Multiple prach transmission in cross partition duplex

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a communication apparatus and method for multiple physical random access channel (multi-PRACH) transmissions in cross-duplexing (XDD), the apparatus comprising: circuitry to determine a random access channel occasion (RO) group from a plurality of RO groups for the multi-PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and a transmitter to transmit a preamble on the one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs comprise at least one RO in sub-band non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD) symbols or at least one RO in non-SBFD symbols.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following disclosure relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method, and more specifically, to multiple physical random access channels (multiple PRACH) transmission in cross-split duplex (XDD). Background Technology

[0002] In Rel. 18, for example in Technical Report (TR) 38.858, NR duplex operation (e.g., cross-division duplex (XDD)) has been studied. One of the main topics discussed in Rel. 18 is the study of how to enable Subband Non-overlapping Full-Duplex (SBFD) within legacy Time Division Duplex (TDD) bands, which allows for the simultaneous existence of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) within legacy TDD bands, where subbands are used to divide the transmission direction. For XDD operation, an SBFD symbol is defined as an OFDM symbol with a UL subband that the gNB can use for UL transmission. SBFD symbols can be legacy DL symbols and / or legacy flexible symbols. Non-SBFD symbols can be legacy UL symbols. Subband Non-overlapping Full-Duplex (SBFD) can be referred to as Subband Full-Duplex. A work item for Rel. 19 XDD has recently been approved, one of the objectives of which is to specify XDD operation to support random access in Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected mode and RRC idle / inactive mode [RP-234035].

[0003] Based on simulation results from a technical report used to study NR coverage enhancement in Rel.17, the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) was identified as a coverage bottleneck channel. As a remedy, in Rel.18, multiple PRACH transmissions with the same beam were specified only in non-SBFD symbols to enhance coverage. However, there is currently no solution to achieve multiple PRACH transmissions for UEs with SBFD functionality, allowing them to benefit from the introduction of SBFD symbols in XDD operation to improve PRACH coverage.

[0004] Therefore, a communication apparatus and method for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD are needed to solve the above-mentioned problems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the background art of this disclosure, based on the following detailed description and the appended claims. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments help to provide communication apparatus and communication methods for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD.

[0006] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a communication apparatus comprising: circuitry that determines a group of ROs (also referred to as physical random access channel timings) from a plurality of random access channel timing (RO) groups for transmission of a plurality of physical random access channels (PRACH), each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and a transmitter that transmits a preamble on one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0007] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides a communication device comprising: a transmitter that transmits control information relating to a group of ROs in a plurality of RO groups for a plurality of PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and a receiver that receives a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO groups, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in an SBFD symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0008] In a third aspect, this disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: determining an RO group from a plurality of RO groups for a plurality of PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and transmitting a preamble on one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in SBFD symbols or at least one RO in non-SBFD symbols.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, this disclosure provides a communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: transmitting control information relating to a group of ROs in a plurality of RO groups for a plurality of PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and receiving a preamble on the one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in an SBFD symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0010] Additional benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and accompanying drawings. Benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually from the various embodiments and features in the specification and drawings, and not all of them need to be provided to obtain one or more such benefits and / or advantages. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are used to illustrate various embodiments and explain the various principles and advantages according to the embodiments, wherein the same reference numerals in the various views refer to the same or functionally similar elements, and the drawings, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated in and form a part of the specification.

[0012] Figure 1 An exemplary 3GPP Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) architecture to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the functional division between NG-RAN and 5GC, to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied, is depicted.

[0014] Figure 3 A sequence diagram depicts a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment / reconfiguration process to which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0015] Figure 4 The illustration depicts use cases of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) that can be applied to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary 5G system architecture for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication in non-roaming scenarios is shown.

[0017] Figure 6 A graph showing a comparison between the old (Rel. 15 / 16 / 17) TDD and the 18 / 19 XDD TDD is presented.

[0018] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication apparatus for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a method for multiple PRACH transfers in XDD according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another method for multiple PRACH transfers in XDD according to various embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 10 An example of a multi-PRACH transport with a RO in an SBFD symbol and a shared RO in a non-SBFD symbol is shown.

[0022] Figure 11 An example of a multi-PRACH transmission with RO in an SBFD symbol and separate RO in a non-SBFD symbol is shown.

[0023] Figure 12 The time configuration for a UE with SBFD capability is shown. and time configuration for legacy UEs An example of multiple PRACH transports.

[0024] Figure 13 This demonstrates how to use existing methods in non-SBFD symbols. An example of determining 8 groups of ROs for 2 PRACHs for the period.

[0025] Figure 14 An example is shown of how to disregard ROs in non-SBFD symbols when determining groups of ROs based on existing methods.

[0026] Figure 15 An example is shown of how to disregard the RO in the SBFD symbol when determining the group of RO based on existing methods.

[0027] Figure 16 An example is shown on how to determine the RO group for 2 PRACHs based on the virtual RO as the starting point.

[0028] Figure 17 This demonstrates how to configure based on time. A two-layer search process is applied to each UL subband to determine examples of ROs groups for the two PRACHs.

[0029] Figure 18 A diagram illustrating an example of a detailed RRC establishment process between a UE and a gNB for enabling multi-PRACH transmission in XDD, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 19 A flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a UE for enabling multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0031] Figure 20 A flowchart illustrating a communication method for enabling multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD, implemented by a gNB according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will understand that the elements in the accompanying drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily depicted to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the illustrations, block diagrams, or flowcharts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid in an accurate understanding of this embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Some embodiments of this disclosure will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals and characters in the drawings denote the same elements or equivalents.

[0034] 3GPP has been working on the next version of fifth-generation cellular technology (5G), including developing new radio access technology (NR) that operates in a frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, which allowed for trials of 5G NR-compliant smartphones and commercial deployment.

[0035] The second version of the 5G standard was completed in June 2020, which further expanded the scope of 5G to new services, spectrum and deployments, such as unlicensed spectrum (NR-U), non-public networks (NPN), time-sensitive networks (TSN) and cellular V2X.

[0036] Among other things, the overall system architecture assumes that the gNB's NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) provides the UE with NG-Radio Access User Plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and Control Plane (RRC) protocol termination. gNBs interconnect with each other via the Xn interface. gNBs also connect to the NGC (Next Generation Core) via the Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically, to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Functions) (e.g., specific core entities performing the AMF) via the NG-C interface, and to the UPF (User Plane Functions) (e.g., specific core entities performing the UPF) via the NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture in... Figure 1 As shown in (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v16.3.0).

[0037] The user plane protocol stack for NR (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, Section 4.4.1) includes PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol, see Section 6.4 of TS 38.300), RLC (Radio Link Control, see Section 6.3 of TS 38.300), and MAC (Media Access Control, see Section 6.2 of TS 38.300) sublayers, which terminate in the gNB on the network side. Additionally, a new Access Layer (AS) sublayer (SDAP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, Subclause 6.5 of 3GPP TS38.300). A control plane protocol stack is also defined for NR (see, for example, TS 38.300, Section 4.4.2). An overview of Layer 2 functions is given in Subclause 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers are listed in Sections 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functionality of the RRC layer is listed in Sub-clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0038] For example, the media access control layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling different parameter sets.

[0039] The Physical Layer (PHY) is responsible for tasks such as encoding, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also handles the mapping from transport channels to physical channels. The Physical Layer provides services to the MAC Layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmission on a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) for uplink; PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) for downlink; and PSSCH (Physical Sidelink Shared Channel), PSCCH (Physical Sidelink Control Channel), and PSFCH (Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel) for sidelinks (SL).

[0040] SL uses SL resource allocation modes, physical layer signals / channels, and physical layer procedures to support UE-to-UE direct communication. Two New Radio (NR) SL resource allocation modes are supported: (a) Mode 1, where NR SL resource allocation is provided by the network; and (b) Mode 2, where the UE determines the NR SL transmission resources in the resource pool. Two SL resource allocation modes are applicable to LTE V2X: (a) Mode 3, where LTE SL resource allocation is scheduled by the eNB and is primarily used for transmitting periodically occurring messages; and (b) Mode 4, where the UE autonomously determines the LTE SL transmission resources in the resource pool.

[0041] The PSCCH indicates the resources and other transmission parameters used by the UE for PSSCH. PSCCH transmission is associated with the demodulation reference signal (DMRS). The transport blocks (TBs) of the PSSCH data itself are used for control information in the HARQ process and for triggering channel state information (CSI) feedback, etc. At least 6 orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols within a time slot are used for PSSCH transmission. PSSCH transmission is associated with the DMRS and may also be associated with the phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS).

[0042] The PSFCH carries HARQ feedback from the UE, the intended receiver of the PSFCH transmission, to the UE performing the transmission via the SL. The PSFCH sequence is transmitted in a PRB that is repeated on two OFDM symbols near the end of the SL resource in the time slot.

[0043] The SL synchronization signal consists of the SL primary synchronization signal and the SL secondary synchronization signals (S-PSS and S-SSS), each occupying 2 symbols and 127 subcarriers. The Physical Side Link Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) occupies 9 and 5 symbols for normal and extended cyclic prefix cases, respectively, including the associated demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0044] Regarding the physical layer procedure for HARQ feedback used in sidelinks, SL HARQ feedback uses the PSFCH and can operate in one of two options. In one option, which can be configured for unicast and multicast, the PSFCH uses resources dedicated to a single PSFCH transmission for UEs to transmit ACK or NACK. In the other option, which can be configured for multicast, the PSFCH transmits NACK on resources that can be shared by multiple PSFCH transmission UEs, or does not transmit PSFCH signals.

[0045] In SL resource allocation mode 1, the UE that receives the PSFCH can report SLHARQ feedback to the gNB via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0046] Regarding the physical layer procedure for power control of sidelinks, for in-coverage operations, the power spectral density of SL transmission can be adjusted based on the path loss from the gNB, while for unicast, some of the power spectral density of SL transmission can be adjusted based on the path loss between the two communicating UEs.

[0047] Regarding the physical layer procedures used for CSI reporting, for unicast, a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is supported for CSI measurement and reporting in the sidelink. CSI reports are carried in the SL MAC CE.

[0048] For side-link measurements, the following UE measurements are supported: PSBCH Reference Signal Received Power (PSBCH RSRP); PSSCH reference signal received power (PSSCH-RSRP); PSCCH Reference Signal Received Power (PSCCH-RSRP); Sidelink Received Signal Strength Indicator (SL RSSI); Sidelink channel occupancy rate (SLCR); Sidelink Channel Busy Ratio (SL CBR).

[0049] For XDD operation, the frequency domain (or frequency resources or frequency bandwidth) is divided into multiple frequency domains (also referred to as, for example, sub-bands, RB sets, sub-bandwidths, or sub-BWPs (bandwidth portions)). The terminal performs transmission and reception in one direction (e.g., downlink or uplink direction) on a unit of sub-bands, which are the divided domains. For SBFD symbols, the terminal can perform transmission / reception in one of the uplink and downlink directions, and may not perform transmission / reception in the other direction. On the other hand, the base station may be able to perform uplink and downlink transmission / reception simultaneously. Compared to symbols that only perform downlink transmission / reception, SBFD symbols can have less frequency domain available for downlink. Furthermore, compared to symbols that only perform uplink transmission / reception, SBFD symbols can have less frequency domain available for uplink.

[0050] Furthermore, for SBFD symbols, the terminal can simultaneously perform uplink and downlink transmission / reception. In this case, the frequency domain transmitted by the terminal and the frequency domain received by the terminal do not need to be adjacent, and a frequency interval (also known as a frequency gap) can be provided between them.

[0051] In addition, sidelink transmission / reception may be included as a transmission / reception direction in units of subbands that are divided into domains.

[0052] NR use cases / deployment scenarios can include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), each with different requirements in terms of data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink) and user experience rates approximately three times that offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, URLLC places more stringent requirements on ultra-low latency (0.5ms for both UL and DL for the user plane) and high reliability (1-10-5 within 1ms). Finally, mMTC may preferably require high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km² in urban environments), large coverage in harsh environments, and extremely long-life batteries (15 years) for low-cost devices.

[0053] Therefore, a set of OFDM parameters suitable for one use case (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, number of symbols per scheduling interval) may not be suitable for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require shorter symbol durations (and therefore larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also known as transmission time interval (TTI)) compared to mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spread may preferably require longer CP durations than scenarios with short delay spread. Subcarrier spacing should be optimized accordingly to maintain similar CP overhead. NR can support more than one value for subcarrier spacing. Accordingly, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz… are currently being considered. Symbol duration Tu and subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related by the formula Δf = 1 / Tu. In a manner similar to that in LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to represent the smallest resource unit consisting of a subcarrier of length one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0054] In the new 5G-NR radio system, for each parameter set and carrier, resource grids for subcarriers and OFDM symbols are defined for both uplink and downlink. Each element in the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on its frequency index in the frequency domain and its symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.3.0).

[0055] Figure 2 This illustration shows a functional partitioning between NG-RAN and 5GC to which exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be applied. The NG-RAN logical nodes are gNBs or ng-eNBs. The 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0056] Specifically, gNB and / or ng-eNB host the following key functions: - Functions for radio resource management, such as radio bearer control, radio access control, connection mobility control, and dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink. - Data IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection; - When a route to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE, the AMF is selected when the UE is attached; - Route user plane data to UPF; - Routing control plane information to the AMF; - Connection establishment and release; - Scheduling and transmission of paging messages; - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originating from AMF or OAM); - Configuration for measurement and measurement reporting for mobility and scheduling; - Transport-level packet marking in the uplink; - Session management; - Supports network slicing; - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; - Supports UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state; - NAS message distribution functionality; - Shared radio access network; - Dual connection; - Seamless interoperability between NR and E-UTRA.

[0057] - The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following key functions: - Non-access stratum NAS signaling termination; - NAS signaling security; - Access layer AS security control; - Core network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks; - Idle mode UE reachability (including paging retransmission control and execution); - Registration area management; - Supports intra-system and inter-system mobility; - Access authentication; - Access authorization, including roaming permission checks; - Mobility management controls (subscriptions and policies); - Supports network slicing; - Session management function SMF selection.

[0058] In addition, the User Plane Function UPF hosts the following main functions: - Anchor points used for mobility within / between RATs (where applicable); - External PDU session points for interconnection to the data network; - Packet routing and forwarding; - Group checks and user plane components for policy rule enforcement; - Traffic usage report; - Uplink classifier, used to support routing of service flows to the data network; - Supports branching points for multi-homed PDU sessions; - Used for QoS processing in the user plane, such as packet filtering, gating, and UL / DL rate implementation; - Uplink service verification (SDF to QoS flow mapping); - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering.

[0059] Finally, the session management function SMF hosts the following main functions: - Session management; - UE IP address allocation and management; - Selection and control of the UP function; - Configure traffic routing at the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination; - Policy enforcement and QoS control; - Downlink data notification.

[0060] Figure 3 This document illustrates some interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) in the context of the UE's transition from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED for the NAS portion (see TS 38.300v16.3.0). The transition steps are as follows: 1. The UE requests to establish a new connection from RRC_IDLE.

[0061] 2 / 2a. gNB completes the RRC setup process.

[0062] Note: The following explains the scenarios in which gNB rejects requests.

[0063] 3. The first NAS message from the UE, piggybacked in RRCSetupComplete, is sent to the AMF.

[0064] 4 / 4a / 5 / 5a. Additional NAS messages can be exchanged between the UE and AMF, see TS 23.502.

[0065] 6. The AMF prepares UE context data (including PDU session context, security key, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB.

[0066] 7 / 7a. gNB activation and UE AS security.

[0067] 8 / 8a. gNB performs a reconfiguration to set up SRB2 and DRB.

[0068] 9.gNB notifies that the AMF setup process is complete.

[0069] RRC is a higher-level signaling (protocol) used for UE and gNB configuration. Specifically, this transition involves the AMF preparing UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, and UE security capabilities) and sending it to the gNB along with an initial context establishment request. The gNB then activates AS security with the UE, which is performed by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. The gNB then performs reconfiguration to establish Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB) by sending an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE and receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete message from the UE in response. For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped because SRB2 and DRBs are not set. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the establishment process is complete with an initial context establishment response.

[0070] Figure 4 This illustrates some use cases for 5G NR. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio (3GPP NR), three use cases are being considered, envisioned to support a wide variety of services and applications via IMT-2020. The first phase of specifications for Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) has been completed. In addition to further expanding eMBB support, current and future work will involve the standardization of Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) and Massive Machine-Type Communications. Figure 4 Examples of anticipated use cases for IMT in 2020 and beyond are shown (see, for example, ITU-R M.2083). Figure 2 ).

[0071] URLLC use cases have stringent requirements for capabilities such as throughput, latency, and availability, and have been envisioned as one of the driving forces for future vertical applications, such as wireless control of industrial manufacturing or production processes, telemedicine surgery, distribution automation in smart grids, and transportation safety. Ultra-reliability of URLLC is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set forth in TR 38.913. For NR URLLC in Release 15, key requirements include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms for UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms for DL ​​(downlink). The general URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a BLER (Block Error Rate) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0072] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in a variety of ways. Current approaches to improving reliability involve defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact downlink control information (DCI) format, and PDCCH repetition. However, as NR becomes more stable and evolves (a critical requirement for NR URLLC), the scope for achieving ultra-reliability may expand. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Rel.15 include augmented reality / virtual reality (AR / VR), eHealth, eSafety, and mission-critical applications.

[0073] Furthermore, the technical enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Enhancements for latency improvement include configurable digital schemes, slotless scheduling with flexible mapping, unlicensed (configured licensed) uplinks, slot-level repetition for data channels, and downlink preemption. Preemption means stopping a transmission for which resources have already been allocated, and using those resources for another transmission that is requested later but has lower latency / higher priority requirements. Thus, an already licensed transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption can be applied independently of a specific service type. For example, a transmission in service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission in service type B (e.g., eMBB). Technical enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for the target BLER of 1E-5.

[0074] The use cases for mMTC (massive machine-type communication) are characterized by a very large number of connected devices typically sending relatively small amounts of non-latency-sensitive data. The devices need to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From an NR (Radio Frequency Identification) perspective, utilizing a very narrow bandwidth is a possible solution for saving power and achieving long battery life from the UE's perspective.

[0075] As mentioned above, the range of reliability expected in NR becomes broader. A key requirement across all scenarios, especially essential for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered to improve reliability from both radio and network perspectives. Typically, there are several key potential areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, data / control channel repetition, and diversity in the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas generally apply to reliability regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0076] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements have been identified, such as factory automation, transportation industry, and power distribution. These more stringent requirements include higher reliability (up to 10⁻⁶), higher availability, packet sizes up to 256 bytes, time synchronization down to the order of a few μs (where this value can be 1 or several μs depending on the frequency range), and short latency in the order of 0.5 to 1 ms (specifically, 0.5 ms target user plane latency, depending on the use case).

[0077] In addition, several technical enhancements from a physical layer perspective have been identified for NR URLLC. These include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements related to compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Furthermore, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements are associated with enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback enhancements. Additionally, PUSCH enhancements related to micro-slot level hopping and repeat / repetition enhancements have been identified. The term "micro-slot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) comprising fewer symbols than a time slot (a time slot consisting of fourteen symbols).

[0078] The 5G QoS (Quality of Service) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Therefore, at the NAS level, QoS flows represent the finest granularity of QoS differentiation within a PDU session. QoS flows are identified within a PDU session by the QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header on the NG-U interface.

[0079] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, NG-RAN establishes at least one data radio bearer (DRB) along with the PDU session, and additional DRBs for QoS flows used in that PDU session can subsequently be configured (when to do so depends on NG-RAN), for example, as referenced above. Figure 3 As shown, NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0080] Figure 5 A 5G NR non-roaming reference architecture is shown (see TS 23.287 v16.4.0, Section 4.2.1.1). In Figure 4The application functions (AFs) exemplified in the description (e.g., external application servers hosting 5G services) interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as supporting application-driven traffic routing, accessing network exposure functions (NEFs), or interacting with policy frameworks used for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function, PCF). Based on operator deployment, application functions considered trusted by the operator may be allowed to interact directly with the relevant network functions. Application functions that the operator does not allow to directly access network functions may interact with the relevant network functions via external open frameworks through the NEF.

[0081] Figure 5 Other functional units of the 5G architecture for V2X communication are illustrated, namely Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Application Function (AF), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and User Plane Function (UPF) in the 5GC, as well as the V2X Application Server (V2AS) and Data Network (DN), such as operator services, internet access, or third-party services. All or part of the core network functions and application services can be deployed and run on a cloud computing environment.

[0082] Therefore, this disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) comprising a transmitter that, in operation, sends a request containing at least one of URLLC, eMBB, and mMTC services and a QoS requirement to at least one function of the 5GC (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between the gNodeB and the UE according to the QoS requirement, and a control circuit that, in operation, performs services using the established PDU session.

[0083] In the various embodiments below, the phrase “multiple PRACH transmissions” may refer to “multiple PRACH transmissions”, “repetition of PRACH transmissions”, “N PRACHs”, or “N PRACH transmissions”, where N is equal to or greater than 1.

[0084] As mentioned above, one of the main topics discussed in Rel.18 is the study of how to enable subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) within the legacy Time Division Duplex (TDD) band, which allows for the simultaneous existence of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) within the legacy TDD band, where the subband is used to divide the transmission direction. For the gNB side, (quasi) full-duplex is performed, while half-duplex can be used for the UE side.

[0085] refer to Figure 6 A subband may include one RB or a set of consecutive RBs (e.g., Figure 6Subbands #1-#3 in subband 606 can have a semi-static configuration within a cycle (agreed as the baseline according to 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.858). For XDD operation, an SBFD symbol is defined as an OFDM symbol with a UL subband that the gNB can use for UL transmission. SBFD symbols can be legacy DL symbols and / or legacy flexible symbols (configured by TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon). Non-SBFD symbols can be legacy UL symbols. It should be noted that a UE with SBFD capability (e.g., an SBFD-aware UE) can be a new type of UE that recognizes and can process both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols, while a legacy UE is a UE without SBFD capability (e.g., a non-SBFD-aware UE) that only recognizes and can process non-SBFD symbols. For example, Figure 6 A comparison is shown between the legacy (Rel. 15 / 16 / 17) Time Division Duplex (TDD) under reference numeral 602 and the Rel. 18 / 19 XDD under reference numeral 604. The legacy (Rel. 15 / 16 / 17) TDD under reference numeral 602 includes only non-SBFD symbols, while the Rel. 18 / 19 XDD under reference numeral 604 includes both SBFD symbols (e.g., SBFD symbol 608) and non-SBFD symbols (e.g., non-SBFD symbol 610). It should be understood that in Figure 6 In this context, D represents downlink, U represents uplink, F represents flexible, and n can be an integer equal to or greater than 0.

[0086] As also mentioned above, based on simulation results from the technical report used to study NR coverage enhancement in Rel. 17 [TR 38.830], PRACH is identified as a coverage bottleneck channel. In Rel. 18, multiple PRACH transmissions with the same beam are identified in non-SBFD symbols solely for coverage enhancement. A gNB can configure one or more PRACH transmissions (e.g., 2, 4, 8) in the serving cell. The technical specification supports distinguishing PRACH resources in multiple PRACH transmissions based on different numbers of PRACH transmissions (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8). A set of N ROs allocated at the same frequency is used to transmit the configured N PRACH transmissions. In non-SBFD symbols, a configuration period for PRACH resources (including preambles and / or ROs) used for multiple PRK_1ACH transmissions is introduced as K1 synchronization signal / PBCH block (SSB) to RO association pattern periods, where K1 is equal to or greater than 1 SSB to RO association pattern period, and the SSB to RO association pattern period is specified in [TS 38.213]. K1 is implicitly determined as the smallest integer for all configured numbers of PRACH transmissions, such that for each SSB, there exists at least one RO group for each configured number of PRACH transmissions, consisting of ROs associated with the SSB. In K1, the group of N ROs can be determined by the legacy UE. Based on channel conditions, the legacy UE determines one of one or more groups with N ROs for use in the N PRACH transmissions. The group of N ROs determined is repeated every K1.

[0087] Currently, there is no solution to enable multi-PRACH transmission for UEs with SBFD capability that allows them to benefit from the introduction of SBFD symbols in XDD operations, thus improving PRACH transmission coverage. Multi-PRACH transmission for SBFD-capable UEs should be carefully designed in a way that does not affect legacy UEs. Furthermore, how the gNB distinguishes between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs should be addressed so that the gNB can subsequently schedule Msg3 and / or Msg5 transmissions within the SBFD symbols of SBFD-capable UEs. Some benefits of introducing SBFD symbols in XDD operations include providing longer UL duration for enhanced UL coverage, reduced latency, and increased UL capacity.

[0088] Therefore, a communication apparatus and method for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD are needed to solve the above-mentioned problems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the background art of this disclosure, based on the following detailed description and the appended claims.

[0089] Figure 7A schematic diagram illustrating an example configuration of a communication device 700 for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. According to the present disclosure, the communication device 700 can be implemented as a UE or a base station. Those skilled in the art will understand that throughout this disclosure, the communication device 700 may be referred to as a communication equipment 700. Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 may include circuitry 714, at least one radio transmitter 702, at least one radio receiver 704, and at least one antenna 712 (for simplicity and for illustrative purposes, 702 is omitted from the translation). Figure 7 (Only one antenna is depicted in the image). Circuit 714 may include at least one controller 706 for software and / or hardware-assisted execution of tasks designed to be performed by at least one controller 706, including controlling communication with one or more other communication devices in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless network. Circuit 714 may also include at least one transmit signal generator 708 and at least one receive signal processor 710. At least one controller 706 may control at least one transmit signal generator 708 for generating downlink or sidelink signals to be transmitted via at least one radio transmitter 702, and at least one receive signal processor 710 for processing uplink, downlink, or sidelink signals received via at least one radio receiver 704 from one or more other communication devices. At least one transmit signal generator 708 and at least one receive signal processor 710 may be independent modules of communication device 700, which communicate with at least one controller 706 for the functions described above, such as... Figure 7 As shown. Alternatively, at least one transmit signal generator 708 and at least one receive signal processor 710 may be included in at least one controller 706. Those skilled in the art will understand that the arrangement of these functional modules is flexible and can vary according to actual needs and / or requirements. Data processing, storage, and other related control devices may be located on appropriate circuit boards and / or chipsets. In various embodiments, when in operation, at least one radio transmitter 702, at least one radio receiver 704, and at least one antenna 712 may be controlled by at least one controller 706.

[0090] Communication device 700 provides the functionality required for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD during operation. For example, communication device 700 can be a user equipment (UE), such as a UE with SBFD capability or a UE without SBFD capability. Figure 8 As shown in the exemplary method 800 for multi-PRACH transmission in XDD, a first communication device 700 is configured to perform the following steps: - Step 802: Circuit 714 (or at least one controller 706 of circuit 714) can determine from a plurality of RO groups the RO groups used for the plurality of PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and - Step 804: At least one radio transmitter 702 may transmit a preamble on one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in SBFD symbols or at least one RO in non-SBFD symbols.

[0091] Alternatively or additionally, in step 802, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the RO group based on channel conditions and / or the capabilities of the communication device.

[0092] Alternatively or additionally, in step 802, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the configuration period of multiple RO groups based on the earliest SBFD symbol among multiple RO groups in the time domain. During the configuration period, the circuit of a UE with SBFD capability may determine multiple RO groups based on a Layer 2 search procedure. Each of the multiple RO groups may be associated with the same beam (e.g., an SSB-based beam). Subsequently, depending on the channel conditions, the circuit of a UE supporting SBFD can determine one of the multiple RO groups for N PRACH transmissions by using the same beam associated with one RO group. To reduce the workload of determining multiple RO groups of the circuit of a UE supporting SBFD in subsequent configuration periods in the time domain, the gNB may be configured to repeat multiple RO groups in multiple configuration periods. In other words, if multiple RO groups have been determined in a previous configuration period, the circuit does not need to determine multiple RO groups in subsequent configuration periods.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, in step 802, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the configuration period of the multiple RO groups based on an offset period between the configuration period of the multiple RO groups and the configuration period of a communication device (CA) that does not have SBFD functionality, the offset period being determined by the communication device. The communication device may be, for example, a base station or another communication device.

[0094] Alternatively or additionally, in step 802, before determining the RO groups from the plurality of RO groups, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a virtual RO at the lowest frequency resource among the plurality of ROs located in SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, wherein the plurality of ROs are configured by the communication device or specified in the technical specifications.

[0095] Additionally or alternatively, in step 802, before determining the RO groups from the plurality of RO groups, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a first frequency resource or resource index, the first frequency resource or resource index being different from each of the plurality of second frequency resources or indices where the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol reside. For example, if the frequency resource or resource index where the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol resides is less than the frequency resource or resource index where the plurality of ROs in the non-SBFD symbol resides, the first frequency resource or resource index is determined based on any one of the plurality of ROs in the non-SBFD symbol.

[0096] Additionally or alternatively, in step 802, before determining the RO groups from the plurality of RO groups, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a first frequency resource or resource index, the first frequency resource or resource index being different from each of the plurality of second frequency resources or indices where the plurality of ROs in the non-SBFD symbol reside. For example, in the case where the frequency resources or indices where the plurality of ROs in the non-SBFD symbol reside are less than the frequency resources or indices where the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol reside, the first frequency resource or resource index is determined based on any one of the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, in step 802, before determining the RO groups from the plurality of RO groups, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a virtual RO, wherein the virtual RO is located at the lowest or highest frequency resource or resource index of the plurality of ROs, both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols.

[0098] Additionally or alternatively, in step 802, circuit 714 (or at least one controller 806 of circuit 714) may apply a search procedure in each of one or more uplink (UL) subbands, the search procedure starting at the lowest or highest frequency resource or resource index of each UL subband in both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols; and determine the plurality of RO groups based on the search procedure. The search procedure may be applied during the configuration cycle of the plurality of RO groups.

[0099] For example, the communication device 700 can be a communication device such as a base station or a gNodeB (gNB). Figure 9 As shown in the exemplary method 900 for multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD, the communication device 700 is configured to perform the following steps during operation: - Step 902: Circuit 714 (or at least one controller 706 of circuit 714) may send control information relating to RO groups in a plurality of RO groups for a plurality of PRACH transmissions, each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and - Step 904: At least one radio receiver 704 may receive a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in the SBFD symbol or at least one RO in the non-SBFD symbol.

[0100] According to this disclosure, a UE with SBFD capability can be configured to determine a group of N ROs (e.g., N is any integer such as 2, 4, 8, etc.) for N PRACH transmissions based on SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Depending on the value of N, the group of N ROs can span SBFD symbols, or non-SBFD symbols, or both. Furthermore, a UE with SBFD capability can be configured to determine the group of N ROs for N PRACH transmissions based on SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. The value of N is configured by the gNB. If N is small (e.g., N=2), the group can include N ROs in either SBFD or non-SBFD symbols. If N is large (e.g., N=4 or greater), the group can include N ROs in both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols.

[0101] In the first method for determining a group of N ROs, the group of N ROs may include ROs in SBFD symbols and shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols. Shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols are ROs shared between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs. This advantageously maximizes or improves the use of ROs to enhance UL coverage and reduce latency for SBFD-capable UEs. (Reference) Figure 10 As shown in Figure 1000, for a UE with SBFD capability, groups of 2 ROs and 4 ROs can be determined separately for 2 PRACH transmissions and 4 PRACH transmissions, respectively. For legacy UEs, the group of 2 ROs in slot 1008 can simply be shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols. It should be understood that, for simplicity, in Figure 10 The DL time slot is not shown.

[0102] In the second method for determining a group of N ROs, the group of N ROs may include ROs in SBFD symbols and separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols. Separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols are ROs separated between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs; for example, separate ROs may be used only by either the SBFD-capable UE or the legacy UE. Advantageously, if the same preamble is configured for both the SBFD-capable UE and the legacy UE, the provision of PRACH preamble resources for other purposes is improved. (Reference) Figure 11 As shown in Figure 1100, for a UE with SBFD capability, a group of 2 or 4 ROs can be determined for 2 PRACH and 4 PRACH transmissions. For legacy UEs, the group of 2 ROs in slot 1102 can be separate ROs only in non-SBFD symbols. It should be understood that, for simplicity, in Figure 11 The DL time slot is not shown. The overall advantage of these two methods is enhanced UL coverage and reduced latency for UEs with SBFD capability during the random access procedure.

[0103] When a group of N ROs spans both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols, the N ROs can be located in the same frequency allocation of the UL subband in XDD operation in both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Furthermore, when the group of N ROs spans an SBFD symbol, the N ROs can be located in the same frequency allocation of the UL subband in XDD operation within the SBFD symbol. Legacy UEs can be configured to have single PRACH transmission capability and / or multi-PRACH transmission capability in non-SBFD symbols.

[0104] The following discusses further details of the first method. A group of N ROs may include one or more ROs in an SBFD symbol and one or more shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols. One or more ROs in an SBFD symbol are used only by UEs with SBFD capability, while shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols are ROs shared between UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs (e.g., can be used by both UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs). For example, if any shared RO in the group is located in a non-SBFD symbol, it is shared between UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs. Reference Figure 10UL subband #2 (reference numeral 1002) can be configured in SIB1 for UEs with SBFD capability in the serving cell. For 2 PRACHs (e.g., N=2), a group of 2 ROs (e.g., RO group 1004) includes RO#0 and RO#2 associated with beam SSB#0 in the SBFD symbol. For 4 PRACHs (e.g., N=4), a group of 4 ROs (e.g., RO group 1006) includes RO#8, RO#10, RO#14, and RO#20 associated with beam SSB#2 in both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols.

[0105] The preamble for a UE with SBFD capability can be separated from that of a legacy UE to distinguish between them (e.g., different preambles are used for SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs). The separated preamble for the SBFD-capable UE can be configured by the gNB (e.g., the higher-level parameter FeatureCombinationPreambles in RACH-ConfigCommon). The separated preamble can be associated with a group of N identified ROs based on the legacy SSB-to-RO mapping. For example, in... Figure 10 In this context, RO group 1008, including RO#14 and RO#20 for two PRACHs in non-SBFD symbols, can be a shared RO shared by SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs. Assuming that there are two separate preambles #0 and #1 associated with RO group 1008 for SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs respectively, SBFD-capable UEs can transmit preamble #0 via RO#14 and RO#20, while legacy UEs transmit preamble #1 via RO#14 and RO#20. This advantageously enables the gNB to distinguish between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs.

[0106] UE with SBFD capability The configuration cycle for PRACH resources can be synchronized with that of legacy UEs. The resource configuration periods differ. In Option 1, it can be implicitly defined using a legacy method based on the configuration of the earliest SBFD symbol for a UE with SBFD capability in the time domain (e.g., the SBFD symbol located in the earliest possible time slot within configuration period K2). The advantage is that reusing the legacy method has no impact on the specification. (Refer to...) Figure 12 In option 2 of diagram 1200, K2 = configuration period 1202. =Configuration cycle 1204, N offset =Offset period 1206, where N offset Offset period This is used to integrate configuration cycles between UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs. In this example, the gNB configures two UL subbands, which can be implicitly determined (e.g., based on the configuration of the earliest SBFD symbol) or configured for XDD operation. Subband #2 1208 and subband #3 1210. Advantageously, if Configured by the gNB, the gNB can flexibly configure the starting RO of the RO group in the SBFD symbol for UEs with SBFD capability.

[0107] In the Master Information Block / System Information Block (MIB / SIB), the gNB can configure a preamble set #1 for SBFD-capable UEs, a preamble set #2 for legacy UEs, ROs in SBFD symbols for SBFD-capable UEs, and ROs in non-SBFD symbols shared by both SBFD-capable and legacy UEs. Depending on channel conditions (e.g., RSRP of SSB-based beamforming measurements) and UE capabilities (SBFD-capable UEs or legacy UEs), SBFD-capable UEs can be configured to determine a group of N ROs based on SBFD and non-SBFD symbols and a preamble from preamble set #1, which is one of multiple groups of N ROs. Then, an SBFD-capable UE can send a preamble to the gNB in ​​message 1 (Msg1) on one or more ROs in one of the determined groups of N ROs. On the other hand, legacy UEs can be configured to determine one group of N ROs based on non-SBFD symbols and a preamble from preamble set #2. The legacy UE can send a preamble to the gNB in ​​Msg1 on one or more of the identified set of N ROs. Therefore, depending on whether the UE is an SBFD-capable UE or a legacy UE, one or more ROs in the identified set of N ROs can include at least one RO in an SBFD symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol. When decoding the preamble (e.g., sent by an SBFD-capable UE or a legacy UE), the gNB can determine whether the UE sending the preamble is an SBFD-capable UE or a legacy UE. If an SBFD-capable UE is identified, the gNB can then schedule the transmission of message 3 (Msg3) and / or message 5 (Msg5) in the SBFD symbol for the SBFD-capable UE. Note that Msg3 is sent via PUSCH to carry the RRCSetupRequest to the gNB. Subsequently, the gNB sends message 4 (Msg4) via PDSCH to carry the RRCSetup to the SBFD-capable UE (contention resolution). Following Msg4, a UE with SBFD capability sends a PUSCH carrying RRCSetupComplete (i.e., Msg5) to confirm the successful completion of the RRC connection.

[0108] The second method is discussed in further detail below. A UE with SBFD capability can be configured to determine a group of N ROs for N PRACH transmissions based on SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Depending on the value of N, the group of N ROs can span SBFD symbols, or non-SBFD symbols, or both. The group of N ROs can include ROs in SBFD symbols and separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols. Separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols are ROs separated between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs; for example, separate ROs can be used only by either the SBFD-capable UE or the legacy UE. Therefore, ROs in SBFD symbols and separate ROs can be advantageously used to distinguish between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs. Separate ROs for SBFD-capable UEs can be configured by the gNB, for example, by the higher-layer parameter AdditionalRACH-Config in BWP-UplinkCommon. The gNB can configure the same or separate preambles for SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs, for example, by the higher-layer parameter FeatureCombinationPreambles. Based on the existing SSB-to-RO mapping, the same or separate preamble (K_2) can be associated with a group of N determined ROs. The configuration period (e.g., having a configuration period) of the PRACH resources for a UE K_1 with SBFD capability can differ from the configuration period (e.g., having a configuration period) of the PRACH resources for an older UE. Option 1 or Option 2 of the first method can be used in the second method to determine the configuration period. Advantageously, if the same preamble can be configured for both UEs with SBFD capability and older UEs, the provision of PRACH preamble resources for other purposes can be improved.

[0109] In a first alternative to the first and second methods, a UE with SBFD capability can be configured to determine a group of N ROs for N PRACH transmissions based solely on non-SBFD symbols. The group of N ROs can span non-SBFD symbols and can be based on one of two options. In option (a), the group of N ROs can be based on shared ROs with different preambles in non-SBFD symbols. In option (b), the group of N ROs can be based on separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols. ROs in non-SBFD symbols can be used by UEs with SBFD capability and / or legacy UEs, where ROs can be shared ROs and / or separate ROs. Shared ROs are those that can be used by both UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs, while separate ROs are those that can only be used by either UEs with SBFD capability or legacy UEs. The advantage of the first alternative is that it has no specification impact on existing Rel.18 multi-PRACH transmissions and no impact on legacy UEs.

[0110] In a second alternative to the first and second methods, a UE with SBFD capability can be configured to determine a group of N ROs for N PRACH transmissions based solely on SBFD symbols. The group of N ROs can span across SBFD symbols, and the ROs used to determine the group of N ROs can include ROs within the SBFD symbols, where the gNB can configure the same or separate preambles to both the SBFD-capable UE and legacy UEs. The advantage of this second alternative is that it has no specification impact on existing Rel.18 multi-PRACH transmissions and no impact on legacy UEs.

[0111] The first or second method described above allows gNB configuration: In an SBFD symbol, a set of N ROs can be determined for a UE with SBFD capability, and in a non-SBFD symbol, one or more sets of N ROs can be determined, wherein one set of one or more sets of N ROs can be determined for a UE with SBFD capability, and the remaining set of one or more sets of N ROs can be determined for both legacy UEs and UEs with SBFD capability.

[0112] Furthermore, the first method, second method, or first alternative scheme described above allows the gNB to be configured in a non-SBFD symbol, and can determine one or more groups of N ROs, wherein one group of one or more groups of N ROs can be determined for a UE with SBFD capability, and the remaining group of one or more groups of N ROs can be determined for legacy UEs and UEs with SBFD capability.

[0113] The following explains the details of the search process used to determine multiple groups of N ROs. The first starting RO is located in the configuration cycle. The earliest and lowest frequency resource indexes in the database are identified. A two-level search process is applied, starting with the first initial RO, to determine the origins (ROs). A group of N ROs. First, determine the starting RO of the group of N ROs, and then determine the ROs located at the same level as the starting RO. Frequency resource index (of which) The remaining N-1 ROs at (equal to or greater than zero). The remaining N-1 ROs are the next N-1 ROs after the starting RO, which have an ascending order of time resource index and are associated with the same SSB as the starting RO. Next, the starting RO of each of the other remaining RO groups and the remaining N-1 ROs of each RO group are determined sequentially. To determine the starting RO of each of the multiple RO groups, the UE starts searching from the first starting RO. If a time offset is configured, each is searched in the following order. The first RO of the first RO group is determined as the first valid RO: in ascending order of frequency resource index of frequency reused RO, and in ascending order of time resource index.

[0114] refer to Figure 13 Figure 1300, during the configuration cycle Among the non-SBFD symbols, there are 8 sets of ROs for 2 PRACHs determined based on this method. For example, the 2-layer search process starts from the first initial RO 1302 (located in the earliest time instance and Starting at the lowest frequency resource index, the search proceeds to determine the next RO 1304 within the same RO group 1306 as the first starting RO 1302 (e.g., in ascending order of time resource index), then moves to the next RO group 1308 (e.g., in ascending order of frequency resource index) to determine the starting RO of RO group 1308 (e.g., RO 1307), and then determines the remaining ROs in RO group 1308 (e.g., only RO 1309, since each group has only 2 ROs). The search continues to RO group 1310, then to 1312, and then continues (e.g., in ascending order of time resource index) to RO groups 1314, 1316, 1318, and 1320.

[0115] Available ROs are identified as valid ROs using the existing validation rules in TS 38.213. After applying the existing validation rules, a two-level search process is performed to determine the groups of N ROs. Available ROs are validated as valid ROs based on the existing validation rules, and then groups of N ROs are determined based on the valid ROs. Therefore, each RO group of N ROs includes N valid ROs.

[0116] However, the Layer 2 search procedure used to determine groups with N ROs does not work well in XDD operations because the gNB or UE may not consider many ROs when determining groups with N ROs for N PRACH transmissions, resulting in fewer groups with N ROs and a higher PRACH collision probability. This is because the time and frequency resources of the UL subband in SBFD symbols differ from those in non-SBFD symbols. For example, see... Figure 14 In Figure 1400, assuming RO#0 1402 is determined as the first starting RO (because it is located at...) At the earliest time instance), when determining the possible groups of 2 ROs for 2 PRACH transmissions, the existing method will not consider 4 ROs (such as RO#12, RO#13, RO#18, and RO#19 shown in RO 1404), and therefore will not consider 2 groups of ROs. Further reference Figure 15 In Figure 1500, assuming RO#141502 is determined as the first starting RO because it is located in the lowest frequency resource index in k2. In this context, when determining the possible groups of two ROs for two PRACH transmissions, the existing method will not consider 12 ROs (such as RO#0-RO#11 shown in RO 1504), and therefore will not consider 6 groups of ROs. It should be understood that, for simplicity, the downlink (D) slot is not shown in this example.

[0117] Therefore, in order to determine a set of N ROs for a UE with SBFD capability in accordance with this disclosure, one of the following solutions can be used.

[0118] In the first solution, refer to Figure 16 The diagram 1600 (the downlink (D) slot is not shown in this example for simplicity) can be configured based on virtual RO 1602 during the configuration cycle. The Layer 2 search process is applied internally (after applying the existing verification rules in TS 38.213). The purpose of Virtual RO 1602 is to provide a first starting RO for applying the Layer 2 search process. A Virtual RO can reside at the lowest or highest frequency resource or resource index of multiple ROs, both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, wherein the multiple ROs are configured by the gNB or specified in the technical specification. A Virtual RO can also reside at the earliest time resource or resource index of multiple ROs, both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. The earliest time resource or resource index is the first symbol or time slot of the multiple ROs, both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, which is configured by the gNB or specified in the technical specification.

[0119] The UE starts its search from virtual RO 1602 to determine the starting RO of each of multiple groups of N valid ROs. If virtual RO 1602 matches a valid RO, it is included in the group of N valid ROs, and the frequency resource index located at the same location as the valid RO is also determined. The remaining N-1 ROs at that point. Otherwise, it is not counted and is not included in the group of N valid ROs. In this case, as from Figure 16 It is obvious that virtual RO 1602 is not a valid RO. Therefore, virtual RO 1602 is not counted, and the Layer 2 search process continues. For example, the search procedure may continue from another virtual RO located at the next higher frequency resource or resource index to determine whether said other virtual RO matches a valid RO. It should be understood that one or more virtual ROs may exist during the search process. Therefore, by repeatedly searching through all available resources or resource indexes within the configuration period, the UE determines all groups of available ROs within the configuration period. Virtual ROs can be defined in the legacy TDD band (considering both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols) as follows: a time instance is defined based on the earliest time instance of all ROs from both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, and a frequency resource or resource index is defined based on the lowest frequency resource or resource index of all ROs from both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. Virtual ROs may be in downlink or uplink time slots. Virtual ROs may be located at the highest frequency resource or resource index of multiple ROs in both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols.

[0120] It should be understood that virtual ROs do not need to be defined as long as the search process can begin from the starting position that can determine all RO groups. For example, the UE can be configured to determine multiple RO groups based on a search process that begins with a first frequency resource or resource index. The first frequency resource or resource index may be different from multiple second frequency resources or indices where multiple ROs of SBFD symbols reside. The first frequency resource or resource index may be different from multiple second frequency resources or indices where multiple ROs of non-SBFD symbols reside.

[0121] Virtual ROs can be defined in existing TDD bands (considering both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols) as follows: Time instances are defined based on the earliest time instance of all ROs from both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols, and / or frequency resource indices are defined based on the lowest or highest frequency resource index of all ROs from both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. During the Level 2 search process, the determination of the starting RO for each of multiple groups of N ROs can be modified as follows. If a time offset is configured, each RO can be set in the following order: The first RO of the first RO group is determined as the first valid RO: in ascending or descending order of the frequency resource index of the frequency-reused RO, and / or in ascending order of the time resource index. Each The starting RO of the nth RO group can be determined after n valid ROs starting from the starting RO of the same (n-1)th RO group. If no time offset is configured, the starting RO of the first RO group is the first valid RO starting from the starting point, and the starting RO of each subsequent RO group is determined as the first valid RO after the previous RO group in the following order: for frequency-reused ROs, in ascending or descending order of the frequency resource index, and in ascending order of the time resource index. A set of N ROs can include both ROs in SBFD symbols and / or shared ROs and individual ROs in non-SBFD symbols. Advantageously, more ROs can be used to determine a set of N ROs.

[0122] Advantageously, a UE with SBFD capability can identify all possible N RO groups (e.g., and then select one RO group for N PRACH transmissions based on channel conditions as mentioned in the first method), thus reducing the probability of PRACH collisions. For legacy UEs, the Layer 2 search procedure for ROs in non-SBFD symbols is applied as a legacy operation. It should be understood that the first solution applies to both the first and second methods.

[0123] In the second solution, the configuration cycle can be determined based on the starting RO of each UL sub-band. Each UL sub-band undergoes a two-layer search process (after applying existing verification rules in TS 38.213), for example, as Figure 17 The starting RO 1702 is shown in Figure 1700 (the downlink (D) slot is not shown in this example for simplicity). The starting RO of the UL subband can be a valid RO at the earliest time instance and / or lowest frequency resource index in the UL subband of both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Therefore, a search procedure can be applied in each of one or more UL subbands within the configuration period of multiple RO groups, starting from the RO at the lowest or highest frequency resource index of each UL subband of both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols, and multiple RO groups can be determined based on the search procedure. Furthermore, RO groups can be determined from the multiple RO groups for transmitting preambles on one or more ROs in the determined RO groups. The RO can be located at the earliest time instance of each UL subband of both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Advantageously, there is a smaller canonical impact when implementing the second solution and reducing the probability of PRACH collisions. It should be understood that the second solution is applicable to both the first and second methods.

[0124] In either the first or second method, assuming the existence of multiple UL subbands configured in the serving cell, and each UL subband being configured for a UE supporting SBFD (such as in the case of Contention-Free Random Access (CFRA)), a configuration period can be determined for each of the multiple UL subbands according to option 1 or option 2. This advantageously allows for greater flexibility in configuring PRACH resources for each cycle.

[0125] In either the first or second method, the UE can be configured to determine a set of N ROs based on frequency hopping in one or more SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. This set may include N ROs with different frequency allocations based on frequency hopping in SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. Advantageously, frequency hopping gain can be implemented.

[0126] A hybrid approach based on the first and second methods can be implemented, wherein the gNB is configured with the same preamble associated with a set of N ROs entirely located in SBFD symbols, while the gNB is also configured with a different preamble associated with a set of N ROs entirely located in non-SBFD symbols. The ROs in the non-SBFD symbols can be shared or separated between SBFD-capable UEs and legacy UEs. Advantageously, greater flexibility in the configuration of PRACH resources can be achieved. It should be understood that the first, second, and hybrid methods are applicable to contention-based random access (CBRA) and CFRA scenarios.

[0127] In a variation of Solution 2, a two-layer search process can be applied by first searching in the time domain and then in the frequency domain from the earliest time of all ROs from both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. To determine the starting RO of each of multiple groups of N ROs, the UE can begin the search first in the time domain and then in the frequency domain. If a time offset is configured, each RO is searched in the following order. The initial RO of the first RO group is determined as the first valid RO: in ascending order of time resource index, and in ascending order of frequency resource index of frequency-reused ROs. From each The starting RO of the (n-1)th RO group N After obtaining a valid RO, determine each The starting RO of the nth RO group. If no time offset is configured, the starting RO of the first RO group is the first valid RO starting from the first starting RO (e.g., RO 1302). The starting RO of each remaining RO group is determined as the first valid RO after the previous RO group in the following order: ascending order of time resource index, and ascending order of frequency resource index of frequency-reused ROs.

[0128] Furthermore, if SBFD symbols based on legacy flexible symbols are supported, there is a possibility that ROs in SBFD symbols may be shared between UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs. For this situation, the first method can be modified so that a group of N ROs can include separate ROs in SBFD symbols and shared ROs in SBFD symbols and / or non-SBFD symbols. Alternatively, the second method can be modified so that a group of N ROs can include separate ROs in SBFD symbols and / or non-SBFD symbols.

[0129] Figure 18 Figure 1800 illustrates an example of a random access procedure between a UE and a gNB for enabling multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD. In step 1802, the gNB configures PRACH resources for UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs based on either a first or second method in the MIB / SIB. In step 1804, the UE with SBFD capability determines a preamble and a set of N ROs for N PRACH transmissions based on SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. This step applies to methods 1 and 2 and can depend on channel conditions, UE capabilities (e.g., whether the UE is an SBFD-capable UE or a legacy UE), and / or configuration (e.g., configuration performed by the gNB and / or the UE). In step 1806, the UE sends N PRACH transmissions to the gNB in ​​Msg1 in the UL. In step 1808, the gNB sends a Msg2 Random Access Response (RAR) to the UE in the DL. In step 1810, the UE sends a Msg3 Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) to the gNB in ​​the UL. In step 1812, the gNB sends Msg4 contention resolution to the UE in the DL. In step 1814, the UE sends Msg5 PUSCH to the gNB in ​​the UL.

[0130] Figure 19 A flowchart 1900 illustrates a communication method implemented by a UE for enabling multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD. In step 1902, the UE (e.g., a UE with SBFD capability) determines a preamble for N PRACH transmissions and a set of N ROs based on SBFD and non-SBFD symbols. In step 1904, the UE sends a preamble based on one of the determined N ROs in Msg1 to the gNB. In step 1906, the UE receives subsequent configurations of Msg3 (e.g., in response to Msg2 sent from the UE to the gNB) and / or Msg5 (e.g., in response to Msg4 sent from the UE to the gNB) from the gNB. In step 1908, the UE transmits Msg3 and / or Msg5 in SBFD symbols for the UE based on the corresponding configurations of Msg3 and / or Msg5, respectively.

[0131] Figure 20 A flowchart illustrating a communication method implemented by a gNB for enabling multiple PRACH transmissions in XDD according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In step 2002, the gNB configures PRACH resources for UEs with SBFD capability and legacy UEs based on a first or second method in the MIB / SIB. The configuration can be sent to the UE as control information associated with RO groups in a plurality of RO groups for multiple PRACH transmissions, wherein each RO group includes one or more ROs. In step 2004, the gNB receives N PRACH transmissions including preambles from the UE. The preambles can be transmitted on one or more ROs in one or more RO groups, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in SBFD symbols or at least one RO in non-SBFD symbols. In step 2006, when decoding the received preamble, the gNB determines whether the UE is a UE with SBFD capability or an existing UE. If the UE is a UE with SBFD capability, it schedules the transmission of Msg3 and / or Msg5 in the SBFD symbol using Msg2 and / or Msg4 respectively. For example, the gNB sends Msg2 and / or Msg4 to the UE.

[0132] While the above description primarily focuses on the case of multiple PRACH transmissions with the same beam (e.g., performing multiple PRACH transmissions using the same beam), it should be understood that they can be applied to another case of multiple PRACH transmissions with different beams (e.g., multiple beams). In this case, a set of N ROs can be divided into multiple subgroups, where each subgroup includes a smaller number of One RO, of which Furthermore, each of the N ROs from this group is included in only one subgroup. Each RO subgroup is used to transmit the same preamble by using different beams, where the different beams are based on these... The RO (Radio Router) is defined by its association with different beams, and this association can be configured by the gNB based on either the old SSB-to-RO mapping or the new SSN-to-RO mapping. The new SSB-to-RO mapping can be based on the SSB index and... Mapping between subgroups of a RO. The same preamble means that one preamble is used for multiple subgroups of the RO. In summary, it can be achieved by using Multiple ROS subgroups and multiple SSB-based beams can be used to perform multi-PRACH transmissions. Alternatively, this can be achieved by using... Multiple subgroups of ROs and multiple CSI-based beams are used to perform multi-PRACH transmissions.

[0133] According to this disclosure, the following various examples have been described: 1. A communication device, comprising: A circuit that determines RO groups from multiple random access channel timing (RO) groups used for multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions, each of the multiple RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and The transmitter transmits a preamble on one or more ROs in a defined group of ROs, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0134] 2. The communication device according to Example 1, wherein the at least one RO indicates whether the communication device is a communication device (CA) with SBFD capability or a CA without SBFD capability.

[0135] 3. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein one or more ROs in the determined RO group are located in the same frequency resource allocation in SBFD symbols and / or non-SBFD symbols.

[0136] 4. The communication device according to Example 1, wherein the circuit determines the RO group based on channel conditions and / or the capabilities of the communication device.

[0137] 5. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the at least one RO is a shared RO that can be used by both a CA with SBFD capability and a CA without SBFD capability.

[0138] 6. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the at least one RO is a separate RO that can be used only by a CA with SBFD capability or a CA without SBFD capability.

[0139] 7. The communication apparatus according to Example 1 or 5, wherein one or more ROs in the determined RO group are one or more shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols.

[0140] 8. The communication apparatus according to Example 1 or 6, wherein one or more ROs in the determined RO group are one or more separate ROs in a non-SBFD symbol group.

[0141] 9. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein one or more ROs in the determined RO group are one or more ROs in the SBFD symbol.

[0142] 10. The communication apparatus according to Example 1 or 5, wherein at least one RO in one or more ROs of the determined RO group is located in an SBFD symbol, and the remaining ROs in one or more ROs of the determined RO group are shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols.

[0143] 11. The communication apparatus according to Example 1 or 6, wherein at least one RO in one or more ROs of the determined RO group is located in an SBFD symbol, and the remaining ROs in one or more ROs of the determined RO group are separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols.

[0144] 12. The communication device according to Example 6, wherein the communication device is a CA with SBFD capability, and the preamble associated with one or more ROs in the determined RO group is the same as the preamble used for a CA without SBFD capability.

[0145] 13. The communication device according to Example 5 or 6, wherein the communication device is a CA with SBFD capability, and the preamble associated with one or more ROs in the determined RO group is different from the preamble used for a CA without SBFD capability.

[0146] 14. The communication apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups based on the earliest SBFD symbol among the plurality of RO groups in the time domain.

[0147] 15. The communication apparatus according to Example 2 or 3, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups based on an offset period between the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups and the configuration period of the communication apparatus (CA) without SBFD capability, the offset period being determined by the communication device.

[0148] 16. The communication apparatus according to any one of Examples 1-15, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a virtual RO at the lowest frequency resource among a plurality of ROs located on both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, wherein the plurality of ROs are configured by the communication device or specified in the technical specifications.

[0149] 17. The communication apparatus according to any one of Examples 1-15, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a first frequency resource or resource index, the first frequency resource or resource index being different from each of the plurality of second frequency resources or indices to which the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol are located.

[0150] 18. The communication apparatus according to any one of Examples 1-15, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a first frequency resource or resource index, the first frequency resource or index being different from each of a plurality of second frequency resources or indices in which the plurality of ROs in the non-SBFD symbols are located.

[0151] 19. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a virtual RO, wherein the virtual RO is located at the highest frequency resource of the plurality of ROs among both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols.

[0152] 20. The communication apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the circuit is configured as follows: A search procedure is applied in each of one or more uplink (UL) subbands within the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups, the search procedure starting at the RO at the lowest or highest frequency resource index of each UL subband in both SBFD and non-SBFD symbols; and The plurality of RO groups are determined based on the search process.

[0153] 21. The communication apparatus according to Example 18 or 19, wherein the virtual RO is located at the earliest time among the plurality of ROs.

[0154] 22. The communication apparatus according to Example 20, wherein the RO is located at the earliest time instance of each UL subband, both the SBFD symbol and the non-SBFD symbol.

[0155] 23. The communication apparatus according to any one of Examples 18-19, wherein the determination of the plurality of RO groups is based on frequency hopping in one or more SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols.

[0156] 24. A communication device, comprising: The transmitter transmits control information relating to multiple random access channel timing (RO) groups for multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions, each of the multiple RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and A receiver that receives a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0157] 25. A communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: RO groups are determined from multiple random access channel timing (RO) groups used for multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions, each of the multiple RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and A preamble is transmitted on one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0158] 26. A communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: Send control information associated with RO groups in a plurality of random access channel timing (RO) groups used for transmission of a plurality of physical random access channels (PRACH), each of the plurality of RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and A preamble is received on one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

[0159] In the following paragraphs, reference is made to terms relevant to the 5G core network and this disclosure to explain certain exemplary embodiments, which relate to communication apparatus and methods for allocating one or more additional operating windows between two semi-statically configured SL DRX cycles for the reception or transmission of SL signals, namely: control signals In this disclosure, the downlink control signals (information) related to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted through the physical layer PDCCH, or signals (information) transmitted through a higher-layer MAC control element (CE) or RRC. The downlink control signals may be predefined signals (information).

[0160] The uplink control signals (information) related to this disclosure may be signals (information) transmitted via the physical layer PUCCH, or signals (information) transmitted via the higher-layer MAC CE or RRC. Furthermore, the uplink control signals may be predefined signals (information). The uplink control signals may be replaced with uplink control information (UCI), phase one sidelink control information (SCI), or phase two SCI.

[0161] base station

[0162] In this disclosure, for example, a base station can be a Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP), cluster head, access point, Remote Radio Header (RRH), eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), base station (BS), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), base station unit, or gateway. Furthermore, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be used instead of a base station. A base station can be a relay device for communication between a relay host node and a terminal. A base station can also be a roadside unit.

[0163] Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink

[0164] This disclosure can be applied to any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0165] This disclosure can be applied to, for example, uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH and PBCH, and sidelink channels such as Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) and Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0166] PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of downlink control channels, downlink data channels, uplink data channels, and uplink control channels, respectively. PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of sidelink control channels and sidelink data channels, respectively. PBCH and PSBCH are examples of broadcast channels, and PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0167] Data channel / control channel

[0168] This disclosure can be applied to either a data channel or a control channel. The channels in this disclosure can be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0169] Reference signal

[0170] In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both the base station and the mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or sometimes as a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any one of a DMRS, a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), and a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0171] Time interval

[0172] In this disclosure, a time resource element is not limited to one or a combination of a time slot and a symbol, and can be a time resource element such as a frame, superframe, subframe, time slot, time slot sub-time slot, micro-time slot, or a time resource element such as a symbol, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, single-carrier frequency division multiplexing access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource elements. The number of symbols included in a time slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the above embodiments, and can be other numbers of symbols.

[0173] Frequency band

[0174] This disclosure can be applied to either the licensed or unlicensed frequency bands.

[0175] communication

[0176] This disclosure can be applied to any of the following: communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (side link communication), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The channels in this disclosure can be replaced by PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Side Link Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0177] Furthermore, this disclosure can be applied to any of terrestrial networks using satellites or high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) or networks other than terrestrial networks (NTN: non-terrestrial networks). Additionally, this disclosure can be applied to networks with large cell sizes, and to terrestrial networks with large delays compared to symbol lengths or time slot lengths, such as ultra-wideband transmission networks.

[0178] Antenna port

[0179] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna array) formed by one or more physical antennas. That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna; sometimes it refers to an array of antennas, such as multiple antennas. For example, instead of defining how many physical antennas form an antenna port, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit through which a terminal can transmit a reference signal. An antenna port can also be defined as the smallest unit used for weighted multiplication in precoding vectors.

[0180] This disclosure can be implemented in software, hardware, or software cooperating with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each of the above embodiments can be partially or wholly implemented by an LSI such as an integrated circuit, and each process described in each embodiment can be partially or wholly controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. An LSI can be formed as a separate chip or can be formed as a single chip to include some or all of the functional blocks. An LSI can include data inputs and outputs coupled thereto. Depending on the level of integration, the LSI here can be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra-LSI. However, the technology for implementing integrated circuits is not limited to LSIs and can be implemented using dedicated circuits, general-purpose processors, or special-purpose processors. Additionally, FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or reconfigurable processors that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells arranged within the LSI, can be used. This disclosure can be implemented as digital or analog processing. Furthermore, with advancements in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies, if technologies capable of replacing LSIs for integrated circuit integration emerge, these technologies can also be used for the integration of functional blocks. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0181] This disclosure can be implemented by any kind of device, apparatus or system with communication capabilities (referred to as a communication device).

[0182] Communication devices may include transceivers and processing / control circuitry. A transceiver may include and / or function as both a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver functioning as both a transmitter and a receiver may include an RF (radio frequency) module and one or more antennas; the RF module may include amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc.

[0183] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include telephones (e.g., cellular phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, netbooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, remote healthcare / telemedicine (remote healthcare and medical) devices, and vehicles that provide communication capabilities (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and various combinations thereof.

[0184] The communication device is not limited to portable or mobile devices, but may also include any kind of non-portable or fixed device, equipment or system, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lighting, smart meters, control panels), vending machines and any other “thing” in a network of “Internet of Things (IoT)”.

[0185] Communication can include exchanging data through, for example, cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and various combinations thereof.

[0186] The communication device may include devices such as controllers or sensors coupled to a communication device that performs the communication functions described in this disclosure. For example, the communication device may include a controller or sensor that generates control signals or data signals used by the communication device performing the communication functions of the communication device.

[0187] Communication devices may also include infrastructure such as base stations, access points, and any other devices, equipment, or systems that communicate with or control such devices as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0188] Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and / or modifications can be made to the present disclosure shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the broadly described disclosure. Therefore, these embodiments are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive in all respects.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising: A circuit that determines RO groups from multiple random access channel timing (RO) groups for multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions, each of the multiple RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and The transmitter transmits a preamble on one or more ROs in a defined group of ROs, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one RO indicates whether the communication device is a communication device (CA) with SBFD capability or a CA without SBFD capability.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more ROs in the identified RO group are located in the same frequency resource allocation in SBFD symbols and / or non-SBFD symbols.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The circuit determines the RO group based on channel conditions and / or the capabilities of the communication device.

5. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one RO is a shared RO that can be used by both a CA with SBFD capability and a CA without SBFD capability.

6. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one RO is a separate RO that can only be used by a CA with SBFD capability or a CA without SBFD capability.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 or 5, wherein, The one or more ROs in the identified RO group are one or more shared ROs in a non-SBFD symbol group.

8. The communication device according to claim 1 or 6, wherein, The one or more ROs in the identified RO group are one or more separate ROs in a non-SBFD symbol group.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein, One or more ROs in the identified RO group are one or more ROs in the SBFD symbol.

10. The communication device according to claim 1 or 5, wherein, At least one RO in the identified RO group is in an SBFD symbol, and the remaining ROs in the identified RO group are shared ROs in non-SBFD symbols.

11. The communication device according to claim 1 or 6, wherein, At least one RO in the identified RO group is in an SBFD symbol, and the remaining ROs in the identified RO group are separate ROs in non-SBFD symbols.

12. The communication device according to claim 6, wherein, The communication device is a CA with SBFD capability, and the preamble associated with one or more ROs in the determined RO group is the same as the preamble used for a CA without SBFD capability.

13. The communication device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, The communication device is a CA with SBFD capability, and the preamble associated with one or more ROs in the determined RO group is different from the preamble used for a CA without SBFD capability.

14. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The circuit is configured to determine the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups based on the earliest SBFD symbol of the plurality of RO groups in the time domain.

15. The communication device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The circuit is configured to determine the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups based on an offset period between the configuration period of the plurality of RO groups and the configuration period of the communication device (CA) that does not have SBFD capability, the offset period being determined by the communication device.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein, The circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a virtual RO at the lowest frequency resource of a plurality of ROs located in both SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, wherein the plurality of ROs are configured by the communication device or specified in the technical specifications.

17. The communication device according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein, The circuit is configured to determine the plurality of RO groups based on a search process starting from a first frequency resource or resource index, the first frequency resource or resource index being different from each of the plurality of second frequency resources or indices to which the plurality of ROs in the SBFD symbol reside.

18. A communication device, comprising: The transmitter transmits control information relating to RO groups in a plurality of random access channel timing (RO) groups for transmission of a plurality of physical random access channels (PRACH), each of the plurality of RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and A receiver that receives a preamble on one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

19. A communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: RO groups are determined from multiple random access channel timing (RO) groups used for multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions, each of the multiple RO groups comprising one or more ROs; and A preamble is transmitted on one or more ROs in the determined RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

20. A communication method implemented by a communication device, comprising: Send control information related to RO groups in a plurality of random access channel timing (RO) groups for transmission of a plurality of physical random access channels (PRACH), each of the plurality of RO groups including one or more ROs; and A preamble is received on one or more ROs in the RO group, wherein the one or more ROs include at least one RO in a subband non-overlapping full-duplex (SBFD) symbol or at least one RO in a non-SBFD symbol.

Images