System and method for determining resources for transmitting control information to smart nodes

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, or computer-readable media are provided for transmitting control information to a smart node. A network node may receive control information from a wireless communication device, the control information indicating a forwarding link. The wireless communication device may send control information to a network node, the control information indicating a forwarding link.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for determining resources for transmitting control information to a group of network nodes (e.g., smart nodes). Background Technology

[0002] Coverage is a fundamental aspect of cellular network deployment. Mobile operators rely on different types of network nodes to provide comprehensive coverage in their deployments. Therefore, new types of network nodes have been considered to increase the flexibility of mobile operators in network deployment. For example, some systems or architectures have introduced integrated access and backhaul (IAB) as a new type of network node that does not require wired backhaul, which may be enhanced in some other systems. Another type of network node is the RF repeater, which simply amplifies and forwards any signals it receives. RF repeaters have been widely deployed in 2G, 3G, and 4G to supplement the coverage provided by conventional full-stack cells. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to address problems related to one or more issues raised in the prior art and provide additional features that will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Exemplary systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are disclosed herein according to various embodiments. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not limiting, and that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while remaining within the scope of this disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art who read this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for determining resources for transmitting control information to a group of network nodes. A network node (e.g., an SN) may receive / obtain / collect / acquire control information from a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE), the control information indicating a forwarding link. In some implementations, the forwarding link may include at least one of the following: a forwarding link from a wireless communication node to a network node; a forwarding link from a network node to a wireless communication node; a forwarding link from a network node to a wireless communication device; or a forwarding link from a wireless communication device to a network node. In some implementations, the control information may be carried via a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

[0005] In some implementations, the PUCCH resource used for control information can be indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or network node. In some implementations, one of several existing fields in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) can be reinterpreted as indicating the PUCCH resource used for control information. In some implementations, to distinguish whether an existing field in the DCI is used to indicate the PUCCH resource used for control information and / or a field is used to indicate the PUCCH resource used for HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest - Acknowledgement), at least one of the following can be considered: when an existing field in the DCI is used to indicate the PUCCH resource used for control information, one or more existing fields in the DCI can be set to a specific value; a new field can be added to the DCI for differentiation; or new higher-layer parameters can be configured for differentiation.

[0006] In some implementations, one or more dedicated resource lists may be configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling for the PUCCH. In some implementations, each dedicated resource list may include one or more resource configurations, and each resource configuration may include at least one of the following: PUCCH resource information; a period and / or offset associated with the PUCCH resource. In some implementations, the PUCCH resource information may be an index referring to a PUCCH resource configured by a wireless communication mode. In some implementations, a Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) may be configured to activate one or more resource configurations.

[0007] In some implementations, one or more MAC CEs can be configured to indicate one or more PUCCH resources used for control information. In some implementations, when considering the mapping between cyclic shift values ​​and control information, at least one of the following can be considered: an existing table between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and UCI (uplink control information) bits can be reinterpreted for the mapping between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and control information; or a new table can be configured for the mapping between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and control information.

[0008] In some implementations, the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for scrambling the PUCCH can be at least one of the following: the RNTI of the network node; the RNTI of the wireless communication device; or a novel RNTI. In some implementations, the network node can receive configuration information related to the PUCCH used for control information. In some implementations, the configuration information can include at least one of the following: time resource information for the PUCCH resources; frequency resource information for the PUCCH resources; PUCCH format; associated information for decoding the PUCCH; cell ID; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUCCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUCCH; or a UE identifier associated with the resources used for the PUCCH. In some implementations, the network node can receive configuration information from at least one of the following: the wireless communication node, via at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI; the wireless communication device; or one or more predefined configuration information for the network node.

[0009] In some implementations, control information can be carried via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). In some implementations, the PUSCH resources used for control information can be indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or network node. In some implementations, a novel Common Search Space (CSS) can be introduced for monitoring the DCI. In some implementations, PUSCH resources scheduled by the DCI monitored in the new CSS can be used for control information. In some implementations, the PUSCH resources used for control information can be scheduled by an existing DCI with a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) scrambled by a specific RNTI. In some implementations, this specific RNTI can include at least one of the following: the novel RNTI; or the RNTI of the network node.

[0010] In some implementations, new fields can be added to the existing DCI to distinguish whether the DCI is used to schedule PUSCH transmissions including control information to network nodes or to schedule PUSCH transmissions to wireless communication nodes. In some implementations, new RRC parameters can be added to the existing RRC signaling to distinguish whether the configuration is set for PUSCH transmissions including control information to network nodes or to wireless communication nodes.

[0011] In some implementations, one or more dedicated configurations can be configured for configuration-authorized PUSCHs used for control information. In some implementations, existing DCI signaling with a CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI can be used to verify the activation or release of one or more dedicated configuration authorizations for scheduling. In some implementations, the specific RNTI can include at least one of the following: a novel RNTI, or the RNTI of a network node. In some implementations, a dedicated scheduling request can be configured for a wireless communication device to request resources for a PUSCH used to transmit control information. In some implementations, the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used to scramble the bits of the PUSCH can include at least one of the following: the RNTI of the wireless communication device; the RNTI of a network node; or a novel RNTI.

[0012] In some implementations, the network node may receive configuration information related to the PUSCH used for control information. In some implementations, this configuration information may include at least one of the following: time resource information for the PUSCH resources; frequency resource information for the PUSCH resources; information for decoding the PUSCH; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUSCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUSCH; or a UE identifier associated with the PUSCH resources.

[0013] In some implementations, network nodes can receive configuration information from at least one of the following: a wireless communication node, via at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI; a wireless communication device; or one or more predefined configuration information for the network node. In some implementations, control information can be carried via a physical sidelink channel.

[0014] In some implementations, the physical sidelink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), or Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH). In some implementations, a new format of Sidelink Control Information (SCI) may be introduced for control information. In some implementations, to distinguish whether the SCI carried in the PSCCH is in a new or existing SCI format, an identifier field may be added to both the existing and / or new SCI formats.

[0015] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for determining resources for sending control information to a group of network nodes. Wireless communication devices can send / transmit / provide / notify control information via signaling to network nodes, the control information instructing forwarding links.

[0016] In some implementations, network nodes can receive / obtain / collect / acquire control information from wireless communication devices, which instruct forwarding links, according to at least one of the following example configurations or technical solutions: • Example Configuration 1: Control information can be carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and / or the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0017] • Example Configuration 2: Control information can be carried on the side link.

[0018] Example configuration 3: Control the type and format of information. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Various exemplary embodiments of the present technical solution are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and depict only exemplary embodiments of the present technical solution to facilitate the reader's understanding. Therefore, the drawings should not be construed as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present technical solution. It should be noted that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for clarity and ease of explanation.

[0020] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network that can implement the techniques disclosed herein, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown; Figure 2 Block diagrams of example base stations and user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the transmission links from BS to SN and from SN to UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a network control SN model according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a SN model controlled by a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a network-controlled repeater according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example method for determining resources for transmitting control information to a group of smart nodes, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0021] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 that can implement the techniques disclosed herein is illustrated according to embodiments of this disclosure. In the following discussion, wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such an example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 102"; also called a wireless communication node) and a user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also called a wireless communication device), which can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel) and a group of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 covering a geographic area 101. Figure 1 In this context, BS 102 and UE 104 are located within the respective geographical boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station that operates within its allocated bandwidth to provide appropriate radio coverage for its target users.

[0022] For example, BS 102 can operate within the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide appropriate coverage for UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 can communicate via downlink radio frame 118 and uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 can be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In this disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" that can generally practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of this technical solution, such communication nodes are capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0023] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing / Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) signals) according to some embodiments of the present technical solution is shown. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features, which do not need to be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, system 200 can be used in the above-described... Figure 1 In a wireless communication environment (e.g., wireless communication environment 100), data symbols are communicated (e.g., transmitted and received).

[0024] System 200 typically includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and user equipment 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 204"). BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each module being coupled to and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 220. UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each module being coupled to and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 240. BS 202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0025] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, System 200, in addition to Figure 2In addition to the modules shown herein, any number of other modules may be included. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software can depend on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement such functionality appropriately for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0026] According to some embodiments, UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternately couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to antenna 212. A downlink duplex switch may alternately couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to downlink antenna 212 in a time-division duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be time-coordinated such that the uplink receiver circuitry is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 to receive transmissions on the radio transmission link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 can be time-coordinated so that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212, so that transmissions on the wireless transmission link 250 can be received simultaneously when the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, tight time synchronization is achieved through a minimum guard time between changes in duplex direction.

[0027] UE transceiver 230 and base transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with RF antenna arrangements 212 / 232 appropriately configured to support specific wireless communication protocols and modulation schemes. In some illustrative embodiments, UE transceiver 210 and base transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not necessarily limited in application to specific standards and associated protocols. Rather, UE transceiver 230 and base transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0028] According to various embodiments, BS 202 may be, for example, an evolved node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femtocell, or a picocell. In some embodiments, UE 204 may be implemented as various types of user equipment, such as mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, laptops, wearable computing devices, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, content-addressable memory, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. In this way, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0029] Furthermore, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be directly implemented in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236 respectively, or any actual combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be implemented as RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 can be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0030] Network communication module 218 typically refers to the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 202 that enable bidirectional communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) traffic. In a typical deployment, network communication module 218 provides, but is not limited to, an 802.3 Ethernet interface, enabling base station transceiver 210 to communicate with conventional Ethernet-based computer networks. In this way, network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). The terms “configured for,” “configured as,” and their variations, used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, refer to devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, signals, etc., that are physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform that specified operation or function.

[0031] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "OSI model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) for interconnecting and communicating with other systems. The model is divided into seven sub-components or layers, each representing a conceptual set of services provided to its upper and lower layers. The OSI model also defines logical networks and efficiently describes computer packet transmission using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or the seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is other layers.

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of example network 300 is shown. (As shown) Figure 3As shown, for example, when there is an obstruction between BS 102 and UE 104, one or more BS 102A and BS 102B (e.g., BS 102) can serve one or more UE 104A and UE 104B (e.g., UE 104) in their cells via one or more of their respective SN306A and SN 306B (e.g., sometimes labeled SN 306).

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram 400 illustrates the transmission links between BS 102 and SN 306, and between SN 306 and UE 104 (e.g., UE A and / or UE B). SN 306 may include, or consist of, at least two units or functional parts / components (e.g., sometimes referred to as functional entities) (e.g., a communication unit (CU) (e.g., SN CU) and a forwarding unit (FU) (e.g., SN FU)). The units of SN 306 may support different functions for communication with at least one of BS 102 and / or UE 104. In some cases, the first unit (or functional entity) of SN 306 may refer to SNCU, while the second unit (or functional entity) of SN 306 may refer to SN FU, and vice versa. For example, SN CU (e.g., the first unit) may be a Network Control Repeater (NCR) MT. In another example, SN FU (e.g., the second unit) may be an NCR forwarder / forwarding (Fwd). SN 306 (e.g., SN CU or SN FU) can act as, include, or support various features or functions. For example, SN 306 (e.g., SN CU) can receive and / or decode side control information from a controller. The controller can be at least one of BS 102 (e.g., gNB), UE 104, or other entities. SN CU can be a control unit, controller, mobile terminal (MT), part of UE 104 or BS 102, third-party IoT device, etc. In another example, intelligent node 306 (e.g., SN FU) can use the side control information received by SN CU to perform intelligent amplification and forwarding operations. SN FU can be a radio unit (RU), RIS, etc. In some cases, the unit used to implement each function (or each functional unit) can refer to or correspond to a separate component or dedicated component of SN 306. In some cases, the unit used for each function can refer to or correspond to different logical parts of the same component of SN 306. In some respects, it can support interfaces for enabling information exchange or conversion between two units of SN 306.

[0034] An example model or description of SN 306 can be found in at least Figure 4 As shown in the diagram. For example, the forwarding function can be performed by at least one of L1 to L4 (which may be referred to as the forwarding link). For the control link or the communication link, at least one of L5 to L8 can be used for SN 306 to receive control information and / or exchange or forward information of the SN with BS 102 and / or UE 104.

[0035] It can be defined / described / provided as follows: Figure 4 The transmission links shown are between BS 102 and SN 306, and between SN 306 and UE 104: - L1: The link from BS to SN-FU; - L2: The link from SN-FU to BS; - L3: The link from SN-FU to UE; - L4: The link from the UE to the SN-FU; - L5: The link from BS to SN-CU; - L6: Link from SN-CU to BS; - L7: The link from SN-CU to UE; - L8: The link from the UE to the SN-CU; - L9: The link from BS to UE; - L10: Link from UE to BS.

[0036] L1 to L10 can be at least one of various types of links, such as control links, communication links, or forwarding links. For example, for a control link, SN 306 can receive and / or process control information from UE 104 and / or BS 102, thereby enabling the use of information transmitted on the control link to control the forwarding link or forwarding function. In some cases, data / signals / information of SN 306 can be transmitted from SN 306 to UE 104 and / or BS 102. SN 306 can receive cell-specific signals and / or UE-specific signals from UE 104 and / or BS 102. The information or signals transmitted / sent / provided / communicated on the control link may or may not be used to control the forwarding link or forwarding function.

[0037] In another example, for the communication link, data / signals / information of the SN can be transmitted from SN 306 to UE 104 and / or BS 102. SN 306 can receive cell-specific signals and / or UE-specific signals from UE 104 and / or BS 102. The information or signals transmitted on the communication link may not be used to control the forwarding link or forwarding function. In some cases, the communication link may correspond to or be part of the control link. In some cases, compared to the control link, the communication link may not carry control information or may contain control information used to control the forwarding link or forwarding function of SN 306.

[0038] In a further example, for forwarding links (e.g., backhaul links and / or access links), signals from BS 102 and / or UE 104 may be unknown to the SN FU. For example, the SN FU may forward signals without decoding them (e.g., with or without amplification). L2 and L4 may correspond to or be associated with a complete uplink (UL) forwarding link from UE 104 to BS 102. L1 and L3 may correspond to or be associated with a complete downlink (DL) forwarding link from BS 102 to UE 104. Unless otherwise indicated, L1 to L4 may be forwarding links. Figure 5 In the network control SN model shown (e.g., L5 and / or L6 can be control links, where side control information can be transmitted / provided / communicated between BS 102 and SN 306), L1 and / or L2 can be referred to as backhaul links, and L3 and / or L4 can be referred to as access links. Figure 6 In the UE-controlled SN model shown (e.g., L7 and / or L8 can be control links for SN306 (e.g., SN CU) to receive side control information from UE 104), L3 and / or L4 can be referred to as backhaul links, and L1 and / or L2 can be referred to as access links. Backhaul links and access links can be part of forwarding links, and for example, a combination of (backhaul links and access links) can represent or constitute a complete forwarding link.

[0039] Various exemplary embodiments of the present technical solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present technical solution. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present technical solution. Therefore, the present technical solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and shown herein. Furthermore, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present technical solution. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in an exemplary order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present technical solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0040] 2. Systems and methods for determining resource information indications for intelligent nodes. In certain systems (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR), Next Generation (NG) systems, 3GPP systems, and / or other systems), network-controlled repeaters (NCRs) can be introduced as an enhancement to traditional radio frequency repeaters, possessing the ability to receive and / or process side control information from the network. This side control information can allow the network-controlled repeater to perform its amplification and forwarding operations more efficiently. Some benefits may include at least reduced unwanted noise amplification, better spatial directionality in transmission and reception, and / or simplified network integration.

[0041] NCRs can be considered a stepping stone to reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS). RIS nodes can adjust the phase and amplitude of received signals to improve / enhance coverage (e.g., network communication coverage). For the sake of brevity, network nodes (including but not limited to NCRs, intelligent repeaters, enhanced radio repeaters, RIS, and / or integrated access and backhaul (IAB)) can be represented, referred to, or provided as smart nodes (SNs) (e.g., network nodes). For example, an SN can include, correspond to, or refer to a network node used to assist BS 102 in improving coverage (e.g., avoiding obstructions / barriers, increasing transmission range, etc.). In some cases, there may be scenarios where the SN can receive control information from the UE. In these cases, the control information can be carried on the PUCCH / PUSCH / sidelink channels. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to determine the corresponding channel resources used to transmit control information to the SN.

[0042] As stated in this article and as Figure 7 As shown, the corresponding mechanism for indicating NCR control information is the beam information used for backhaul and access links. For example, in some implementations, periodic indication can be enabled by RRC signaling. This RRC signaling can be used to configure the "NCR-PeriodicFwdResourceSet" list, where each NCR-PeriodicFwdResourceSet includes multiple "PeriodicFwdResourceSets". Each forwarding resource is defined as a pair of beam and time resources. Forwarding resources within a PeriodicFwdResourceSet can share the same period. In some implementations, semi-persistent indication can be enabled by RRC+MAC CE signaling. For periodic indication, the RRC signaling is the same, differing only in name (NCR-semiPersistentFwdRsrcSet). After configuration, MAC CE can be used to select the beam indication. In some implementations, aperiodic indication can be enabled by RRC+DCI signaling. RRC signaling can be used to configure the "NCR-AperiodicFwdTimeResource" list, where each NCR-AperiodicFwdTimeResource is defined with a time resource. After configuration, DCI can be used to indicate one or more beam information and one or more sequentially associated time resources configured in the RRC. Furthermore, if the backhaul link and control link support simultaneous transmission or reception, the backhaul link beam information can refer to the control link according to predefined rules. Otherwise, if the backhaul link and control link do not support simultaneous transmission or reception and the NCR supports adaptive beam indication for the backhaul link, the corresponding MAC CE signaling can be used to indicate the UL backhaul link beam information and the DL backhaul link beam information, respectively.

[0043] In some embodiments, control information can be carried on PUCCH and / or PUSCH channels. To control the forwarding operation of the SN, control information can be transmitted from the UE to the SN. To transmit this control information to the SN, the UE should know which channel resources will be used to transmit the control information to the SN. When the control information transmitted to the SN is carried on a PUCCH, several aspects / implementations can be considered. For example, in some implementations, the resource configuration of the PUCCH used to transmit control information to the SN can be configured to the UE. The UE can then use the corresponding PUCCH resources to transmit the control information to the SN. In this disclosure, the number of PUCCH resource sets configured for each UE can be limited (e.g., four or any positive integer), and each PUCCH resource set can include multiple PUCCH resources. For each UCI type, the corresponding PUCCH resource can be configured to the UE. Several sub-cases can be considered to determine / configure the PUCCH resources used to transmit control information to the SN.

[0044] In some configurations, the current PUCCH resource indicator field in DCI signaling can be reused / reinterpreted. In some implementations, one or more fields in an existing DCI (e.g., DCI 1_0, DCI 1_1, DCI 1_2, etc.) can be set to specific values, and when the corresponding field is set to a specific value, the PUCCH resource indicator in the DCI indicating HARQ-ACK information can be reused / reinterpreted as PUCCH resources allocated to the UE for transmitting control information to the SN. The PUCCH resource ID is determined based on the PUCCH resource indicator field in the DCI signaling, which can be the same as in existing specifications. For example, for DCI 1_1 scrambled by C-RNTI, when all the "modulation and coding scheme" fields in the DCI can be set to "1", and for FDRA type 0 or dynamic handover, all the FDRA fields in the DCI can be set to "0", or for FDRA type 1, all can be set to "1", the PUCCH resource indicator in the DCI can be reinterpreted as PUCCH resources allocated to the UE for transmitting control information.

[0045] Furthermore, the starting timeslot of PUCCH transmission can have a timeslot offset value "k" from a relative timeslot (e.g., the timeslot where the UE receives the DCI). This allows the timeslot offset value k to be determined. In some implementations, k can be determined by one of several existing fields in the DCI signaling; for example, an existing "PDSCH to HARQ feedback timing indicator" (if present) can be reused / reinterpreted to indicate the timeslot offset value k. In some examples, an existing method for determining the number of timeslots via the "PDSCH to HARQ-ACK feedback timing indicator" field of the DCI can be reused to determine the value of k. In some implementations, k can be a predefined value known to the SN and the UE. In some implementations, higher-layer parameters (e.g., new RRC parameters) can configure k.

[0046] In some implementations, new fields can be added to existing DCI formats (e.g., DCI 1_0, DCI 1_1, DCI 1_2, etc.) to distinguish whether the PUCCH resource indicator field in DCI signaling can be used to indicate control information or HARQ-ACK information. In some implementations, new higher-layer parameters (e.g., new RRC parameters or new MAC CE signaling) can be defined to indicate whether the PUCCH resource indicator field in DCI signaling can be used to indicate control information or HARQ-ACK information. For example, this new higher-layer parameter can be a "1" bit value, and when this parameter is set to 1, it means that the PUCCH resource indicator field in the DCI signaling can be used to indicate control information; otherwise, it means that the PUCCH resource indicator field in the DCI signaling is used for conventional purposes.

[0047] In some configurations, dedicated PUCCH resources can be defined / configured to transmit control information. This allows for consideration of several options / implementations. In some implementations, one or more dedicated resource lists can be configured to the UE via RRC signaling to transmit control information to the SN using PUCCH, and the RRC signaling can be existing RRC signaling (e.g., existing RRC PUCCH-Config (PUCCH configuration) signaling) or new RRC signaling. Each dedicated resource list includes one or more resource configurations, where each resource configuration can have a corresponding resource configuration ID, and each resource configuration can include PUCCH resource information, and can include period and / or offset information associated with the PUCCH resource. The PUCCH resource information can be a PUCCH resource index, which refers to a PUCCH resource configuration in an existing specification. The period and offset can be in the format of the number of slots and / or symbols. For example, a dedicated resource list SN-ResourceConfigList, including one or more SN-ResourceConfigs, can be configured / added to the existing RRC PUCCH-Config signaling for the UE to transmit control information to the SN. Each SN-ResourceConfig can have a corresponding SN-ResourceConfig ID, and each SN-ResourceConfig can include the PUCCH resource ID configured in the existing PUCCH-Config, and can include the period and offset associated with the PUCCH resource ID, expressed in terms of the number of time slots and / or symbols. In this way, the UE can use the corresponding PUCCH resources and related parameters configured in the dedicated resource list to transmit control information to the SN.

[0048] In some implementations, new parameters can be added to an existing PUCCH-Config as shown below:

[0049] In some implementations, after configuring the aforementioned dedicated resource list to the UE for transmitting control information to the SN, MAC CE signaling (e.g., new or existing MAC CE signaling) can be used to activate one or more resource configurations (e.g., SN-ResourceConfig ID). This allows the UE to use the activated resource configuration to transmit control information to the SN. The applicable timeframe for the activated resource configuration activated by MAC CE signaling can refer to existing specifications. For example, the UE can transmit HARQ-ACK information at time slot "n" corresponding to the PDSCH carrying the MAC CE signaling, and the applicable timeframe for the activated resource configuration can start from time slot n+3. The first time slot thereafter is then used, where μ is the subcarrier space (SCS) configuration for PUCCH.

[0050] In some implementations, one of several fields in existing MAC CE signaling can be reused to distinguish whether the MAC CE signaling is for legacy use or for activating / deactivating resource configurations in a dedicated resource list configured in RRC signaling. For example, existing SP CSI (Semi-Persistent Channel State Information) reports on PUCCH activation / deactivation MAC CE can be reused, and the reserved bit field in Oct1 can be reused to distinguish whether the MAC CE signaling is for legacy use or for activating / deactivating resource configurations in a dedicated resource list configured in RRC signaling. For example, when the reserved bit field in Oct1 is set to "0", it means / indicates that it is for legacy use; while when the reserved bit field in Oct1 is set to "1", it means / indicates that the MAC CE signaling can be used to activate / deactivate resource configurations in a dedicated resource list configured in RRC signaling. Existing Si fields in MAC CE signaling can be used to indicate the activation / deactivation status of resource configurations.

[0051] In some implementations, the BS can use a new MAC CE signaling to indicate one or more PUCCH resources used for transmitting control information to the SN. In some implementations, the MAC CE signaling can indicate that one or more PUCCH resources configured in an existing PUCCH-Config are used to transmit control information to the UE. Several alternatives / implementations can be considered to indicate one or more PUCCH resources to the UE. For example, in some alternatives / implementations, the MAC CE signaling may include one or more PUCCH resource IDs that directly refer to the PUCCH resources configured in the PUCCH-Config. Similarly, in some alternatives / implementations, the MAC CE signaling may include one or more PUCCH resource indicators. The UE can determine the resource set based on the number of bits of control information, and the PUCCH resource indicator field value in the MAC CE signaling maps to a set of PUCCH resource IDs provided by the corresponding resource set.

[0052] In some implementations, the PUCCH resources configured in the existing PUCCH resource set may not include start time slot information. This allows determination of the start time slot in which the UE transmits control information to the SN using the corresponding PUCCH resource. The start time slot of the PUCCH resource indicated in the MAC CE signaling may have a time slot offset relative to a reference time slot. This reference time slot may be the time slot in which the UE transmits HARQ-ACK information corresponding to the PDSCH carrying the MAC CE signaling, or it may be the time slot of the applicable time of the MAC CE signaling (e.g., if the UE transmits HARQ-ACK information at time slot "n", then the reference time slot could be time slot n+3). The first time slot thereafter, where μ is the SCS configuration of the PUCCH resource. Thus, the time slot offset value k can be determined in several ways. For example, in some implementations, k can be provided in the corresponding MAC CE signaling for each indicated PUCCH resource. Thus, for each indicated PUCCH resource in the MAC CE signaling, there can be an associated k value. In some implementations, k can be a predefined value provided to the UE via OAM (Operations, Administration and Maintenance). For example, the MAC CE signaling may include PUCCH resources, and the offset value k may be predefined for the UE. This allows the UE to know / determine the starting time slot of the indicated PUCCH resource. In some implementations, k=0, which can indicate that the starting time slot can be directly the reference time slot.

[0053] In some implementations, existing UCI types may include HARQ-ACK information, SR (Scheduling Request), LRR (Layer 1 Reference Signal Received Power Report), and CSI (Channel State Information), and the corresponding UCI bits may include any one of the HARQ-ACK information bits, SR information bits, LRR information bits, and CSI bits. If the UE uses PUCCH resources to transmit control information to the SN, and if a dedicated PUCCH resource exists for transmitting this control information, a new UCI type may be introduced, which is control information for the SN. Correspondingly, the UCI bits may include control information bits that are also applicable to the SN.

[0054] In some implementations, the number of bits for control information can vary (or differ) depending on the information being transmitted. For example, if the UE transmits beam and timing information to control the forwarding operation of the SN, the number of bits can be greater than 2, and only PUCCH formats 2 / 3 / 4 can be used. Conversely, if the UE wants to transmit control information to the SN and the number of bits is less than 2, PUCCH formats 0 / 1 are allowed. When the UE uses PUCCH resources to transmit control information to the SN, if existing PUCCH formats are considered, PUCCH formats 0 / 1 can be used when the number of control information bits is 1 or 2, and PUCCH formats 2 / 3 / 4 can be used when the number of control information bits is greater than 2; alternatively, a new PUCCH format can be introduced for transmitting control information to the SN.

[0055] In the existing specification, for one or more PUCCH formats (e.g., existing PUCCH formats such as PUCCH format 0, or new PUCCH formats), the current PUCCH format can use different cyclic shift values ​​(i.e., using different m). cs (value) is used to transmit UCI bits. Thus, different m... cs Values ​​can be mapped to different bits of transmitted control information. To transmit 1 bit of control information, 2 (or any positive integer) m values ​​can be defined. cs The value, and in order to transmit 2 bits of control information, can be defined as 4 (or any positive integer) m. cs Value. Thus, when using PUCCH resources to transmit control information to the SN and the PUCCH format of the corresponding PUCCH resource is set to a specific PUCCH format (e.g., PUCCH format 0 or a new PUCCH format), several methods can be considered.

[0056] In some implementations, existing mapping tables between MCS values ​​and UCI bits (e.g., mapping tables between MCS values ​​and HARQ-ACK information bits, or mapping tables between MCS values ​​and HARQ-ACK and SR information bits) can be reused / reinterpreted for mapping between MCS and control information. Thus, when the UE knows / determines that the configured / scheduled PUCCH resource is available for transmitting control information to the SN and that the PUCCH resource is in PUCCH format 0, the UE can know / determine the mapping between MCS and control information. cs The existing mapping table between values ​​and existing UCI bits has been reinterpreted to reflect m cs Mapping between control information and other information.

[0057] In some implementations, m cs The existing mapping of a value to a HARQ-ACK information bit can be reused or reinterpreted as follows: m csThe value 0 is mapped to the HARQ-ACK value 0, m cs Value 6 maps to HARQ-ACK value 1. This way, if the control information is 1 bit, the mapping table can be reused / reinterpreted. For example, a forwarding request message could be 1 bit, where bit value 1 indicates a forwarding request and bit value 0 indicates a stop forwarding request. Thus, the current m cs The value 6 can be reinterpreted as mapping to the forwarding request value 1, and the current m cs The value 0 can be reinterpreted as mapping to the forwarding request value 0.

[0058] In some implementations, when the control information is 2 bits, m cs Existing mappings for two HARQ-ACK information bits can be reused / reinterpreted. For example, there could be four carriers that the SN can support on the forwarding link, and these four carriers can be indexed from 0 to 3. Thus, the existing current m... cs The value 0 is reinterpreted as being mapped to carrier 0, which can change the current m cs The value 3 is reinterpreted as being mapped to carrier 1, which can change the current m cs The value 6 is reinterpreted as being mapped to carrier 2, and the current m can be... cs The value 9 is reinterpreted as being mapped to carrier 3, and so on.

[0059] In some implementations, it can be m cs Values ​​and specific control information define one or more dedicated new mapping tables. For example, when the control information is a 1-bit forwarding request message, m can be defined. cs A dedicated mapping table between values ​​and forwarding request information is shown below:

[0060] Since the SN has similar functions to a regular UE, the SN can also learn the above m cs The mapping relationship between the control information and the control information. Therefore, when the SN receives the PUCCH from the UE, the SN can decode it accordingly and obtain the control information.

[0061] In some implementations, as described herein, the PUCCH resources used for transmitting control information to the SN can be determined. Furthermore, the bits carried on the PUCCH can be scrambled before modulation. The scrambling sequence generator can be initialized using the UE's data scrambling ID / cell ID and / or C-RNTI. Since the PUCCH resources are used to transmit control information to the SN, the SN will decode the corresponding PUCCH resources to obtain the control information. Therefore, configuring the PUCCH resources to the SN using the UE's C-RNTI value may raise security concerns. To mitigate this issue, several options can be considered for the RNTI used to scramble the PUCCH resources used for transmitting control information. For example, in some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be the UE's RNTI (e.g., C-RNTI (Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier)). In this way, the UE's RNTI value can be configured to the SN via the BS, the corresponding UE, or the OAM. In some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be the SN's RNTI (e.g., NCR-RNTI). In this way, the BS or SN can indicate / configure the corresponding SN's RNTI to the UE. In some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be a novel RNTI, and the value of this novel RNTI can be known to both the SN and the UE.

[0062] In some implementations, the scrambling process for PUCCH bits used for control information can be directly initialized with specific values, which can be configured by the BS to the SN and UE, predefined by the SN and UE, or configured by the UE to the SN. In some examples, since the UE may need to control multiple SNs, it may need to transmit control information to different SNs. The BS can configure or predefine a list of specific values ​​for initializing the scrambling sequence generator for the UE, where each specific value can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator for the PUCCH used to transmit control information to the corresponding SN. In some examples, the SN may also need to receive and decode PUCCH transmitted from different UEs. The BS can configure or predefine a list of specific values ​​for initializing the scrambling sequence generator for the SN, where each specific value can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator for the PUCCH used to transmit control information from the corresponding UE.

[0063] In some implementations, besides configuring PUCCH resources for the UE to transmit control information, the SN can also know / determine where and when to decode the PUCCH. Several options can be considered. For example, in some configurations / implementations, the SN-CU has the same functionality as a regular UE. Therefore, the implementation for configuring PUCCH resources for the UE to send control information can also be applied to the SN. In this way, the PUCCH resources for the SN's control information can be configured by the BS to the SN, and the UEs will be identical. In some implementations, when the UE has configured PUCCH resources for control information for the SN, the UE can determine that it will transmit control information on the corresponding PUCCH resources. Conversely, when the SN is configured with the same PUCCH resources, the SN can determine that it will receive information on the corresponding PUCCH resources, rather than transmit information. Besides the PUCCH resource information known to the SN, information used to decode the corresponding PUCCH transmitted from the UE (e.g., scrambling ID, corresponding UE RNTI, etc.) can also be known to the SN. In some implementations, since multiple UEs may transmit control information to the SN, the association between PUCCH resources and UEs can also be configured to the SN. In this way, the SN can use the information of the corresponding UE to decode the PUCCH resources transmitted from the UE.

[0064] In some implementations, dedicated signaling can be used to configure the SN with relevant configuration and resource information for the PUCCH used to transmit control information. The SN can use this configuration and information to decode the corresponding PUCCH transmitted from the corresponding UE. The relevant configuration and resource information may include at least one of the following: PUCCH-related resource configuration information; beam information for the SN to receive the corresponding PUCCH from the UE; and / or the UE identifier associated with the associated PUCCH resource. The PUCCH-related resource configuration information may also include at least one of the following: time resource information of the PUCCH resource; frequency resource information of the PUCCH resource; PUCCH format; specific parameters for decoding the PUCCH; cell ID; and / or information associated with the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUCCH. The time resource information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: start time, pattern, start and length indicator value (SLIV), time offset, slot offset, symbol offset, time domain resource allocation (TDRA) index, duty cycle, duration (in symbols or slots), period, and / or reference SCS. Frequency resource information may include at least one of the following: carrier index, band index, subband index, bandwidth part (BWP) index, passband index, cell index, frequency range index, starting RB index, number of RBs (resource blocks), number of REs (resource elements), frequency offset, reference point, absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), and / or global synchronization raster (GSCN). The PUCCH format used to transmit control information to the SN may be a predefined format known to both the SN and the UE. In some implementations, relevant information may be configured to the SN in at least one of the following ways: dedicated signaling transmitted from the BS to the SN via at least one of RRC, MAC CE, or DCI signaling; dedicated signaling transmitted from the UE to the SN; and / or predefined for the SN.

[0065] In some implementations, when control information transmitted to the SN is carried on the PUSCH, several aspects / implementations can be considered. In some aspects / implementations, the PUSCH resources used by the UE to transmit control information can be configured for the UE. In some configurations, existing implementations in the specification used for configuring / scheduling PUSCH transmissions can be reused / enhanced for transmitting control information to the SN. In some implementations, existing DCI formats used for scheduling / verifying PUSCHs can be reused to schedule / verify PUSCHs used for transmitting control information to the SN. Thus, the DCI signaling can be existing DCI signaling (e.g., DCI 0_0, DCI 0_1, DCI 0_2, etc.). When using DCI signaling to schedule / verify PUSCH transmissions for transmitting control information to the SN, several implementations can be considered to distinguish whether the PUSCH resources are scheduled for legacy use or for transmitting control information to the SN.

[0066] In some implementations, a new common search space (CSS) can be introduced for existing DCI formats (e.g., DCI 0_1 / 0_0 / 0_2). This allows PUSCHs scheduled in DCIs monitored within the new CSS to be used to transmit control information to the SN. This new CSS can be configured for both the SN and the UE. When the UE is configured with this CSS, it can decode the DCIs monitored in the corresponding CSS to obtain the scheduled PUSCH resources. The UE can then transmit control information through the corresponding PUSCH resources. Similarly, when the SN is configured with the same CSS, it can also decode the DCIs monitored within the corresponding CSS to obtain the scheduled PUSCH resources. The SN will then monitor and receive control information transmitted from the UE on the scheduled PUSCH resources. In some implementations, the DCIs monitored in the new CSS have a CRC scrambled by an RNTI, and this RNTI can have several options. For example, the RNTI can be an existing RNTI (e.g., C-RNTI (Cell Radio Network Temporary Idnetifier) ​​or CS-RNTI (Configured Scheduling Radio Network Temporary Identifier). An existing DCI format monitored in the new CSS and having a CRC scrambled by the C-RNTI can be used to schedule PUSCH for transmitting control information to the SN. In some implementations, the RNTI can be a new type of RNTI, and this new RNTI can be configured with the same value for both the SN and the UE. In some implementations, the RNTI can be the SN's RNTI (e.g., the SN's NCR-RNTI), and the SN's RNTI value can be configured for the UE. To further illustrate the new common search space, consider the following example:

[0067] This means that a new common search space (e.g., sn-SearchSpace) can be introduced into existing RRC signaling (e.g., PDCCH-ConfigCommon). Thus, when the UE and SN are configured with sn-SearchSpace and the corresponding dedicated type RNTI value, the UE and SN can decode the DCI monitored in the corresponding sn-SearchSpace to obtain scheduled PUSCH resources.

[0068] In some implementations, the existing DCI format used to schedule PUSCH transmissions for control information can have a CRC scrambled by a dedicated type RNTI. The search space can be an existing search space (e.g., a UE-specific search space or an existing Type-3 PDCCH CSS) or a novel CSS. Thus, the information carried in the corresponding DCI signaling with a CRC scrambled by a dedicated RNTI can be used to schedule PUSCH transmissions for control information to the SN. The dedicated type RNTI used to scramble the CRC-equipped DCI can include several considerations. For example, the dedicated type RNTI can be a novel RNTI. The existing DCI format can be monitored in a UE-specific search space, and thus, the dedicated type RNTI can be a novel RNTI configured with different values ​​for the SN and UE. The BS can then separately configure the DCI for scheduling PUSCHs to transmit control information to the SN and UE. The scheduled PUSCH resources can be the same for both the SN and UE. Thus, the UE can send control information on the corresponding PUSCH resources, and the SN can monitor and receive control information on the corresponding PUSCH resources transmitted from the UE. In some implementations, a dedicated type of RNTI can be the SN's RNTI, such as the SN's NCR-RNTI. Existing DCI formats can be monitored in existing CSS or newer CSSs. In this way, a dedicated RNTI can be the SN's RNTI, such as the SN's NCR-RNTI (if configured). Similarly, the SN's RNTI value can also be configured / indicated to the UE, allowing the UE to decode the corresponding DCI transmitted from the BS.

[0069] In some implementations, new fields can be added to existing DCI signaling to distinguish whether the DCI signaling is used to schedule PUSCH transmissions for information transmission to the BS or for control information transmission to the SN. In some implementations, new parameters can be added to existing RRC configurations of PUSCH configuration grant types (e.g., ConfiguredGrantConfig signaling) to distinguish whether the configuration is for legacy use or for transmitting control information to the SN. This parameter applies only to UEs capable of sending / transmitting control information to the SN. For example, a new parameter can be added to existing ConfiguredGrantConfig signaling as shown below. When this parameter is enabled, it indicates that the configuration is for legacy use. When this parameter is disabled, it indicates that the configuration can be used to transmit control information to the SN.

[0070]

[0071] In some implementations, a dedicated PUSCH resource can be configured for the UE to transmit control information to the SN. In this case, the UE can configure and use the dedicated PUSCH resource to transmit control information to the SN. In some implementations, one or more dedicated configuration-authorized PUSCH resources can be configured for the UE to transmit control information to the SN via RRC signaling. The RRC signaling can be new RRC signaling or existing RRC signaling (e.g., existing BWP-UplinkDedicated signaling).

[0072] For example, a dedicated list of configuration-granted PUSCH resources (e.g., `configuredGrantConfigForSNToAddModList`) can be added to existing BWP-UplinkDedicated signaling for transmitting control information to the SN. This dedicated list of configuration-granted PUSCH resources can include one or more configuration-granted PUSCH configurations (e.g., existing `ConfiguredGrantConfig`). These configurations can then be used to transmit control information to the SN. The maximum number of configurations in the list can be predefined for the UE or configured for the UE, as follows:

[0073] In some implementations, dedicated configuration-authorized PUSCH resources can be configured for the UE via existing BWP-UplinkDedicated signaling, as shown below:

[0074] In some implementations, for configuration-authorized PUSCHs used to transmit control information, DCI signaling can be used to verify the scheduling activation or release of one or more configuration-authorized PUSCH configurations used to transmit control information to the SN. For example, the DCI can be an existing DCI format (e.g., DCI 0_0, DCI 0_1, DCI 0_2, etc.) scrambled by a specific RNTI (e.g., a new dedicated type RNTI or an RNTI corresponding to the SN, such as the existing ncr-RNTI in Release-18 (version 18, R18). All fields can have the same set as the current specification used to verify the configuration of UL-authorized type 2 PUSCHs. In some examples, if the DCI with CRC is scrambled by an RNTI corresponding to the SN (e.g., ncr-RNTI), one or more RNTIs belonging to different SNs will be configured for the UE; these RNTIs can come from the BS or the corresponding SN.

[0075] In some implementations, a dedicated SR configuration can be configured for the UE to request PUSCH resources for transmitting control information. For example, similar to configuring a scheduling request for beam failure recovery procedures, a dedicated scheduling request can be introduced into existing or new signaling to request resources for transmitting control information to the SN. For instance, a list of dedicated scheduling request resources for requesting control information transmission resources can be added to existing signaling (e.g., PUCCH-Config) or new signaling, as shown in the following example:

[0076] The UE procedure for reporting a dedicated SR used to transmit control information to the SN can have the same mechanism as existing SRs. The only difference is that when the UE sends / transmits a positive SR to the dedicated SR resource, the BS can know / determine that the scheduling request will be used to request PUSCH resources for transmitting control information to the SN.

[0077] In some implementations, the PUSCH resources used for transmitting control information to the SN can be determined using the implementation described herein. In this disclosure, the bits of the PUSCH can be scrambled using a scrambling ID / cell ID and / or the UE's RNTI. Thus, several options can be considered to determine the RNTI used to scramble the PUSCH used for transmitting control information. For example, in some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be the UE's RNTI. In this case, the UE's RNTI value can be configured to the SN via the BS, the corresponding UE, or the OAM. In some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be the SN's RNTI (e.g., NCR-RNTI). In this case, the SN's RNTI can be indicated / configured to the UE via the BS or the SN. In some implementations, the RNTI used for scrambling can be a novel RNTI, and the value of this novel RNTI is known to both the SN and the UE.

[0078] In some implementations, the scrambling sequence generator used in the scrambling process of the PUSCH used to transmit control information can be initialized with specific values. These specific values ​​can be configured by the BS to the SN and UE, predefined for the SN and UE, and / or configured by the UE to the SN. In some implementations, the UE may need to control multiple or more SNs. In such cases, the UE needs to transmit control information to different SNs. To support this, the list of specific values ​​that can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator can be configured by the BS to the UE or predefined for the UE. Each specific value can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator for the PUSCH used to transmit control information to the corresponding SN. In some implementations, the SN needs to receive and decode PUSCHs transmitted from different UEs. The list of specific values ​​that can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator can be configured by the BS to the SN or predefined for the SN. Each specific value can be used to initialize the scrambling sequence generator for the PUSCH used to transmit control information from the corresponding UE.

[0079] In some implementations, the relevant configuration can also be configured to the SN for decoding. Besides configuring PUSCH resources for the UE to transmit control information, the SN also needs to know / determine where and when to decode the PUSCH. Several options can be considered in this way. For example, in some implementations, the SN-CU can be the same as a regular UE. Therefore, the implementation used to configure PUSCH resources for the UE to send control information can also be applied to the SN. This means / instructs the BS to configure the same PUSCH resources for control information for both the SN and the UE. The difference lies only in that when the UE has configured PUSCH resources for control information for the SN, the UE determines that it will transmit control information on the corresponding PUSCH resources. However, when the SN has been configured with such PUSCH resources, the SN needs to receive information on the corresponding PUSCH resources, rather than transmit information. In some implementations, in addition to the PUSCH resources known to the SN, if the PUSCH is scrambled using the UE's scrambling ID and RNTI, the SN can also know relevant information for decoding the PUSCH transmitted from the UE, such as the scrambling ID and the UE's RNTI. In some implementations, the association between PUSCH resources and UE identification information can also be configured to the SN, since multiple (or more than one) UEs may transmit control information to the SN. In this way, the SN can use the information of the corresponding UE to decode the PUSCH resources transmitted from the UE.

[0080] In some implementations, the configuration and resource information related to the PUSCH used for transmitting control information can be configured to the SN via dedicated signaling. The SN can use this configuration and information to decode the corresponding PUSCH transmitted from the corresponding UE. The relevant configuration and resource information may include at least one of the following: PUSCH-related resource configuration information; beam information for receiving the corresponding PUSCH from the UE; and / or the UE identifier associated with the associated PUSCH resource. The PUSCH-related resource configuration information may include at least one of the following: time resource information of the PUSCH resource; frequency resource information of the PUSCH resource; relevant parameters / information for decoding the PUSCH; cell ID; and / or DM-RS-related information associated with the PUSCH. In some implementations, this information can be configured to the SN in at least one of the following ways: dedicated signaling transmitted from the BS to the SN via at least one of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling; dedicated signaling transmitted from the UE to the SN; and / or predefined for the SN.

[0081] In some implementations, several methods / implementations for beam information determination can be considered. For example, in some implementations, the beam information used by SN-Fwd to forward signals between SN-UE links can be included in the control information transmitted from the UE to the SN. In some implementations, the beam information can be the same as the beam information used by SN-MT to receive control information from the UE. The beam information used by SN-Fwd to forward signals between BS-SN links can be configured using at least one of the following methods / implementations: R18 method; including in control information that may indicate that the control information may include beam information for SN-BS and beam information for SN-UE; predefined for the SN; and / or a beam pair list defined for the SN that includes multiple beam pairs. Each beam pair may include beam information for SN-UE and beam information for SN-BS. When the UE indicates control information including beam information for SN-UE, the SN can obtain / determine the corresponding beam information for SN-BS from the beam pair list.

[0082] The beam information used by the UE to transmit control information to the SN can be configured using the same methods / implementations described herein. For example, if the BS can control the beam training process between the BS, SN, and UE, the BS can determine the beam pair between the SN and UE, and then instruct the UE on the beam information used to transmit control information to the SN. In some implementations, when the SN is deployed by the UE and the UE is scheduled to instruct control information to the SN, the beam information can be determined by the UE itself, and the UE can ignore the beam information indicated by existing methods for transmitting PUCCH / PUSCH (e.g., existing MAC CE signaling for activating spatial relationships of PUCCH).

[0083] In some embodiments, control information from the UE to the SN can be carried on one or more sidelink physical channels (e.g., PSBCH, PSCCH, PSSCH, PSFCH). For example, given that the existing sidelink control information (SCI) format SCI 1-A carried on the PSCCH is used to schedule the PSSCH and the second-stage SCI on the PSSCH, a new SCI format carried on the PSCCH can be introduced to indicate this control information to the SN. Thus, to distinguish between transmitted PSCCHs including SCI format 1-A and transmitted PSCCHs including the new SCI format for indicating control information, an identifier field can be added to both the existing SCI format 1-A and the new SCI format. For example, this identifier field can be a 1-bit value, and when the field is set to 0, it means / indicates that the SCI carried on the PSCCH can be SCI format 1-A. When the field is set to 1, it means / indicates that the SCI carried on the PSCCH can be the new SCI format for transmitting control information to the SN, and vice versa. In some implementations, when control information is carried on the PSSCH, new RRC and / or MAC CE signaling can be used to indicate this control information. In some implementations, control information can be carried in the sidelink data of the PSSCH. In some implementations, when control information is carried on the PSBCH, this control information can be included in the existing Master Information Block Sidelink. For example, a 1-bit forwarding request can be added to the Master Information Block Sidelink, and when the SN receives this forwarding request, the SN can determine whether to help the UE forward the signal.

[0084] In some embodiments, the content of the control information transmitted from the UE may include at least one of the following types: one or more beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and the UE; one or more beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the BS and the SN; one or more time resource information; one or more frequency information; one or more power control information; one or more polarization information; one or more panel information; one or more on / off information; one or more direction information; one or more forwarding request information; and / or forwarding completion information.

[0085] In some implementations, beam information may have a beam index format. In some implementations, time resource information may include at least one of the following: slot offset, symbol offset, and duration including the number of slots and / or symbols. In some implementations, a time resource list may be configured to the SN, where each piece of time resource information may include at least one of the following: slot offset, symbol offset, and duration including the number of slots and / or symbols. Thus, control information may include one or more time information indicators, where each time information indicator may refer to time resource information configured in the list.

[0086] In some implementations, frequency information for one or more beams or links may be included. This frequency information may include at least one of the following: carrier index, band index, subband index, BWP index, passband index, cell index, frequency range index, starting RB index, number of RBs, number of REs, frequency offset or reference point, ARFCN, or GSCN.

[0087] In some implementations, power control information can be power control information used by the SN when forwarding signals received from the BS to the UE. In some implementations, power control information can be power control information used by the SN when forwarding signals received from the UE to the BS. Power control information can include at least one of the following: amplification gain, transmit power, power offset, or power factor (e.g., α, which can be a positive value configured by the UE based on other influencing factors such as frequency band, polarization, panel, and / or beam). The indication of amplification gain, transmit power, or power offset can be an absolute value or a power level. For example, power level 1 represents the absolute value of power P1. When the SN is indicated with power level 1, the SN can use the absolute value of power P1 to calculate the output power. Transmit power can be indicated to the SN. The SN can derive the amplification gain from the formula: amplify Benefit = Transmitted Power / Input Power The bit size of the transmission power can be determined by its value range. For example, if the value range is integer INTEGER (-16...15), then 5 bits are required. The amplification gain can be indicated to SN. Then, the transmission power of SN is calculated as: Transmitted power = min(maximum power, input power) (Amplification gain) ,in This represents multiplication in the linear domain. The bit size of the amplification gain can be determined by its value range. For example, if the value range is integer INTEGER (0…31), then 5 bits are required. If a power offset is indicated to the SN, it can be added to the previous transmitted power of the SN FU, and the SN can calculate the output power as the previous output power plus the power offset. For example, if the value range of the power offset is integer INTEGER (-16…15), then 5 bits are required.

[0088] In some implementations, polarization information can be represented by a two-bit field to indicate one or more of the following polarization modes: linear polarization, cross-polarization, right-hand circular polarization, and / or left-hand circular polarization. In some implementations, panel information can be represented using a panel index format. For example, if the SN has two panels on the forwarding link, one bit can be used to indicate the panel information.

[0089] In some implementations, the on / off information can be link-level on / off information applicable to at least one of the L1 to L4 links. In this case, 2 bits can be used to indicate the link-level on / off information. In some implementations, the on / off information can be link-level on / off information applicable to at least one of the L3 to L4 links. In this case, only one bit is needed. In some implementations, the on / off information can be directly referred to as the on / off information of the SN-FU. In this case, only one bit is needed.

[0090] In some implementations, direction information may include DL / UL information. For example, when SN-Fwd supports subband non-overlapping full-duplex, this may indicate / mean that SN-Fwd can simultaneously operate downlink and uplink forwarding on the access link during SBFD (subband full duplex) symbols / slots. In this case, the bit field for direction information can be 2 bits to represent the direction {UL, DL, FD}. In some implementations, if SN does not support full-duplex, the direction can be {UL, DL} and requires 1 bit.

[0091] In some implementations, forwarding request information may include at least one of the following: a 1-bit indication, e.g., "1" indicating a request to forward, and "0" indicating a halt to the request; frequency information; time resource information; UE ID; forwarding resource index; and / or forwarding priority. In some implementations, to request forwarding, the UE may transmit its ID to the SN. The SN can then check whether the UE is authorized to request forwarding based on authorization information received from the BS. In some implementations, the BS may configure beam information (e.g., a forwarding resource list) to the SN, and the UE may then request the SN to forward via one or more forwarding resource indices configured for the SN. In some implementations, forwarding priority may indicate the priority of the forwarding request. For example, when multiple UEs send requests to the SN, the SN can determine which UE's request is based on priority. Priority may be determined by at least one of the following: the BS's priority information, the UE's capabilities, the UE's type, or the transmitted signal / channel. In some implementations, forwarding completion information may be used to instruct the SN to stop the forwarding operation.

[0092] In some implementations, each control information type may have one or more of the following formats, and different types of control information may have different formats. Furthermore, separate fields may be provided for each control information type. For example, beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and UE may have L1 separate beam indication fields, as follows: Beam Indication 1, Beam Indication 2, ..., Beam Indication L1. In some implementations, each control information type may be provided as a list. For example, beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and UE may be formatted as a beam list, which may include L1 beam indication fields. In some implementations, control information types may be provided in units of groups, pairs, or forwarding resources. Each group, pair, or forwarding resource may include a set of one or more associated resource indications. This allows the SN to be aware of the associated resources. For example, a set of forwarding resource indications may be indicated from the UE to the SN. Each forwarding resource may include: beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and UE; beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the BS and SN; associated time resource information; and / or associated frequency resource information.

[0093] In some implementations, the UE can indicate various types of control information to the SN. Each type of control information can have several mapping relationships. For example, in some implementations, beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and the UE can have a one-to-one mapping with time resource information. In some implementations, frequency information and beam information used by the SN to forward signals between the SN and the UE can have a one-to-all mapping.

[0094] Now for reference Figure 8 A flowchart of a method 8000 for determining resources for transmitting control information to a set of network nodes (e.g., SNs) is shown. This can be used in conjunction with... Figures 1 to 7 Method 8000 may be implemented using any of the detailed components and devices. In summary, method 8000 may include: receiving control information (8002) from a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) by a network node (e.g., an SN), the control information indicating a forwarding link. The method may also include: sending control information (8004) from the wireless communication device to the network node, the control information indicating a forwarding link.

[0095] At operation (8002), and in some arrangements, a network node (e.g., SN) may receive / obtain / collect / acquire control information from a wireless communication device (e.g., UE), which instructs a forwarding link. In some configurations, the forwarding link may include at least one of the following: a forwarding link from the wireless communication node to the network node; a forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; a forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication device; or a forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node. In some configurations, the control information may be carried via the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

[0096] In some configurations, the PUCCH resource used for control information can be indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or network node. In some configurations, one of several existing fields in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) can be reinterpreted as indicating the PUCCH resource used for control information. In some configurations, to distinguish between existing fields in the DCI that indicate the PUCCH resource used for control information and / or fields that indicate the PUCCH resource used for HARQ-ACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request-Acknowledgement), at least one of the following can be considered: when an existing field in the DCI is used to indicate the PUCCH resource used for control information, one or more existing fields in the DCI can be set to a specific value; a new field can be added to the DCI for differentiation; or new higher-layer parameters can be configured for differentiation.

[0097] In some configurations, one or more dedicated resource lists may be configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling for the PUCCH. In some configurations, each dedicated resource list may include one or more resource configurations, and each resource configuration may include at least one of the following: PUCCH resource information; a period and / or offset associated with the PUCCH resource. In some configurations, the PUCCH resource information may be an index referring to a PUCCH resource configured by the wireless communication mode. In some configurations, a Media Access Control (MAC) element (CE) may be configured to activate one or more resource configurations.

[0098] In some configurations, one or more MAC CEs can be configured to indicate one or more PUCCH resources used for control information. In some configurations, when considering the mapping between cyclic shift values ​​and control information, at least one of the following can be considered: an existing table between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and UCI bits can be reinterpreted for the mapping between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and control information; or a new table can be configured for the mapping between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and control information.

[0099] In some configurations, the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for scrambling the PUCCH can be at least one of the following: the RNTI of the network node; the RNTI of the wireless communication device; or a novel RNTI. In some configurations, the network node can receive configuration information related to the PUCCH used for control information. In some configurations, the configuration information can include at least one of the following: time resource information for the PUCCH resources; frequency resource information for the PUCCH resources; PUCCH format; associated information for decoding the PUCCH; cell ID; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUCCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUCCH; or a UE identifier associated with the resources used for the PUCCH. In some configurations, the network node can receive configuration information from at least one of the following: the wireless communication node, via at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI; the wireless communication device; or one or more predefined configuration information for the network node.

[0100] In some configurations, control information can be carried via the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). In some configurations, the PUSCH resources used for control information can be indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or network node. In some configurations, a new Common Search Space (CSS) can be introduced for monitoring the Digital Cryo-Initial Interface (DCI). In some configurations, PUSCH resources scheduled by the DCI monitored in the new CSS can be used for control information. In some configurations, the PUSCH resources used for control information can be scheduled by an existing DCI with a CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI. In some configurations, this specific RNTI can include at least one of the following: the new RNTI; or the RNTI of the network node.

[0101] In some configurations, new fields can be added to the existing DCI to distinguish whether the DCI is used to schedule PUSCH transmissions including control information to network nodes or to schedule PUSCH transmissions to wireless communication nodes. In some configurations, new RRC parameters can be added to the existing RRC signaling to distinguish whether the configuration is set for PUSCH transmissions including control information to network nodes or to wireless communication nodes.

[0102] In some configurations, one or more dedicated configurations can be configured for configuration-authorized PUSCH, which is used for control information. In some configurations, existing DCI signaling with a CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI can be used to verify scheduling activation or release for one or more dedicated configuration authorizations. In some configurations, the specific RNTI can include at least one of the following: a novel RNTI, or the RNTI of a network node. In some configurations, a dedicated scheduling request can be configured for a wireless communication device to request resources for PUSCH used to transmit control information. In some configurations, the Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used to scramble the bits of the PUSCH can include at least one of the following: the RNTI of the wireless communication device; the RNTI of a network node; or a novel RNTI.

[0103] In some configurations, network nodes can receive configuration information related to the PUSCH used for control information. In some configurations / implementations, this configuration information may include at least one of the following: time resource information for resources used for the PUSCH; frequency resource information for resources used for the PUSCH; information for decoding the PUSCH; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUSCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUSCH; or a UE identifier associated with resources used for the PUSCH.

[0104] In some configurations, network nodes can receive configuration information from at least one of the following: a wireless communication node, via at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI; a wireless communication device; or one or more configuration information predefined for the network node. In some configurations, control information can be carried via a physical sidelink channel.

[0105] In some configurations, the physical sidelink channel may include at least one of the following: Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), or Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH). In some configurations, a new format of Sidelink Control Information (SCI) may be introduced for control information. In some configurations, to distinguish whether the SCI carried in the PSCCH is in a new or existing SCI format, an identifier field may be added to both the existing and / or new SCI formats.

[0106] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for determining resources for transmitting control information to a group of network nodes. A wireless communication device may send / transmit / provide / notify control information (8004) to network nodes, the control information indicating a forwarding link.

[0107] Although various embodiments / implementations / configurations of the present technical solution have been described above, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented as examples only and not as limitations. Similarly, various diagrams may depict exemplary architectures or configurations provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand exemplary features and functions of the present technical solution. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solution is not limited to the illustrated exemplary architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, one or more features of one embodiment / implementation may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment / implementation described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited to any of the illustrative embodiments described above.

[0108] It should also be understood that any reference to elements using names such as "first," "second," etc., in this document generally does not restrict the number or order of these elements. Rather, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of elements. Therefore, references to the first and second elements do not imply that only two elements can be used or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0109] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols referenced in the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0110] Those skilled in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of program or design code in conjunction with instructions (which may be referred to herein as "software" or "software module"), or any combination of these technologies. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not depart from the scope of this disclosure.

[0111] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented within or executed by an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices or any combination thereof. Logic blocks, modules, and circuits may also include antennas and / or transceivers for communicating with various components within a network or device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration that performs the functions described herein.

[0112] If these functions are implemented in software, they can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that enables the transfer of computer programs or code from one location to another. Storage media can be any available medium that is accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that is accessible to a computer.

[0113] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of such elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Furthermore, for the purposes of discussion, various modules are described as separate modules; however, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs associated functions according to embodiments of this invention.

[0114] Furthermore, in embodiments of this technical solution, memory or other storage devices and communication components may be used. It should be understood that, for clarity, the above description refers to embodiments of this technical solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality among different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without diminishing the technical solution. For example, functions shown to be performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are merely references to suitable means for providing the described functionality and do not indicate a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0115] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is accorded the broadest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: The network node receives control information from the wireless communication device, and the control information indicates the forwarding link.

2. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The forwarding link includes at least one of the following: Forwarding link from wireless communication node to network node; The forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication node; The forwarding link from the network node to the wireless communication device; or Forwarding link from the wireless communication device to the network node.

3. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information is carried through the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

4. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein, The PUCCH resource used for the control information is indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or the network node.

5. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein, One of the existing fields in the downlink control information (DCI) is reinterpreted as indicating the PUCCH resource used for the control information.

6. The wireless communication method according to claim 5, wherein, To distinguish whether the existing field in the DCI is used to indicate the PUCCH resource for the control information or to indicate the PUCCH resource for HARQ-ACK, consider at least one of the following: When one of the existing fields in the DCI is used to indicate the PUCCH resource for the control information, one or more existing fields in the DCI are set to a specific value; Add new fields to the DCI for differentiation; or Configure new high-level parameters for differentiation.

7. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein, One or more dedicated resource lists are configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling for PUCCH.

8. The wireless communication method according to claim 7, wherein, Each dedicated resource list includes one or more resource configurations, and each resource configuration includes at least one of the following: PUCCH resource information; The period and / or offset associated with the PUCCH resource.

9. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, PUCCH resource information is an index that refers to the PUCCH resources configured by the wireless communication mode.

10. The wireless communication method according to claim 8, wherein, The Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) is configured to activate one or more resource configurations.

11. The wireless communication method according to claim 4, wherein, One or more MAC CEs are configured to indicate one or more PUCCH resources for the control information.

12. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein, When considering the mapping relationship between cyclic shift values ​​and the control information, at least one of the following should be considered: The existing table between multiple cyclic shift values ​​and UCI bits is reinterpreted for mapping between the multiple cyclic shift values ​​and the control information; or The new table is configured to map multiple cyclic shift values ​​to the control information.

13. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, wherein, The Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used to scramble the PUCCH is at least one of the following: The RNTI of the network node; The RNTI of the wireless communication device; or A new type of RNTI.

14. The wireless communication method according to claim 3, further comprising: The network node receives configuration information related to the PUCCH used for the control information.

15. The wireless communication method according to claim 14, wherein, The configuration information includes at least one of the following: time resource information for the PUCCH resources; frequency resource information for the PUCCH resources; PUCCH format; association information for decoding the PUCCH; cell ID; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUCCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUCCH; or UE identifier related to the resources used for the PUCCH.

16. The wireless communication method according to claim 14, wherein, The network node receives the configuration information, which comes from at least one of the following: Wireless communication nodes utilize at least one of the following: RRC signaling; MAC CE; or DCI; Wireless communication devices; or One or more configuration information predefined for the network node.

17. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information is carried through the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein, The PUSCH resources used for the control information are indicated by the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device and / or the network node.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, A new Public Search Space (CSS) has been introduced for monitoring DCI.

20. The wireless communication method according to claim 19, wherein, The PUSCH resource, which is scheduled by the DCI monitored in the new CSS, is used for the control information.

21. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, The PUSCH resource used for the control information is scheduled by an existing DCI, which has a CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI.

22. The wireless communication method according to claim 21, wherein, The specific RNTI includes at least one of the following: a novel RNTI; or the RNTI of the network node.

23. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, A new field is added to the existing DCI to distinguish whether the DCI is used to schedule the transmission of the PUSCH, which includes the control information, to the network node or to schedule the transmission of the PUSCH to the wireless communication node.

24. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, New RRC parameters are added to the existing RRC signaling to distinguish whether the configuration is configured for the transmission of the PUSCH to the network node, which includes the control information, or for the transmission of the PUSCH to the wireless communication node.

25. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein, One or more dedicated configurations are configured for configuration-authorized PUSCH, which is used for the control information.

26. The wireless communication method according to claim 25, wherein, Existing DCI signaling with a CRC scrambled by a specific RNTI is used to verify the activation or release of one or more dedicated configuration authorizations for scheduling.

27. The wireless communication method according to claim 26, wherein, The specific RNTI includes at least one of the following: a novel RNTI, or an RNTI of a network node.

28. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein, A dedicated scheduling request is configured for the wireless communication device to request resources of the PUSCH for transmitting the control information.

29. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein, The Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used to scramble the bits of the PUSCH includes at least one of the following: The RNTI of the wireless communication device; The RNTI of the network node; or A new type of RNTI.

30. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, further comprising: The network node receives configuration information related to the PUSCH used for the control information.

31. The wireless communication method according to claim 30, wherein, The configuration information includes at least one of the following: time resource information for the PUSCH resources; frequency resource information for the PUSCH resources; information for decoding the PUSCH; information related to the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) associated with the PUSCH; beam information configured for the network node to receive the PUSCH; or UE identifier related to the resources for the PUSCH.

32. The wireless communication method according to claim 30, wherein, The network node receives the configuration information, which comes from at least one of the following: Wireless communication nodes utilize at least one of the following: RRC signaling; MAC CE; or DCI; Wireless communication devices; or One or more configuration information predefined for the network node.

33. The wireless communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The control information is carried through the physical side link channel.

34. The wireless communication method according to claim 33, wherein, The physical side link channels include: physical side link control channel (PSCCH), physical side link shared channel (PSSCH), physical side link feedback channel (PSFCH), or physical side link broadcast channel (PSBCH).

35. The wireless communication method according to claim 34, wherein, A new format of Side Link Control Information (SCI) has been introduced for the control information.

36. The wireless communication method according to claim 35, wherein, To distinguish whether the SCI format carried in the PSCCH is a new SCI format or an existing SCI format, an identifier field is added to the existing SCI format and / or the new SCI format.

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