Devices, methods and computer-readable media for communication

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for transmitting enhanced signals. According to embodiments of this disclosure, a network device transmits configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices. The network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband. In this manner, channel transmission performance can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to the field of communications, and more specifically to apparatus, methods and computer-readable media for full-duplex operation. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technology, several refined resource allocation methods have been introduced to enhance the performance of communication systems. For example, to easily utilize Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology, Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode has been researched and adopted, where time symbols can be configured as uplink (UL), downlink (DL), or flexible symbols. In this case, during a symbol period, the entire configured bandwidth part (BWP) or carrier can be used for communication in the corresponding link direction (e.g., UL or DL).

[0003] Furthermore, to enhance spectral efficiency, subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD) operation was proposed based on TDD mode. In SBFD operation, time units (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) (which may also be referred to as SBFD time units) can be divided into multiple frequency subbands in the frequency domain. These multiple frequency subbands can be used for different link directions, such as uplink (UL) frequency subbands or downlink (DL) frequency subbands. That is, for example, on a DL symbol configured with a UL subband, a network device can perform DL transmission on that DL subband and UL reception on the configured UL subband during this DL symbol period. In this case, the BWP or carrier during the SBFD time unit (e.g., this DL symbol) can be divided into multiple subbands, each configured for one link direction. However, the frequency resources during the SBFD time unit are still not fully utilized. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to apparatus, methods, and computer-readable media for full-duplex operation.

[0005] In a first aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor. The processor is configured to cause the network device to: transmit configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices. The network device will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0006] In a second aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor. The processor is configured to cause the terminal device to receive configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband from a network device. The network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband. The terminal device is further configured to perform downlink reception or uplink transmission on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided. In this method, the network device sends configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices. The network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided. In this method, the terminal device receives configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband from a network device. The network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband. The terminal device then performs either downlink reception or uplink transmission on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of the third to fourth aspects.

[0010] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The following description will help to understand other features of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Some example implementation schemes will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 Example environments are illustrated where some implementation schemes of this disclosure can be carried out; Figure 2 Example signaling procedures for full-duplex operation according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated; Figure 3 Examples of flexible frequency subbands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated; Figure 4Examples of overlapping subband full duplex (OSFD) operation (or flexible frequency subband) cycles according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. Figure 5 Examples of frequency position indications for flexible frequency sub-bands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated; Figures 6a to 6c Other examples of frequency position indication for flexible frequency sub-bands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated; Figures 7a to 7c Examples of subband partitioning formats provided by a list of subband format combinations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated; Figure 8 Examples of the same OSFD time unit from different device perspectives are illustrated in some embodiments of this disclosure; Figure 9 Flowcharts illustrating example methods implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 10 Flowcharts illustrating example methods implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 11 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0014] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0015] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device with wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to: user equipment (UE); personal computers; desktop computers; mobile phones; cellular phones; smartphones; personal digital assistants (PDAs); portable computers; tablets; wearable devices; Internet of Things (IoT) devices; Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC) devices; Internet of Everything (IoE) devices; machine-type communication (MTC) devices; devices on vehicles for V2X communication, where X refers to pedestrians, vehicles, or infrastructure / networks; devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB); devices for Small Data Transmission (SDT); mobility devices; devices for Multicast and Broadcast Service (MBS); devices for location services; devices for dynamic / flexible duplexing in commercial networks; RedCap (red-cap) devices; and non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In the context of a non-terrestrial network, spacecraft or aircraft vehicles are included. These non-terrestrial networks include satellites and high-altitude platforms (HAPs) encompassing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); extended reality (XR) devices that include different types of reality (such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR)); unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), often referred to as drones (aircraft without any human pilots); equipment on high-speed trains (HSTs); or image capture devices such as digital cameras and sensors; gaming devices; music storage and playback devices; or internet devices that enable wireless or wired internet access and browsing.The "terminal device" may also have "multicast / broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission-critical applications, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, radio services, wireless software delivery, group communications, and IoT applications. The "terminal device" may also incorporate one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), a latter case referred to as multi-SIM. The term "terminal device" is used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, wireless device, or a terminal device with reduced capabilities.

[0016] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a device capable of providing or hosting communication for terminal devices within a cell or coverage area. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, NodeBs (or NBs), evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs or eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), transmission reception points (TRPs), remote radio units (RRUs), radio heads (RHs), remote radio heads (RRHs), IAB nodes, low-power nodes (such as femtonodes and piconodes), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), network-controlled repeaters, etc.

[0017] Terminal or network devices may possess artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities. They typically include models trained on specific functions based on extensive data collection and capable of predicting information. Terminal or network devices can operate within several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410MHz to 7125MHz), FR2 (24.25GHz to 71GHz), 71GHz to 114GHz, and frequency bands above 100GHz and terahertz (THz). They can also operate on licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. In Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) applications, terminal devices may connect to more than one network device. Terminal or network devices can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0018] Network devices may feature network energy saving and self-organizing network (SON) / minimization of drive test (MDT) capabilities. Terminals may feature power saving capabilities.

[0019] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in test equipment (e.g., signal generator, signal analyzer, spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, test terminal equipment, test network equipment, channel simulator).

[0020] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), 5.5G, 5G-Advanced Networks, or sixth-generation (6G) networks.

[0021] In one embodiment, the terminal device can be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first and second network devices can be a master node, and the other can be a slave node. The first and second network devices can use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device can be a first RAT device, and the second network device can be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATs can be sent to the terminal device from at least one of the first and second network devices. In one embodiment, first information can be sent from the first network device to the terminal device, and second information can be sent from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, configuration-related information configured by the second network device for the terminal device can be sent from the second network device via the first network device. Reconfiguration-related information configured by the second network device for the terminal device can be sent from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device.

[0022] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “comprising” and its variations should be understood as open terms meaning “including, but not limited to.” The term “based on” should be understood as “at least partially based on.” The terms “one implementation” and “implementation” should be understood as “at least one implementation.” The term “another implementation” should be understood as “at least one other implementation.” The terms “first,” “second,” etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions are given below.

[0023] In some examples, values, processes, or devices are described as “best,” “lowest,” “highest,” “minimum,” “maximum,” etc. It should be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a choice can be made among many alternative functionalities used, and that such a choice is not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferred than other choices.

[0024] As used herein, the term "circuit" can refer to hardware circuitry and / or a combination of hardware circuitry and software. For example, a circuit can be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware. As another example, a circuit can be any part of a hardware processor with software, including digital signal processors, software, and memory, which work together to enable a device (such as a terminal device or network device) to perform various functions. In yet another example, a circuit can be hardware circuitry and / or a processor (such as a microprocessor or a portion thereof) that requires software / firmware to operate, but which may be absent when no software is required to operate. As used herein, the term "circuit" also encompasses a specific implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor, or a portion thereof, and its accompanying software and / or firmware. In this disclosure, subbands and frequency subbands are used interchangeably without any limitation. The group size of an RBG can also be referred to as the RBG size without any limitation. In this disclosure, a control channel can be used interchangeably with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) without any limitation.

[0025] In this disclosure, the term "flexible frequency subband" refers to a frequency resource range on which a network device can simultaneously perform DL transmission and UL reception, for example, by utilizing spatial division multiplexing (SDM) or code division multiplexing (CDM) technologies. Accordingly, the terminal device performs either DL reception or UL transmission on the flexible frequency subband. In this disclosure, the flexible frequency subband may also be referred to as an "overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD)" subband. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms "flexible frequency subband" and "flexible subband" are used interchangeably.

[0026] In addition, in this disclosure, performing simultaneous DL transmission and UL reception on a flexible frequency subband can also be referred to as "overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD)" operation. In this disclosure, a time unit configured with a flexible frequency subband can also be referred to as an "OSFD" time unit. Correspondingly, a time unit not configured with a flexible frequency subband can also be referred to as a non-OSFD time unit.

[0027] In addition, as mentioned above, time slots / symbols configured with SBFD communication or configured with SBFD can also be referred to as SBFD time slots / symbols, and time slots / symbols not configured with SBFD communication can also be referred to as non-SBFD time slots / symbols. Non-SBFD time units may include UL time slots / symbols and / or DL ​​time slots / symbols.

[0028] The term “physical resource block (PRB)” used in this article refers to the basic unit of resources in the frequency domain.

[0029] The term "OSFD-aware UE" as used in this document refers to a terminal device that obtains configuration information for the aforementioned flexible frequency subbands and supports OSFD operations with network devices.

[0030] In this disclosure, a time unit can be any measure in the time domain. For example, a time unit can be a frame, subframe, time slot, or symbol. Without any limitation, a time unit can be any other duration.

[0031] In this disclosure, the expression "frequency resources within a subband of an OSFD time unit" refers only to resources located within a subband relative to the frequency domain; however, if no duration is indicated, the duration of the resource need not be limited to an OSFD time unit.

[0032] In this disclosure, a time domain resource allocation (TDRA) list may indicate symbols used for downlink shared channel reception in at least one time slot. In this disclosure, the terms "TDRA list" and "TDRA table" are used interchangeably.

[0033] In this disclosure, the term “Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA)” as used herein can refer to frequency resource configuration information indicating frequency resources allocated to terminal equipment or data / control channels.

[0034] In this disclosure, the terms “downlink (DL) shared channel” and “physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)” are used interchangeably. The terms “uplink (UL) control channel” and “physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)” are used interchangeably.

[0035] As mentioned above, even in the SBFD mechanism, frequency resources during the SBFD time unit are still not fully utilized. For example, resources in the allocated subbands are configured for only one link direction. That is, network devices can only perform either DL transmission or UL reception on the frequency subband.

[0036] In view of the above, an example embodiment of this disclosure proposes a mechanism for full-duplex operation. Under this mechanism, a network device sends configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices. The network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband. Accordingly, one of the one or more terminal devices can perform DL reception or UL transmission on the flexible frequency subband.

[0037] In this way, by introducing overlapping sub-band full-duplex (OSFD) or "XDD" (as opposed to "TDD" or "FDD") operations, some DL or UL frequency resources can be used simultaneously for UL and DL transmissions at network devices. Therefore, frequency resource utilization can be improved, resulting in reduced DL / UL transmission latency.

[0038] The principles and implementation schemes of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 Example environment 100 is illustrated in which example implementations of this disclosure may be carried out.

[0039] Environment 100 may be part of a communication network, including network device 110, first terminal device 120, second terminal device 130, and third terminal device 140. In some embodiments, the communication network may include NTN, NB-IoT, and / or eMTC. In other embodiments, the communication network may include any other possible communication network. It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is given by way of illustration only and does not imply any limitation. The communication network may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in environment 100. Without any limitation, network device 110 supports OSFD operation. For example, network device 110 may simultaneously transmit downlink (DL) channels to terminal device 110 and receive UL channels from another terminal device 130 on a flexible frequency subband.

[0040] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of units and other objects described herein is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation on device environment 100. Device environment 100 may include any suitable number of functional units configured to implement the example embodiments disclosed herein. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in device environment 100.

[0041] Figure 2 Example signaling procedures 200 for full-duplex operation according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. For illustrative purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe the process 200.

[0042] In signaling 200, network device 110 sends (210-1 and 210-2) configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices (e.g., first terminal device 120, second terminal device 130, and third terminal device 140). Network device 110 will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with one or more terminal devices on the flexible frequency subband.

[0043] In this way, the concept of OSFD or XDD operation can be introduced into the communication system. Alternatively, flexible frequency subbands and OSFD time units can be defined or introduced. Specifically, OSFD or XDD operation can be performed in subbands where DL and UL overlap, and network devices can simultaneously transmit DL and receive UL within an OSFD time unit. For discussion purposes only, see references. Figure 3 Further discussion of the above implementation plan.

[0044] Figure 3 Examples of flexible frequency sub-bands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated. For example... Figure 3As shown, the subband 310 overlapping DL and UL can be a flexible frequency subband (which can also be called an OSFD subband), and the time unit configured with the OSFD subband can be called an OSFD time unit.

[0045] In this context, the DL and UL on the flexible frequency subband (or OSFD time unit) can be spatially multiplexed (SDM) or code-division multiplexed (CDM). That is, from the perspective of network device 120, the flexible frequency subband is part of a frequency resource, such as a set of RBs within a TDD / FDD / XDD carrier, which can be used simultaneously for UL transmission and DL transmission. In some implementations, the OSFD subband can be configured at the BWP level, subband level, or RB set level. Without any limitations, the OSFD subband can be located on one side of a BWP / carrier or in the middle of a BWP / carrier. Furthermore, as mentioned above, an OSFD time unit is defined as the time unit of the subband that the gNB will use for OSFD operation. With the aid of configuration information 215, both the time domain and frequency location of the OSFD subband used for OSFD operation are known to the OSFD-aware UE. In some implementations, the time and frequency locations of overlapping subbands within an XDD carrier can be configured by RRC, indicated by DCI, or implicitly obtained. Without any restrictions, the XDD carrier can be a dedicated carrier for full-duplex operation.

[0046] Re-reference Figure 2 In the example, such as Figure 2 As shown, network device 110 can send configuration information 215-1 (210-1) to first terminal device 120 and configuration information 215-2 (210-2) to second terminal device 130. Therefore, first terminal device 120 receives configuration information 215-1 (220), and second terminal device 120 receives configuration information 215-2 (230). In some embodiments, configuration information 215-1 and configuration information 215-2 may be the same. For example, network device 110 can broadcast common configuration information associated with flexible frequency subbands to one or more terminal devices including first terminal device 120 and second terminal device 130. Alternatively, configuration information 215-1 may be specific to first terminal device 120, and configuration information 215-2 may be specific to second terminal device 130. For example, network device 110 may also send first terminal device-specific messages including configuration information and second terminal device-specific messages including configuration information.

[0047] Without any restrictions, network device 110 may notify one or more terminal devices of configuration information associated with the flexible frequency subband in any other manner.

[0048] In this context, methods should be defined for how OSFD operations are implemented and how network device 110 is notified of the time and / or frequency locations of the subbands to be used for OSFD operations by one or more terminal devices. For example, one or more terminal devices may perform cross-link interference (CLI) measurements on the notified time and frequency locations.

[0049] In some implementations, the flexible frequency subband can be predefined, preconfigured, or semi-configured in the frequency domain, and network device 110 can indicate the location of the flexible frequency subband by using configuration information 215 to indicate the location in the time domain only. For example, the at least one flexible frequency subband can occur periodically. In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband, with its first period of occurrence, can be the same as the period of a time-division duplex (TDD) mode configured for one or more terminal devices. In addition, configuration information 215 can include indication information, and this indication information can indicate one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units including at least one flexible frequency subband within multiple time units in TDD mode. References are made for discussion purposes only. Figure 4 Further discussion of the above implementation plan.

[0050] Figure 4 Examples of overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) operation (or flexible frequency subband) cycles according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, the period of OSFD operation can be determined by the periodicity of the configured TDD DL / UL mode period. For example, the configured TDD DL / UL mode period is five time slots, and the OSFD operation period is the same five time slots. In this case, the period of OSFD operation or at least one flexible frequency subband in which it occurs can be equal to... tdd-UL-DL- in NR ConfigurationCommon cycle or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated cycle The period can be a symbol, a slot, or a subframe, and the subcarrier spacing (SCS) can be a reference SCS for the corresponding terminal device. Furthermore, within a TDD DL / UL mode period, a set of semi-static time units (e.g., UL, DL, or flexible time units) can be configured as OSFD time units. In the example, an OFSD subband with a length of 2 slots can occur in each period of 5 slots. The starting position can be the first slot within each TDD configuration period. For a TDD slot format configuration with 5 slot periods, a time-domain position for OSFD operation can exist for each TDD period of the TDD slot format. OSFD operation can then be applied to each TDD configuration period.

[0052] exist Figure 4 In the examples, the bitmap method can also be used to indicate which slots / symbols in that TDD cycle are available as OSFD slots / symbols. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the bitmap can be "00110", that is, the third and fourth time slots in a TDD DL UL mode cycle with five time slots are configured as OSFD time slots.

[0053] Re-reference Figure 2 Alternatively, the configuration information may directly indicate at least one flexible frequency sub-band period, relative to the TDDUL / DL mode period. In some embodiments, the configuration information may include at least one of the following: the period of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; the duration of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; or the time offset between the first time unit of the period and the start position of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the time domain.

[0054] In this example, new configuration parameters can be defined, such as the periodicity, time offset, and duration for OSFD operations. In this example, the configured period P... FD (ms) includes S=P•2 uref There are 1 time slot, of which the SCS configuration is 1. uref The indicated duration can be predefined starting from the first time slot of the indicated period and in units of time slots. Additionally, if an offset is configured, the starting time slot for this duration is from the offset time slot relative to the first time slot of the period. Accordingly, the terminal device can perform CLI measurements, UL transmissions, or DL ​​receptions on the indicated OSFD subband within the OSFD time unit.

[0055] In addition, in some implementations, if a set of time slots in the period configured in configuration information 215 can be configured as overlapping sub-band full-duplex time slots, then the duration is configured. Otherwise, only a predefined number of time slots (such as 1 or 2 time slots) can be OSFD time slots. For example, a network device can be configured as follows: the periodic PFD for OSFD operation is 5 (ms), the offset is 1, and the duration is 2, then time slots 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, and 12 are OSFD time slots.

[0056] In this way, on the OSFD time unit, the OSFD subband can be enabled or disabled on the UL / DL / F subband based on the new configured periodicity and duration / offset. Without any limitations, the above implementation can also be described as follows.

[0057] Still referencing Figure 2As a supplement or alternative to the predefined or pre-configured frequency position of at least one flexible frequency sub-band, the at least one flexible frequency sub-band may be indicated in the configuration information 215.

[0058] In some implementations, at least one flexible frequency subband can be implicitly determined through DL and UL frequency resource configuration / indication. In an example, configuration information 215 can indicate the at least one frequency subband by indicating the start and end physical resource block (PRB) indices for the downlink direction in the configured uplink time unit; or by indicating the start and end physical resource block (PRB) indices for the uplink direction in the configured downlink time unit. In this way, the at least one flexible subband (or the OSFD subband) can be derived from the RBs within both the configured UL and DL frequency resources.

[0059] In some implementations, the location of the flexible frequency sub-bands used for OSFD operation within the OSFD time unit can be included in cell-specific or UE-specific signaling such as tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon or tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationDedicated Then, the terminal device can... tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon The specific configuration of this community tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated The UE-specific configuration and DCI format 2_0 determine the time slot and carrier / BWP format. That is, IE ServingCellConfigCommon In tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationCommon and IE ServingCellConfig In tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated It may also include UL frequency resources and DL frequency resources within the serving cell. For clarity, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 Further discussion on the implementation plan.

[0060] Figure 5 Examples of frequency position indications for flexible frequency sub-bands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0061] like Figure 5 As shown, IE ServingCellConfigCommon In tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon It is indicated that time slots n and n+1 are DL time slots, and time slots n+2 and n+3 are UL time slots. Furthermore, tdd-UL-DL- ConfigurationCommon The start and end PRB indices for the UL direction are also configured in DL time slot n+1 (which correspondingly becomes an OSFD time slot), and the start and end PRB indices for the DL direction are configured in UL time slot n+2 (which correspondingly becomes an OSFD time slot). Through this configuration, the terminal device 110 can know the position of the OSFD sub-band within the OSFD time slot. Without any limitations, the above implementation can also be described as follows.

[0062] Re-reference Figure 2 As a supplement to or alternative to implicit determination, the frequency position of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band may be explicitly indicated. In some embodiments, configuration information 215 may include at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency time domain.

[0063] In the example, the terminal device can determine the overlapping subband frequency locations through explicit OSFD subband parameter indication or configuration. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine DL and UL resources through tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and DL / UL overlapping subband frequency configuration. The frequency location of the OSFD subband lies in either the DL or UL subband. Accordingly, within either the DL or UL subband, frequency resources outside the OSFD subband within the carrier / BWP that do not include frequency resources configured as guard bands (if any) can be considered as at least one subband with corresponding DL / UL attributes.

[0064] For example, in addition to tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon in IE ServingCellConfigCommon, network device 110 can also configure frequency positions for OSFD subbands for end devices. Based on tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and the frequency positions, the end device can determine the DL and UL resources in the carrier.

[0065] In the example, the size of the OSFD frequency subband can be BWP, such as the OSFD frequency subband starting from the beginning of the BWP, and the number of PRBs used for the OSFD frequency subband is equal to the size of the BWP.

[0066] In some implementations, the OSFD bandwidth can be predefined as equal to the bandwidth of the DL BWP or UL BWP, or the bandwidth of the DL BWP and UL BWP can be the same. For example, if tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon By configuring time slot #n as a DL time slot, the entire BWP can be considered as a DL resource / BWP. In this case, the further configured UL resource / BWP can be considered as the size of the OSFD frequency subband. Otherwise, if tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon By configuring time slot #n as a UL time slot, the entire BWP can be considered as a UL resource / BWP. In this case, the further configured DL resource / BWP can be considered as the size of the OSFD frequency subband. For discussion purposes only, see reference [link to relevant documentation]. Figures 6a to 6c Further discussion on the implementation plan.

[0067] Figures 6a to 6c Other examples of frequency position indication for flexible frequency sub-bands according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0068] like Figures 6a to 6c As shown, in tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon middle, Figure 6a The time slots in the configuration are set as DL time slots / symbols. Figure 6b The time slots in the configuration are set as flexible time slots / symbols, and Figure 6c The time slots are configured as UL time slots / symbols. Furthermore, the positions of flexible frequency sub-bands can be configured differently. With the above configuration, the terminal device can identify the DL and UL BWP, as well as DL / UL resources.

[0069] Still referencing Figure 2 In addition, or alternatively, configuration information 215 may also provide a subband partitioning format that may include the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0070] In some implementations, configuration information 215 may include a list of multiple subband format combinations, each list having multiple subband format combinations. Furthermore, at least one of the multiple subband format combinations may provide a subband partitioning format for a carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP). The subband partitioning format indicates the link attributes of frequency subbands among the multiple frequency subbands in the subband partitioning format, and the link attributes may be uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

[0071] In the example, all frequency subband resources in the carrier are considered flexible resources and can be defined and configured for OSFD-aware UE parameters. subbandformatcombinationlist For example, N subbandformat combination It can be included subbandformatcombinationlist In the middle, and subbandformatcombinationlist Each of them subbandformat combination Provides a UL / DL format for the subband list in the carrier / BWP during the OSFD duration. Then, network device 110 can further send downlink control information (DCI) in format 2_0 or format i_j, which indicates... subbandformat combination One of the indexes (e.g., subbandslotFormatCombinationid This is to notify the terminal device of the DL / UL attributes for each subband in multiple time slots within a duration T. As an example, Table 1 shows four subband format combinations and their corresponding indices (i.e., subbandslotFormatCombinationid )of subbandformatcombinationlist In this case, assuming the subband size is 20MHz, and through... subbandslotFormatCombinationidThis indicates that the terminal device can know the DL, UL, and F resources of each subband of the carrier / BWP.

[0072] Table 1 For discussion purposes only, please refer to Figures 7a to 7c Further discussion of the above implementation plan. Figures 7a to 7c Examples of subband partitioning formats provided by a list of subband format combinations according to some embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0073] like Figure 7a As shown, for time slot n+1, network device 110 can indicate an index that includes a combination of subband format combinations of subband partitions {D, D, D}. For example, OSFD subband 710 can be indicated as DL. Figure 7b As shown, for time slot n+1, network device 110 can indicate an index that includes a combination of subband format combinations of subband partitions {D, U, D}. For example, OSFD subband 720 can be indicated as UL. Figure 7c As shown, for time slot n+1, network device 110 can indicate an index that includes a combination of subband format combinations of subband partitions {D, F, D}. For example, OSFD subband 730 can still be indicated as a flexible frequency subband. Without any limitation, the above implementation can also be described as follows.

[0074] In addition, in some implementations, a first subband format combination list among multiple subband format combinations may be specific to a first terminal device 110 among one or more terminal devices, and a second subband format combination list among multiple subband format combinations may be specific to a second terminal device 120 among one or more terminal devices. Furthermore, the first and second subband format combination lists may be the same or different, and this may depend on the terminal device itself or communication requirements. In this case, network device 110 may further send a public message including an index of the subband format combination to one or more terminal devices. That is, since the subband format combination list may be specific to a terminal device, OSFD subbands can be coordinated and configured for the terminal devices. In this case, even if the message indicating the index of the subband format combination may be public to one or more terminal devices, potential CLIs can be avoided based on a specific subband format combination list. For example, Tables 2 and 3 below show the subband format combination list specific to the first terminal device 110 and the subband format combination list specific to the second terminal device 120, respectively.

[0075] Table 2 Table 3 Specifically, the subband format combinations in UL / DL / F formats for each subband in the subband list within the carrier / BWP during the OSFD duration can be included in the IE SlotFormatCombinationsPerCell. Different terminal devices in the same serving cell can be configured with different subband format combinations / tables. Then, UE-specific RRC signaling or group common DCI can indicate the SubbandFormatCombinationID to the terminal device. Even if the same subbandFormatCombination ID / index is indicated via group common DCI, different terminal devices can interpret different subband formats in the OSFD time unit, and therefore, the configured subband format combinations will also be different. In the examples in Tables 1 and 2, even if the subbandFormatIndicator is the same, for example, if the value of subbandFormatIndicator = 1, the subband format interpretation can still be different.

[0076] Alternatively, the list of subband format combinations may be public to one or more terminal devices, but the message indicating the index of the subband format combination may be specific to different terminal devices. In some embodiments, at least one list of subband format combinations is public to one or more terminal devices. In this case, network device 110 may send a first message specific to a first terminal device 120 among the one or more terminal devices, and the first message includes a first index of the subband format combination. Network device 110 may further send a second message specific to a second terminal device 130 among the one or more terminal devices, and the second message includes a second index of the subband format combination.

[0077] In a specific example, the RRC configuration SubbandFormatCombination Included in specific IEs in the community, such as ServingCellConfigCommon In addition, the UE-specific subband format indication indicates the subband format combination. SubbandFormatIndicator This can be included in the UE-specific DCI format e_f. In this case, different terminal devices can be configured with different... SubbandFormatIndicator Then, different terminal devices can... SubbandFormatCombination The text indicates that there are different combinations of sub-band formats. Therefore, different terminal devices can be based on... tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon and / or tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated The configuration determines the different subband formats used for OSFD time units. In the example, Table 4 shows a list of subband format combinations common to one or more terminal devices.

[0078] Table 4 As mentioned above, the subband format indicator can be carried by the UE-specific DCI. For example, the DCI format e_f can indicate subbandFormatCombinationid=1 to the first terminal device 120 (i.e., identifying {D, U, D}) and subbandCombinationid=3 to the second terminal device 130 (i.e., identifying {D, D, D}). Therefore, the first and second terminal devices can interpret different subband formats on the OSFD symbol.

[0079] Re-reference Figure 2 After configuring at least one frequency subband to one or more terminal devices, network device 110 may further send a link direction indication for at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices.

[0080] For example, besides with SubbandFormatCombinationID In addition to the method of combining subband format combination lists, one or more terminal devices may determine the time and frequency location of at least one flexible frequency subband after receiving configuration information 215, but still do not know which link direction these resources will be used for. In this case, network device 110 should further indicate link direction information.

[0081] In some implementations, network device 110 may send an indication of link direction for at least one flexible frequency subband to a terminal device among one or more terminal devices. For example... Figure 2 As shown in the example, network device 110 may send (240) a first indication 243 of the link direction to first terminal device 120. First terminal device 120 may accordingly receive (245) the first indication 243. Then, based on the first indication 243, first terminal device 120 may perform downlink reception from network device or uplink transmission to network device. Assuming the first indication 243 indicates the UL direction, first terminal device 120 may send (260) an uplink channel 255 to network device 110. Network device 110 may accordingly receive (250) the uplink channel 255.

[0082] Furthermore, network device 110 may send (270) a second indication 275 for the link direction to second terminal device 130. Second terminal device 130 may accordingly receive (278) the second indication 275. Then, based on the second indication 275, second terminal device 130 may perform downlink reception from network device 110 or uplink transmission to network device 110. Assume that first indication 243 indicates the DL direction. Then, network device 110 may send (280) a downlink channel 285 to second terminal device 130, and second terminal device 130 may accordingly receive (288) a downlink channel 285 from network device 110.

[0083] In view of the above, from the perspective of network device 110, at least one flexible frequency subband is a full-duplex subband on which network device 110 can simultaneously perform transmission and reception. Accordingly, on the terminal device side, this flexible frequency subband can ultimately be designated for a link direction.

[0084] Specifically, a flexible subband can be defined for OSFD operation. This flexible subband can be used for UL transmission and DL reception for different terminal devices. During the UL-DL configuration period P, semi-static cell-specific configuration information can configure some consecutive RB sets in the carrier as DL and some semi-statically configured consecutive RB sets in the carrier as UL. Furthermore, left RB sets in the carrier that are not configured as UL / DL can be considered flexible resources / subbands. In this case, the actual transmission direction of the flexible subband can be determined based on UE-specific configuration or scheduling or DCI format 2_x. Without any restrictions, the flexible subband can be configured in DL symbols and / or F symbols without configuring the transmission direction.

[0085] For non-OSFD-aware UEs, the candidate subband modes in the OSFD symbols can be configured to include {FU}, {UF}, {DF}, {FD}, {DFD}, and {UFU}, where "F" represents a flexible subband, "U" represents a UL subband, and "D" represents a DL subband. For OSFD-aware UEs, UE-specific RRC signaling or UE-specific DCI signaling can overwrite the flexible subband as a DL / UL subband, thus enabling OSFD operation.

[0086] Without any restrictions, the size of the flexible subband can be fixed or configured in the SIB. Furthermore, different flexible subbands can have different numbers of PRBs. A new IE can be defined for the flexible subband in 38.331 to determine the SCS and frequency position in the carrier for that flexible subband. Point A can be the reference starting point for the definition of each flexible subband. Alternatively, the size of the flexible subband can be directly equivalent to the configured UL / DL BWP. For discussion purposes only, the reference... Figure 8 Further discussion of the above implementation plan.

[0087] Figure 8 Examples of the same OSFD time unit from different device perspectives are illustrated in some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0088] like Figure 8As shown, the subband at the carrier edge can be configured as a flexible subband in cell-specific signaling. Then, via UE-specific signaling, network device 110 can schedule a second terminal device to perform DL transmission on this flexible subband. That is, from the perspective of UE2, this flexible frequency subband is a DL frequency subband. Furthermore, via UE-specific signaling, network device 110 can schedule a first terminal device 120 to perform UL transmission on this flexible subband. That is, from the perspective of the first terminal device, this flexible subband is a UL frequency subband. Correspondingly, from the perspective of network device 110, this flexible subband is an OSFD subband.

[0089] It should be understood that the above-described embodiments in this disclosure can be implemented in any combination without any limitation.

[0090] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a method 900 for communication implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. Method 900 may be implemented in... Figure 1 The network device shown is implemented at location 110. For discussion purposes, references will be made to... Figure 1 Method 900 is described. It should be understood that method 800 may include additional actions not shown and / or some actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0091] At point 910, network device 110 sends configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices. Network device 110 will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices on that at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0092] In some implementations, network device 110 may further send an indication of the link direction for the at least one flexible frequency subband to one of the terminal devices.

[0093] In some implementations, network device 110 performs downlink transmission and uplink data reception by: transmitting downlink data to one of the one or more terminal devices on a flexible frequency subband; and receiving uplink data from another of the one or more terminal devices on a flexible frequency subband.

[0094] In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs periodically.

[0095] In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs at a first period that is the same as the period of a time division duplex (TDD) mode configured for the terminal devices in the one or more terminal devices, and the configuration information includes indication information indicating one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units including the at least one flexible frequency subband within a plurality of time units in the TDD mode.

[0096] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: the period of the at least one flexible frequency subband; the duration of the at least one flexible frequency subband; or the time offset between the first time unit of the period and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency subband in the time domain.

[0097] In some implementations, the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband, and the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband by: indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the downlink direction in the configured uplink time unit; or indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the uplink direction in the configured downlink time unit.

[0098] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency time domain.

[0099] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one list of subband format combinations, each list having multiple subband format combinations, wherein: at least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for a carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP), and the subband partitioning format indicates link attributes for frequency subbands in the multiple frequency subbands of the subband partitioning format, and the link attributes include uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

[0100] In some implementations, the first subband format combination list in the at least one subband format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second subband format combination list in the at least one subband format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and wherein the network device 110 may further send a public message including an index of the subband format combination to the one or more terminal devices.

[0101] In some implementations, the list of at least one subband format combinations is public to the one or more terminal devices, and the network device may further: send a first message specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the first message including a first index of the subband format combinations; and send a second message specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second message including a second index of the subband format combinations.

[0102] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a method 1000 for communication implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is provided. Method 1000 can be implemented at... Figure 1 The terminal device 110 shown is implemented here. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 1000 is described. It should be understood that method 1000 may include additional actions not shown and / or some actions shown may be omitted, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0103] At point 1010, the first terminal device 120 receives configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband from the network device 110. The network device 110 will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with one or more terminal devices on the at least one flexible frequency subband. Then, the terminal device 120 performs either downlink reception or uplink transmission on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0104] In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband is used for uplink transmission or downlink reception of the terminal device, and the terminal device 120 may perform downlink reception or uplink transmission by receiving an indication from the network device for the link direction of the at least one flexible frequency subband; and based on the indication, performing downlink reception from the network device or uplink transmission to the network device.

[0105] In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs periodically.

[0106] In some implementations, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs at the same first period as the period configured for a time division duplex (TDD) mode for the terminal device, and the configuration information includes indication information indicating one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units including the at least one flexible frequency subband within a plurality of time units in the TDD mode.

[0107] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: the period of the at least one flexible frequency subband; the duration of the at least one flexible frequency subband; or the time offset between the first time unit of the period and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency subband in the time domain.

[0108] In some implementations, the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband, and the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband by: indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end PRB index for the downlink direction in the configured uplink time unit; or indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end PRB index for the uplink direction in the configured downlink time unit.

[0109] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency subband in the frequency domain.

[0110] In some implementations, the configuration information includes at least one list of subband format combinations, each list having multiple subband format combinations, and wherein: at least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for a carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP), the subband partitioning format indicating link attributes for frequency subbands in the multiple frequency subbands of the subband partitioning format, and the link attributes including uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

[0111] In some implementations, the first subband format combination list in the at least one subband format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second subband format combination list in the at least one subband format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and wherein the terminal device may further: receive a public message including an index of subband format combinations from a network device.

[0112] In some implementations, the list of at least one subband format combinations is public to the one or more terminal devices including the terminal device, and wherein the terminal device may further: receive a terminal device-specific message, and the message includes an index of the subband format combinations.

[0113] Figure 11 This is a simplified block diagram of device 1100 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 1100 can be considered as follows: Figure 1The network device 110, the first terminal device 120, or the second terminal device 130 shown are further example embodiments. Therefore, device 1100 may be implemented in or be implemented as at least a part of the aforementioned network device or terminal device.

[0114] As shown in the figure, device 1100 includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, a suitable transceiver 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interface coupled to the transceiver 1140. The memory 1110 stores at least a portion of a program 1130. Depending on the requirements, the transceiver 1140 can be used for bidirectional or unidirectional communication. The transceiver 1140 may include at least one of a transmitter 1142 and a receiver 1144. The transmitter 1142 and receiver 1144 may be functional modules or physical entities. The transceiver 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication; however, in practice, the access node mentioned in this application may have several antennas. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as the X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, the S1 / NG interface for communication between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and eNBs / gNBs, the Un interface for communication between eNBs / gNBs and relay nodes (RNs), or the Uu interface for communication between eNBs / gNBs and terminal equipment.

[0115] Assume that program 1130 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1110, enable device 1100 to operate according to embodiments of this disclosure, as referenced herein. Figures 1 to 10 The embodiments discussed herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1110 of device 1100, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1110 may be configured to implement various embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the processor 1110 and the memory 1120 may form a processing unit 1150 suitable for implementing various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0116] Memory 1120 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, as non-limiting examples, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. Although only one memory 1120 is shown in device 1100, several physically different memory modules may exist in device 1100. Processor 1110 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Device 1100 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-dependent on a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0117] In some implementations, the terminal device includes circuitry configured to perform method 900.

[0118] In some implementations, the network device includes circuitry configured to perform method 1000.

[0119] The components included in the apparatus and / or device disclosed herein can be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware (e.g., machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium). As a supplement to or alternative to the machine-executable instructions, some or all of the units in the apparatus and / or device may be implemented at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc.

[0120] Generally, various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other illustrations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, terminal devices, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or any combination thereof.

[0121] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions (such as those included in program modules) that execute on a target real or virtual processor in a device to perform the functions described above. Figures 2 to 1 The process or method described in any of 7. Generally, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of a program module can be combined in various implementation schemes or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions used for a program module can be executed on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0122] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0123] The aforementioned program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. Machine-readable media may include, but are not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0124] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or to perform all the illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. In some environments, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. While several specific implementation details are included in the discussion above, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular implementations. Certain features described in the context of individual implementations may also be implemented in a single implementation in combination. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple implementations.

[0125] Although this disclosure has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims.

[0126] In summary, the implementation schemes disclosed herein can provide the following solutions.

[0127] A network device includes a processor configured to cause the network device to send configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices, wherein on the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices.

[0128] In one embodiment, the network device is further configured to send an indication of the link direction for the at least one flexible frequency subband to one of the one or more terminal devices.

[0129] In one implementation, the network device performs downlink transmission and uplink data reception by: transmitting downlink data to one of the one or more terminal devices on a flexible frequency subband; and receiving uplink data from another of the one or more terminal devices on a flexible frequency subband.

[0130] In one implementation, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs periodically.

[0131] In one embodiment, wherein: the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs at a first period that is the same as the period of a time division duplex (TDD) mode configured for the terminal devices in the one or more terminal devices, and the configuration information includes indication information indicating one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units including the at least one flexible frequency subband within a plurality of time units in the TDD mode.

[0132] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: the period of the at least one flexible frequency subband; the duration of the at least one flexible frequency subband; or the time offset between the first time unit of the period and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency subband in the time domain.

[0133] In one embodiment, the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband, and the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband by: indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the downlink direction in the configured uplink time unit; or indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the uplink direction in the configured downlink time unit.

[0134] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency time domain.

[0135] In one implementation, the configuration information includes at least one list of subband format combinations, each list of subband format combinations including multiple subband format combinations, and wherein: at least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for a carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP), the subband partitioning format indicating link attributes for frequency subbands in the multiple frequency subbands of the subband partitioning format, and the link attributes including uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

[0136] In one embodiment, the first sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and the network device is further configured to send a public message including an index of the sub-band format combination to the one or more terminal devices.

[0137] In one embodiment, the at least one subband format combination list is public to the one or more terminal devices, and the network device is further configured to: send a first message specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the first message including a first index of the subband format combination; and send a second message specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second message including a second index of the subband format combination.

[0138] A terminal device includes a processor configured to cause a network device to: receive configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband, wherein on the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with one or more terminal devices; and perform downlink reception or uplink transmission on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0139] In one embodiment, the at least one flexible frequency subband is used for uplink transmission or downlink reception of the terminal device, and the terminal device is configured to perform downlink reception or uplink transmission by: receiving an indication from the network device of the link direction for the at least one flexible frequency subband; and, based on the indication, performing downlink reception from the network device or uplink transmission to the network device.

[0140] In one implementation, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs periodically.

[0141] In one embodiment, the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs at a first period that is the same as the period of a time division duplex (TDD) mode configured for the terminal device, and the configuration information includes indication information indicating one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units including the at least one flexible frequency subband within a plurality of time units in the TDD mode.

[0142] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: the period of the at least one flexible frequency subband; the duration of the at least one flexible frequency subband; or the time offset between the first time unit of the period and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency subband in the time domain.

[0143] In one embodiment, the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband, and the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency subband by: indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the downlink direction in the configured uplink time unit; or indicating the index of the start physical resource block (PRB) and the end physical resource block (PRB) for the uplink direction in the configured downlink time unit.

[0144] In one embodiment, the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency domain.

[0145] In one implementation, the configuration information includes at least one list of subband format combinations, each list of subband format combinations including multiple subband format combinations, and wherein: at least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for a carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP), the subband partitioning format indicating link attributes for frequency subbands in the multiple frequency subbands of the subband partitioning format, and the link attributes including uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

[0146] In one embodiment, the first sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and the terminal device is further configured to: receive a public message from the network device including an index of the sub-band format combinations.

[0147] In one embodiment, the list of at least one subband format combination is public to the one or more terminal devices including the terminal device, and the terminal device is further configured to receive a terminal device-specific message, the message including an index of the subband format combination.

[0148] A communication method comprising: sending configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband to one or more terminal devices by a network device, wherein on the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices.

[0149] A communication method comprising: receiving configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband from a network device by a terminal device, wherein on the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device performs both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with one or more terminal devices; and performing downlink reception or uplink transmission on the at least one flexible frequency subband.

[0150] A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method described above.

Claims

1. A network device, the network device comprising: Processor, the processor being configured to cause the network device to: Send configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency sub-band to one or more terminal devices. On the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices.

2. The network device according to claim 1, wherein the network device is further configured such that: Send an indication of the link direction for the at least one flexible frequency subband to one of the one or more terminal devices.

3. The network device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the network device performs the downlink transmission and the uplink data reception by: The downlink transmission is transmitted to a terminal device among the one or more terminal devices on the flexible frequency subband; as well as The uplink reception is received from another terminal device among the one or more terminal devices on the flexible frequency subband.

4. The network device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one flexible frequency subband occurs periodically.

5. The network device according to claim 4, wherein: The at least one flexible frequency sub-band occurs at the same period as the period configured for the time division duplex (TDD) mode of the terminal devices in the one or more terminal devices, and The configuration information includes indication information that indicates one or more overlapping subband full duplex (OSFD) time units, including the at least one flexible frequency subband, within multiple time units in the TDD mode.

6. The network device according to claim 4, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: The period of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; The duration of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; or The time offset between the first time unit in the cycle and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the time domain.

7. The network device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency sub-band, and wherein the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency sub-band by at least one of the following: The configured uplink time unit indicates the index of the starting physical resource block (PRB) and the ending PRB for the downlink direction; or The downlink time unit configuration indicates the index of the starting physical resource block (PRB) and the ending PRB for the uplink direction.

8. The network device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency time domain.

9. The network device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the configuration information includes at least one sub-band format combination list, each sub-band format combination list having multiple sub-band format combinations, and wherein: At least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for the carrier or bandwidth part (BWP). The subband partitioning format indicates the link attributes of frequency subbands among multiple frequency subbands in the subband partitioning format, and The link attributes include uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the first sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and wherein the network device is further such that: Send a public message including an index of sub-band format combinations to the one or more terminal devices.

11. The network device of claim 9, wherein the at least one subband format combination list is common to the one or more terminal devices, and wherein the network device is further configured such that: Sending a first message specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and the first message including a first index of a sub-band format combination; and Send a second message specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and the second message includes a second index of a sub-band format combination.

12. A terminal device, the terminal device comprising: Processor, the processor being configured to cause the network device to: Receive configuration information associated with at least one flexible frequency subband from a network device, wherein on the at least one flexible frequency subband, the network device will perform both downlink transmission and uplink reception associated with the one or more terminal devices; as well as Perform downlink reception or uplink transmission on at least one flexible frequency subband.

13. The terminal device of claim 12, wherein the at least one flexible frequency sub-band is used for uplink transmission or downlink reception of the terminal device, and wherein the terminal device is configured to perform the downlink reception or the uplink transmission by: Receive from the network device an indication of the link direction for the at least one flexible frequency subband; and Based on the instruction, receive from the downlink of the network device or send to the uplink of the network device.

14. The terminal device according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the at least one flexible frequency sub-band occurs periodically.

15. The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein: The at least one flexible frequency sub-band occurs at the same period as the period configured for the time division duplex (TDD) mode of the terminal device, and The configuration information includes indication information that indicates one or more overlapping subband full-duplex (OSFD) time units, including the at least one flexible frequency subband, within multiple time units in the TDD mode.

16. The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the configuration information includes at least one of the following: The period of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; The duration of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band; or The time offset between the first time unit in the cycle and the starting position of the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the time domain.

17. The terminal device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency sub-band, and wherein the configuration information indicates the at least one flexible frequency sub-band by at least one of the following: The configured uplink time unit indicates the index of the starting physical resource block (PRB) and the ending PRB for the downlink direction; or The downlink time unit configuration indicates the index of the starting physical resource block (PRB) and the ending PRB for the uplink direction.

18. The terminal device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the configuration information includes at least one frequency position parameter for determining the at least one flexible frequency sub-band in the frequency domain.

19. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the configuration information includes at least one sub-band format combination list, each sub-band format combination list having multiple sub-band format combinations, and wherein: At least one of the multiple subband format combinations provides a subband partitioning format for the carrier or bandwidth portion (BWP). The subband partitioning format indicates the link attributes of frequency subbands among multiple frequency subbands in the subband partitioning format, and The link attributes include uplink attributes, downlink attributes, or flexible attributes.

20. The terminal device of claim 19, wherein the first sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a first terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, the second sub-band format combination list in the at least one sub-band format combination list is specific to a second terminal device among the one or more terminal devices, and wherein the terminal device is further such that: Receive a public message from the network device, which includes an index of subband format combinations.

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