Beam determination method, apparatus, medium, and product for backhaul link

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, medium, and product for determining the beam of a backhaul link, belonging to the field of communications. The method is executed by a network control repeater and includes: determining that the beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of a first channel on the control link. The backhaul link and the control link are links between the network control repeater and access network equipment; the first channel includes a first downlink channel and / or a second downlink channel. Determining that the beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: determining that the receive beam of the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel on the control link; and / or, determining that the transmit beam of the backhaul link is the same as the transmit beam of the first uplink channel on the control link. This method can accurately determine the beam of the backhaul link even when there are multiple candidate beams on the control link.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application filed on September 29, 2022, with application number 202280003878.3, entitled "Beam Determination Method, Apparatus, Medium and Product for Backhaul Link". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a method, apparatus, medium, and product for determining beams in a backhaul link. Background Technology

[0003] Network Controlled Repeaters (NCRs) can improve system coverage at a low cost. An NCR consists of two parts: a Mobile Termination (MT) part and a Forwarding (FWD) part. The MT part receives control commands from access network devices on the control link. These commands control the behavior of the FWD part, specifically the behavior on the backhaul and access links, such as beam direction indication and enabling / disabling forwarding.

[0004] Since both the backhaul link and the control link are links between the base station and the NCR, it is generally assumed that the backhaul link and the control link have similar channel characteristics and use the same spatial domain coding, i.e., beamforming. When the backhaul link and the control link transmit / receive simultaneously, they can use the same beamforming. However, when only the backhaul link transmits / receives between the base station and the NCR, the base station can indicate the beamforming for each channel / signal individually or for multiple channels / signals. In either case, multiple beamformings may be configured for the NCR's control link. In this scenario, determining the beamforming on the backhaul link is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, medium, and product for beam determination in a backhaul link. The technical solution is as follows: According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a beam determination method for a backhaul link is provided, the method comprising: Determine the beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a beam determination apparatus for a backhaul link is provided, the apparatus comprising: The determination module is used to determine the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a chip is provided that includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions for implementing a beam determination method for a backhaul link as described in the various aspects above when the chip is executed.

[0008] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a network control repeater is provided, the network control repeater comprising: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the backhaul link beam determination method as described above.

[0009] According to another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal is provided, the terminal comprising: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the backhaul link beam determination method as described above.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set, wherein the at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the backhaul link beam determination method as described in the various aspects above.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product (or computer program) is provided, the computer program product (or computer program) including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the backhaul link beam determination method as described in the various aspects above.

[0012] The technical solutions provided in this disclosure may have the following beneficial effects: When there are multiple candidate beams on the control link, it is possible to determine that the beam on the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link, thereby accurately determining the transmit beam and / or receive beam used on the backhaul link. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 14 This is a flowchart of a backhaul link beam determination method provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 16 This is a block diagram of a beamforming apparatus for a backhaul link provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network control repeater or terminal provided according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an access network device according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements in the following description relating to the drawings. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone.

[0016] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0017] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this application to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, for example, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination."

[0018] To explain the relevant techniques of this disclosure, it is necessary to first understand the concept of beaming. Beaming was introduced in 3GPP Rel.15, but it is not directly reflected in the standard. Instead, it appears in the form of a Transmission Configuration Indicator state (TCI state). The TCI state is used to represent the Quasi-Co-Location (QCL) source reference signal and the QCL type configuration (QCL Type) from which the channel parameters can be obtained. Different QCL types contain different channel characteristics, and two reference signals with a QCL relationship have the same channel characteristics (the channel characteristics contained in the QCL type).

[0019] QCL Type A: Doppler Shift, Doppler Spread, Average Delay, Delay Spread.

[0020] QCL Type B: Doppler Shift, Doppler Spread.

[0021] QCL Type C: Average Delay, Doppler Shift.

[0022] QCL Type D: Spatial Rx parameter.

[0023] QCL Type D indicates the beam information, i.e., the spatial reception parameters. Assuming beam correspondence, the user equipment's spatial transmission and reception parameters are the same.

[0024] In Rel. 15 and Rel. 16, the beams for downlink control channels, downlink data channels, and uplink control channels were indicated separately. Considering that in many cases these channels share the same beam, this separate beam indication resulted in significant signaling redundancy. Therefore, Rel. 17 introduced the concept of a unified TCI state. This unified TCI state can apply to both control and data channels simultaneously. When using a joint TCI state, the unified TCI applies to both uplink and downlink. However, there are special cases where the downlink receive beam cannot be considered equivalent to the uplink transmit beam, such as when considering Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) or network flexibility. In these cases, the concept of a separate TCI state is introduced, using independent beam indication to separately indicate the downlink and uplink transmission beams for the user. In this case, the TCI state in the unified TCI applies only to either the uplink or downlink.

[0025] For combined / independent beam indication in Rel.17, one or more TCI states need to be activated through the Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). Then, user-specific Downlink Control Information (DCI) is used to indicate one of the activated TCI states to the user. If the MAC-CE activates only one TCI state, that activated TCI state is directly used to determine the transmission beam. A Hybrid Automatic Repeat-reQuest Acknowledgement (HARQ-ack) feedback mechanism is designed for the DCI signaling indicating the beam. In Rel.17, beam indication is only supported using DCI formats 1_1 / 1_2 with and without scheduling information. During beam indication, the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 without scheduling information must also be scrambled using the Configured Scheduling Radio Network Temporary Identity (CS-RNTI). The reference point for the timing of beamforming is the last symbol of the uplink resource from which the user equipment sends out HARQ-ACK information.

[0026] As can be seen from the background technology, there are two ways to configure the control link semi-statically: Method 1: The beam is indicated separately for each channel / signal. This is not supported by unified TCI, such as for users of R15 / 16. In this case, separate signaling is required to indicate the beam used by the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Share Channel (PUSCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and Physical Downlink Share Channel (PDSCH) separately.

[0027] Method 2: When the beam indicates multiple channels / signals, i.e., users who support Unified TCI, such as R17 users, multiple channels can be indicated by the same beam. Downlink reception and uplink transmission, such as PUCCH, PUSCH, PDCCH, and PDSCH, all use the same beam.

[0028] So, regardless of whether it is method 1 or method 2, multiple TCIs may be configured for the MT control link when configuring Radio Resource Control (RRC). This disclosure solves the problem of which beam on the control link should be the same as the NCR backhaul link.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The communication system may include: an access network device 12, a terminal 14, and a network control repeater 16.

[0030] Access network device 12 can be a base station, which is a device that provides wireless communication functionality to terminal 14. Base stations can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, etc. In systems employing different wireless access technologies, the name of the device with base station functionality may differ; for example, in Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, it is called an evolved NodeB (eNB); in 5G New Radio (NR) systems, it is called a next-generation NodeB (gNB). As communication technologies evolve, the description of "base station" may change. For the convenience of the description in the embodiments of this disclosure, the device that provides wireless communication functionality to terminal 14 is collectively referred to as access network device 12.

[0031] Terminal 14 may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of user equipment, mobile stations (MS), terminal devices, etc. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminals.

[0032] The network control repeater 16 can improve system coverage at a low cost. The network control repeater consists of two parts: the MT (Mean Transmission) part and the FWD (Front-Wide Pathway) part. Access network devices send control commands to the network control repeater via the control link, which are received by the MT part. After receiving the control commands, the network control repeater uses these commands to control the behavior of the FWD part, i.e., the behavior on the backhaul and access links, such as beam direction indication, and enabling and disabling forwarding. Specifically: The control link is the link between the access network equipment and the MT part.

[0033] The backhaul link is the link between the access network equipment and the FWD part.

[0034] The access link is the link between the FWD part and the terminal. The forwarding mentioned in this disclosure refers to forwarding related to the backhaul link. For example, the terminal sends uplink signals to the FWD part through the access link, and the FWD part forwards the uplink signals to the access network equipment through the backhaul link; the access network equipment sends downlink signals to the FWD part through the backhaul link, and the FWD part forwards the downlink signals to the terminal through the access link.

[0035] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: Step 202: Determine the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link.

[0036] In some embodiments, the first channel includes at least one of the following: ·PDCCH; Among them, PDCCH includes the most recent PDCCH; ·PDSCH; Among them, PDSCH includes the most recent PDSCH; ·PUCCH; Among them, PUCCH includes the most recent PUCCH; ·PUSCH; Among them, PUSCH includes the most recent PUSCH.

[0037] In some embodiments, the beam of the PDCCH is determined by the Control Resource Set (CORESET) carrying the PDCCH. The CORESET is designed to provide a more flexible time-frequency region for searching the PDCCH, restricting its transmission to a single control subband rather than across the entire system bandwidth. It is understood that when referring to the beam of the PDCCH herein, it can be considered equivalent to the beam of the CORESET; therefore, this method can also be understood as determining the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first CORESET on the control link. The first CORESET carrying the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: • The CORESET with index 0, i.e., CORESET#0; • CORESET of Side Control Information (SCI).

[0038] Among them, the CORESET carrying the SCI includes the CORESET carrying the most recent SCI.

[0039] SCI (Service Control Information) is information sent by the access network device to the NCR (Network Control Response) to control the NCR's behavior, such as beamforming information, switching information, and power control information. Based on this information, the NCR can perform forwarding-related actions, such as adjusting the beam used for forwarding and turning forwarding on or off at specific times.

[0040] In some embodiments, PDSCH refers to the Network Control Repeater / Repeater / Mobile Terminal Dedicated Physical Downlink Shared Channel (NCR / repeater / MT-dedicated PDSCH); PUCCH refers to the Network Control Repeater / Repeater / Mobile Terminal Dedicated Physical Uplink Control Channel (NCR / repeater / MT-dedicated PUCCH). Furthermore, MT-dedicated can also mean terminal-specific (UE-dedicated), because the MT itself possesses some UE functions. However, this UE does not refer to the terminal device, but rather to the MT.

[0041] Examples such as Figure 3 As shown, in the control link, access network device 12 sends beam configuration information and / or indication information of PDCCH (CORESET) to network control repeater 16. Assume that network control repeater 16 is configured / indicated to receive the PDCCH using beam #2 corresponding to TCI-ID#2 as the receiving beam. That is, the PDCCH on the control link corresponds to beam 2.

[0042] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0043] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment can determine that the beam on the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link when there are multiple candidate beams on the control link, thereby accurately determining the transmit beam and / or receive beam used on the backhaul link.

[0044] An embodiment for which the first channel includes a first downlink channel: Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: Step 402: The network control repeater determines the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first downlink channel on the control link; In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel on the control link.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first downlink channel may be a PDCCH or a PDSCH. For example, the beam of the first downlink channel is the beam of the most recent PDCCH and / or PDSCH (the beam indicated by the TCI state of the most recent PDSCH and / or PDCCH).

[0046] When the first downlink channel is a PDCCH, the beam of the PDCCH is determined by the CORESET carrying that PDCCH. It is understood that when referring to the beam of the PDCCH in this document, it can be considered equivalent to the beam of the CORESET; therefore, this method can also be understood as determining the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first CORESET on the control link. The network control repeater determines the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the PDCCH on the control link. The first CORESET carrying the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: • The CORESET with index 0, i.e., CORESET#0; • CORESET that carries SCI.

[0047] Among them, the CORESET carrying the SCI includes the CORESET carrying the most recent SCI.

[0048] When the first downlink channel is PDSCH, PDSCH refers to the NCR / repeater / MT-dedicated PDSCH. The network control repeater determines the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the PDSCH on the control link.

[0049] Step 404: The network control repeater uses the receive beam of the first downlink channel to forward the downlink signal from the access network equipment to the terminal; In some embodiments, the access network device sends downlink signals to the NCR via the backhaul link, and the NCR forwards the downlink signals to the terminal via the access link.

[0050] When the first downlink channel is PDCCH, the NCR determines that the downlink receive beam on the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam on the control link used for PDCCH reception. In other words, the NCR uses the receive beam of the first CORESET to receive the downlink signal.

[0051] When the first downlink channel is PDSCH, the NCR determines that the downlink receive beam on the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam on the control link used for PDSCH reception.

[0052] Step 406: The network control repeater uses the same transmit beam as the receive beam of the first downlink channel to forward the uplink signal from the terminal to the access network equipment.

[0053] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR via the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network device on the backhaul link.

[0054] When the first downlink channel is PDCCH, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR through the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network equipment on the backhaul link; or in other words, the NCR uses the receive beam of the first CORESET to send the uplink signal.

[0055] When the first downlink channel is PDSCH, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR through the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network equipment on the backhaul link.

[0056] It should be noted that the execution order of steps 404 and 406 above is not limited.

[0057] Examples such as Figure 5 As shown, in the control link, access network device 12 sends beam configuration information and / or indication information of the MT-dedicated PDSCH to network control repeater 16. Assume that network control repeater 16 is configured / indicated to receive the MT-dedicated PDSCH on the control link using beam #2 corresponding to TCI-ID#2 as the receiving beam. That is, the MT-dedicated PDSCH on the control link corresponds to beam 2.

[0058] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0059] For example, in the control link, the access network device 12 sends the beam configuration information of CORESET#0 to the network control repeater 16. This beam configuration information is represented, for example, by the beam #2 corresponding to TCI-ID#2. Therefore, the network control repeater receives CORESET#0 on the control link using beam 2 as the receiving beam.

[0060] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0061] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment uses the same beam for both the receiving and transmitting beams of the network control repeater, which are both beams of the first downlink channel.

[0062] An embodiment for which the first channel includes a first downlink channel and a first uplink channel: Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: Step 602: The network control repeater determines the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first downlink channel and the first uplink channel on the control link; In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the transmit beam of the first uplink channel on the control link.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first downlink channel may be a PDCCH or a PDSCH. For example, the beam of the first downlink channel is the beam used in the most recent reception of the PDCCH and / or PDSCH on the control link (the beam indicated by the applied TCI state of the most recent PDCCH and / or PDSCH).

[0064] The downlink receive beam of the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first uplink channel may be a PUCCH or a PUSCH. For example, the beam of the first uplink channel is the beam used in the most recent transmission of PUCCH and / or PUSCH on the control link (the beam indicated by the applied TCI state of the most recent PUCCH and / or PUSCH).

[0066] The uplink transmit beam of the backhaul link is the same as the transmit beam of the first uplink channel.

[0067] Step 604: The network control repeater uses the receive beam of the first downlink channel to forward the downlink signal from the access network equipment to the terminal; In some embodiments, the access network device sends downlink signals to the NCR via the backhaul link, and the NCR forwards the downlink signals to the terminal via the access link.

[0068] When the first downlink channel is PDCCH, the NCR determines that the downlink receive beam on the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam on the control link used for PDCCH reception.

[0069] When the first downlink channel is PDSCH, the NCR determines that the downlink receive beam on the backhaul link is the same as the receive beam on the control link used for PDSCH reception.

[0070] Step 606: The network control repeater uses the transmit beam of the first uplink channel to forward the uplink signal from the terminal to the access network device.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR via the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network device via the backhaul link.

[0072] When the first uplink channel is PUCCH, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR through the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network equipment on the backhaul link.

[0073] It should be noted that the execution order of steps 604 and 606 is not limited.

[0074] Examples such as Figure 7 As shown, in the control link, the access network device 12 sends the beam configuration information of CORESET#0 to the network control repeater 16. This beam configuration information is represented, for example, by the beam #2 corresponding to TCI-ID#2, and the beam configuration information of PUCCH resource ID=0, for example, by the beam #3 corresponding to SRI (SRS resource indicator)-ID#3. Therefore, the network control repeater uses beam 2 as the receiving beam to receive CORESET#0 on the control link, and uses beam 3 as the transmitting beam to transmit PUCCH resource ID=0 on the control link.

[0075] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 3 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0076] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment uses different beams for receiving and transmitting the network control repeater, namely the receiving beam of the first downlink channel and the transmitting beam of the first uplink channel. Therefore, even when the channels are not interchangeable, both the downlink and uplink channels can achieve good working results.

[0077] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: The beam of the first channel is indicated by a unified TCI status; Step 802: The network control repeater determines that the backhaul link beam is the beam indicated by the unified TCI status; In some embodiments, the unified TCI status includes at least one of the following: • Joint TCI state (DLorJoint TCI state); • Downlink Independent TCI state (DLorJoint TCI state); • Uplink Independent TCI state (UL TCI state).

[0078] In some embodiments, the unified TCI state includes a joint TCI state, and the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the joint TCI state. For example, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the joint TCI state most recently applied on the control link. In some embodiments, the unified TCI state includes a joint TCI state, and the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the joint TCI state. For example, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the joint TCI state most recently applied on the control link. In some embodiments, the unified TCI state includes a downlink-independent TCI state and an uplink-independent TCI state, and the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam indicated by the downlink-independent TCI state. For example, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam indicated by the most recently applied downlink-independent TCI state on the control link. In some embodiments, the unified TCI state includes a downlink independent TCI state and an uplink independent TCI state, and the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the uplink independent TCI state. For example, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam indicated by the most recently applied uplink independent TCI state on the control link.

[0079] Step 804: The network control repeater uses a beam with a unified TCI status indication to forward downlink signals from the access network equipment to the terminal; In some embodiments, the access network device sends downlink signals to the NCR via the backhaul link, and the NCR forwards the downlink signals to the terminal via the access link.

[0080] Step 806: The network control repeater uses a beam with a unified TCI status indication to forward uplink signals from the terminal to the access network equipment.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR via the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network device on the backhaul link.

[0082] It should be noted that the execution order of steps 804 and 806 is not limited.

[0083] Examples such as Figure 9 As shown, in the control link, access network device 12 sends configuration and / or indication information of the unified TCI status to network control repeater 16. This unified TCI status is used to indicate beam 2. That is, the unified TCI status on the control link corresponds to beam 2.

[0084] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0085] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment can determine that the beam on the backhaul link is the same as the beam indicated by the unified TCI state on the control link when there are multiple candidate beams on the control link, thereby accurately determining the transmit beam and / or receive beam used on the backhaul link.

[0086] An example of a unified TCI state including a joint TCI state: Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: Step 1002: The network control repeater determines that the backhaul link beam is the beam indicated by the joint TCI status; In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the Joint TCI Status Indication. For example, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the Joint TCI Status Indication most recently applied on the control link. In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the Joint TCI Status Indication. For example, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the Joint TCI Status Indication most recently applied on the control link.

[0087] In some embodiments, the access network device first uses the Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration list "DLorJoint-TCI State" to the network control repeater. The list "DLorJoint-TCI State" includes multiple TCI states. Then, the access network device uses MAC CE and / or DCI to indicate a joint TCI state to the network control repeater. This joint TCI state is one of the multiple TCI states corresponding to the list "DLorJoint-TCI State".

[0088] Step 1004: The network control repeater uses the beam with the combined TCI status indication to forward the downlink signal from the access network device to the terminal; In some embodiments, the access network device sends downlink signals to the NCR via the backhaul link, and the NCR forwards the downlink signals to the terminal via the access link.

[0089] Step 1006: The network control repeater uses the beam of the combined TCI status indication to forward the uplink signal from the terminal to the access network equipment.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR via the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network device on the backhaul link.

[0091] It should be noted that the execution order of steps 1004 and 1006 above is not limited.

[0092] Examples such as Figure 11 As shown, in the control link, access network device 12 sends configuration and / or indication information of the joint TCI status to network control repeater 16. This joint TCI status is used to indicate beam 2. That is, the joint TCI status on the control link corresponds to beam 2.

[0093] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0094] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment uses the same receiving and transmitting beams for the network control repeater, both of which are beams that jointly indicate the TCI status, thus reducing the implementation complexity of the solution.

[0095] An example of a unified TCI state comprising a downlink-independent TCI state and an uplink-independent TCI state: Figure 12A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: The beam of the first channel is indicated by a unified TCI state, which includes downlink independent TCI state and uplink independent TCI state. Step 1202: The network control repeater determines that the backhaul link beam is the beam indicated by the downlink independent TCI state and the uplink independent TCI state. In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the downlink independent TCI status indication. For example, the network control repeater determines the receive beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the most recently applied downlink independent TCI status indication on the control link. In some embodiments, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the uplink independent TCI status indication. For example, the network control repeater determines the transmit beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the most recently applied uplink independent TCI status indication on the control link.

[0096] Step 1204: The network control repeater uses the beam with downlink independent TCI status indication to forward downlink signals from the access network equipment to the terminal; In some embodiments, the access network device sends downlink signals to the NCR via the backhaul link, and the NCR forwards the downlink signals to the terminal via the access link.

[0097] Step 1206: The network control repeater uses the beam of the uplink independent TCI status indication to forward the uplink signal from the terminal to the access network equipment.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terminal sends an uplink signal to the NCR via the access link, and the NCR forwards the uplink signal to the access network device on the backhaul link.

[0099] In some embodiments, the access network device first uses the RRC configuration list "DLorJoint-TCI State" to the network control repeater. The list "DLorJoint-TCI State" includes multiple TCI states. Then, the access network device uses MAC CE and / or DCI to indicate a downlink independent TCI state to the network control repeater. This downlink independent TCI state is one of the multiple TCI states corresponding to the list "DLorJoint-TCI State".

[0100] In some embodiments, the access network device first uses the RRC configuration list "UL TCI state" to the network control repeater, which includes multiple TCI states. Then, the access network device uses MAC CE and / or DCI to indicate an uplink independent TCI state to the network control repeater, which is one of the multiple TCI states corresponding to the list "UL TCI state".

[0101] It should be noted that the execution order of steps 1204 and 1206 above is not limited.

[0102] Examples such as Figure 13 As shown, in the control link, the access network device 12 sends downlink independent TCI status configuration and / or indication information to the network control repeater 16 and receives uplink independent TCI status configuration and / or indication information. The downlink independent TCI status on the control link corresponds to beam 2, and the uplink independent TCI status corresponds to beam 3.

[0103] The network control repeater 16 uses beam 2 in the backhaul link to receive downlink signals from the access network device 12, and then forwards the downlink signals to the terminal 14 through the access link; and / or, the network control repeater 16 uses beam 3 in the backhaul link to forward uplink signals to the access network device 12.

[0104] In summary, the method provided in this embodiment uses different beams for receiving and transmitting the network control repeater: a receiving beam with downlink independent TCI status indication and a transmitting beam with uplink independent TCI status indication. Therefore, even when the channels are not reciprocal, both the downlink and uplink channels can achieve good working performance.

[0105] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating a beam determination method for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The method is performed by a network control repeater and includes: Step 1402: If the beam of the first channel is indicated to be updated but the update has not yet been applied, the network control repeater performs steps related to determining the beam of the backhaul link. Suppose that the access network device indicates to the network control repeater that the beam update of the first channel is at a first time, and the completion time of the beam update of the first channel is a second time, then the second time is usually later than the first time. The network control repeater performs at least one of the following steps related to determining the beam of the backhaul link: • Set the backhaul link beam to the default beam; • Keep the backhaul link beam unchanged from the beam used before the update application; • Ensure that the backhaul link beam always follows the beam of the first channel.

[0106] Examples such as Figure 15 As shown, the network control repeater receives a data-free DCI at time t1, which indicates a beam update for the first channel. The network control repeater applies the new beam after n symbols (t3) following the last symbol (t2) of the HARQ feedback for this DCI. The specific value of n is indicated by the access network equipment.

[0107] In some embodiments, between a first time point (t1) and a second time point (t3), the network control repeater determines the backhaul link beam as the default beam. This default beam is predefined, preconfigured, or configured or specified by the access network device. For example, the access network device may preconfigure or specify it via RRC signaling.

[0108] In some embodiments, between the first time point (t1) and the second time point (t3), the network control repeater maintains the backhaul link beam as it was used before the update application. For example, even if the beam of the first channel changes between the first time point (t1) and the second time point (t3) and is different from the beam used before the update application, the network control repeater still maintains the backhaul link beam as it was used before the update application.

[0109] In some embodiments, between a first time (t1) and a second time (t3), the network control repeater determines that the backhaul link beam always follows the beam of the first channel. For example, even if the beam of the first channel changes between the first time (t1) and the second time (t3) and is different from the beam used before the update application, the network control repeater determines that the backhaul link beam always follows the beam of the first channel.

[0110] Figure 16 A block diagram of a beam determination apparatus for a backhaul link provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, the apparatus comprising: The determination module 1610 is used to determine the beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link.

[0111] In one possible design of this embodiment, the first channel includes at least one of the following: Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); where PDCCH includes the most recent PDCCH; Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH); where PDSCH includes the most recent PDSCH; Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); where PUCCH includes the most recent PUCCH. The Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) includes the most recent PUSCH.

[0112] In one possible design of this embodiment, the beam of the PDCCH is determined by the CORESET carrying the PDCCH, and the CORESET carrying the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: CORESET with index 0; CORESET carrying SCI.

[0113] In one possible design of this embodiment, the CORESET carrying the SCI includes the CORESET carrying the most recent SCI; In one possible design of this embodiment, the first channel includes a first downlink channel; The device also includes: The first receiving module is configured to determine the receiving beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receiving beam of the first downlink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the beam of the first downlink channel is the beam of the most recent PDCCH and / or PDSCH (the beam indicated by the TCI state applied in the most recent PDSCH and / or PDCCH). A first transmitting module is configured to determine the transmitting beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receiving beam of the first downlink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the beam of the first downlink channel is the beam of the most recent PDCCH and / or PDSCH (the beam indicated by the TCI state applied in the most recent PDSCH and / or PDCCH).

[0114] In one possible design of this embodiment, the first channel includes a first downlink channel and a first uplink channel; The device also includes: The second receiving module is used to determine the receiving beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the receiving beam of the first downlink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the beam of the first downlink channel is the beam used in the most recent received PDCCH and / or PDSCH on the control link (the beam indicated by the applied TCI state of the most recent PDCCH and / or PDSCH). The second transmission module is used to determine the transmission beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the transmission beam of the first uplink channel on the control link. In some embodiments, the beam of the first uplink channel is the beam used in the most recent transmission of PUCCH and / or PUSCH on the control link (the beam indicated by the applied TCI state of the most recent PUCCH and / or PUSCH).

[0115] In one possible design of this embodiment, the beam of the first channel is indicated by the TCI state; Determine the beam of the backhaul link to be the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link, including: The beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the beam indicated by the unified TCI status.

[0116] In one possible design of this embodiment, the unified TCI state is the joint TCI state; The device also includes: The third receiving module is used to determine the receiving beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the joint TCI status indication. In some embodiments, the receiving beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the joint TCI status indication most recently applied on the control link; The third transmission module is used to determine the transmission beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the joint TCI status indication. In some embodiments, the transmission beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the joint TCI status indication most recently applied on the control link.

[0117] In one possible design of this embodiment, the unified TCI state includes a downlink independent TCI state and an uplink independent TCI state; The device also includes: The fourth receiving module is used to determine the receiving beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the downlink independent TCI status indication. In some embodiments, the receiving beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the downlink independent TCI status indication most recently applied on the control link; The fourth transmission module is used to determine the transmission beam of the backhaul link, which is the same as the beam of the uplink independent TCI status indication. In some embodiments, the transmission beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the uplink independent TCI status indication most recently applied on the control link.

[0118] In one possible design of this embodiment, the device further includes: The fifth determining module is used to determine the backhaul link beam as the default beam when the beam of the first channel is indicated to be updated but the update has not yet been applied. or, The fifth hold module is used to keep the backhaul link beam unchanged from the beam used before the update was applied, in the case where the beam of the first channel is indicated to be updated but the update has not yet been applied. or, The sixth determining module is used to determine that the beam of the backhaul link always follows the beam of the first channel when the beam of the first channel is indicated to be updated but the update has not yet been applied.

[0119] In one possible design of this embodiment, the default beam is configured by the access network device.

[0120] In one possible design of this embodiment, the completion time of beam update on the backhaul link and the completion time of beam update on the control link are the same.

[0121] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network control repeater or terminal 1700 provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The network control repeater or terminal includes: a processor 1701, a receiver 1702, a transmitter 1703, a memory 1704, and a bus 1705.

[0122] The processor 1701 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 1701 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0123] The receiver 1702 and the transmitter 1703 can be implemented as a communication component, which can be a communication chip.

[0124] The memory 1704 is connected to the processor 1701 via bus 1705.

[0125] The memory 1704 can be used to store at least one instruction, and the processor 1701 can execute the at least one instruction to implement the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0126] Furthermore, the memory 1704 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disks or optical disks, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), static random-access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory (PROM).

[0127] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory including instructions that can be executed by a terminal's processor to complete the aforementioned beamforming method for the backhaul link. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, random-access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, or optical data storage device, etc.

[0128] Figure 18 This is a block diagram illustrating an access network device 1800 according to an exemplary embodiment, which may be a base station.

[0129] The access network device 1800 may include a processor 1801, a receiver 1802, a transmitter 1803, and a memory 1804. The receiver 1802, transmitter 1803, and memory 1804 are each connected to the processor 1801 via a bus.

[0130] The processor 1801 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1801 executes the beamforming method for the backhaul link provided in this embodiment by running software programs and modules. The memory 1804 can be used to store software programs and modules. Specifically, the memory 1804 can store an operating system 18041 and at least one application module 18042 required for a given function. The receiver 1802 is used to receive communication data sent by other devices, and the transmitter 1803 is used to send communication data to other devices.

[0131] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set, wherein the at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the backhaul link beam determination method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0132] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure also provides a computer program product, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the backhaul link beam determination method as provided in the various method embodiments described above.

[0133] It should be understood that "a plurality of" as used herein refers to two or more. Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0134] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A beam determination method for a backhaul link, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network control repeater, and the method includes: The beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link. Wherein, the backhaul link and the control link are links between the network control repeater and the access network equipment; the first channel includes a first downlink channel and / or a first uplink channel; Determining that the beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: The receive beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the receive beam of the first downlink channel on the control link; and / or, The transmit beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the transmit beam of the first uplink channel on the control link.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first downlink channel includes the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the first uplink channel includes the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The network control repeater does not simultaneously transmit and / or receive on the backhaul link and the control link.

4. A beam determination method for a backhaul link, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network control repeater, and the method includes: The beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the beam indicated by the Unified Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status, which is used to indicate the beam of the first channel on the control link. The backhaul link and the control link are the links between the network control repeater and the access network equipment.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first channel includes a first downlink channel and / or a first uplink channel, wherein the beam for determining the backhaul link is the beam indicated by the Uniform Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status, including: The receive beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the first downlink channel indicated by the unified TCI state; and / or, The transmit beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the beam of the first uplink channel indicated by the unified TCI status.

6. A beam determination method for a backhaul link, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network control repeater, and the method includes: When the network control repeater does not receive signals on the backhaul link and the control link simultaneously, it is determined that the receiving beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link. The backhaul link and the control link are the links between the network control repeater and the access network equipment.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first channel includes a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), wherein determining that the received beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: The receiving beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the receiving beam of the PDCCH.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The beam of the PDCCH is determined by the control resource set CORESET that carries the PDCCH, and the CORESET that carries the PDCCH includes the CORESET with index 0.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of determining that the received beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: The receive beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the beam indicated by the Unified Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status, which is used to indicate the receive beam on the control link.

10. A beam determination method for a backhaul link, characterized in that, The method is performed by a network control repeater, and the method includes: When the network control repeater transmits on the backhaul link and the control link at different times, it is determined that the transmission beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link, wherein the backhaul link and the control link are links between the network control repeater and the access network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first channel includes a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), wherein determining that the transmit beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: The transmit beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the same as the transmit beam of the PUCCH.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of determining that the transmit beam of the backhaul link is the same as the beam of the first channel on the control link includes: The transmit beam of the backhaul link is determined to be the beam indicated by the Unified Transmission Configuration Indication (TCI) status, which is used to indicate the transmit beam on the control link.

13. A network control repeater, characterized in that, The network control repeater includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the beam determination method for the backhaul link as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A terminal, characterized in that, The terminal includes: processor; A transceiver connected to the processor; The processor is configured to load and execute executable instructions to implement the beam determination method for the backhaul link as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is running, are used to implement the beam determination method for the backhaul link as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores at least one instruction, at least one program, code set, or instruction set, wherein the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set, or instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the beam determination method for the backhaul link as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the beam determination method for the backhaul link as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

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