COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND BASE STATION WITH SPATIAL / FREQUENCY DOMAIN MEASUREMENTS - Patent application

Abstract

The technology disclosed in this specification provides a communication device, a base station, and a communication method. The communication device includes a transceiver unit and a circuit that, in operation, controls the transceiver unit to measure interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions, and generates a measurement report including a notification of the interference measured for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions, and the transceiver unit, in operation, transmits the measurement report.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to transmitting and receiving signals in a communication system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for such transmitting and receiving. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) is working on technical specifications for next-generation cellular technology, also known as fifth generation (5G), including "New Radio" (NR) radio access technology (RAT) operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. NR is the successor to technologies represented by Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A).

[0003] In systems such as LTE, LTE-A, and NR, further improvements and options may facilitate efficient operation of the communications systems as well as certain devices associated with the systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One non-limiting exemplary embodiment facilitates efficient interference reporting and interfering cell management.

[0005] A user equipment (UE) of the technology disclosed in one embodiment of the present specification is a user equipment (UE) including a transceiver unit and a circuit for controlling the transceiver unit in operation to measure interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions, and generating a measurement report including a notification of the interference measured for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions. The transceiver unit transmits the measurement report in operation.

[0006] It should be noted that the general or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, a storage medium, or any combination thereof. For example, an integrated circuit may control processing of a UE or a base station.

[0007] Further benefits and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the specification and drawings, and these benefits and / or advantages may be obtained individually by the various embodiments and features of the specification and drawings, and it is not necessary for all of the embodiments and features to be provided in order to obtain one or more of such benefits and / or advantages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] The following embodiments are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an example architecture diagram of a 3GPP NR system. [Diagram 2] Schematic showing the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC [Diagram 3] Sequence diagram of RRC connection setup / reconfiguration procedure [Figure 4] Schematic diagram showing the usage scenarios for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) [Diagram 5] Block diagram illustrating an example 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario [Figure 6] Block diagram showing a base station and user equipment [Figure 7] Block diagram showing space / frequency interference processing circuitry of a user equipment [Figure 8] 1 is a flow chart illustrating steps of a communication method for a user equipment; [Figure 9] 1 is a flow chart showing steps of a method of communicating with a base station. [Figure 10] Schematic diagram showing the relationship between interference measurements and frequency resource allocation DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <5G NR system architecture and protocol stack> 3GPP continues to work on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (also known simply as "5G"), which includes the development of New Radio Access Technology (NR) that will operate in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed in late 2017, allowing for the prototyping and commercial deployment of 5G NR-compliant smartphones.

[0010] In particular, the overall system architecture assumes a Next Generation-Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) with gNBs. The gNBs (gNodeBs) provide the UE-side termination of the user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC: Radio Resource Control) protocols of the NG radio access. The gNBs are interconnected with each other by an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to the Next Generation Core (NGC: Next Generation Core) by a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, e.g. a specific core entity that runs AMF) by an NG-C interface and to the User Plane Function (UPF, e.g. a specific core entity that runs UPF) by an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 1 (see, e.g., Section 4 of 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0011] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, section 4.4.1 of 3GPP TS 38.300) includes a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) sublayer, a RLC (Radio Link Control) sublayer, and a MAC (Medium Access Control) sublayer, which are terminated on the network side at the gNB. In addition, a new Access Stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol) is introduced above PDCP (see, for example, sub-clause 6.5 of TS 38.300). In addition, a control plane protocol stack is also defined in NR (see, for example, section 4.4.2 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 functions of the RRC layer are listed in sub-clause 7 of TS 38.300.

[0012] For example, the MAC layer is responsible for multiplexing logical channels and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling various numerologies.

[0013] The physical layer (PHY) is responsible for, for example, coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. It also maps 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 of a particular transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, the physical channels are PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) in the uplink, and PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), and PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel) in the downlink.

[0014] NR use cases / deployment scenarios include enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and / or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements for data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20Gbps downlink, 10Gbps uplink) and effective (user-experienced) data rates that are three times higher than those offered in IMT-Advanced. Meanwhile, URLLC has more stringent requirements for ultra-low latency (user plane latency of 0.5ms for both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10 Mbps latency within 1ms). -5Finally, mMTC preferably requires high connection density (1 million devices per square kilometer in urban environments), wide coverage in adverse environments, and ultra-long battery life (15 years) for low-cost equipment.

[0015] Therefore, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not be valid for other use cases. For example, low latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol length (and therefore a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (in other words, TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP length than scenarios with small delay spreads. To maintain similar CP overhead, the subcarrier spacing needs to be optimized accordingly. NR may support multiple values ​​of subcarrier spacing. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, ... are currently being considered. Symbol length T u and the subcarrier spacing Δf is expressed by the formula Δf=1 / T u Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to denote the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.

[0016] In the new radio system 5G-NR, for each numerology and carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for the uplink and downlink, respectively. Each element of the resource grid is called a resource element and is identified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0).

[0017] In NR, a resource block (RB) is defined as 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Resource blocks are numbered in ascending order from 0 in the frequency domain as common resource blocks for subcarrier spacing. Physical resource blocks (PRBs) are defined within bandwidth parts (subsets of consecutive common resource blocks) and numbered by bandwidth part.

[0018] <Functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC in 5G NR> Figure 2 shows the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical node of NG-RAN is gNB or ng-eNB (next generation eNB). 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.

[0019] In particular, the gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: - Radio Resource Management functions such as Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink; - IP header compression, encryption, and integrity protection of data; - Selection of the AMF at UE attach time if routing to the AMF cannot be determined from information provided by the UE; - Routing of user plane data towards the UPF; - Routing of control plane information towards AMF; - Setting up and tearing down connections; - Scheduling and sending paging messages; - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (sourced from AMF or Operation, Admission, Maintenance Function (OAM)); - Setting up measurements and reporting of measurements for mobility and scheduling; - Transport level packet marking in the uplink; - Session management; - Support for network slicing; - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state; - Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message delivery function; - Sharing of radio access networks; - Dual connectivity; - Close cooperation between NR and E-UTRA.

[0020] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: - Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signalling; - NAS signaling security; - Access Layer (AS) security controls; - 3GPP Core Network (CN) inter-node signalling for mobility between access networks; - Reachability to idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions); - Managing the registration area; - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility; - Access authentication; - Access authorization including roaming privilege checks; - Mobility management control (subscription and policies); - Support for network slicing; - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF).

[0021] Additionally, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: - Anchor points for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (if applicable); - External PDU (Protocol Data Unit) Session Points for interconnection with data networks; - Packet routing and forwarding; - Packet inspection and policy rule enforcement for the user plane part; - Traffic usage reporting; - an uplink classifier that supports routing of traffic flows to the data network; - Branching Point to support multi-homed PDU sessions; - QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement); - Validation of uplink traffic (mapping of SDF to QoS flows); - Downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering.

[0022] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: - Session management; - Allocation and management of IP addresses for UEs; - Selection and control of UPF; - Configuration of traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination; - Controls policy enforcement and QoS; - Notification of downlink data.

[0023] <Procedures for RRC connection setup and reconfiguration> Figure 3 shows some of the interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED in the NAS part (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0024] RRC is the upper layer signaling (protocol) used for the configuration of the UE and gNB. In particular, during this transition, the AMF prepares UE context data (which includes, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE Radio Capability, UE Security Capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB together with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. Then, the gNB activates AS security with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE and the UE responding to the gNB with a SecurityModeComplete message. Thereafter, the gNB sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving the RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, performs a reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, since SRB2 and DRB are not set up, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are skipped. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE that the setup procedure is complete.

[0025] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) of a 5th Generation Core (5GC), comprising: a control circuit that operatively establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that operatively transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a User Equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling including a resource allocation configuration information element to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. Then, the UE transmits in uplink or receives in downlink based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0026] <IMT usage scenarios after 2020> Figure 4 shows some of the use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project NR (3GPP NR) is considering three use cases that are expected to support a wide variety of services and applications with IMT-2020. The first phase of specifications for enhanced Multimedia Broadcasting (eMBB) has been completed. In addition to further expanding support for eMBB, current and future research is also being conducted on the standardization of ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) and multiple simultaneous connections. Figure 4 shows examples of usage scenarios that are expected for IMT beyond 2020 (see, for example, Figure 2 in ITU-R M.2083).

[0027] URLLC use cases have stringent performance requirements such as throughput, latency, and availability, and are envisioned as one of the enablers of future vertical applications such as wireless control of industrial production and manufacturing processes, remote medical surgery, power distribution automation for smart grids, and road safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913v16.0.0. For NR URLLC in Release 15, the key requirement is to target user plane latency of 0.5 ms UL (uplink) and 0.5 ms DL (downlink). The general URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a packet size of 32 bytes with a user plane latency of 1 ms.

[0028] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. Current room for reliability improvement includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, a more compact DCI (Downlink Control Information) format, repeated transmission of PDCCH, etc. However, this room can be expanded to achieve ultra-high reliability as NR (with respect to the key requirements of NR URLLC) becomes more stable and more developed. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.

[0029] Also, technology extensions targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technology extensions for improving latency include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configurable grant) uplink, repeated transmissions at slot level in data channel, and pre-emption in downlink. Pre-emption means that a transmission with already allocated resources is stopped and the already allocated resources are used for other transmissions with lower latency / higher priority requirements that are requested later. Thus, a transmission that was already allowed is preempted by a later transmission. Pre-emption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) can be preempted by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technology extensions for improving reliability include dedicated CQI / MCS tables for a target BLER of 1E-5.

[0030] The mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communication) use case is characterized by a very large number of connected devices that typically transmit relatively small amounts of data that are not sensitive to latency. The devices are required to be low cost and have very long battery life. From an NR perspective, the use of very narrow bandwidth portions is one solution that saves power from the UE's perspective and allows for long battery life.

[0031] As mentioned above, it is expected that the scope of reliability improvement in NR will be broader. One of the key requirements for all cases, especially for URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can be considered that can improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. In general, there are two to three key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, repeated transmission of data channel / control channel, and diversity with respect to frequency domain, time domain, and / or spatial domain. These areas are generally applicable to reliability improvement regardless of the specific communication scenario.

[0032] Further use cases with more stringent requirements are envisaged for NR URLLC, such as factory automation, transportation, and power distribution. The stringent requirements include high reliability (10 -6 level of reliability), high availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization up to a few μs (depending on the use case, the value can be 1 μs or a few μs depending on the frequency range and short latency on the order of 0.5 ms to 1 ms (in particular, a targeted latency of 0.5 ms on the user plane).

[0033] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, there may be some technology extensions from the physical layer point of view. These technology extensions include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) extension for compact DCI, PDCCH repeat transmission, and increased monitoring of PDCCH. Also, UCI (Uplink Control Information) extensions relate to enhanced HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) and CSI feedback extensions. Also, there may be PUSCH extensions related to minislot level hopping, and retransmission / repeat transmission extensions. The term "minislot" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (a slot contains, for example, 14 symbols).

[0034] In slot-based scheduling or allocation, a slot corresponds to the granularity of the timing of the scheduling allocation (TTI: transmission time interval). Generally, the TTI determines the granularity of the timing of the scheduling allocation. One TTI is the time interval during which a given signal is mapped to the physical layer. For example, conventionally, the TTI length can vary from 14 symbols (slot-based scheduling) to 2 symbols (non-slot-based scheduling). Downlink (DL: downlink) and uplink (UL: uplink) transmissions are defined to be organized into frames (10 ms duration) consisting of 10 subframes (1 ms duration). In slot-based transmission, a subframe is further divided into slots, and the number of those slots is defined by the numerology / subcarrier spacing. The defined values range from 10 slots per frame (1 slot per subframe) when the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz to 80 slots per frame (8 slots per subframe) when the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz. The number of OFDM symbols per slot is 14 for the normal cyclic prefix and 12 for the extended cyclic prefix (see Sections 4.1 (general frame structure), 4.2 (Numerologies), 4.3.1 (frames and subframes), and 4.3.2 (slots) of 3GPP TS38.211 V15.3.0, Physical channels and modulation, September 2018). However, the time resource allocation for transmission can also be non-slot-based. Specifically, the TTI for non-slot-based allocation can correspond to a mini-slot rather than a slot. That is, one or more mini-slots can be allocated for the transmission of the requested data / control signaling. In non-slot-based allocation, the minimum TTI length can be, for example, 1 or 2 OFDM symbols.

[0035] <QoS control> The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (GBR (Granteed Bit Rate) QoS flows) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified in a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in the encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0036] For each UE, the 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for the PDU session, e.g. as shown above with reference to Fig. 3. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of the PDU session can be configured later (when it is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. The NAS level packet filters in the UE and the 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, whereas the AS level mapping rules in the UE and the NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0037] FIG. 5 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see, for example, TS 23.501 v16.1.0 or v16.7.1.1, section 4.23). An application function (AF), such as an external application server hosting 5G services, as illustrated in FIG. 4, interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide the service. For example, it may access a network exposure function (NEF) to support applications that affect traffic routing, and interact with a policy framework for policy control such as QoS control (see Policy Control Function (PCF)). Based on the operator's deployment, application functions that are deemed trusted by the operator may directly interact with the relevant network functions. Application functions that are not allowed by the operator to directly access network functions interact with the relevant network functions using the external exposure framework via the NEF.

[0038] Figure 5 further illustrates further functional units of the 5G architecture, namely, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and Data Network (DN, e.g., operator-provided services, Internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and run in a cloud computing environment.

[0039] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) comprising: a transmitter that, when operated, sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of a URLLC service, an eMMB service, and an mMTC service to at least one of the 5GC functions (e.g., NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF, UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE according to the QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, when operated, performs a service using the established PDU session.

[0040] <NR マルチビーム> NR provides directional transmission through beamforming, where a base station or transmitting / receiving point transmits and receives with directional beams. For example, NR operation at higher frequencies (e.g., bands above 52 GHz) may use directional transmission using beamforming to focus energy or transmit power to overcome attenuation in these higher frequency bands.

[0041] Beamforming may provide flexibility rather than or in addition to separation in the time and frequency domains, for example by using different beams to simultaneously serve two UEs located in different parts of the cell that correspond to different directions relative to the serving antenna. For example, if the spatial separation provided by beamforming is sufficient, the two UEs may be assigned the same set of resource blocks.

[0042] An example of multi-beam operation is Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) transmission of beams, which may also be called beam sweeping. In TDM transmission of beams, the transmitter concentrates the transmission power in one direction (beam) at a time. TDM may be performed to reach the intended coverage and / or as a result of hardware constraints due to the transmitter having an analog beamformer. To avoid interference between different beams, different beams may be transmitted or generated in different symbols, respectively. Another example of multi-beam operation is Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM) transmission of beams, in which different beams are transmitted over different frequency resources, e.g., bandwidth portions, respectively. As with TDM of beams, FDM transmission of beams also allows to avoid interference between different beams.

[0043] Cross Link Interference (CLI) Processing As NR duplex operation evolves, crosslink interference handling and management is being considered, where sub-band non-overlapping full duplex is being considered as well as dynamic and flexible TDD. Possible considerations include identification of possible schemes and evaluation of their feasibility and performance. Additionally, CLI handling includes handling and management of inter-gNB and inter-UE CLI. In the case of sub-band non-overlapping full duplex, intra-subband CLI and inter-subband CLI may be considered (see RP-213591, Study on Evolution of NR Duplex Operation, Sections 3 and 4.1).

[0044] Layer 3 (L3, e.g., RRC) CLI interference measurement reports include Sounding Reference Signal Received Power (SRS-RSRP) and Received Signal Strength Indication (CLI-RSSI) (see 3GPP TSG RAN meeting #83, RP-190667, Status Report to TSG, section 2.1).

[0045] SRS-SRSP is defined as the linear average of the power contributions of the SRS measured over the configured resource elements within the considered measurement frequency bandwidth in the time resource of the configured measurement occasion.

[0046] The CLI-RSSI is defined as the linear average of the total received power observed in the measurement bandwidth, over resource elements configured for measurement by the UE, and only in certain OFDM symbols of the measurement time resource.

[0047] In light of the above, and considering the full-duplex and dynamic / flexible TDD context discussed above, this disclosure considers the impact of CLI on scheduling by gNBs.

[0048] A user equipment (UE) 660 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the UE comprises a transceiver 670 (also referred to as a "UE transceiver") and circuitry 680 ("UE circuitry"). The circuitry 680, in operation, controls the circuitry 670 to measure interference per frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions. The UE circuitry 680, in operation, generates a measurement report including an indication of the measured interference per frequency range and / or per spatial direction. The transceiver 670, in operation, transmits the measurement report.

[0049] As shown in Figure 6, the UE circuitry of an embodiment includes spatial frequency interference processing circuitry 685. As further shown in Figure 7, the spatial frequency interference processing circuitry 685 of an embodiment includes measurement circuitry 786 that controls the transceiver to measure interference per frequency range and / or per spatial direction, and measurement report generation circuitry 787 that generates a measurement report including an indication of the measured interference.

[0050] Further, a base station 610 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the base station 610 includes a circuit 630 ("base station circuit") and a transceiver 620 ("base station transceiver"). In operation, the base station transceiver 620 receives a measurement report including an indication of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions. Based on the indication of measured interference included in the received measurement report, the base station circuit 630 determines a channel condition at a first UE (UE#1, e.g., the UE from which the measurement report was received, or multiple UEs including the first UE), and assigns downlink resources to the first UE (UE#1) and uplink resources to the second UE (UE#2) based on the determined channel condition.

[0051] For example, the UE 660 is a wireless communication device, a user terminal, or a terminal device that communicates with a base station 610 (e.g., a gNB) over a wireless channel as shown in Figure 6. For example, the UE transceiver 670 transmits measurement reports to the base station 610, and the base station transceiver 620 receives the measurement reports from the UE.

[0052] Further, a communication method for a UE 660 is provided. As shown in Fig. 8, the communication method for a UE includes a step S810 of measuring interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions. The method further includes a step S820 of generating a measurement report including an indication of the measured interference per frequency range and / or per spatial direction. The method further includes a step S830 of transmitting the generated measurement report.

[0053] Also provided is a communication method for a base station, comprising the steps shown in Fig. 9 executed by the base station. In particular, the communication method for the base station comprises a step S910 of receiving a measurement report comprising an indication of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions. In step S920, the base station determines a channel condition at a first UE based on the indication of measured interference from the received measurement report. Based on the determined channel condition and / or the received measurement report, in step S930, the base station allocates downlink resources to the first UE and allocates uplink resources to the second UE.

[0054] In this disclosure, wherever the context indicates, the examples, embodiments, and detailed descriptions of the base stations and circuits are applicable with reference to each of the base stations and circuits, and the devices and corresponding methods are also described.

[0055] As already mentioned, the UE circuitry 680 measures or controls the UE transceiver to perform the interference measurement per frequency range or per spatial direction. The UE 660 is configured with one or more frequency ranges, one or more spatial directions, or both. Thus, the interference measurement can be performed for each of one or more frequency ranges, spatial directions, or a combination of frequency and spatial directions. The resolution in the frequency range can be a Resource Block (RB) or a set of RBs or a group of RBs. However, other resolutions in the frequency domain are also possible, e.g., bandwidth portions. The spatial direction can be a beam of the wireless communication system, where beamforming is applied and can be used for UL and / or DL. For example, in the configuration and / or measurement reports, the beam is indicated or characterized by a Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state or a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) index.

[0056] The UE circuitry 680 controls the UE transceiver 670 to perform interference measurements. Controlling interference measurements includes, for example, determining and / or setting spatial directions and / or beams and / or frequency ranges in which measurements should be performed, as well as recording signals (e.g., reference signals) or measurements received or measured by the transceiver. By way of example, interference measures include RSSI per frequency range and / or spatial direction, and / or RSRP per frequency range, and / or direction per spatial direction.

[0057] The UE 660 may be configured with zero, one or multiple frequency ranges and may further be configured with zero, one or multiple spatial directions (e.g., beams), possibly in combination with the frequency ranges. The base station 610 may determine the channel condition per frequency range and / or spatial direction based on one measurement report received by the UE or based on multiple measurement reports received from multiple UEs configured in the same spatial direction and / or frequency range, and / or in different spatial directions and / or frequency ranges, respectively.

[0058] Furthermore, in this disclosure, a "frequency range" includes at least one of a frequency bandwidth and a location in the frequency domain.

[0059] For example, the interference that is measured and reported is Cross-Link Interference (CLI).

[0060] In some embodiments, the UE 660 is configured with one or more interference thresholds that are used to compare against the measured interference. The UE circuitry 680 compares the measured interference to the interference threshold or thresholds, and in generating a measurement report includes one or more bits (e.g., bit groups or quantized bits) in the measurement interference notification indicating the results of the comparison per frequency range and / or per spatial direction.

[0061] For example, if there is one configured threshold, a one-bit indicator or flag for each configured frequency range, spatial direction, or combination of spatial and frequency range indicates whether the interference is above the threshold (e.g., value "1") or below the threshold (e.g., value "0"). For up to three thresholds, a two-bit indicator may indicate which of the multiple thresholds was exceeded. The UE may be configured with the number of thresholds for each frequency range and / or spatial direction, as well as a granularity or resolution defined by the multiple thresholds (e.g., a single threshold such as -100 dB, a greater granularity indicated by two bits (-60 / -80 / -100 dB), or a smaller granularity indicated by three bits (-60 / -70 / -80 / -90 / -100 dB)). For example, the number of bits is selected as the minimum number of bits required to represent the number of configured thresholds.

[0062] In some embodiments, the UE circuitry 680, in operation, controls the UE transceiver 670 to perform RSSI measurements as a measure of interference per frequency range and / or per spatial direction. Notification of the measured interference in a measurement report indicates the measured RSSI.

[0063] For example, one or more frequency ranges are configured in the UE with respect to the RB set / group for RSSI measurement. Alternatively, or in addition to the frequency ranges, the UE may be configured with zero, one, or more spatial direction indications, e.g., beam indications, for RSSI measurement. For example, the spatial direction or beam may be indicated and characterized by a TCI state or an SSB index, and optionally further characterized by an SRS resource indicator (SRI).

[0064] In this example, the UE is configured with one or more thresholds for comparison with the measured RSSI. The UE compares the measured RSSI with the configured thresholds and then reports the result in one or more bits that represent the interference level with respect to a granularity determined by the configured thresholds, e.g., -60 / -80 / -100 dBm for a larger granularity, or -60 / -70 / -80 / -90 / -100 dBm for a smaller granularity. In the measurement report, the measured RSSI is reported, e.g., as a result of a comparison with one or more thresholds as described above.

[0065] For example, the measurements and reports are Layer 1 (L1, physical layer) measurements and L1 measurement reports, but L2 (eg, MAC layer) or L3 (RRC) measurements and measurement reports are also possible.

[0066] An example of reporting measured interference using one threshold is shown below in Table 1. A value of "0" or "1" represents an interference level below or above the threshold. [Table 1]

[0067] Signaling one bit (for one threshold) or a few quantized bits (e.g., 2 or 3 bits) for frequency range and / or direction / index provides a compact and efficient feedback or signaling of interference measurements, thereby reducing control signaling overhead. Furthermore, for L1 measurement reporting, the base station (e.g., gNB) may be configured to perform scheduling with short feedback intervals.

[0068] In some embodiments, the UE is configured with one or more SRS resource configurations for SRS-RSRP measurements. Each SRS resource configuration includes a configuration of one or more of the following parameters: an SRS sequence, one or more frequency ranges (each including a bandwidth and / or a location in the frequency domain). In addition to or as part of the SRS configuration, the UE may be configured with one or more parameters indicating a spatial direction or a reception direction, which may be a TCI state, an SSB index, or an SRI. For example, the SRI represents an SRS resource configuration.

[0069] In this embodiment, similar to the RSSI per frequency range or spatial direction, the UE may be configured with one or more thresholds that are used to compare with the measured SRS-RSRP. The UE compares the measured SRS-RSRP with the configured thresholds and then reports the result in an interference measurement report for each SRS configuration along with one or more bits (e.g., flags or quantized bits) that represent the interference level with respect to the granularity determined by the configured thresholds.

[0070] The measurements and reports may be Layer 1 (L1, physical layer) measurements and L1 measurement reports, but may also be L2 (e.g. MAC layer) or L3 (RRC) measurements and measurement reports.

[0071] By using the SRS as a reference, interference (eg, CLI) from a particular UE or multiple UEs in a particular cell can be identified, facilitating management of both intra-cell and inter-cell interference.

[0072] Furthermore, if L1 measurement reporting is used, gNB scheduling with short feedback intervals may be facilitated.

[0073] In some embodiments, indication of interference per frequency range (e.g., CLI-RSSI) for different spatial directions / indexes, e.g., TCI status, is added to the L1 RSRP measurement report. The interference is measured per spatial direction. The measurement report includes, as L1 RSRP measurements, indication of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measured on downlink, uplink or sidelink resources per spatial direction for one or more spatial directions, and further includes RSSI measurements (e.g., CLI-RSSI) that are measurements of interference per frequency range for each of the spatial directions combined with one or more configured frequency ranges. For example, indication of interference per frequency range is added to the measurement report of the L1-RSRP report as shown in technical specification 3GPP TS 38.214, Physical layer procedures for data, Section 5.2.1.4.3, V16.9.0 (see).

[0074] The data structure of the measurement report is as follows: TCI#1 {Measured RSRP in DL, measured CLI in RB set / group 0, 1, 2, ...} TCI#1 {Measured RSRP in DL, measured CLI in RB set / group 0, 1, 2, ...} ·... It is.

[0075] An exemplary data structure for RSRP and interference reporting for RSI is shown in Table 2, where spatial directions (or beams) are indicated with respect to TCI states. The RSSI as a measure of interference per frequency range (RB), e.g., CLI-RSSI, may be an absolute value or a 0 / 1 value (flag) or multiple quantized bits, as shown in the above embodiment. [Table 2]

[0076] According to this embodiment, the Layer 1 measurement report indicates interference such as CLI associated with the spatial direction and frequency range associated with the received signal, facilitating accurate reporting reflecting the gNB's SINR to determine whether resources are available in a particular direction and how large a gap (or guard band) is there from the UL channel (assigned to the second UE).

[0077] In Table 2, the "RSRP" column may refer to, for example, CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) RSRP, and the interference per CLI may be SRS-based RSRP or RSSI, as described above.

[0078] In some embodiments, including some examples above, the measurement report is a Layer 1 (L1) measurement report. Thus, scheduling with fast feedback by the gNB is facilitated. However, the present disclosure is not limited to Layer 1 measurements and measurement reports. For example, the measurement report may be a Layer 2 or Layer 3 measurement report, as already discussed with respect to RSRP and RSSI measurements and signaling with thresholds.

[0079] In this disclosure, RSSI and RSRP are given as examples of candidate interference measures, but are not limiting. Interference may refer to uplink, sidelink, or aggregated or average interference from a variety of possible sources.

[0080] As described above, the base station circuitry 630 determines the channel condition. In some embodiments, the determined channel condition includes at least one of the channel between the base station 610 and the first user equipment UE#1, and the channel between the first user equipment UE#1, which is an interfered UE when receiving data in the uplink or sidelink, and the second user equipment UE#2, which is an interfered UE when transmitting in the uplink or sidelink. The base station circuitry may further determine the beamforming capability of the first UE, the beamforming capability of the second UE, and the transmit power of the second (interfering) UE, taking into account the resource allocation.

[0081] The beamforming capability may correspond to capabilities related to a user device specification / device type and / or may further indicate how the UE can receive or transmit on a certain beam at a certain frequency according to current channel conditions determined based on capability reports received from one or more UEs.

[0082] The transmit power may correspond to the maximum capability of the UE in terms of how much power it can output when transmitting data or signals. The transmit power may correspond to the maximum output power that the UE can use and is limited by the network.

[0083] The channel condition between the UEs may be determined as the distance between the UEs, fading, and operating frequency. In addition, the channel between the base station and the interfered UE may be determined as the received signal level of the gNB's signal at the interfered UE (e.g., reported in a measurement report such as RSRP or RSSI).

[0084] In this manner, one or more of the above parameters (channel conditions between the UE and between the UE and the base station, beamforming capability, and transmit power) may be determined by the base station based on measurement reports received from the UE. Additionally or alternatively, the above parameters and other parameters included in or used to determine the channel conditions may be estimated or measured by the UE.

[0085] In some embodiments, the base station 610 comprises an interface for inter-base station communication, and the circuitry is configured, in operation, to control the reporting of channel conditions via the interface. The above-mentioned parameters may be exchanged or shared between the base stations via the interface. For example, the interface may include one or more of an interface between a gNB and a core network, such as an Xn interface between gNBs or eNBs, an X2 interface between an eNB and a gNB, and an S1 or NG interface between a base station and a core network. In addition to receiving measurement reports from a UE, measurement reports may be received from another base station via an inter-base station interface.

[0086] The base station may evaluate channel conditions at the potentially interfered UEs to determine whether to schedule DL and UL in adjacent RBs and how much guard band between UL and DL frequency ranges. Based on the received measurement reports and / or based on the determined channel conditions, the base station may assign resources to the UEs, including DL resources for UE#1 and UL resources for UE#2, including frequency resources on common time resources (one or more common or overlapping TTIs or e.g. symbols, slots, or subframes) common to the UL and DL resources. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the resource assignment may include determining a guard band in the frequency domain between the downlink and uplink resources. This determination may include determining whether the resources for the first UE and the second UE should be assigned to the same frequency range (e.g. RB group) (which is possible if the first UE and the second UE use different serving beams), or to adjacent frequency ranges, or to frequency ranges with a frequency gap between the frequencies.

[0087] In addition to the UE 660 and base station 610, the communication method for the UE, and the communication method for the base station, there is further provided an integrated circuit (IC) for controlling a UE to execute the communication method for the UE disclosed according to the disclosed embodiments and examples, and an IC for controlling a base station UE to execute the communication method for the base station disclosed according to the disclosed embodiments and examples.

[0088] The IC configured to control the UE comprises a control circuit that, in operation, controls performance of interference measurements for each frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions and generates a measurement report including notification of the measured interference for each frequency range and / or for each spatial direction, and a transceiver circuit that, in operation, controls transmission of the measurement report.

[0089] The IC configured to control the base station comprises: a transceiver circuit that, in operation, controls reception of measurement reports including a notification of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions; and a control circuit that, in operation, determines a channel condition at a first UE based on the notification of measured interference, and allocates downlink resources to the first UE and allocates uplink resources to a second UE based on the determined channel conditions.

[0090] The disclosed techniques, including the user equipment 660, the base station 610, the method for the user equipment, the method for the base station, and the integrated circuit for controlling the UE or the base station, can take into account the impact of interference (e.g., CLI) on scheduling by the base station (e.g., gNB), facilitating the base station to decide, for example, whether to allow DL and UL transmissions in adjacent frequency resources and how large a protection gap should be used. Resolution or granularity in the spatial and frequency domains in interference measurement and reporting is provided by measurement reports according to the present disclosure.

[0091] Furthermore, spatial and / or frequency domain measurement reports facilitate efficient UE pairing and facilitate mitigation or avoidance of UE-to-UE interference. If the expected interference from the second UE to the first UE is known to the base station, the base station may determine whether TDD and / or FDD needs to be applied, for example, in a system where beamforming is used, to avoid or reduce the interference. For example, Tx and Rx beamforming on the UE side may enable more efficient resource allocation with zero gap or small gap (guard band). The present disclosure considers that this feature should also be considered in the design of interference measurement / reporting. Furthermore, the spatial and frequency domain measurement reports according to the present disclosure may facilitate the gNB to determine whether UE#1 shown in FIG. 10 experiences strong CLI from UE#2, for example, when UE#1 applies beamforming and / or UE#2 applies beamforming, and may schedule UE#1 and UE#2 accordingly, for example, by adjusting the guard band between the resources assigned to UE#1 and UE#2. Thus, for example, spectral efficiency and flexibility can be improved by leveraging the flexibility offered by beamforming more efficiently.

[0092] Furthermore, the disclosed techniques may reduce the overhead of interference reporting (e.g., L3 measurement reporting in RP-190667 as mentioned above) and provide a compact solution, for example by reporting signal strength / power with respect to interference and one or more thresholds represented by one or more bits. Furthermore, the compact solution allows for more detailed reporting in the frequency domain (e.g., reporting specific to a frequency range such as an RB or RB set / group) and with respect to the measured interference (e.g., by providing one or more thresholds).

[0093] Furthermore, in embodiments where the measurement reports are L1 measurement reports, fast measurement and reporting is provided to facilitate gNB scheduling. Such L1 measurements / reports can facilitate the gNB's decision on whether it is possible to schedule UE#1 in DL and UE#2 in UL in a nearby RB set / group and how much of a gap should be utilized.

[0094] In this disclosure, the downlink control signal (information) related to this disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PDCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC control element (CE) or RRC of a higher layer. The downlink control signal may be a predefined signal (information).

[0095] The uplink control signal (information) related to the present disclosure may be a signal (information) transmitted via a PUCCH of a physical layer, or may be a signal (information) transmitted via a MAC CE or RRC of a higher layer. Also, the uplink control signal may be a predefined signal (information). The uplink control signal may be replaced by uplink control information (UCI), first stage sidelink control information (SCI), or second stage SCI.

[0096] In the present disclosure, the base station may be, for example, a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a base unit, or a gateway. Also, in sidelink communication, a terminal may be employed instead of the base station. The base station may be a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal. The base station may be a roadside unit.

[0097] The present disclosure may be applied to any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink.

[0098] The present disclosure may apply, for example, to uplink channels such as PUSCH, PUCCH, and PRACH, downlink channels such as PDSCH, PDCCH, and PBCH, and sidelink channels such as the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), and the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0099] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel, respectively. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0100] The present disclosure may be applied to both data channels and control channels. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with data channels including PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, and / or control channels including PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0101] In this disclosure, a reference signal is a signal known to both a base station and a mobile station, and each reference signal may be referred to as a reference signal (RS) or, in some cases, a pilot signal. A reference signal may be any 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).

[0102] In the present disclosure, the time resource unit is not limited to one or a combination of a slot and a symbol, and may be a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a time slot subslot, a minislot, or a time resource unit such as a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or other time resource unit. The number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to any number of symbols exemplified in the above embodiment(s), and may be other numbers of symbols.

[0103] The present disclosure may be applied to both licensed and unlicensed bands.

[0104] The present disclosure may be applied to any of communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (sidelink communication), and vehicle to everything (V2X) communication. The channels in the present disclosure may be replaced with PSCCH, PSSCH, physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PBCH.

[0105] The present disclosure may also be applied to any of terrestrial networks and non-terrestrial networks (NTN: Non-Terrestrial Networks) using satellites or High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS). The present disclosure may also be applied to networks with large cell sizes and terrestrial networks with large delays compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as ultra-wideband transmission networks.

[0106] An antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) formed by one or more physical antennas (multiple possible). That is, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to one physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna formed by multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas forming an antenna port is not defined, and instead, an antenna port is defined as the smallest unit by which a terminal can transmit a reference signal. Also, an antenna port may be defined as the smallest unit for multiplying the weighting of a precoding vector.

[0107] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in cooperation with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of each embodiment above can be partially or completely realized by an LSI (large scale integration) such as an integrated circuit (IC), and each process described in each embodiment can be partially or completely controlled by the same LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI can be formed individually as a chip, or one chip can be formed to include some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI can include data inputs and outputs coupled thereto. The LSI in this specification can be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. However, the technology for realizing the integrated circuit is not limited to the LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a processor for a specific application. Furthermore, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after the manufacture of an LSI or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of the circuit cells arranged inside the LSI may be used. The present disclosure can be realized as digital processing or analog processing. If future integrated circuit technologies replace LSI as a result of advances in semiconductor technology and other derived technologies, the functional blocks can be integrated using the future integrated circuit technologies. Biotechnology can also be applied.

[0108] The present disclosure may be implemented by any type of apparatus, device or system having communication capabilities, referred to as a communications apparatus.

[0109] A communication device may include a transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The transceiver may include and / or function as a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver as a transmitter and receiver may include a Radio Frequency (RF) module including amplifiers, RF modulators / demodulators, etc., and one or more antennas.

[0110] Some non-limiting examples of such communication devices include phones (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, smart watches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine (remote health and medicine) devices, and vehicles (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships) that provide communication capabilities, and various combinations thereof.

[0111] Communications devices are not limited to being portable or mobile, but may include any type of non-portable or fixed apparatus, device, or system, such as smart home devices (e.g., appliances, lights, smart meters, control panels), vending machines, and any other "things" in the network of the "Internet of Things" (IoT).

[0112] Communications may include, for example, exchanging data via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, satellite systems, and the like, as well as various combinations thereof.

[0113] A communications apparatus may include devices such as a controller or a sensor coupled to a communications device to perform the communications functions described in this disclosure. For example, a communications apparatus may include a controller or a sensor that generates control or data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0114] Additionally, the communications equipment may include infrastructure facilities such as, for example, base stations, access points, and any other equipment, devices, or systems that communicate with or control equipment such as those in the non-limiting examples above.

[0115] In summary, according to a first aspect, a user equipment (UE) comprises a transceiver unit and a circuit for controlling the transceiver unit, in operation, to measure interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions, and generating a measurement report including notification of the interference measured for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions, the user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver unit, in operation, transmitting the measurement report;

[0116] According to a second aspect provided in addition to the first aspect, one or more interference thresholds are configured in the UE, and in operation, the circuit compares the measured interference to the one or more interference thresholds, and the notification of the measured interference includes one bit or more quantized bits representing a result of the comparison.

[0117] According to a third aspect provided in addition to the first or second aspect, the circuit, in operation, controls the transceiver to perform a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) measurement as a measurement of interference for each frequency range and / or each spatial direction, the indication of interference being indicative of the measured RSSI.

[0118] According to a fourth aspect provided in addition to the first or second aspect, the UE is configured with one or more Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource configurations, each SRS resource configuration including one or more configurations of an SRS sequence and a frequency range of the one or more frequency ranges, and a spatial direction of the one or more spatial directions is signaled, and in operation, the circuitry controls the transceiver unit to perform a measurement of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for each SRS resource configuration as the measurement of the interference for each of the one or more SRS resource configurations, and the signaling of the measured interference indicates the RSRP for each SRS resource configuration for the one or more SRS resource configurations. According to a fifth aspect provided in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the circuit, in operation, controls the transceiver unit to measure the interference for each spatial direction, and the measurement report includes, for the one or more spatial directions, notification of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measured in downlink, uplink or sidelink resources for each spatial direction.

[0119] In a sixth aspect added to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the measurement report is a layer 1 measurement report.

[0120] According to a seventh aspect, a base station comprises: a transceiver unit which, during operation, receives a measurement report including a notification of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions; and a circuit which, during operation, determines a channel state at a first UE based on the notification of measured interference, and allocates downlink resources to the first UE and allocates uplink resources to a second UE based on the determined channel state.

[0121] According to an eighth aspect provided in addition to the seventh aspect, the determined channel conditions include at least one of a channel between the base station and the first UE and a channel between the first UE and the second UE, and the circuit, in operation, determines a beamforming capability of the first UE, a beamforming capability of the second UE, and a transmit power of the second UE.

[0122] According to a ninth aspect provided in addition to the seventh or eighth aspect, the downlink resource and the uplink resource include a time resource common to both the downlink resource and the uplink resource, and the allocation includes determining a guard band in the frequency domain between the downlink resource and the uplink resource.

[0123] According to a tenth aspect, provided in addition to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, a base station includes an interface for inter-base station communication, and the circuit is configured, in operation, to control reporting of the channel condition via the interface.

[0124] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communication method comprising steps performed by a user equipment (UE) of measuring interference for each frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions, generating a measurement report including an indication of the measured interference for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions, and transmitting the measurement report.

[0125] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a communication method comprising the steps performed by a base station of receiving a measurement report including an indication of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions, determining a channel condition at a first UE based on the indication of measured interference, and allocating downlink resources to the first UE and allocating uplink resources to a second UE based on the determined channel conditions.

[0126] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided an integrated circuit configured to control a user equipment (UE), the integrated circuit comprising: a control circuit which, in operation, controls performance of interference measurements for each frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions and generates a measurement report including an indication of the interference measured for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions; and a transceiver circuit which, in operation, controls transmission of the measurement report.

[0127] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided an integrated circuit configured to control a base station, the integrated circuit comprising: a transceiver circuit that, in operation, controls reception of measurement reports including a notification of measured interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions; and a control circuit that, in operation, determines a channel state at a first UE based on the notification of measured interference, and allocates downlink resources to the first UE and allocates uplink resources to a second UE based on the determined channel state.

[0128] Additionally, a non-transitory medium is provided having program instructions recorded thereon which, when executed on a processing circuit, such as a general purpose processor, cause the processing circuit to perform all of the steps of the method embodiments described above.

[0129] In summary, the disclosed technique provides a user equipment, a base station, and a communication method for a UE, and a communication method for a base station. The UE includes a transceiver unit and a circuit for controlling the transceiver unit, in operation, to measure interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions, and generating a measurement report including an indication of the measured interference per frequency range and / or per spatial direction. The transceiver unit, in operation, transmits the measurement report.

Claims

1. A transmitting / receiving unit; a circuit for controlling the transceiver unit, in operation, to measure interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions, and for generating a measurement report including an indication of the interference measured for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions; Equipped with The transceiver unit, when operating, transmits the measurement report. Communications equipment.

2. one or more interference thresholds are configured in the communications device, and the circuitry, in operation, compares the measured interference to the one or more interference thresholds, and the notification of the measured interference includes one or more quantized bits representing a result of the comparison. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. In operation, the circuitry controls the transceiver to perform a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) measurement as a measure of interference for each of the frequency ranges and / or spatial directions, the indication of interference being indicative of the measured RSSI.

3. A communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The communication device is configured with one or more Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource configurations, each SRS resource configuration including one or more settings of an SRS sequence and one frequency range of the one or more frequency ranges, and notifying one spatial direction of the one or more spatial directions, wherein the circuitry controls the transceiver unit in operation to perform a measurement of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) for each SRS resource configuration as the measurement of the interference for each of the one or more SRS resource configurations, and the notification of the measured interference indicates the RSRP for each SRS resource configuration for the one or more SRS resource configurations.

3. A communication device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. In operation, the circuitry controls the transceiver to measure the interference per spatial direction, and the measurement report includes, for the one or more spatial directions, an indication of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measured on a downlink, uplink or sidelink resource per spatial direction. The communication device according to claim 1 .

6. The measurement report is a layer 1 measurement report. The communication device according to claim 1 .

7. a transceiver unit configured, in operation, to receive measurement reports comprising indications of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions; circuitry for, during operation, determining channel conditions at a first communication device based on the indication of the measured interference, and for allocating downlink resources to the first communication device and uplink resources to a second communication device based on the determined channel conditions; A base station comprising:

8. the determined channel conditions include at least one of a channel between the base station and the first communication device and a channel between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the circuit, in operation, determines a beamforming capability of the first communication device, a beamforming capability of the second communication device, and a transmit power of the second communication device. The base station according to claim 7.

9. the downlink resource and the uplink resource include a time resource common to both the downlink resource and the uplink resource, and the allocating includes determining a guard band in a frequency domain between the downlink resource and the uplink resource. The base station according to claim 7.

10. an interface for inter-base station communication, the circuit being configured, in operation, to control reporting of the channel condition via the interface; The base station according to claim 7.

11. 13. Steps performed by a communication device, comprising: - measuring interference for each frequency range in one or more set frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more set spatial directions; generating a measurement report comprising an indication of the measured interference for each of the frequency ranges and / or for each of the spatial directions; transmitting the measurement report; A communication method comprising:

12. The steps performed by a base station include: receiving a measurement report comprising an indication of measured interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions; determining channel conditions at a first communication device based on the indication of measured interference; allocating downlink resources to the first communication device and uplink resources to the second communication device based on the determined channel conditions; A communication method comprising:

13. 1. An integrated circuit configured to control a communication device, comprising: a control circuit configured, in operation, to control performance of measurements of interference per frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or per spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions, and to generate measurement reports comprising indications of the interference measured for said frequency ranges and / or for said spatial directions; a transceiver circuit adapted, in operation, to control the transmission of said measurement reports; 1. An integrated circuit comprising:

14. 1. An integrated circuit configured to control a base station, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured, in operation, to control reception of measurement reports including indications of measured interference for each frequency range in one or more configured frequency ranges and / or for each spatial direction in one or more configured spatial directions; a control circuit configured, during operation, to determine channel conditions at a first communication device based on the notification of the measured interference, and to allocate downlink resources to the first communication device and uplink resources to a second communication device based on the determined channel conditions; 1. An integrated circuit comprising:

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