Method and apparatus for supporting network communication

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for supporting network communications using configuration information for timing alignment to achieve improved timing alignment. An apparatus (e.g., user equipment) may receive configuration information for timing alignment, the configuration information including timing reference points indicating boundaries of a frame structure. The apparatus may configure transmission or reception of the physical signal based on the configuration information. For example, the apparatus may determine a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) based on configuration information. In another example, the apparatus may adjust and / or shift a time-domain position of the physical signal based on the configuration information. In yet another example, the apparatus may generate a reference signal (RS) based on the configuration information. Other devices (e.g., base stations) transmitting the configuration information may also generate the RS based on the configuration information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for supporting network communication using timing alignment. Background Technology

[0002] Several known methods exist for establishing frame timing alignment, which may be suitable for applications serving the air interface in current wireless communication networks such as long-term evolution (LTE) or fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR). However, establishing a standardized frame timing alignment process for different frame structures, making frame timing alignment applicable to some applications considered in future wireless communication networks such as sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication networks, can be challenging.

[0003] One challenge that future wireless communication networks may face is related to communication-aware integration. In communication-aware integration, the first bandwidth part (BWP) can be sensed using a first waveform type such as a single-carrier orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) waveform, while the second BWP can communicate using a second waveform type such as a multi-carrier OFDM waveform. For example, in the first BWP, sensing can be performed using a single subcarrier, and the symbol length can depend on the frequency of the single subcarrier, for example, T = 1 / f. In the second BWP, the symbol length can depend on the subcarrier spacing. Since the symbol length can be determined based on various factors in each BWP, existing methods for establishing frame timing alignment may not be suitable for communication-aware integration.

[0004] Another challenge that future wireless communication networks may face involves measuring the duration of time intervals, such as the duration of the time interval that might be used during the handover between time-divisional duplex (TDD) downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) communication. In current wireless communication networks, the interval between operations can be represented by symbols, i.e., at a symbolic granularity. In other words, in current wireless communication networks, the interval between operations can be one or more symbols. Alternatively, in future wireless communication networks (e.g., 6G), the interval between operations can be less than one symbol to reduce air interface overhead. Therefore, transmitters and receivers can communicate with each other after a variable time interval.

[0005] Therefore, there may be some limitations when attempting to establish that two types of signals always maintain timing alignment based on corresponding frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Various aspects of this disclosure provide methods and apparatuses to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, as well as specific methods and apparatuses for supporting network communication using configuration information for timing alignment to achieve improved timing alignment. The timing alignment can be performed based on a timing reference point, which can indicate the boundaries (e.g., start or end boundaries) of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots in a frame structure. When the timing reference point changes or is updated, a specific method used by the apparatus supporting network communication (e.g., user equipment (UE)) can determine one or more physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitor occasions (MOs) that are timing aligned with the timing reference point. When the timing reference point changes or is updated, this method can enable timing alignment of communication between communicating devices (e.g., user equipment (UE) and base station (BS)). In other words, when the timing reference point changes or is updated, the devices can perform mutual timing communication based on a common timing reference point. This method can enable the devices (e.g., user equipment (UE) and base station (BS)) to generate a reference signal (RS) that is timing aligned with a flexible frame structure. In other words, the frame structure may not need to be fixed, but can be dynamically changed and defined based on the timing reference point, while the RS remains aligned with the timing of the frame structure.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided for use by an apparatus for supporting network communication, the method comprising: receiving configuration information for timing alignment, the configuration information including timing reference points indicating boundaries of frame structures; and configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals based on the configuration information.

[0008] In some embodiments, the boundary is the start or end boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot.

[0009] In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: determining the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) based on the configuration information.

[0010] In some embodiments, determining the PDCCH MO includes: determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure based on the configuration information, an offset of the timing difference between the timing reference point and the starting boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the timing reference point, or a period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

[0011] In some embodiments, determining the PDCCH MO includes: determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure based on at least one of the following: system frame number 0 (SFN0) in the frame structure determined according to the configuration information, an offset of the timing difference indicating the start boundary of the SFN0 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the start boundary of the SFN0, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

[0012] In some embodiments, determining the PDCCH MO includes: determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure based on at least one of the configuration information or the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure.

[0013] In some embodiments, the position of the at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure is based on an offset indicating the timing difference between the first PDCCH MO and the boundary of SFN0 in the reference frame structure, and the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in the reference frame structure.

[0014] In some embodiments, the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure is represented by a slot index and a system frame number (SFN) index.

[0015] In some embodiments, when the physical signal is carried on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH or the PUSCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: rate matching or puncturing a portion of the resources, and scheduling at least a portion of the physical signal to be transmitted on the portion of the resources after the timing reference point.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the physical signal is carried on a PDSCH or PUSCH, and the timing reference point is before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: adjusting the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure based on the misalignment between the frame structure and a second frame structure having a different timing reference point, so that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH.

[0017] In some embodiments, when the physical signal is carried on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) that includes feedback on the PDSCH, and the timing reference point is after a time period of the PDSCH and before a time period of the PUCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: adjusting the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure based on the misalignment between the frame structure and a second frame structure having a different timing reference point, such that the start boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the time period of the PUCCH; shifting the adjusted temporal position of the physical signal based on the timing reference point of the frame structure and the start boundary of a frame in the frame structure corresponding to an original frame in the second frame structure, wherein the original frame includes the timing reference point.

[0018] In some embodiments, the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure is determined based on the timing reference point of the frame structure and the timing reference point of the second frame structure.

[0019] In some embodiments, the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure is further determined based on the length of at least one of the symbols, time slots, subframes, or frames in the frame structure.

[0020] In some embodiments, when the physical signal is carried on a PDCCH or PUCCH and the timing reference point is within a time period of the PDCCH or PUCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: ignoring the physical signal carried on the PDCCH or avoiding transmission of the physical signal scheduled for the PUCCH.

[0021] In some embodiments, the configuration information is received using a system information block (SIB).

[0022] In some embodiments, the configuration information is received using radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0023] In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes generating an uplink (UL) reference signal (RS) based on the timing reference point in the frame structure.

[0024] In some embodiments, the UL RS is generated based on a sequence initialization value determined by at least one of a slot index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure, the slot index and the symbol index indicating the timing for transmitting the RS.

[0025] In some embodiments, the UL RS is a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS); a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS); or a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0026] In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: generating an RS based on a reference system frame structure, wherein the reference system frame structure is not determined by the timing reference point in the frame structure, nor is it changed by a change in the timing reference point in the frame structure.

[0027] In some embodiments, the reference frame structure is obtained by detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) or the secondary synchronization signal (SSS).

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving information indicating a system frame number (SFN) of a start frame in the frame structure, wherein the start boundary of the start frame is aligned with the timing reference point.

[0029] In some embodiments, the SFN of the starting frame in the frame structure is determined according to a predetermined rule, and the starting boundary of the starting frame is aligned with the timing reference point.

[0030] In some embodiments, the predetermined rule: indicates that the SFN of the starting frame should be updated based on the timing reference point; indicates that the starting frame is an SFN0 in the frame structure updated based on the timing reference point; or indicates that the SFN of the starting frame is determined based on frames with different frame structures having the timing reference point, wherein the starting boundaries of the different frame structures are aligned with different timing reference points.

[0031] In some embodiments, the timing reference point is indicated by global positioning system (GPS) time or by a time offset from another reference time slot.

[0032] In some embodiments, the time offset from the other reference time slot has a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds.

[0033] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for supporting network communication is provided, the apparatus including a processor and a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to perform a method consistent with the embodiments described above.

[0034] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided for use by an apparatus for supporting network communication, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information for timing alignment, wherein the configuration information includes timing reference points indicating boundaries of a frame structure, the configuration information being used to configure the transmission or reception of physical signals in the frame structure.

[0035] In some embodiments, the boundary is the start or end boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot.

[0036] In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: determining the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) based on the configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to determine the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure.

[0037] In some embodiments, the physical signal is carried on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH or the PUSCH.

[0038] In some embodiments, the physical signal is carried on the PDSCH or PUSCH, and the timing reference point is before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0039] In some embodiments, the physical signal is carried on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) that includes feedback on the PDSCH, and the timing reference point is after the time period of the PDSCH and before the time period of the PUCCH.

[0040] In some embodiments, the physical signal is carried on the PDCCH or PUCCH, and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDCCH or the PUCCH.

[0041] In some embodiments, the device uses a system information block (SIB) to send the configuration information.

[0042] In some embodiments, the device transmits the configuration information using radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0043] In some embodiments, the method further includes generating a downlink (DL) reference signal (RS) based on the timing reference point in the frame structure.

[0044] In some embodiments, the DL RS is generated based on a sequence initialization value determined by at least one of a slot index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure, the slot index and the symbol index indicating the timing for transmitting the RS.

[0045] In some embodiments, the DL RS is a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS), positioning reference signal (PRS), channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), or secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for PDSCH or physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0046] In some embodiments, the method further includes determining information indicating a system frame number (SFN) of the start frame in the frame structure, wherein the start boundary of the start frame is aligned with the timing reference point; and transmitting the determined SFN information indicating the start frame in the frame structure.

[0047] In some embodiments, the timing reference point is indicated by global positioning system (GPS) time or by a time offset from another reference time slot.

[0048] In some embodiments, the time offset from the other reference time slot has a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds.

[0049] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for supporting network communication is provided, the apparatus including a processor and a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to perform a method consistent with the embodiments described above.

[0050] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to perform the method described above. Attached Figure Description

[0051] To gain a more comprehensive understanding of this embodiment and its advantages, the following description, taken by way of example and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is provided, wherein:

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0054] Figure 3 It is a block diagram of a unit or module in a device that can be applied to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0055] Figure 4 It is a block diagram of a unit or module in a device that can be applied to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of multiple frames according to various aspects of this application, which may include signals to be transmitted by a base station (BS) and received by a user equipment (UE) in relation to a relatively defined timing reference point.

[0057] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of multiple frames according to various aspects of this application, which may include signals related to an absolutely defined timing reference point to be transmitted by the BS and received by the UE.

[0058] Figure 7 An example of updating the frame structure according to a timing reference point is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 8 The timing diagram shown is provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure to describe an exemplary method for determining the position of at least one physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) in the frame structure.

[0060] Figure 9 A timing diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, illustrating another exemplary method for determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in a frame structure.

[0061] Figure 10A timing diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, illustrating yet another exemplary method for determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in a frame structure.

[0062] Figures 11 to 15 The following are exemplary timelines of the UE as the timing reference point changes under various conditions, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0063] Figure 16 A signal flow diagram for signal transmission between a BS and a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, illustrating an exemplary process for supporting network communication. Detailed Implementation

[0064] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0065] The embodiments described herein illustrate information sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and explain methods for practicing such subject matter. Upon reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter and recognize that the application of these concepts is not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims.

[0066] Furthermore, it should be understood that any module, component, or device with executable instructions disclosed herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media to store information, such as computer / processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media includes magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video discs or digital versatile discs (DVDs), and Blu-ray discs. TMOptical discs or other optical storage devices; volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology; random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other storage technologies. Any of these non-transitory computer / processor storage media may be part of a device, or accessible to or connectable to that device. Computer / processor-readable / executable instructions used to implement the applications or modules described herein may be stored or otherwise preserved by such non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media.

[0067] Various aspects of this disclosure provide methods, apparatus, and devices for supporting network communications using configuration information that enables timing alignment between communication devices. According to some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) can receive configuration information for timing alignment from another apparatus (e.g., a base station (BS)) and configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on the configuration information. According to some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a first user equipment (UE)) can receive configuration information for timing alignment from another apparatus (e.g., a second UE) and configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on the configuration information. The configuration information may include timing reference points indicating boundaries of frame structures. In some embodiments, the boundary may be the start or end of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot. In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include determining a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO). In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include rate matching or puncturing of a portion of resources on which at least a portion of the physical signals are transmitted. In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include adjusting the temporal position of the physical signals within the frame structure. In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include ignoring physical signals carried on the PDCCH or avoiding transmission of physical signals scheduled for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). In some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include generating a reference signal (RS).

[0068] The following Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 Background information is provided about the network and the device that may be in the network and that can implement aspects of this disclosure.

[0069] refer to Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided as an illustrative, not limiting, example. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. Radio access network 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. In radio access network 120, one or more electric devices (EDs) 110a to 120j (generally referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other and may also be connected, or alternatively connected, to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, generally referred to as 170). Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. Furthermore, communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0070] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Typically, system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of system 100 may be to provide content (voice, data, video, text) via broadcast, narrowcast, user equipment to user equipment, etc. System 100 can operate efficiently by sharing resources such as bandwidth.

[0071] In this example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110c, radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. Although Figure 2 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but system 100 may include any suitable number of these components or elements.

[0072] EDs 110a to 110c are used for operation and / or communication in system 100. For example, EDs 110a to 110c are used for transmitting and / or receiving via a wireless communication channel. Each ED 110a to 110c represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, mobile user unit, cellular telephone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0073] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Generally, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 may be to provide content (voice, data, video, text) via broadcast, multicast, unicast, user equipment to user equipment, etc. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as bandwidth.

[0074] In this example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110d, radio access networks (RANs) 120a to 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. Although Figure 2 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but the communication system 100 may include any suitable number of these components or elements.

[0075] EDs 110a to 110d are used for operation and / or communication in communication system 100. For example, EDs 110a to 110d are used for transmitting and / or receiving via wireless or wired communication channels. Each ED 110a to 110d represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment (UE / user device), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular telephone, station (STA), machine-type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, tablet computer, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0076] exist Figure 2 In this configuration, RAN 120a and 120b include base stations 170a and 170b, respectively. Each base station 170a and 170b is used to establish a wireless connection with one or more EDs (EDs) from ED 110a to 110c, enabling access to any other base stations 170a and 170b, core network 130, PSTN 140, Internet 150, and / or other networks 160. For example, base stations 170a and 170b may include (or may be) one or more of several known devices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), NodeB (NodeB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB), home eNodeB, gNodeB, transmission and receive point (TRP), site controller, access point (AP), or wireless router.

[0077] In some examples, one or more of base stations 170a and 170b may be ground-based base stations connected to the ground. For example, ground-based base stations may be mounted on buildings or towers. Alternatively, one or more of base stations 172 may be non-ground-based base stations, or non-terrestrial TRPs (NT-TRPs), not connected to the ground. A flying base station is an example of a non-ground-based base station. A flying base station can be implemented using communication equipment supported or carried by flying equipment. Non-limiting examples of flying equipment include airborne platforms (e.g., small airships or spacecraft), balloons, quadcopters, and other aircraft. In some implementations, a flying base station may be supported or carried by an unmanned aerial system (UAS) or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone or quadcopter). A flying base station may be a mobile or portable base station that can be flexibly deployed in different locations to meet network requirements. A satellite base station is another example of a non-ground-based base station. A satellite base station can be implemented using communication equipment supported or carried by a satellite. A satellite base station may also be referred to as an orbital base station.

[0078] Any ED 110a to 110d may alternatively or additionally be used to connect, access, or communicate with any other base station 170a and 170b, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof.

[0079] EDs 110a to 110d and base stations 170a, 170b, and 172 are examples of communication devices that can be used to implement some or all of the operations and / or embodiments described herein. Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, base station 170a constitutes part of RAN 120a, which may include other base stations, one or more base station controllers (BSCs), one or more radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, components, and / or devices. Any base station 170a and 170b may be a single component as shown, or multiple components distributed within the corresponding RAN, or other forms. Similarly, base station 170b constitutes part of RAN 120b, which may include other base stations, components, and / or devices. Each base station 170a and 170b transmits and / or receives radio signals within a specific geographical area or region (sometimes referred to as a "cell" or "coverage area"). A cell may be further divided into cell sectors; for example, base stations 170a and 170b may employ multiple transceivers to provide services to multiple sectors. In some embodiments, established picocells or femtocells supported by radio access technologies may exist. In some embodiments, for example, multiple transceivers can be used for each cell using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. The number of RANs 120a and 120b shown is merely exemplary. Any number of RANs can be considered when designing the communication system 100.

[0080] Base stations 170a, 170b, and 172 communicate with one or more of the EDs 110a to 110c via one or more air interfaces 190a and 190c using wireless communication links (e.g., radio frequency, microwave, infrared, etc.). Air interfaces 190a and 190c can utilize any suitable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more orthogonal or non-orthogonal channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190c, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA).

[0081] Base stations 170a, 170b, and 172 can implement Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) to establish air interfaces 190a and 190c using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). In this case, base stations 170a, 170b, and 172 can implement protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (HSPA+), and optionally High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Packet Uplink Access (HSPUA). Alternatively, base stations 170a, 170b, and 172 can use LTE, LTE-A, and / or LTE-B to establish air interfaces 190a and 190c with Evolved UTMS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA). The communication system 100 is expected to use multi-channel access operation, including the schemes described above. Other wireless technologies used to implement the air interface include IEEE 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, IS-2000, IS-95, IS-856, GSM, EDGE, and GERAN. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols can also be used.

[0082] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to EDs 110a through 110c. RANs 120a and 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RANs 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RANs 120a and 120b and / or EDs 110a through 110c, and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160).

[0083] EDs 110a to 110d communicate with each other via one or more sidelink (SL) air interfaces 190b and 190d using wireless communication links (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), etc.). SL air interfaces 190b and 190d can utilize any suitable wireless access technology and may be substantially similar to or substantially different from the air interfaces 190a and 190c used by EDs 110a to 110c to communicate with one or more base stations 170a and 170b. For example, communication system 100 may implement one or more channel access methods in SL air interfaces 190b and 190d, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). In some embodiments, the SL air interface 180 may be implemented at least partially on unlicensed spectrum.

[0084] Furthermore, some or all of EDs 110a to 110d may include operations that communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. EDs may communicate with service providers or exchanges (not shown) via wired communication channels and with the Internet 150 without wireless communication (or may also perform wireless communication). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computer networks and / or subnets (internal networks) and include protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). EDs 110a to 110d may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support multiple wireless access technologies.

[0085] In some embodiments, the signal is transmitted directly from the terrestrial BS to the UE, or directly from the UE to the terrestrial BS. In both cases, the signal is not reflected by the RIS. However, the signal may be reflected by obstacles and reflectors such as buildings, walls, and furniture. In some embodiments, the signal is transmitted between the UE and a non-terrestrial BS (e.g., satellites, drones, and high-altitude platforms). In some embodiments, the signal is transmitted between a relay and the UE, between a relay and a BS, or between two relays. In some embodiments, the signal is transmitted between two UEs. In some embodiments, one or more RIS are used to reflect signals from a transmitter and a receiver, wherein either the transmitter or the receiver includes the UE, a terrestrial BS or a non-terrestrial BS, and a relay.

[0086] Figure 3 Another example of the ED 110 and network equipment including base stations 170a, 170b (at 170) and NT-TRP 172 is shown. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communications (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobility.

[0087] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine-type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smart book, vehicle, automobile, truck, bus, train, IoT device, industrial equipment, or devices within the aforementioned equipment (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip), etc. Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, referred to below as T-TRP 170. Alternatively... Figure 3 As shown, NT-TRP is referred to as NT-TRP 172 below. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of connectivity availability and connectivity necessity.

[0088] ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown. One, part, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be integrated as, for example, a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission through at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received through at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0089] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by one or more processing units 210. Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, processor cache, etc.

[0090] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., Figure 1 or Figure 2 (Wired interface of Internet 150 in the network). Input / output devices allow interaction with the user or other devices on the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0091] ED 110 also includes a processor 210 for performing operations including: operations related to preparing uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170; operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170; and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmissions may be received by receiver 203 (possibly using receive beamforming), and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmissions (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications (e.g., beam angle information (BAI)) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0092] Although not shown, processor 210 may be part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown, memory 208 may be part of processor 210.

[0093] The processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 may each be implemented by one or more processors, which may be the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0094] In some implementations, T-TRP 170 may be known by other names, such as base station, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network equipment, network-side equipment, transmit / receive node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next-generation base station (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP) or wireless router, relay station, remote radio head, ground node, ground network equipment or ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), location node, etc. T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, pico BS, relay node, host node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned device or a component within the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip). Although the accompanying drawings and the accompanying description of examples and embodiments of this disclosure generally use the terms AP, BS, and AP or BS, it should be understood that such a device may be any of the types described above.

[0095] In some embodiments, the various parts of T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules in T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna via a communication link (not shown) sometimes referred to as the fronthaul (e.g., a common public radio interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term "T-TRP 170" may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED 110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding, which are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna of T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110, for example, through coordinated multicast transmission.

[0096] T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown. One, part, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing operations related to: preparing downlink transmissions to be transmitted to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing backhaul transmissions to be transmitted to NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 can also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB), generating system information, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates a beam direction indication, such as a BAI, which can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 can perform other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the location for deploying NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 can generate signaling to, for example, configure one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252. Note that "signaling" as used herein may also be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling can be transmitted in control channels such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), while static or semi-static higher-layer signaling can be included in data packets that are transmitted in data channels such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0097] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included within or operate separately from T-TRP 170. Scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backlink transmissions, including issuing scheduling authorizations and / or configuring schedule-free (“configuration authorization”) resources. T-TRP 170 also includes memory 258 for storing information and data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by processor 260.

[0098] Although not shown, processor 260 may be part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Furthermore, although not shown, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown, memory 258 may be part of processor 260.

[0099] The processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may each be implemented by one or more processors, which may be the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as FPGA, GPU, or ASIC.

[0100] Although the NT-TRP 172 is shown as a drone only as an example, the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form. Furthermore, in some implementations, the NT-TRP 172 may be known by other names, such as a non-terrestrial node, a non-terrestrial network device, or a non-terrestrial base station. The NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing operations related to: preparing downlink transmissions to be sent to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing backhaul transmissions to be sent to T-TRP 170, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing to transmit downlink or backhaul transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received transmissions in the uplink or backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling to, for example, configure one or more parameters of ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement higher-level functions such as medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer functions. Since this is only an example, in general, NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0101] The NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. Although not shown, a processor 276 may be part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may be part of the processor 276.

[0102] The processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can each be implemented by one or more processors, which may be the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmable FPGA, GPU, or ASIC. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110, for example, by coordinating multicast transmissions.

[0103] T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components have been omitted for clarity.

[0104] One or more steps of the methods in the embodiments provided herein can be derived from... Figure 3 The corresponding unit or module is executed. Figure 3 Units or modules in devices such as ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172 are illustrated. For example, signals can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. Signals can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. Signals can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) module or a machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules can be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules can be integrated circuits, such as programmable FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that when these modules are implemented, for example, using software executed by a processor, these modules can be retrieved by the processor, wholly or partially, individually or collectively, for processing, in one or more instances, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0105] Further details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0106] One or more steps of the methods in the embodiments provided herein can be derived from... Figure 4 The corresponding unit or module is executed. Figure 4Units or modules in devices such as ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172 are illustrated. For example, signals can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. Signals can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. Signals can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) module or a machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules can be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules can be integrated circuits, such as programmable FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that when these modules are implemented using software, for example, executed by a processor, these modules can be retrieved by the processor, wholly or partially, individually or collectively, for processing, in one or more instances, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0107] Further details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0108] For future wireless networks, the number of new devices may grow exponentially and their functions will be diverse. Furthermore, compared to existing 5G networks, future wireless networks may see the emergence of more new applications and use cases, with more diverse quality of service requirements. This will bring highly challenging new key performance indicators (KPIs) to future wireless networks (e.g., 6G networks). Therefore, sensing technologies and AI technologies, especially deep learning (ML), have been introduced into the telecommunications field to improve system performance and efficiency.

[0109] AI / ML technology applications encompass communication at both the physical layer and the media access control (MAC) layer. At the physical layer, AI / ML communication can be used to optimize component design and improve algorithm performance, such as in channel coding, channel modeling, channel estimation, channel decoding, modulation, demodulation, MIMO, waveform analysis, multiple access, PHY component parameter optimization and updating, beamforming and tracking, sensing, and localization. At the MAC layer, AI / ML communication can leverage AI / ML capabilities to learn, predict, and make decisions to solve complex optimization problems using better strategies and optimal solutions. This includes optimizing MAC functions such as intelligent TRP management, intelligent beam management, intelligent channel resource allocation, intelligent power control, intelligent spectrum utilization, intelligent modulation and coding schemes (MCS), intelligent hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) strategies, and intelligent transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) mode adaptation, among others.

[0110] AI / ML architectures typically consist of multiple nodes, which can be organized in either a centralized or distributed manner. Both modes can be deployed in access networks, core networks, edge computing systems, or third-party networks. Centralized training and computing architectures may be subject to significant communication overhead and strict user data privacy constraints. Distributed training and computing architectures include several frameworks, such as distributed machine learning and federated learning. AI / ML architectures include intelligent controllers, which can perform as single or multiple agents based on joint optimization or individual optimization. New protocols and signaling mechanisms are needed to personalize the corresponding interface links using custom parameters to meet specific requirements, while minimizing signaling overhead and maximizing overall system spectral efficiency through personalized AI technologies.

[0111] Furthermore, both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks can enable a range of new services and applications, such as Earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation, tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobility. Terrestrial-based and non-terrestrial-based sensing can provide intelligent context-aware networks to enhance the user experience. For example, terrestrial-based and non-terrestrial-based sensing can offer opportunities for positioning and sensing applications based on a new set of features and service capabilities. Applications such as THz imaging and spectroscopy have the potential to provide continuous, real-time physiological information for future digital health technologies through dynamic, non-invasive, and contactless measurements. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) methods can not only enable advanced cross-reality (XR) applications but also enhance navigation for autonomous objects such as vehicles and drones. In both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, measured channel data and sensing positioning data can be acquired through high bandwidth, new spectrum, dense networks, and more light-of-sight (LOS) links. Based on this data, wireless environment maps can be created using AI / ML methods, where channel information is linked to its corresponding positioning or environmental information, to provide enhanced physical layer designs based on this map.

[0112] A sensing coordinator is a node in the network that assists in sensing operations. These nodes can be dedicated standalone nodes for sensing operations or other nodes (e.g., TRP 170, ED 110, or core network nodes) that perform sensing operations in parallel with communication transmissions. New protocols and signaling mechanisms are needed to enable the execution of corresponding interface links using custom parameters to meet specific requirements, while minimizing signaling overhead and maximizing overall system spectral efficiency.

[0113] Both AI / ML and sensing methods are data-intensive. Integrating AI / ML and sensing into wireless communication requires the collection, storage, and exchange of ever-increasing amounts of data. The characteristics of wireless data extend considerably across multiple dimensions, such as from sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave to terahertz carrier frequencies, from spatial and outdoor to indoor scenes, and from text and voice to video. The collection, processing, and use of this data are all conducted within a unified framework or different frameworks.

[0114] Some embodiments in this document refer to control information. Control information may sometimes be referred to alternatively as control signaling or signaling. In some cases, control information may be dynamically transmitted, for example, in the physical layer of a control channel, such as in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Examples of dynamically indicated control information are messages transmitted in physical layer control signaling, such as uplink control information (UCI) transmitted in the PUCCH or PUSCH, or downlink control information (DCI) transmitted in the PDCCH. Dynamic indication may be an indication in a lower layer (e.g., physical layer / layer 1 signaling) rather than in a higher layer (e.g., RRC signaling or MAC CE). Semi-static indication may be an indication in semi-static signaling. Semi-static signaling as used herein may refer to non-dynamic signaling, such as higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) and / or MAC CE. The dynamic signaling used in this article can refer to dynamic signaling, such as physical layer control signaling sent in the physical layer, such as DCI sent in PDCCH, or UCI sent in PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0115] In current networks, frame timing and synchronization can be established based on synchronization signals such as the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). It should be noted that known frame timing and synchronization strategies include adding timestamps (e.g., (xx0:yy0:zz)) to frame boundaries, where xx0, yy0, and zz in the timestamp can represent time formats such as hours, minutes, and seconds, respectively.

[0116] Different applications and use cases in future networks (such as 6G networks) are expected to involve using frames, time slots, and symbols with different periods to meet different requirements, functions, and quality of service (QoS) types. Therefore, using frames with different periods to meet different requirements, functions, and QoS types can pose challenges to frame timing alignment for various frame structures. An example might be frame timing alignment for time-divisional duplex (TDD) configurations between adjacent carrier bands or subbands (or portions) of a channel or carrier bandwidth.

[0117] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for using configuration information to support network communications to achieve timing alignment or frame timing alignment. Timing alignment or frame timing alignment can be performed using timing reference points that indicate the boundaries (e.g., start or end boundaries) of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots. It should be noted that timing alignment or frame timing alignment in this disclosure has a broader meaning and is not limited to the case where timing alignment or frame timing alignment is performed only in conjunction with frame boundaries. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the relative timing of frames or frame boundaries should be understood in a broader sense; for example, a frame boundary refers to the timing point of a frame (e.g., start or end boundary), or the timing point (e.g., start or end boundary) of a frame element (e.g., a symbol, time slot, or subframe within a frame). In this disclosure, the expressions "(frame) timing alignment," "timing realignment," and "relative timing of frame boundaries" are used in the broader sense as described above.

[0118] According to some aspects of this disclosure, timing reference points can be used to align or realign the boundaries of frames from terminal-side devices (e.g., user equipment (UE)) with the boundaries of frames from network-side devices (e.g., base station (BS)) for transmission within the same cell / carrier or across adjacent carrier frequency bands.

[0119] According to some aspects of this disclosure, timing reference points can be used to align or realign the boundaries of frames of a first terminal-side device (e.g., user equipment (UE)) with the boundaries of frames of a second terminal-side device (e.g., another UE) for transmission within the same cell / carrier.

[0120] In some aspects of this disclosure, a network-side device (e.g., a BS) associated with a cell can send a timing alignment indication message to a terminal-side device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). This timing alignment indication message includes configuration information for timing alignment. The configuration information for timing alignment can configure or provide a timing reference point. For example, the configuration information can include a timing reference point or information indicating a timing reference point. The timing reference point can indicate the boundary of a frame structure and is used by the terminal-side device (e.g., the UE) in a given cell when performing timing alignment or timing realignment. The configuration information in the timing alignment indication message can include a relative timing indication Δt of the boundary of the frame structure. The relative timing indication Δt can represent the timing reference point as a specific duration, Δt, that occurs after the boundary of a given frame.

[0121] The configuration information in the timing alignment indication message may also include the system frame number (SFN) of the given frame. The SFN can also be called the SFN index. The SFN can be a value in the range of 0 to 1023 (inclusive). When the SFN is a number within this range, it can be represented by 10 bits. In a specific implementation, when the SFN is carried by the synchronization signal block (SSB), 6 of the 10 bits used for the SFN can be carried in the Master Information Block (MIB), and the remaining 4 bits of the SFN can be carried in the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) payload.

[0122] Optionally, the configuration information in the timing alignment indication message may also include other parameters, such as the minimum time offset. The minimum time offset can be established as the shortest duration before the timing reference point. The terminal device (e.g., UE) can use the minimum time offset as an indication, meaning that downlink (DL) signaling including the timing alignment indication message allows the terminal device sufficient time to detect the configuration information in the timing alignment indication message to obtain the timing reference point.

[0123] The various aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of UE and BS. However, it should be noted that UE and BS in this disclosure should not be construed as limiting. Rather, UE and BS are used in a broader sense, whereby UE refers to any suitable terminal-side device operating according to the aspects described in this disclosure, or a terminal device including such a device, and BS refers to any suitable network-side device operating according to the aspects described in this disclosure, or a network device including such a device.

[0124] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of multiple frames according to various aspects of this application. These multiple frames may include one or more signals to be transmitted by a base station (BS) and received by user equipment (UE), associated with a relatively defined timing reference point. Frame structure 510 may be a reference frame structure. Frame structure 510 may include reference frames 510-1, 510-2, ..., 510-N, 510-N+1. Figure 5 Reference frame 510-N is shown as having a frame boundary timestamp xx0:yy0:zz, which indicates the time at which the start boundary of reference frame 510-N occurs. In other words, the timestamp of the start boundary of frame 510-N is xx0:yy0:zz, as shown below. Figure 5 As shown. For example, the timestamp format (xx0:yy0:zz) can represent (xx0) hours, (yy0) minutes, and (zz) seconds, respectively. Although Figure 5 While not explicitly described, in some embodiments, the timestamp of the start boundary of frame 510-N can be xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb:cc, where the timestamp format (xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb:cc) can represent, for example, (xx0) hours, (yy0) minutes, (zz) seconds, (aa) milliseconds, (bb) microseconds, and (cc) nanoseconds. However, in some embodiments, the timestamp can be (xx0:yy0:zz:aa) or (xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb), depending on the granularity of the timestamp. Frame structure 520 may include a first group of frames 520-1, 520-2, 520-3, 520-4, ..., 520-M. Frame structure 530 may include a second group of frames 530-1, 530-2, 530-3, 530-4, 530-5, 530-6, ..., 530-L. The timing reference point 550 can be obtained based on configuration information received from the BS or different UEs. The configuration information may include an identifier for the timing reference point 550 or information indicating the timing reference point 550.

[0125] Still referencing Figure 5 It can transmit or receive one or more signals from the first group of frames 520-1, 520-2, 520-3, 520-4, ..., 520-M at the first bandwidth part (BWP) 525, and can transmit or receive one or more signals from the second group of frames 530-1, 530-2, 530-3, 530-4, 530-5, 530-6, ..., 530-L at the second BWP 535. It can also transmit or receive signals from the first BWP 525 and the second BWP 535 on two sub-bands within one carrier frequency band or on two sub-bands within adjacent carrier frequency bands.

[0126] A timing alignment indication message, including configuration information for timing alignment, can be sent from the BS via DL signaling. DL signaling can be implemented as cell-specific signaling (e.g., group common signaling, paging signaling, broadcast signaling) or UE-specific signaling (e.g., paging signaling, unicast signaling, modified downlink control information (DCI) signaling, media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling).

[0127] The UE can monitor DL ​​signaling to detect a timing alignment indication message, which includes configuration information for timing alignment. As mentioned above, DL signaling can be implemented as cell-specific signaling or UE-specific signaling. DL signaling can be associated with the configuration of a timing reference point indicating the boundaries of the frame structure. Upon receiving the timing alignment indication message, the UE can adjust its frame boundaries to align with timing reference point 550, such as... Figure 5 As shown. Timing reference point 550 can be defined by a relative timing indication Δt relative to the timestamp xx0:yy0:zz. The relative timing indication Δt can be defined by time units such as milliseconds, microseconds, or nanoseconds and anchored to the start boundary of frame 510-N. As mentioned above, the timestamp of the start boundary of frame 510-N can be xx0:yy0:zz, xx0:yy0:zz:aa, xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb, or xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb:cc. Therefore, the new frame boundary at timing reference point 550 can be understood as having a timestamp with a value equivalent to xx0:yy0:zz + Δt or one of the above variations + Δt.

[0128] UE can be in time offset T offset The system receives a timing alignment instruction message. Time offset T offset This can be a delay before configuring or acquiring a timing reference point (e.g., propagation delay). This delay can include the propagation delay between the BS and the UE. In some cases, this delay can include the time spent detecting configuration information after receiving the timing alignment indication message. Time offset T offset It can be configured via RRC signaling. Time offset T offset It can also be included in the timing alignment instruction message (e.g., included in the configuration information).

[0129] Once timing reference point 550 is acquired, frames in the first BWP 525 and the second BWP 535 can be aligned with timing reference point 550. Specifically, for example, the start boundary of frame 520-M and the start boundary of frame 530-L are aligned with timing reference point 550, as follows: Figure 5 As shown.

[0130] After configuring timing reference point 550 for the first BWP 525 and the second BWP 535, the UE can begin sending or receiving information in frames 520-M of BWP 525, starting from timing reference point 550. Furthermore, after configuring timing reference point 550, the UE can begin sending or receiving information in frames 530-L of BWP 535, starting from timing reference point 550. In some embodiments, the second BWP 535 can be used by a different UE to begin sending or receiving information in frame 530-L.

[0131] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of multiple frames according to various aspects of this application. These multiple frames may include one or more signals to be transmitted by a base station (BS) and received by user equipment (UE), associated with an absolutely defined timing reference point. Frame structure 610 may be a reference frame structure. The multiple frames in reference frame structure 610 may include reference frames 610-1, 610-2, ..., 610-N, 610-N+1. Figure 6 A reference frame 610-N with frame boundary timestamps xx0:yy0:zz, xx0:yy0:zz:aa:bb:cc, or other timestamps mentioned above is shown. These timestamps indicate the time at which the start boundary of reference frame 610-N occurs. Frame structure 620 may include a first group of frames 620-1, 620-2, 620-3, 620-4, ..., 620-M. Frame structure 630 may include a second group of frames 630-1, 630-2, 630-3, 630-4, 630-5, 630-6, ..., 630-L. Timing reference point 650 may be obtained based on configuration information received from the BS or different UEs. The configuration information may include an identifier for timing reference point 650 or information indicating timing reference point 650.

[0132] Still referencing Figure 6It can transmit or receive one or more signals from the first group of frames 620-1, 620-2, 620-3, 620-4, ..., 620-M at the first bandwidth part (BWP) 625, and can transmit or receive one or more signals from the second group of frames 630-1, 630-2, 630-3, 630-4, 630-5, 630-6, ..., 630-L at the second BWP 635. It can also transmit or receive signals from the first BWP 625 and the second BWP 635 on two sub-bands within a single carrier frequency band or on two sub-bands within adjacent carrier frequency bands.

[0133] A timing alignment indication message, including configuration information for timing alignment, can be sent from the BS via DL signaling. DL signaling can be implemented as cell-specific signaling (e.g., group common signaling, paging signaling, broadcast signaling) or UE-specific signaling (e.g., paging signaling, unicast signaling, modified downlink control information (DCI) signaling, media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling).

[0134] The UE can monitor DL ​​signaling to detect a timing alignment indication message, which includes configuration information for timing alignment. As mentioned above, DL signaling can be implemented as cell-specific signaling or UE-specific signaling. DL signaling can be associated with the configuration of a timing reference point indicating the boundaries of the frame structure. Upon receiving the timing alignment indication message, the UE can adjust its existing frame boundaries to align with timing reference point 650. Timing reference point 650 can be defined by an absolute timing indication, such as a timestamp xx1:yy1:ww or xx1:yy1:ww:aa1 or xx1:yy1:ww:aa1:bb1 or xx1:yy1:ww:aa1:bb1:cc1. Figure 6 (Not shown in the image). For example, the timestamp format (xx1:yy1:ww) can represent (xx1) hours, (yy1) minutes, and (ww) seconds, respectively. For example, the timestamp format can represent additional granularity in the form of (aa1) milliseconds, (bb1) microseconds, and (cc1) nanoseconds, respectively. In other words, the new frame boundary at timing reference point 650 can be understood as having a timestamp with a variation equivalent to xx1:yy1:ww or other variations consistent with the additional granularity described above.

[0135] UE can be in time offset T offset The system receives a timing alignment instruction message. Time offset T offsetIt could be a combination similar to the one above. Figure 5 The time offset T described offset The delay.

[0136] Once timing reference point 650 is acquired, frames in the first BWP 625 and the second BWP 635 can be aligned with timing reference point 650. Specifically, for example, the start boundary of frame 620-M and the start boundary of frame 630-L are aligned with timing reference point 650, as follows: Figure 6 As shown.

[0137] After configuring timing reference point 650, the UE can begin sending or receiving information in frames 620-M of the first BWP 625, with the transmission or reception starting from timing reference point 650. Furthermore, after configuring timing reference point 650, the UE can begin sending or receiving information in frames 630-L of the second BWP 635, with the transmission or reception starting from timing reference point 650. In some embodiments, the second BWP 635 can be used by different UEs to begin sending or receiving information in frames 630-L.

[0138] Various aspects of this disclosure provide specific methods and apparatus for supporting network communications using configuration information for timing alignment. In some aspects of this disclosure, user equipment (UE) may receive configuration information for timing alignment. The configuration information may include a timing reference point or information indicating the timing reference point (e.g., information that can be used to acquire the timing reference point). The UE may then configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on the configuration information. For example, the UE may determine the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) based on the configuration information. In another example, the UE may adjust the time-domain position of physical signals in the frame structure and / or shift the time-domain position of physical signals in the frame structure based on the configuration information. In yet another example, the UE may generate a reference signal (RS) based on the configuration information. The BS transmitting the configuration information may also generate an RS based on the configuration information.

[0139] The timing reference points included in the configuration information can refer to timing information used to determine the timing points of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots within a carrier or cell. Timing reference points can be used to add timestamps to frame boundaries, where frame boundaries can refer to the start or end boundaries of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot. In other words, timing reference points can indicate the frame boundaries of other frame structures; correspondingly, timing reference points can be time-aligned with the start or end boundaries of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots.

[0140] Timing reference points can be used or referenced when updating the frame structure. That is, the frame structure can be updated based on a timing reference point. For example, a set of frames in the updated frame structure can begin from a timing reference point (e.g., a timing reference point indicating the timing point of the start boundary of the updated frame structure), and the system frame number (SFN), slot index, and / or symbol index can be changed based on the timing reference point. Timing reference points enable timing alignment at the UE. Timing reference points enable adjustments for future data transmissions between the UE and BS in the network.

[0141] As described above, a timing reference point can be represented by relative timing from the timing points of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots (e.g., start or end boundaries). For example, the timing reference point can be represented by relative timing with respect to the current frame boundary (e.g., the start boundary of the current frame). A timing reference point can be represented by a time offset from different reference time slots. The time offset from different reference time slots has a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds. Alternatively, the timing reference point can be represented by absolute timing based on some standard timing reference such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Global Positioning System (GPS), where the origin of the time field (i.e., the start of GPS time) is at the Gregorian calendar date January 6, 1980, 00:00:00, etc. In the absolute timing version, the timing reference point can be explicitly stated.

[0142] In the frame structure used in wireless networks (e.g., LTE, 5G NR, and 6G), each frame can consist of 10 subframes, each lasting 1 ms. Accordingly, the frame length can be set to 10 ms. One or more downlink (DL), uplink (DL), and sidelink (SL) transmissions can be organized into such frames, and a system frame number (SFN) can be used to identify the frames in the frame structure. The SFN can be a value ranging from 0 to 1023 (inclusive). The SFN value can be incremented from 0, and when the SFN value reaches its maximum value (i.e., 1023), the SFN value can be reset to 0.

[0143] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram illustrating multiple frames 700 according to embodiments of the present disclosure, used to explain an example of updating a frame structure based on a timing reference point. A first frame structure 710 may include frames 710-0, 710-1, ..., 710-M, 710-M+1. The UE may (initially) use frames 710-0, 710-1, ..., 710-M, 710-M+1 in frame structure 710 to communicate with a BS in a wireless network. A second frame structure 720 may be a different frame structure including frames 720-X, 720-X+1, ... Figure 7 It also indicates a timing reference point of 750.

[0144] In some embodiments, the UE may receive configuration information for timing alignment. The configuration information may include an identifier of timing reference point 750 or information indicating timing reference point 750. Timing reference point 750 may indicate the start or end boundary of a frame structure used to schedule future data transmission. Figure 7 As shown, timing reference point 750 is not aligned with the start and end boundaries of frame 710-M. Accordingly, timing adjustments to the UE's clock can be implemented. Timing adjustments can be performed based on timing reference point 750.

[0145] Once the timing adjustment is complete, the timing reference point 750 can be aligned with the frame boundary of the second frame structure 720, such as... Figure 7 As shown. Specifically, for example, the starting boundary of the starting frame 720-X in the second frame structure 720 can be aligned with the timing reference point 750.

[0146] In some embodiments, the SFN of the starting frame 720-X, whose starting boundary is aligned with timing reference point 750, can be indicated or configured by the BS. For example, the BS can configure the SFN of the starting frame of the second frame structure 720, and the UE receives information from the BS indicating the SFN of the starting frame of the second frame structure 720. Figure 7 In the example shown, the BS can configure the SFN value of frame 720-X, and the UE can receive information from the BS indicating the SFN of frame 720-X. The SFN values ​​of frames following frame 720-X will increase in the usual manner. For example, when the SFN of frame 720-X is X, and this X value is received from the BS, then the SFN values ​​of frames following frame 720-X will be X+1, X+2, ..., X+N, ..., 1023, 0, 1, 2, ..., and so on.

[0147] In some embodiments, the SFN of the starting frame 720-X, whose starting boundary is aligned with the timing reference point 750, can be determined according to predetermined rules. The predetermined rules can instruct that the SFN of the starting frame 720-X will be updated based on the timing reference point 750. (Refer to the following...) Figure 7 Some non-restrictive examples describing predefined rules.

[0148] An example of a predetermined rule could be a frame in the second frame structure 720, updated based on timing reference point 750, that has an SFN value of 0 (hereinafter or otherwise referred to as "SFN0" or "SFN 0"). That is, the SFN of frame 720-X is 0.

[0149] Another exemplary predefined rule could indicate that the SFN of the starting frame 720-X of the second frame structure 720 is determined based on frame 710-M of the first frame structure 710. Frame 710-M is a frame in the first frame structure 710 that includes a timing reference point 750, such as... Figure 7 The first frame structure 710's starting boundary and different timing reference points (as described). Figure 7 Alignment (not shown). The SFN of the starting frame 720-X can be the same as the SFN of frame 710-M. For example, assuming timing reference point 750 is transmitted in frame 710-M and the SFN of frame 710-M is M, then the SFN of frame 720-X can be M. Alternatively, the SFN of the starting frame 720-X can be determined using a function that takes the SFN of frame 710-M as input. For example, assuming timing reference point 750 is transmitted in frame 710-M and the SFN of frame 710-M is M, then the SFN of frame 720-X can be the output of a predetermined function that takes "M" as input. If the function is function(M) = M+1, then the SFN of frame 720-X is M+1.

[0150] As described above, the UE can configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on configuration information received from the BS. According to some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include determining the PDCCH MO based on configuration information, which may include a timing reference point. The PDCCH MO may refer to the subframe, time slot, or symbol on which the UE attempts to decode the PDCCH signal. One or more positions of one or more PDCCH MOs can be configured or determined by the UE in various ways, for example, such as... Figures 8 to 10 As shown.

[0151] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of frames according to embodiments of the present disclosure, which are used to explain an exemplary method for determining the position of at least one physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO) within the frame structure. Figure 8The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure can be determined based on at least one of the following: configuration information (e.g., timing reference point), the offset of the timing difference between the indication timing reference point and the starting boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the timing reference point, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs. Figure 8 The first frame structure 710 shown is... Figure 7 The structure of the first frame shown is consistent with the same structure.

[0152] Specifically, the position of the first PDCCH MO 831 in the second frame structure 720 can be determined based on the timing reference point 750 and the offset 840. The first PDCCH MO 831 can be the first PDCCH MO following the timing reference point 750 in the second frame structure 720. The offset 840 can indicate the timing difference between the timing reference point 750 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO 831. The start time of the first PDCCH MO 831 can be the duration of the offset 840 following the timing reference point 750, such as... Figure 8 As stated above.

[0153] The positions of other (subsequent) PDCCH MOs (e.g., the second PDCCH MO 832 and the third PDCCH MO 833) can be determined based on the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in frame structure 720.

[0154] In some embodiments, as Figure 8 As shown, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be a period of 860, which can be the time interval between the start times of the two adjacent PDCCH MOs. Although in Figure 8 Not shown, period 860 can be the time interval between the end times of two adjacent PDCCH MOs. In such an embodiment, the start time of the second PDCCH MO 832 can be the duration of period 860 after the start time of the first PDCCH MO 831. Therefore, the start time of the second PDCCH MO 832 can be determined based on timing reference point 750, offset 840, and period 860 (e.g., the sum of offset 840 and period). The position of the third PDCCH MO 833 can be determined in a similar manner using timing reference point 750, offset 840, and period 860.

[0155] In some embodiments, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be a period different from the period 860. Although in Figure 8Not shown, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be the time interval between the start time of a PDCCH MO (excluding the first PDCCH MO 831) and the end time of its preceding PDCCH MO. In such an embodiment, the start time of the second PDCCH MO 832 can be the duration of period 860 after the end time of the first PDCCH MO 831. The end time of the first PDCCH MO 831 is a specific duration (i.e., the PDCCH MO duration) after the start time of the first PDCCH MO 831. Therefore, the start time of the second PDCCH MO 832 can be determined based on the timing reference point 750, offset 840, PDCCH MO duration, and period (e.g., the sum of offset 840, PDCCH MO duration, and period after timing reference point 750). The position of the third PDCCH MO 833 can be determined in a similar manner using the timing reference point 750, offset 840, PDCCH MO duration, and period.

[0156] In some embodiments, the positions of the first PDCCH MO 831, the second PDCCH MO 832, and the third PDCCH MO 833 can be represented by time slots and / or symbols.

[0157] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating multiple frames according to embodiments of the present disclosure, which are used to explain another exemplary method for determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in a frame structure. Figure 9 The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure can be determined based on at least one of the following: SFN0 in the frame structure determined according to configuration information (e.g., timing reference point), the offset of the timing difference between the start boundary of SFN0 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the start boundary of SFN0, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

[0158] Specifically, the position of the first PDCCH MO931 in frame structure 720 after the start boundary 921 can be determined based on the start boundary 921 and the offset 940. Frame structure 720 can be determined based on timing reference point 750 in the manner described above and in other parts of this disclosure. Offset 940 can indicate the timing difference between the start boundary 921 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO931. The start time of the first PDCCH MO931 can be the duration of offset 940 after the start boundary 921 of frame 720-0, such as... Figure 9 As stated above.

[0159] The positions of other PDCCH MOs (e.g., the second PDCCH MO 932) following the starting boundary 921 can be determined based on the position of PDCCH MO 931 and the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in frame structure 720. For example, the index of the time slot in which the PDCCH MO is located (i.e., in equation (1) below) The result can be determined according to the following equation (1):

[0160]

[0161] in:

[0162] n f It is the system frame number (SFN) of the frame where the PDCCH MO is located;

[0163] o s It is the offset (e.g., offset 940) of the timing difference between the starting boundary of SFN0 and the starting boundary of the first PDCCH MO after SFN0;

[0164] k s It is the period between two PDCCH MOs;

[0165] It is the number of time slots per frame;

[0166] It is the slot number (i.e., slot index) within the frame where PDCCH MO is located.

[0167] PDCCH MO 933, PDCCH MO 934 and PDCCH MO 935 indicate PDCCH MOs that may have been used before the starting boundary 921.

[0168] In some embodiments, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be a period of 960 (e.g., the time interval between the start (or end) time of PDCCH MO931 and the start (or end) time of PDCCH MO932), such as... Figure 9 As shown. In some embodiments, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be the time interval between the start time of a PDCCH MO and the end time of its previous PDCCH MO (e.g., the time interval between the end time of PDCCH MO 931 and the start time of the second PDCCH MO 932).

[0169] In some embodiments, the positions of PDCCH MO 931 and PDCCH MO 932 can be represented by at least one of time slots or symbols.

[0170] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a plurality of frames according to embodiments of the present disclosure, which are used to explain yet another exemplary method for determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in a frame structure. Figure 10 The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure can be determined based on configuration information (e.g., timing reference point) or the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure. The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure can be determined based on: (i) the offset of the timing difference between the boundary of SFN0 in the reference structure and the first PDCCH MO after the boundary of SFN0 in the reference frame structure; and (ii) the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in the reference frame structure. The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure can be represented by a slot index and an SFN index.

[0171] refer to Figure 10 The first frame structure can be a reference frame structure 1010. The first frame structure 1010 can include multiple frames 1010-0, 1010-1, ..., 1010-M, 1010-M+1, ..., etc. The SFN value of frame 1010-0 can be considered as 0, the SFN value of frame 1010-1 as 1, ..., the SFN value of frame 1010-M as M, the SFN value of frame 1010-M+1 as M+1, and so on. The reference frame structure 1010 can have multiple PDCCH MOs 1031, 1032, ..., 1033, 1034, ... These PDCCH MOs can be spaced apart by a certain time interval. The first PDCCH MO 1031 is shown after the start boundary 1011 of SFN0 (i.e., frame 1010-0). Offset 1040 can indicate the timing difference between the start boundary 1011 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO 1031. Therefore, the start time of the first PDCCH MO 1031 can be the duration of offset 1040 after the start boundary 1011 of frame 1010-0, as shown below. Figure 10 The second frame structure 1020 may include multiple frames 1020-M, 1020-M+1, ..., etc. The second frame structure 1020 may contain multiple PDCCH MOs, including PDCCH MO 1035.

[0172] As described above, the position of a PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure 1010 can be determined based on offset 1040, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs, and frame 1010-0 (start boundary 1011). In some embodiments, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be a period 1060 (e.g., the time interval between the start time (or end time) of the first PDCCH MO 1031 and the start time (or end time) of the second PDCCH MO 1032), such as... Figure 10 As shown. In some embodiments, the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs can be the time interval between the start time of the PDCCH MO and the end time of its previous PDCCH MO (e.g., the time interval between the end time of the first PDCCH MO 1031 and the start time of the second PDCCH MO 1032).

[0173] The position of each PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure 1010 can be represented by a slot index and an SFN index. Specifically, for example, the position of PDCCH MO 1033 can be represented by a slot index "x" and an SFN "M", such as... Figure 10 As shown.

[0174] The second frame structure 1020 can be determined based on timing reference point 1050. The SFN, slot index, and / or symbol index in the second frame structure 1020 can be changed according to timing reference point 1050. The position of each PDCCH MO in the second frame structure 1020 can be determined according to the position of the corresponding PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure 1010. For example, the UE can determine the slot index of the first PDCCH MO 1035 after timing reference point 1050 in frame 1020-M (whose SFN value is also "M") based on the position of the corresponding PDCCH MO 1033 in frame 1010-M (whose SFN value is "M"). PDCCH MO 1033 can be located in the slot with index "x" in frame 1010-M within the reference frame structure 1010. The position of the first PDCCH MO 1035 can be represented accordingly by the slot index "x" and SFN "M" in the second frame structure 1020. In other words, PDCCH MO 1035 can be located in a slot with index "x" in frame 1020-M.

[0175] According to some embodiments, a network-side device (e.g., a BS) can use system information block (SIB) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI) signaling to send configuration information to a terminal-side device (e.g., a UE). This configuration information may include a timing reference point or information indicating the timing reference point. The SIB can be used for periodic transmission, while RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling can be used for aperiodic transmission. In other words, new or updated timing reference points can be transmitted to the UE periodically via the SIB or aperiodically via RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI signaling. Therefore, it may be desirable to configure or determine how the device (especially the UE) should behave when the timing reference point changes for timing alignment communication between the UE and the BS communicating with the UE.

[0176] In some embodiments, when physical signals are carried on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) according to a previously configured timing reference point, and a new timing reference point is configured within the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH, the UE can perform rate matching or puncturing on a portion of the resources, whereby at least a portion of the physical signals are scheduled to be transmitted on said portion of the resources after the timing reference point. Rate matching or puncturing can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals. An example of how rate matching or puncturing can be performed is... Figure 11 As shown below. Although combined with... Figure 11 This describes the case where physical signals are carried (scheduled) on the PDSCH and the new timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH. However, a similar method can be applied to the case where physical signals are carried (scheduled) on the PUSCH and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PUSCH.

[0177] refer to Figure 11 UE ( Figure 11(Not shown) Configuration information, including a first timing reference point 1151 or information indicating the first timing reference point 1151, may have been previously received. This configuration information may have already been sent to the UE using physical layer control signaling (e.g., downlink control information (DCI) transmitted in PDCCH 1160). In other words, the UE may have already received configuration information including the first timing reference point 1151 via PDCCH 1160. Then, after the first timing reference point 1151 and before the second timing reference point 1152, the UE, using frame structure 1110 including multiple symbols labeled 0 to 13, can configure the transmission or reception of physical signals to be transmitted via PDSCH 1162 based on the first timing reference point 1151. Figure 11 As shown, the physical signals on PDSCH 1162 can be scheduled to be transmitted using symbols 3 to 11 in frame structure 1110.

[0178] It should be noted that although the symbols 0 to 13 are as follows Figures 11 to 13 As shown, however, other types of resources or resource portions, such as frames, subframes, or time slots, can be used in frame structure 1110.

[0179] When, for example, the BS configures the second timing reference point 1152 (e.g., changes the timing reference point to timing reference point 1152), the UE can receive configuration information including the second timing reference point 1152 or information indicating the second timing reference point 1152. The UE can adjust or update frame structure 1110 based on the second timing reference point 1152 and align it to the new frame structure. The second timing reference point 1152 can be used during the time period for transmitting physical signals via PDSCH 1162, which is scheduled before the frame structure 1110 is re-aligned. Therefore, the previously scheduled PDSCH transmission 1162 may not be time-aligned with the second timing reference point 1152, such as... Figure 11 As shown.

[0180] To address this issue, at least a portion of the resources scheduled for PDSCH transmission can be adjusted to be time-aligned with the second timing reference point 1152. Specifically, a portion of the resources (e.g., a portion of the resources used for previously scheduled PDSCH transmission 1162) can be rate-matched or punctured, with at least a portion of the physical signals scheduled for transmission on that portion of the resources. The portion of the resources to be rate-matched or punctured can be a portion of the resources after the second timing reference point 1152. For example, among symbols 3 to 11 scheduled for PDSCH transmission 1162, the UE can rate-match or punctur symbols 8 to 11. Symbols 8 to 11 to be rate-matched or punctured are symbols whose end boundary is after the timing reference point 1152.

[0181] In some embodiments, when the PDCCH scheduling prior to the new timing reference point involves the transmission of physical signals carried on the PDSCH or PUSCH after the new timing reference point, the UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signals in the frame structure. This is because although the transmission on the PDSCH or PUSCH is scheduled according to the new timing reference point, the scheduling of the PDCCH can be determined based on the previously configured timing reference point (i.e., before the new timing reference point).

[0182] Thus, when a physical signal is scheduled to be carried on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and a new timing reference point is configured to be located before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure so that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH. The temporal position of the physical signal can be adjusted based on the misalignment between the first frame structure and a second frame structure with a different timing reference point (e.g., a previous frame structure with the old timing reference point). The misalignment between the first and second frame structures can be determined by taking into account the new timing reference point, the symbol (or time slot, subframe, or frame) boundaries of the second frame structure (e.g., the previous frame structure), and / or the cyclic prefix (CP) structure. Adjusting the temporal position of the physical signal can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal. An example of adjusting the time-domain location of the physical signal is as follows: Figure 12 As shown. Although the following is combined Figure 12 This describes the case where a bearer or bearer physical signal is scheduled on the PDSCH and the new timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH. However, a similar approach can be applied to the case where a bearer or bearer physical signal is scheduled on the PUSCH and the new timing reference point is configured to be located before the time period of the PUSCH.

[0183] refer to Figure 12 The transmission of PDCCH 1260 can be scheduled on symbols 0 and 1 in the first frame structure 1210 determined according to timing reference point 1251. PDCCH 1260 can schedule the transmission of physical signals on PDSCH 1262 on symbols 5 to 10 in frame structure 1210. Symbols 5 to 10 in frame structure 1210 can appear after the new timing reference point 1252.

[0184] like Figure 12 As shown, at least in some cases, the boundaries (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, or frame boundaries) of the first frame structure 1210 associated with timing reference point 1251 and the boundaries (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, or frame boundaries) of the second frame structure 1220 associated with the updated timing reference point 1252 may be misaligned. Assuming that the scheduling of PDCCH 1260 can be determined based on timing reference point 1251, but after a change in timing reference point (i.e., timing reference point 1251 is updated to a new timing reference point 1252), the physical signal is scheduled to be transmitted on PDSCH 1262, and the UE ( Figure 12 (Not shown) The time-domain position of the physical signal transmitted on PDSCH 1262 is adjusted according to the new timing reference point 1252. The second frame structure 1220 that can be used for PDSCH transmission 1262 can be determined according to the new timing reference point 1252.

[0185] The UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signal to be transmitted on PDSCH 1262 in the second frame structure 1220, such that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the second frame structure 1220 is aligned with the start timing of the PDSCH transmission 1262. In other words, the UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signal so that the physical signal is transmitted on PDSCH 1262 starting from the start boundary of symbol 2 in the second frame structure 1220. In this way, the temporal position of the physical signal can be represented relative to the new timing reference point 1252, rather than the old timing reference point 1251.

[0186] To align the start boundaries of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots in the second frame structure 1220 with the start timing of the PDSCH transmission 1262, the UE can adjust the time-domain position of the physical signal based on offset 1230. Offset 1230 can be understood as representing a misalignment between the first frame structure 1210 and the second frame structure 1220. In some embodiments, offset 1230 can be determined based on timing reference points 1251 and 1252. In some embodiments, offset 1230 can also be determined based on the length of at least one of the symbols, time slots, subframes, and frames in the frame structure. Figure 12 In this case, the length of the symbol in frame structure 1220 is used.

[0187] In some embodiments, when PDSCH transmissions are scheduled according to the old timing reference point (i.e., scheduled to be carried via PDSCH before the new timing reference point) and the bearer or bearer of physical signals is scheduled on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (including feedback on PDSCH after the new timing reference point), the UE may employ the methods described above and Figure 12The adjustment of the time-domain position of the PDSCH transmission 1262 in the UE is similar to that in the UE, adjusting the time-domain position of the physical signal (i.e., PUCCH transmission) in the updated frame structure defined according to the new timing reference point. Specifically, the UE can adjust the time-domain position of the physical signal (i.e., PUCCH transmission) in the updated frame structure so that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the updated frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the PUCCH time period. Additionally, the UE can shift the adjusted time-domain position of the physical signal based on the timing difference between the new timing reference point of the updated frame structure and the start boundary of the frame (or symbol, time slot, subframe) in the updated frame structure (which corresponds to a frame in the previous frame structure including the new timing reference point). In some embodiments, this timing difference can be determined considering the CP structure. Adjusting the time-domain position of the physical signal and shifting the adjusted time-domain position of the physical signal can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal. An example of adjusting the time-domain position of the physical signal and shifting the adjusted time-domain position of the physical signal described above is as follows: Figure 13 As shown.

[0188] See Figure 13 An exemplary timing diagram schedules the transmission of PDCCH 1360 and PDSCH 1362 within the same first frame structure 1310 determined according to timing reference point 1351. PDCCH 1360 and PDSCH 1362 may be located before timing reference point 1352. PDCCH 1360 may schedule the transmission of the physical signal on PUCCH 1364 on symbols 8 to 10 in the first frame structure 1310. Symbols 8 to 10 in the first frame structure 1310 may be located after the new timing reference point 1352. Therefore, timing reference point 1352 may be located after the time period of PDSCH 1362 and before the time period of PUCCH 1364 (e.g., symbols 8 to 10 in the first frame structure 1310).

[0189] like Figure 13 As shown, the boundaries of frame structure 1310 (e.g., symbol boundaries, time slot boundaries, subframe boundaries, or frame boundaries) and frame structure 1320 (e.g., symbol boundaries, time slot boundaries, subframe boundaries, or frame boundaries) may not be aligned. For example, the start boundary of symbol 0 in frame structure 1320 may not be time-aligned with the start boundary of any symbol in frame structure 1310. Assuming that each symbol in frame structure 1310 and frame structure 1320 has the same time length, the symbol boundary of frame structure 1320 may not be time-aligned with any symbol boundary of frame structure 1310, such as... Figure 13As shown. Assume that the scheduling of PDCCH 1360 can be determined based on timing reference point 1351, but after the timing reference point changes (i.e., timing reference point 1351 is changed to timing reference point 1352), physical signals are scheduled to be transmitted on PUCCH 1364 (including feedback regarding PDSCH 1362), and the UE ( Figure 13 (Not shown) The time-domain position of the physical signals transmitted on PUCCH 1364 may need to be adjusted according to the new timing reference point 1352. The new frame structure 1320 for PUCCH transmission 1364 can be determined based on the new timing reference point 1352. The physical signals to be transmitted on PUCCH 1364 may include feedback regarding PDSCH 1362, such as a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment / negative acknowledgement (ACK / NACK) for PDSCH transmission 1362, or other types of ACK / NACK for PDSCH transmission 1362, or any other feedback information related to PDSCH transmission 1362.

[0190] The UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signal to be carried on PUCCH 1364 (e.g., the temporal position of PUCCH transmission 1364) so ​​that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in frame structure 1320 is aligned with the start boundary of the time period of PUCCH 1364. In other words, the UE can adjust the temporal position of the physical signal so that the physical signal is transmitted on PUCCH 1364 starting from the start boundary of symbol 1 in the second frame structure 1320. This is similar to the combination described above. Figure 12 The time-domain position of the PDSCH transmission 1262 described herein can be represented relative to the new timing reference point 1352 rather than the old timing reference point 1351.

[0191] To align the start boundaries of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots in the second frame structure 1320 with the start timing of the PUCCH transmission 1364, the UE can adjust the time-domain position of the physical signal based on a first offset 1330. The first offset 1330 can be understood as representing a misalignment between the first frame structure 1310 and the second frame structure 1320. The first offset 1330 can be adjusted by referring to the above reference... Figure 12 The first offset 1230 is determined in a similar manner.

[0192] After the time-domain position of PUCCH transmission 1364, the UE can use the offset used for shifting (this offset is...) Figure 13The second offset (1340) is used to shift the adjusted time-domain position of PUCCH transmission 1364. The second offset used for shifting can also be represented by the following equation (2):

[0193] Offset used for shifting

[0194] = "The starting boundary of the symbols in the new frame structure corresponding to the symbols in the old frame structure including the new timing reference point" - "New timing reference point" (2)

[0195] exist Figure 13 In the example shown, the second offset 1340 can be calculated based on the timing difference between the new timing reference point 1352 of the second frame structure 1320 and the starting boundary of symbol 7 in the second frame structure 1320 corresponding to symbol 7 in the first frame structure 1310. This second offset 1340 is an offset used for shifting. Figure 13 In the case where the new timing reference point 1352 is located at the starting boundary of symbol 0 in the second frame structure 1320, the second offset 1340 can be the duration of seven symbols (i.e., the timing difference between the starting boundary of symbol 0 and the starting boundary of symbol 7).

[0196] In some embodiments, when a physical signal is scheduled to be carried on the PDCCH and the new timing reference point is within the time period of the PDCCH, the UE may discard or ignore the physical signal carried on the PDCCH. Discarding or ignoring the physical signal carried on the PDCCH can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal. An example of discarding or ignoring the physical signal carried on the PDCCH is... Figure 14 As shown.

[0197] like Figure 14 As shown, the transmission of PDCCH 1460 can be scheduled according to the first timing reference point 1451. When the first timing reference point is updated or changed, the new timing reference point 1452 can be configured to, within the time period of PDCCH 1460 transmission, such as Figure 14 As shown. In this case, UE( Figure 14 (Not shown) can discard or ignore physical signals that are scheduled on the PDCCH 1460 or carried by the bearer.

[0198] In some embodiments, the BS may have features that avoid the above and Figure 14 The scheduling algorithm for the situation shown.

[0199] In some embodiments, when a physical signal is scheduled to be carried on the PUCCH and the new timing reference point is within the PUCCH's time period, the UE can avoid transmitting the physical signal scheduled for the PUCCH. Avoiding the transmission of physical signals scheduled for the PUCCH can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals. An example of avoiding the transmission of physical signals scheduled for the PUCCH is... Figure 15 As shown.

[0200] like Figure 15 As shown, PDCCH transmission 1560 and PDSCH transmission 1562 can be scheduled based on the first timing reference point 1551. PDCCH transmission 1560 and PDSCH transmission 1562 can be scheduled to execute before the position of the new timing reference point 1552. When the timing reference point is updated or changed, the new timing reference point 1552 can be configured to occur within the time period of PDCCH transmission 1564, such as... Figure 15 As shown. PUCCH 1564 may include feedback regarding PDSCH 1562 (e.g., HARQ ACK / NACK for PDSCH transmission 1562 or other types of ACK / NACK for PDSCH transmission 1562 or any other feedback information related to PDSCH transmission 1562). When the new timing reference point 1552 is within the time period of PUCCH transmission 1564, the UE ( Figure 15 (Not shown) can avoid sending physical signals scheduled for PUCCH 1564.

[0201] In some embodiments, the BS may have features that avoid the above and Figure 15 The scheduling algorithm for the situation shown.

[0202] As described above or elsewhere in this disclosure, a timing reference point can indicate a boundary of the frame structure or a timing point of that boundary. This boundary can refer to the start or end boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or slot. The frame structure can be updated based on a timing reference point. For example, a set of frames in the frame structure can begin at a timing reference point, and the system frame number (SFN), slot index, and / or symbol index of the updated frame structure can be determined based on the timing reference point. The SFN, slot index, and symbol index will be further discussed below using the mathematical notation shown in Table 1.

[0203] Table 1. Mathematical symbols and their meanings

[0204]

[0205]

[0206] As described above and in other parts of this disclosure, the SFN(n) of the starting frame whose starting boundary is aligned with the timing reference point. f SFN can be indicated or configured by the BS, or determined according to predetermined rules. Although SFN can typically be a value ranging from 0 to 1023 (inclusive), it should be understood that SFN values ​​can have different ranges of less than or greater than 1024.

[0207] Intra-frame slot index used for subcarrier spacing configuration μ It can be in the range from 0 to (inclusive) values ​​(i.e., Intra-frame slot index used for subcarrier spacing configuration μ. It can be in the range from 0 to (inclusive) values ​​(i.e., The time slot indices of subframes or frames can be numbered in ascending order. Subframes and / or frames can be subframes and / or frames within a frame structure defined based on timing reference points. Each time slot may include... A series of consecutive orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) symbols, wherein, It is determined based on the cyclic prefix (CP).

[0208] The symbol index within a time slot is from 0 to The value of the symbol index within a time slot can be numbered in ascending order. For example, when a time slot has 14 symbols, the symbols can be numbered from 0 to 13.

[0209] Tables 2 and 3 provide the number of OFDM symbols per slot, slots per frame, and slots per subframe for normal and extended CP used in wireless communication networks (e.g., 5G NR and possibly 6G). Table 4 provides the set of transmission parameters supported in wireless communication networks (e.g., 5G NR and possibly 6G).

[0210] Table 2. Number of OFDM symbols per slot, number of slots per frame, and number of slots per subframe for normal CP.

[0211]

[0212] Table 3. Number of OFDM symbols per slot, number of slots per frame, and number of slots per subframe for Extended CP

[0213]

[0214] Table 4. Supported Transmission Parameter Sets

[0215] μ <![CDATA[Δf=2 μ ·15[kHz]]]> Cyclic prefix (CP) 0 15 normal 1 30 normal 2 60 Normal, expansion 3 120 normal 4 240 normal 5 480 normal 6 960 normal

[0216] According to some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a UE, a BS) can generate a reference signal (RS) based on a first frame structure defined by a first timing reference point. For example, the apparatus can generate the RS based on a recently configured timing reference point that defines the first frame structure. In some embodiments, generating the RS can be part of configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals.

[0217] In some embodiments, the BS that sends configuration information for timing alignment to the UE can generate a downlink (DL) RS based on the configuration information, such as a first timing reference point in the first frame structure.

[0218] When generating a DL RS, the BS may include an RS sequence generator implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the RS sequence generator may be initialized with a sequence initialization value (e.g., an RS sequence initialization value). Accordingly, for example, the DL RS may be generated based on the sequence initialization value. The sequence initialization value may be determined based on a timing reference point. Specifically, the sequence initialization value may be a slot index of a slot associated with a first timing reference point in the first frame structure. Or at least one of the symbol indices (l) associated with the first timing reference point in the first frame structure is determined. The slot index and the symbol index can indicate the timing for transmitting the DL RS.

[0219] The pseudo-random sequence generator used to generate DL RS (e.g., DMRS of PDSCH) should be initialized according to equation (3) shown below:

[0220]

[0221] Equation (3) is found in Sections 6.4.1.1.1 and 7.4.1.1.1 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.211, version 17.4.0, hereinafter referred to as the TS document. In Equation (3), l is the OFDM symbol index (OFDM symbol number) within a time slot in the frame structure defined according to the (latest) timing reference point; It is the intra-frame slot index (slot number) in the frame structure defined according to the (latest) timing reference point. Other mathematical symbols used in equation (3) are defined in the TS document.

[0222] Non-limiting examples of DL RS may include a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS or DMRS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS), a positioning reference signal (PRS), a channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for at least one of PDSCH or physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0223] In some embodiments, the UE may generate an uplink (UL) RS based on configuration information, such as timing reference points in the frame structure.

[0224] When generating a ULRS, the UE may include an RS sequence generator implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the RS sequence generator may be initialized with a sequence initialization value. Accordingly, for example, the ULRS may be generated based on a sequence initialization value, which may be a slot index associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure. Or at least one of the symbol indices (l) associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure is determined. The frame structure can be determined based on the timing reference point. The slot index and symbol index can indicate the timing for transmitting UL RS.

[0225] The pseudo-random sequence generator for UL RS (e.g., DM-RS of PUSCH) should be initialized according to equation (3) shown above.

[0226] Non-limiting examples of UL RS may include demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS), and sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0227] In some embodiments, the RS (e.g., the DM-RS for PBCH) can be generated based on a reference frame structure not determined by a timing reference point in the frame structure, or can be changed by altering the timing reference point in the frame structure. The UE can obtain the reference frame structure by detecting the PSS or SSS. For example, the UE can generate the DM-RS for PBCH based on a sequence initialization value, which can be determined by at least one of a timing reference point or a reference frame structure (e.g., a reference SFN structure defined by the SSB).

[0228] Figure 16 A signal flow diagram for signal transmission between a BS and a UE according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, illustrating an exemplary process for supporting network communication.

[0229] The exemplary process 1600 includes steps 1610, 1620, 1630, 1640, and 1650. Some of these steps may be optional. It should be understood that in some embodiments, the order of one or more of steps 1610, 1620, 1630, 1640, and 1650 may be changed.

[0230] In step 1610, BS1601 can determine information indicating the system frame number (SFN) of the starting frame in the frame structure. The start boundary of the starting frame can be aligned with a timing reference point. Step 1610 is an optional step.

[0231] In step 1620, BS1601 may send information about the SFN of the start frame in the determined indication frame structure to UE 1602. Step 1620 is an optional step.

[0232] In some optional embodiments where steps 1610 and 1620 are not specified (e.g., BS1601 does not determine the SFN information of the starting frame in the frame structure), the SFN of the starting frame in the frame structure can be determined according to predetermined rules. In some embodiments, the predetermined rules may indicate that the SFN of the starting frame should be updated based on a timing reference point. In some embodiments, the predetermined rules may indicate that the starting frame is system frame number 0 (SFN0) in a frame structure updated based on a timing reference point. In some embodiments, the predetermined rules may indicate that the SFN of the starting frame is determined based on frames with different frame structures having timing reference points. The start boundaries of different frame structures are aligned with different timing reference points.

[0233] In step 1630, BS1601 may send configuration information to UE 1602 for timing alignment between BS1601 and UE 1602. The configuration information may include timing reference points indicating the boundaries of the frame structure. The configuration information may be used to configure the transmission or reception of physical signals within the frame structure. In some embodiments, the boundaries of the frame structure may be the start or end boundaries of frames, subframes, symbols, or time slots within the frame structure.

[0234] As described above, the configuration information may include timing reference points indicating the boundaries of the frame structure. In some embodiments, the timing reference points may be indicated by GPS time or a time offset from another reference time slot. In some embodiments, the time offset from another reference time slot may have a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds.

[0235] In some embodiments, BS1601 may use SIB to send configuration information to UE 1602. In some embodiments, BS1601 may use RRC signaling, MAC-CE signaling, or DCI signaling to send configuration information.

[0236] In step 1640, UE 1602 can configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on configuration information.

[0237] According to some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include determining the PDCCHMO based on configuration information.

[0238] In some embodiments, determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure may include determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO based on configuration information, an offset of the timing difference between the timing reference point and the starting boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the timing reference point, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

[0239] In some embodiments, determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure may include determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure based on at least one of the following: system frame number 0 (SFN0) in the frame structure determined according to configuration information, an offset of the timing difference indicating the start boundary of SFN0 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the start boundary of SFN0, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

[0240] In some embodiments, determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure may include determining the position of at least one PDCCH MO based on configuration information or the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure.

[0241] In some embodiments, the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure is based on an offset indicating the timing difference between the first PDCCH MO and the boundary of SFN0 in the reference frame structure, and the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in the reference frame structure. In some embodiments, the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure can be represented by a slot index and an SFN index.

[0242] According to some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include scheduling the transmission or reception of physical signals based on configuration information.

[0243] In some embodiments, when physical signals are carried on PDSCH or PUSCH and the timing reference point is within the time period of PDSCH or PUSCH, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include: rate matching or puncturing a portion of the resources, wherein at least a portion of the physical signals are scheduled to be transmitted on that portion of the resources after the timing reference point.

[0244] In some embodiments, when a physical signal is carried on a PDSCH or PUSCH, and the timing reference point is before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the PDCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal may include: adjusting the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure based on the misalignment between the frame structure and a second frame structure having a different timing reference point, so that the start boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH.

[0245] In some embodiments, when a physical signal is carried on the PUCCH (including feedback regarding the PDSCH), and the timing reference point is after the PDSCH time period and before the PUCCH time period, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal may include: adjusting the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure based on the misalignment between the frame structure and a second frame structure having a different timing reference point, so that the start boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the start boundary of the PUCCH time period. In such embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal may further include: shifting the adjusted temporal position of the physical signal based on the timing difference between the timing reference point of the frame structure and the start boundary of a frame in the frame structure corresponding to the original frame (including the timing reference point) in the second frame structure.

[0246] In some embodiments, the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure can be determined based on the timing reference point of the frame structure and the timing reference point of the second frame structure. In some embodiments, the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure can be further determined based on the length of at least one of the symbols, time slots, subframes, or frames in the frame structure.

[0247] In some embodiments, when physical signals are carried on the PDCCH or PUCCH and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDCCH or PUCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include ignoring physical signals carried on the PDCCH or avoiding the transmission of physical signals scheduled for the PUCCH.

[0248] According to some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include generating UL RS based on timing reference points in the frame structure.

[0249] In some embodiments, the ULRS can be generated based on a sequence initialization value. The sequence initialization value can be determined by at least one of a slot index associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure. The slot index and symbol index can indicate the timing at which the RS is to be transmitted. In some embodiments, the ULRS can be a DM-RS, PT-RS, or SRS.

[0250] According to some embodiments, configuring the transmission or reception of physical signals may include: generating an RS based on a reference system frame structure, which is not determined by a timing reference point in the frame structure and does not change with changes in the timing reference point in the frame structure. In some embodiments, the reference frame structure may be obtained by detecting the PSS or SSS.

[0251] In step 1650, BS1601 can generate a DL reference signal (RS) based on a timing reference point in the frame structure. In some embodiments, the DL RS can be generated based on a sequence initialization value. The sequence initialization value is determined by at least one of a slot index associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with a timing reference point in the frame structure. The slot index and symbol index can indicate the timing for transmitting the RS. In some embodiments, the DLRS can be a DM-RS, PT-RS, PRS, CSI-RS, PSS, or SSS of the PDSCH or physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Step 1650 can be optional.

[0252] The embodiments described above are presented in the context of UE-BS communication. However, more generally, devices communicating wirelessly with each other on time-frequency resources are not necessarily one or more UEs communicating with the BS. For example, two or more UEs can communicate wirelessly with each other via a sidelink using device-to-device (D2D) communication. Similarly, two network devices (e.g., a terrestrial base station and a non-terrestrial base station such as a drone) can communicate wirelessly with each other via a backhaul link. The embodiments are not limited to uplink and / or downlink communication. For example, in the embodiments described above, the BS can be replaced by another device (e.g., a node or UE in the network). Uplink / downlink communication can also be sidelink communication.

[0253] Examples of devices (e.g., UE, BS) for performing the various methods described herein are also disclosed.

[0254] For example, the device may include memory for storing processor-executable instructions and a processor for executing the processor-executable instructions. When the processor executes the processor-executable instructions, the processor may execute, for example, the instructions described herein. Figures 1 to 4 as well as Figure 16 Method steps for one or more devices described. For example, a processor can enable a device to communicate over an air interface in an operating mode by implementing operations consistent with that operating mode, such as performing necessary measurements and generating content from those measurements (as configured for the operating mode), preparing uplink transmissions and processing downlink transmissions (e.g., encoding, decoding, etc.), and configuring and / or instructing transmission / reception on the RF chain and antenna.

[0255] It should be noted that the expression "at least one of A or B" used in this document is interchangeable with the expression "A and / or B". It refers to a list from which A, or B, or A and B can be selected. Similarly, the expression "at least one of A, B, or C" used in this document is interchangeable with "A and / or B and / or C" or "A, B, and / or C". It refers to a list from which: A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or all of A, B, and C can be selected. The same principle applies to longer lists with the same format.

[0256] It should be understood that one or more steps of the method embodiments provided herein can be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. The corresponding units / modules can be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units / modules can be integrated circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It should be understood that when these modules are software, these modules can be retrieved by a processor, in whole or in part, individually or collectively, for processing, or in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0257] Although combinations of features are shown in the illustrated embodiments, not all features need to be combined to achieve the advantages of the various embodiments of this disclosure. In other words, a system or method designed according to one embodiment of this disclosure does not necessarily include all features shown in any of the drawings or all portions schematically illustrated in the drawings. Furthermore, selected features of one exemplary embodiment may be combined with selected features of other exemplary embodiments.

[0258] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be limiting. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of this disclosure, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this specification. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A method used by an apparatus for supporting network communication, characterized in that, include: Receive configuration information for timing alignment, the configuration information including timing reference points indicating the boundaries of the frame structure; Configure the transmission or reception of physical signals based on the configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The boundary is the start or end boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The transmission or reception of the physical signal is configured as follows: The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring timing (MO) is determined based on the configuration information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the PDCCH MO includes: Based on the configuration information, the offset of the timing difference between the timing reference point and the starting boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the timing reference point, or the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs, the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure is determined.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the PDCCH MO includes: The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure is determined based on at least one of the following: system frame number 0 (SFN0) in the frame structure determined according to the configuration information; offset of the timing difference between the start boundary of the SFN0 and the start boundary of the first PDCCH MO after the start boundary of the SFN0; or period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the PDCCH MO includes: The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure is determined based on the configuration information or at least one position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The position of the at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure is based on the offset of the timing difference indicating the boundary between the first PDCCH MO and the SFN0 in the reference frame structure, and the period between two adjacent PDCCH MOs in the reference frame structure.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The position of at least one PDCCH MO in the reference frame structure is indicated by a slot index and a system frame number (SFN) index.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the physical signal is carried on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH or the PUSCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: Rate matching or punching is performed on a portion of the resources, and at least a portion of the physical signals are scheduled to be transmitted on the portion of the resources after the timing reference point.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the physical signal is carried on the PDSCH or PUSCH, and the timing reference point is before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: Based on the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure with different timing reference points, the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure is adjusted so that the starting boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the starting boundary of the time period of the PDSCH or the PUSCH.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the physical signal is carried on a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) that includes feedback on the PDSCH, and the timing reference point is after the time period of the PDSCH and before the time period of the PUCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: Based on the misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure with different timing reference points, the temporal position of the physical signal in the frame structure is adjusted so that the starting boundary of the frame, subframe, symbol or time slot in the frame structure is aligned with the starting boundary of the time period of the PUCCH. Based on the timing difference between the timing reference point of the frame structure and the start boundary of the frame in the frame structure corresponding to the original frame in the second frame structure, the adjusted time-domain position of the physical signal is shifted, wherein the original frame includes the timing reference point.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure is determined based on the timing reference point of the frame structure and the timing reference point of the second frame structure.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The misalignment between the frame structure and the second frame structure is further determined based on the length of at least one of the symbols, time slots, subframes, or frames in the frame structure.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the physical signal is carried on a PDCCH or PUCCH, and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDCCH or PUCCH, configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: Ignore the physical signals carried on the PDCCH or avoid sending the physical signals scheduled for the PUCCH.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The configuration information is received using a System Information Block (SIB).

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that, The configuration information is received using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The transmission or reception of the physical signal is configured to include generating an uplink (UL) reference signal (RS) based on the timing reference point in the frame structure.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The UL RS is generated based on a sequence initialization value, which is determined by at least one of a slot index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure, the slot index and the symbol index indicating the timing for transmitting the RS.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The UL RS is: Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS); Phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); or Detection Reference Signal (SRS).

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The transmission or reception of the physical signal is configured to generate an RS according to a reference system frame structure, which is not determined by the timing reference point in the frame structure, nor is it changed by a change in the timing reference point in the frame structure.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The reference frame structure is obtained by detecting the primary synchronization signal (PSS) or secondary synchronization signal (SSS).

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive information indicating the system frame number (SFN) of the start frame in the frame structure, wherein the start boundary of the start frame is aligned with the timing reference point.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that, The SFN of the starting frame in the frame structure is determined according to a predetermined rule, and the starting boundary of the starting frame is aligned with the timing reference point.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The predetermined rules: The instruction is to update the SFN of the starting frame based on the timing reference point; The starting frame indicates that the SFN0 in the frame structure is updated based on the timing reference point; or The SFN indicating the start frame is determined based on frames with different frame structures having the timing reference point, wherein the start boundaries of the different frame structures are aligned with different timing reference points.

25. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that, The timing reference point is indicated by Global Positioning System (GPS) time or by a time offset from another reference time slot.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The time offset from the other reference time slot has a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds.

27. An apparatus for supporting network communication, characterized in that, include: processor; A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A method used by an apparatus for supporting network communication, characterized in that, include: Send configuration information for timing alignment, wherein the configuration information includes timing reference points indicating the boundaries of the frame structure, and the configuration information is used to configure the transmission or reception of physical signals in the frame structure.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that, The boundary is the start or end boundary of a frame, subframe, symbol, or time slot.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that, Configuring the transmission or reception of the physical signal includes: determining the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Monitoring Occasion (MO) based on the configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to determine the position of at least one PDCCH MO in the frame structure.

31. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that, The physical signal is carried on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDSCH or the PUSCH.

32. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that, The physical signal is carried on the PDSCH or PUSCH, and the timing reference point is before the time period of the PDSCH or PUSCH and after the time period of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

33. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that, The physical signal is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), which includes feedback on the PDSCH, and the timing reference point is after the time period of the PDSCH and before the time period of the PUCCH.

34. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, characterized in that, The physical signal is carried on the PDCCH or PUCCH, and the timing reference point is within the time period of the PDCCH or the PUCCH.

35. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 34, characterized in that, The device uses a System Information Block (SIB) to send the configuration information.

36. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 34, characterized in that, The device transmits the configuration information using Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling.

37. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 36, characterized in that, Also includes: A downlink (DL) reference signal (RS) is generated based on the timing reference point in the frame structure.

38. The method according to claim 37, characterized in that, The DL RS is generated based on a sequence initialization value, which is determined by at least one of a slot index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure or a symbol index associated with the timing reference point in the frame structure, the slot index and the symbol index indicating the timing for transmitting the RS.

39. The method according to claim 38, characterized in that, The DL RS is: Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) used for PDSCH or Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH); Phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); Positioning Reference Signal (PRS); Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); Master Synchronization Signal (PSS); or Auxiliary synchronization signal (SSS).

40. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 39, characterized in that, Also includes: Determine information indicating the system frame number (SFN) of the starting frame in the frame structure, wherein the start boundary of the starting frame is aligned with the timing reference point; Send the information of the SFN that indicates the start frame in the frame structure.

41. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 40, characterized in that, The timing reference point is indicated by Global Positioning System (GPS) time or by a time offset from another reference time slot.

42. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that, The time offset from the other reference time slot has a granularity of several nanoseconds, microseconds, or milliseconds.

43. An apparatus for supporting network communication, characterized in that, include: processor; A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, which, when executed, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 28 to 42.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by the processor of the device, cause the device to perform any one of claims 1 to 26 and 28 to 42.

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