channels.

[0181] In addition, the value of the interval may also be related to the type / location / purpose of the synchronization signal (for example, whether the synchronization signal is the first, second, or third). For example, the UE capability may be sufficient to support the existence of the first / second synchronization signal, but not the existence of the third synchronization signal; or it may support the absence of an interval between the first / second synchronization signal and the subsequent signal / channel, but requires an interval between the third synchronization signal and the previous signal / channel, and may require an interval between the third synchronization signal and the subsequent signal / channel.

[0182] Therefore, optionally, at least one of the base station, the intermediate node, and the UE determines the interval between the synchronization signal and the other at least one synchronization signal / channel based on the UE capability (at least including the UE capability of the AIoT system, such as the UE capability of the tag, and may also include the UE capability of the intermediate node), and / or whether the other at least one signal / channel belongs to the uplink or downlink, and / or whether the other at least one signal / channel has repetition enabled or the parameters of the enabled repetition, and / or the synchronization signal is at least one of the first / second / third synchronization signals, including determining at least one of G2, G3-1, G3-2, G6, G7-1, and G7-2. The UE capability includes the ability to cache signals / channels, and / or the ability to cache signals / channels with repetition enabled, and / or the ability to process synchronization signals (including whether the ability to support the first, second, and third synchronization signals and, if supported, the processing capabilities corresponding to the first, second, and third synchronization signals may be different).

[0183] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating a configuration of a user equipment (UE) 900 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0184] refer to Figure 9 According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE 900 may include a transceiver 901 and a controller 902. For example, the transceiver 901 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. For example, the controller 902 may be coupled to the transceiver 901 and configured to perform the aforementioned method.

[0185] Figure 10 A block diagram illustrating a configuration of a node 1000 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0186] refer to Figure 10 According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a node 1000 may include a transceiver 1001 and a controller 1002. For example, the transceiver 1001 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. For example, the controller 1002 may be coupled to the transceiver 1001 and configured to perform the aforementioned method.

[0187] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above illustrative embodiments are described herein and are not intended to be limiting. It should be understood that any two or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any combination. In addition, other embodiments may be utilized and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the various aspects of the invention of the present disclosure as generally described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings may be arranged, replaced, combined, separated, and designed in a variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0188] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described herein can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above in the form of their functional sets. Whether such functional sets are implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians can implement the described functional sets in different ways for each specific application, but such design decisions should not be interpreted as causing departure from the scope of the present application.

[0189] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described herein may be implemented or executed with 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, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0190] The steps of the method or algorithm described in this application can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module can reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, a storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0191] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, the latter including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0192] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: Receiving a broadcast channel, where the broadcast channel includes first information indicating at least one signal or channel, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes at least one of the following: a signal for UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal, and a synchronization signal; and receiving and / or transmitting the at least one signal or channel, Before receiving and / or sending the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, synchronization is performed based on a synchronization signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The communication process in which the broadcast channel is located includes at least one of the following signals or channels: Synchronous signal; A signal used to indicate UE selection; Signal or channel for random access; Uplink control signal or control channel; Downlink control signal or control channel; Uplink data signal or data channel; Downlink data signal or data channel; Carrier signal; as well as Charging signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The charging signal includes at least one of the following: Uplink and / or downlink signals in any communication process; Signals sent and / or received by a base station or intermediate node; Any wireless signal in the environment where the UE is located; and Carrier signal CW.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The broadcast channel further includes at least one of the following: Information about the length of information bits corresponding to the communication process where the broadcast channel is located; Information about the length of the transmission time corresponding to the time unit where the broadcast channel is located; Information about the purpose of the communication process; configuration information associated with the at least one signal or channel; information associated with the synchronization signal; information on the modulation type and / or coding type used by the at least one signal or channel; The rate and / or coding efficiency corresponding to the uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the communication process; and The operation mode corresponding to the communication process.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising determining whether the signal or channel received by the UE is the broadcast channel according to at least one of the following: the location of the received signal or channel; a signal type indicator or a channel type indicator corresponding to the received signal or channel; and The coding method corresponding to the received signal or channel.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The signal for instructing the UE to select includes information about the UE that needs to receive the communication process in which the signal for instructing the UE to select is located. The UE information includes at least one of an identifier ID of at least one UE, an ID of at least one UE group, and a range of at least one UE ID.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein When a second signal or channel in the communication process is received, a starting position of the second signal or channel is determined based on the first indicator; and / or an ending position of the at least one signal or channel is determined based on the second indicator; and / or When a second signal or channel in the communication process is sent, the starting position of the second signal or channel is indicated based on the first indicator, and / or the ending position of the at least one signal or channel is indicated based on the second indicator.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The second signal or channel is at least one of: Broadcast channel; A signal used to indicate UE selection; Signal or channel for random access; Uplink control signal or control channel; Downlink control signal or control channel; Uplink data signals or data channels; and Downlink data signal or data channel.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: When the second signal or channel is received, if there is a second synchronization signal located within a predetermined time before the start position or at the start position, determining the start position based on the second synchronization signal; otherwise, determining the start position based on the first indicator; and / or When the second signal or channel is sent, if a second synchronization signal is sent within a predetermined time before the starting position or at the starting position, the starting position is indicated based on the second synchronization signal; otherwise, a first indicator is sent at the starting position, and the starting position is indicated based on the first indicator.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The synchronization signal includes at least one of the following: a first synchronization signal transmitted at the start position of the communication process; a second synchronization signal transmitted a predetermined time before the at least one signal or channel or at a starting position of the at least one signal or channel; as well as A third synchronization signal having a different time domain position from the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the synchronization signal is transmitted at the start position of the communication process, the start position of the communication process is determined based on the synchronization signal.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the synchronization signal is transmitted within a predetermined time before the at least one signal or channel or at the start position of the at least one signal or channel, the start position of the at least one signal or channel is determined based on the synchronization signal.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The broadcast channel further includes information for indicating whether the communication process includes the first synchronization signal, and / or whether the second synchronization signal is included, and / or whether the third synchronization signal is included.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Report whether the capability of sending and / or receiving the third synchronization signal is supported.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein When the UE sends and / or receives a signal or channel, the length of information bits corresponding to the signal or channel does not exceed N, where the value of N is determined based on the capability of the UE.

16. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The interval G between two adjacent signals or channels in the communication process is equal to 0 or greater than 0, and the value, and / or maximum value, and / or minimum value of the interval G is configured, and / or preset, and / or indicated in the signal or channel.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The interval G includes at least one of the following: An interval G1 between the time when the charging signal and / or the carrier signal starts to be transmitted and the starting position of the communication process; An interval G2 between a signal indicating the UE selection at the start position of the communication process and a start position of the first synchronization signal in the communication process; An interval G3-1 between the synchronization signal at the start position of the communication process and the start position of the broadcast channel; An interval G3-2 between the first synchronization signal at the start position of the communication process and the start position of the signal for indicating UE selection; An interval G4 between the end position of the broadcast channel and the start position of a subsequent signal for indicating UE selection, or to the start position of a subsequent bearer signal; An interval G5-1 between at least two signals or channels among the signals or channels used for random access; a spacing G5-2 between at least two signals or channels in the payload signal; An interval G5-3 between the broadcast channel and at least one payload signal; an interval G6 between an end position of a second synchronization signal transmitted before or at a starting position of at least one other signal or channel and a starting position of the at least one other signal or channel; an interval G7-1 between a start position of a third synchronization signal transmitted in the communication process and not before the start position of the communication process or at least one other signal or channel or the start position of at least one other signal or channel and an end position of the previous signal or channel; and The interval G7-2 between the end position of the third synchronization signal and the end position of the next signal or channel.

18. A method performed by a first node in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Sending a broadcast channel, where the broadcast channel includes first information indicating at least one signal or channel, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes at least one of the following: a signal for UE selection, a signal or channel for random access, an uplink control signal or control channel, a downlink control signal or control channel, an uplink data signal or data channel, a downlink data signal or data channel, a carrier signal, a charging signal, and a synchronization signal; and receiving and / or transmitting the at least one signal or channel, Before receiving and / or sending the signal or channel in the at least one signal or channel, synchronization is performed based on a synchronization signal.

19. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, comprising: transceiver; as well as A controller is coupled to the transceiver and configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

20. A node in a wireless communication system, comprising: transceiver; as well as A controller is coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform the method according to claim 18.

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