Method implemented in a network device, and network device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable medium for managing Cross Link Interference (CLI). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first network device measures a CLI level based on at least one CLI Reference Signal (RS) received from a second network device. In response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold level, the first network device transmits a first instruction to the second network device. The first instruction includes service information associated with the CLI.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for cross-link interference (CLI) management.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of communication technologies, in order to improve communication efficiency, network devices are designed to operate in a full-duplex communication mode. In the full-duplex communication mode, a network device can transmit downlink data transmissions and simultaneously receive uplink data transmissions. Therefore, when a network device simultaneously receives an uplink (UL) transmission from a terminal device and a downlink (DL) transmission from another network device, and the transmission settings of these two network devices do not match. That is, when there are different directions of traffic / signals / channels within the same / adjacent cells, CLI may occur. To solve the related technical problems, exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure provide a mechanism for CLI management.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communication methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] In a first aspect, a method implemented in a first network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode is provided. In this method, the first network device measures a CLI level based on at least one CLI reference signal (RS: Reference Signal) received from a second network device. In response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold level, the first network device transmits a first instruction to the second network device. The first instruction includes service information associated with the CLI.

[0005] In a second aspect, a method implemented in a second network device is provided. In this method, the second network transmits at least one cross-link interference (CLI: Cross Link Interference) reference signal (RS: Reference Signal) to a first network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode. The second device receives a first instruction including service information associated with the CLI from the first network device and executes a CLI removal procedure based on the first instruction.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method implemented in a third network device operating in sub-band full-duplex is provided. In this method, the third network device receives a CLI measurement report including a CLI measurement level from a first terminal device configured to have a first service. In response to the CLI measurement value exceeding a first threshold level, the third network device transmits a first instruction for the at least one second terminal device configured to have a second service to remove the CLI by the second terminal device, and the priority of the first service is higher than the priority of the second service.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented in a second terminal device is provided. In this method, the terminal device transmits at least one CLI-RS. The second terminal device receives, from a third network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode, a first instruction for removing the CLI by the second terminal device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of the first to third aspects is performed.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to the fourth aspect is performed.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing at least one processor to perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects when executed on the at least one processor is provided.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary part of the invention is not intended to identify the important or fundamental features of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, nor to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure should be easily understood from the following description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] Hereinafter, several exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013]

Figure 1

[0014]

Figure 2

[0015]

Figure 3

[0016]

Figure 4

[0017]

Figure 5

[0018]

Figure 6

[0019]

Figure 7

[0020]

Figure 8

[0021]

Figure 9

[0022]

Figure 10

[0023] In the figures, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Here, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are intended to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the methods described below.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0026] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device having a wireless or wired communication function. Examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-mounted devices for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network), devices for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), Small Data Transmission (SDT), mobility, Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS), positioning, dynamic / flexible duplexing in commercial networks, reduced capability (RedCap), spacecraft or aircraft in non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including High Altitude Platforms (HAP) and satellites that include Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Extended Reality (XR) devices including different types of reality such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Virtual Reality (VR), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are generally known as drones and are aircraft that do not require a human pilot, high speed trains (HST: high speedDevices on a train , imaging devices such as digital cameras, sensors, gaming devices, music storage / playback devices, or Internet devices that enable wireless / wired Internet access and browsing, etc. may be mentioned, but are not limited thereto. The "terminal device" can further have a multicast / broadcast function and support public safety, mission critical, V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast delivery, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, wireless software delivery, group communication, and IoT applications. Also, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIM, may be incorporated. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber equipment, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0027] The term "network device" as used in this specification refers to a device capable of providing or hosting a cell or coverage with which a terminal device can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), Next Generation NodeB (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), IAB node, femto node, low-power nodes such as pico nodes, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), etc.

[0028] The terminal device or network device may have the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning. Generally, it includes a learned model from a large number of data collected for a specific function and can be used to predict some information. The terminal device or network device may operate on several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), from 71 GHz to 114 GHz, frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, it can operate in licensed / unlicensed / shared spectrum. In the scenario of multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) application, the terminal device may have multiple connections with the network device. The terminal device or network device can operate in full-duplex, flexible-duplex, and cross-split duplex modes.

[0029] The network device may have the functions of network energy saving, self-organising networks (SON) / minimization of drive tests (MDT). The terminal may have the function of power saving.

[0030] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment such as a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal device, a test network device, a channel emulator, etc.

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed according to any generation of communication protocols known currently or developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, 5.5G, 5G-Advanced network, or the sixth generation (6G) network.

[0032] In one embodiment, the terminal device may be connected to a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node, and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different radio access technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information regarding different RATs may be transmitted from at least one of the first network device or the second network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, information regarding the settings of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information regarding the resetting of the terminal device set by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device.

[0033] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "including" and its variations are to be construed as an open-ended term meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is construed as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are construed as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is construed as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different objects or the same object. The following content may include other explicit and implicit definitions.

[0034] In some instances, a value, procedure, or device is referred to as "best", "lowest", "highest", "minimum", "maximum", etc. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection can be made from among a number of available functional alternatives, and such a selection need not be better, smaller, higher, or more preferred than other selections.

[0035] As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be an analog hardware circuit and / or a digital hardware circuit in combination with software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor with software, such as a digital signal processor, software, and memory that cooperate to provide various functions to a device such as a terminal device or a network device. As yet another example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or a processor such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor that requires software / firmware for operation, and the software may not be present when not needed for operation. As used herein, the term circuit encompasses merely a hardware circuit or processor, or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its (or their) attendant software and / or firmware implementation.

[0036] In the present disclosure, the TDD mode includes a (half) duplex communication link in which UL and DL are separated by the allocation of different time units in the same frequency channel. The FDD mode refers to a duplex communication link in which separate frequency bands are used on the transmitter and receiver sides. The network device in the present disclosure may operate in a non-overlapping sub-band full duplex mode. In the non-overlapping sub-band full duplex mode, the network device can simultaneously receive UL and transmit DL using different frequency channel sub-bands for different terminal devices. The network device in the present disclosure may operate in a full duplex mode. In the full duplex mode, the network device can simultaneously execute UL transmission and DL transmission using the same frequency band as the terminal device.

[0037] As described above, there may be CLI generated between different network devices in which at least one network device operates in a sub-band full duplex communication mode. However, for a network device operating in a full duplex communication mode, there is no specific mechanism for CLI management.

[0038] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure propose a mechanism for CLI management. In this mechanism, a first network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode measures a CLI level based on at least one CLI reference signal (RS) received from a second network device. The second device operates in TDD mode or sub-band full-duplex mode. The CLI-RS may include a newly designed RS for CLI measurement, or may include an existing RS reused for CLI measurement, such as SRS, CSI-IM-RS, or DMRS. In response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold, the first network device transmits a CLI removal assistance instruction to the second device to remove the CLI from the second network device. The first instruction includes service information associated with the CLI. Then, the second network device executes a CLI removal procedure based on the CLI removal assistance instruction to remove the CLI from the second network device. Also, in response to the measured CLI level exceeding a second threshold level, the first network device transitions from sub-band-based full-duplex mode to TDD mode.

[0039] Thus, a victim network device operating in sub-band-based full-duplex mode may indicate to at least one aggressor network device to execute a CLI removal procedure based on service information associated with the CLI. For example, the aggressor network device may cancel each DL transmission based on the CLI removal assistance instruction or determine how to schedule each DL transmission based on the service information to avoid generating a CLI to the victim network device. Additionally, the victim network device may transition from sub-band full-duplex mode to a TDD setting to coordinate UL or DL transmissions with the aggressor network device.

[0040] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an exemplary environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0041] An environment 100 that can be part of a communication network includes a first network device 110, a second network device 120, a first terminal device 130, and a second terminal device 140. At least the first network device 110 may operate in a sub-band-based full-duplex mode. Transmission setting 115 shows an exemplary UL and DL transmission pattern of the first network device 110 operating in a sub-band-based full-duplex mode. In the present disclosure, the time unit 116 in the transmission setting 115 may include a slot. Additionally or alternatively, the time unit 116 may include any other unit in the time domain, such as a symbol, a frame, or a sub-frame. As shown in the transmission setting 115, "D" refers to the time unit used for DL transmission, "U" refers to the time unit used for UL reception, and "S" refers to a flexible time-frequency unit that can be used for DL transmission or UL reception as needed. In some embodiments, the S time-frequency unit may be used for the guard gap between DL transmission and UL reception. In one example, as shown within the setting 115, in the second, third, and fourth time units, the first network device 110 may perform DL transmission for a group of terminal devices simultaneously with UL reception for another group of UEs on different frequency sub-bands. Within the first time unit, the first network device 110 performs only DL transmission. And within the fifth time unit, the first network device 110 performs only UL transmission.

[0042] Additionally, transmission configuration 125 shows an exemplary TDD transmission pattern of the second network device 110. In the TDD transmission pattern, the second network device 120 may perform DL transmission in the first, second, and third time units, and may perform UL reception in the fifth time unit. The fourth time unit is a flexible time unit. In the above case, the transmissions in the second, third, and fourth time units may collide between the first network device 110 and the second network device 120. As shown in block 150, the first row refers to the TDD configuration 115 of the second sub-band of the first network device 110, and the second row refers to the TDD configuration 125 of the second network device 120. In the above exemplary situation, it can be seen that the DL transmission and UL reception in the time unit indicated by length 155 may collide between network devices. It should be understood that the above-described transmission configurations are shown in environment 100 only for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0043] Additionally, the first network device 110 may perform DL transmission and / or UL reception with the first terminal device 130. And the second network device 120 may perform DL transmission and / or UL reception with the second terminal device 140.

[0044] The number of terminal devices and network devices is shown in environment 100 only for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, environment 100 may include another terminal device that communicates information with another network device.

[0045] Communication within the environment 100 may comply with any suitable communication standard or protocol, existing or to be developed in the future, such as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards. For example, it may adopt any suitable communication technology including Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and machine type communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), carrier aggregation (CA), Dual Connection (DC), and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U).

[0046] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a signaling process 200 for the management of CLI between network devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, the process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0047] In the signaling process 200, the first network device 110 measures the CLI level (210) based on at least one CLI-RS received from the second network device 120. In some embodiments, the CLI-RS setting is specially set for CLI measurement between gNBs. In some embodiments, the CLI-RS setting is predefined. For example, the predefined CLI-RS setting indicates the association between communication resources and CLI-RS. The second network device 120 may transmit a plurality of CLI-RSs on a plurality of associated communication resources. In some embodiments, the plurality of associated communication resources are used for UL reception by the first network device 110 and for DL transmission by the second network device 120. The first network device 110 may measure the signal reception strength for each of the plurality of CLI RSs transmitted on each of the respective plurality of communication resources. Then, the first network device 110 may determine the CLI level associated with each communication resource based on the plurality of received CLI RSs. Additionally or alternatively, the first network device 110 and the second network device 120 may reuse existing RSs for CLI level measurement without predefining CLI settings. Additionally or alternatively, the first network device 110 may negotiate CLI-RS in real time without a predefined CLI-RS setting. In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may measure the CLI level in any other way.

[0048] The first network device 110 compares (220) at least one measured CLI level with a first threshold level. In some embodiments, the first threshold level is predefined for a first service / traffic having a high priority. For example, the first service / traffic includes at least one of an ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) service, an industrial internet of things (IIoT) service, and an extended reality (XR) service. These services / traffic have high requirements for communication latency and reliability. For example, the first network device 110 may schedule the first service / traffic on a set of communication resources. The first network device 110 may measure a set of CLI levels on the set of communication resources, for example, on a set of slots. Then, the first network device 110 may compare the set of CLI levels with the first threshold level. If the CLI level exceeds the first threshold level, it is determined that the associated communication resources, for example, the UL sub-band within the slot, are affected by the CLI from the second network device 120. To ensure the communication quality of the first service / traffic being executed, the CLI on the communication resources should be removed. Additionally or alternatively, the first threshold level may be predefined for other purposes or may be dynamically adjustable.

[0049] In response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold level, the first network device 110 may determine that it is not possible to remove the CLI in the first network device 110 without the assistance of the second network device 120. Then, the first network device 110 may send a CLI removal assistance instruction (hereinafter may also be referred to as the "first instruction") to the second network device 120 to remove the CLI from the second network device 120 (230). The first instruction includes service information associated with the CLI. It should be understood that the number of the second network devices 120 is shown for illustrative purposes only. The first network device 110 may send the first instruction to one or more second network devices that may affect the service / traffic of the first network device 110. In response to receiving the CLI removal assistance instruction, the second network device 120 executes a CLI removal procedure to remove the CLI from the second network device.

[0050] Regarding the transmission of the first instruction, the first network device 110 may directly send the first instruction to the second network device 120 on the interface Xn. Additionally or alternatively, the first network device 110 may send the first instruction to the second network device 120 via an Operations and Maintenance (OAM) function. Additionally or alternatively, the first instruction may have a newly defined reference signal format that may be described below.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first instruction may include a CLI removal request to invalidate DL transmission on a communication resource. Upon receiving the CLI removal request, the second network device 120 may cancel the DL transmission on the communication resource indicated in the request. Further, the second network device 120 may notify the second terminal device 140 of the cancellation of the DL transmission on the communication resource (260).

[0052] In some embodiments, the CLI removal request may include at least one of a sub-band based TDD setting of the first network device 110, priorities of services on each sub-band, types or QoS of services affected by the CLI, and communication resources of sub-bands affected by the CLI.

[0053] For example, the CLI removal request includes a sub-band based TDD setting of the first network device 110, for example, setting 115 as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the second network device 120 may determine communication resources that may be affected by the CLI based on the TDD setting 115 and the TDD setting of the second network device 120, for example, setting 125, as shown in FIG. 1. For example, the second network device 120 may determine that the time units within the length 155 shown in FIG. 1 are unavailable communication resources. In another example, the second network device 120 may also determine unavailable frequency resources, for example, one or more sub-bands, based on the TDD setting 115 and the TDD setting of the second network device 120. Then, the second network device cancels DL transmissions on these communication resources. Additionally, the second network device 120 further notifies (260) the second terminal device 140 of the cancellation of the DL transmission for energy saving in the terminal device.

[0054] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 may indicate these communication resources, such as slots, to the second terminal device 140 by downlink control information (DCI). For example, the second network device 120 may transmit an indication of communication resources (which may also be referred to as a fourth indication). Additionally or alternatively, a new group common DCI format 2_x may be introduced to indicate DL cancellation within a certain communication resource. For example, communication resources that are invalidated for DL transmission are indicated by a bit field having a DCI format, and the first state of the bits within the bit field indicates the time unit in which downlink (DL) transmission is invalidated. For example, the bit field "01110" corresponds to slots 0 to 4, and the second terminal device 140 may assume that there is no DL transmission in slots 1 to 3.

[0055] Additionally or alternatively, to indicate these communication resources, the existing DCI format 2_1 may be extended. For example, a larger time granularity and / or a smaller frequency granularity may be introduced.

[0056] In another example, the CLI removal request includes communication resources of sub-bands affected by the CLI. After receiving the CLI removal request, the second network device 120 may directly determine these sub-bands unavailable for DL transmission without comparing the TDD configuration with the full-duplex mode. For example, the second network device may set the frequency resources overlapping with the UL sub-bands of the first network device within its DL BWP as unavailable resources. In this case, the second network device 120 may cancel DL transmissions on these communication resources. Then, the second network device 120 may similarly notify these communication resources to the second terminal device 140. For example, the second network device 120 may notify the communication resources in the same way as described above. In another example, the second network device 120 may notify the communication resources by group-common DCI / RRC / MAC CE. And the second terminal device 140 may accordingly cancel DL reception on the indicated communication resources. In this way, energy saving in the terminal device can be realized.

[0057] Additionally or alternatively, the second network device 120 may transmit an instruction for a terminal device group to update / switch the receive beam for the previously scheduled DL transmission, and the updated beam information may be determined in the second network device 120 based on the required beam direction of the first network device 110. And the terminal device may accordingly update the beam for DL reception.

[0058] In another example, the CLI removal request indicates the priority of the service affected by the CLI. Upon receiving the priority of the service, the second network device 120 may determine whether to execute the CLI removal procedure based on the priority. For example, if the priority is higher than a threshold level, the second network device 120 may cancel the DL transmission and notify the terminal device.

[0059] In some embodiments, as described above, the first indication may have a newly defined reference signal format. In this case, the service / traffic may be indicated by a newly defined set of RSs. For example, the set of RSs may include a plurality of sequences, and each of the plurality of sequences corresponds to a respective service. In another example, the newly defined set of RSs may include one RS, and the RS may be mapped to different communication resources, and the service may be indicated by the communication resources to which the RS is mapped.

[0060] In addition to, or alternatively to, completely disabling DL transmission on the indicated communication resources, the second network device 120 may also be autonomous. In some embodiments, the second network device compares a first priority of a service (which may be referred to as the third service of the first network device 110) affected by the CLI with a second priority of a service (which may be referred to as the fourth service) executed by DL transmission, and may determine whether to execute DL transmission.

[0061] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 may determine a first priority for a third service based on service information associated with the CLI included in the first instruction. For example, the service information may directly indicate the priority of the third service of the first network device 110. In another example, the service information may indicate communication requirements of the third service, such as latency or reliability. And the second network device 120 may accordingly determine the first priority. Additionally or alternatively, the service information may indicate the first priority in any other way. For example, the priority may be associated with communication resources, and the communication resources indicated in the first instruction may implicitly reflect the first priority. In some embodiments, the first priority may be represented as a service type of the service, quality of service (QoS), or any other parameter related to communication requirements. Thus, as described above, the first priority may also be indicated by the newly defined RS.

[0062] Based on the determined first priority, the second network device 120 compares the first priority with a second priority of a service to be executed by DL transmission. If the first priority is higher than the second priority, the second network device 120 may cancel the DL transmission and notify the terminal device of the cancellation of the DL transmission in the same manner as described above (260). Additionally or alternatively, if the first priority is less than or equal to the second priority, the second network device 120 may normally execute the DL transmission.

[0063] Additionally or alternatively, when the second network device 120 obtains mode information indicating that the neighboring network device 110 is operating in sub-band-based full-duplex mode, the second network device 120 may perform a sensing procedure before executing a DL transmission even if it does not receive the first instruction as described above. The sensing procedure may include a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure, a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) procedure, or other similar procedures.

[0064] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 may determine whether to perform a sensing procedure based on the service to be executed. For example, a DL transmission (e.g., executed on a communication resource overlapping with the UL sub-band of the first network device 110) may be directly executed by the second network device 120 without a sensing procedure when it is used for a high-priority service, such as IIoT / URLLC. Additionally or alternatively, when the DL transmission is used for a low-priority service, such as eMBB or MTC, the second network device 130 should perform a sensing procedure in advance to determine whether it can transmit the DL transmission.

[0065] On the side of the first network device 110, a CLI removal procedure may also be executed. For example, in response to the measured CLI level exceeding a second threshold level, the first network device may transition from sub-band full-duplex mode to TDD mode. In some embodiments, the second threshold level is set for a second service having a low priority. The second service may be a service that requires lower latency or reliability. For example, the second service may include an Enhanced Mobile Broadband (EMBB) service.

[0066] Since the second service requires lower latency or higher reliability, the first network device 110 may transition from the sub-band based full-duplex mode to the TDD configuration. For example, if the measured CLI level is above a second threshold level or below a second threshold, the first network device 110 may transition from the sub-band based full-duplex mode to a TDD configuration that is consistent with the TDD configuration 125 of the second network device 120. In this case, the TDD configuration of the first network device 110 and the TDD configuration 125 match. Thus, the CLI can be removed.

[0067] Additionally, the first network device 110 may send an indication (which may also be referred to as a second indication) indicating that the first network device 110 has already transitioned from the sub-band full-duplex mode to the TDD mode to a terminal device, e.g., the first terminal device 110 (240). By receiving the second indication, the first terminal device 130 may cancel the UL transmission to be performed and rearrange the data to be performed based on the TDD mode.

[0068] In some embodiments, the second indication may be sent within group common DCI2_0 signaling (which may also be referred to as a first group common DCI signaling). For example, when the upper layer parameter slotFormatUpdateForCLI is set, DCI format 2_0 can update the TDD configuration of the group of terminal devices to switch the UL / flexible time unit to a DL time unit.

[0069] Additionally or alternatively, the second indication may be sent within system information block (SIB) signaling. For example, by introducing a parameter / field duplexModeIndication where 1 represents the sub-band duplex mode and 0 represents the TDD mode, if the field does not exist, the TDD mode is applied.

[0070] As an addition or an alternative, the second indication may be indicated by an RRC reconfiguration.

[0071] Furthermore, as an addition or an alternative to the second indication, the first network device 110 may also transmit an instruction (which may be referred to as a third indication) for delaying UL transmission (240). The third indication may be transmitted within group-common DCI. For example, the third indication indicates delaying UL transmission in the UL sub-bands within all-duplex slot n to slot n + k, where k is indicated by the DCI. In this case, the first network device 110 does not need to transition to the TDD configuration, and only the UL transmission is delayed.

[0072] As described above, in different situations, the CLI on the full-duplex network device may be removed by the first network device 110 and / or by the second network device 120. Furthermore, for energy saving, the cancellation of the transmission may be notified to the terminal device.

[0073] As an addition or an alternative, the above operation for CLI management between the first network device 110 and the second network device 120 may also be expressed as follows. TIFF2025517227000002.tif73161 TIFF2025517227000003.tif87161TIFF2025517227000004.tif140161

[0074] The mechanism described with reference to FIGS. 1-2 may be used to remove CLIs caused by another network device. However, a network device operating in sub-band-based full-duplex mode may also experience CLIs caused by a terminal device served by the network device. For example, when UL transmission (PUCCH / PUSCH) for an eMBB service is scheduled or configured for a first terminal device within a UL sub-band in a slot, the network device may schedule an emergency DL transmission (PDSCH) for another terminal device within the DL sub-band in the same slot for a URLLC / XR service having higher reliability requirements. Further, the UL sub-band and the DL sub-band may be adjacent to each other. However, adjacent channel interference between these two terminal devices within the cell provided by the network device, e.g., cross-link interference from one terminal device to the other, may occur. On the one hand, the guard band of FDD is too large, especially when the victim terminal device is configured to have a high-reliability service, e.g., an XR or URLLC service, so that the conventional solution of presetting the default guard band in FDD may not be well-suited for sub-band full-duplex. Therefore, other enhanced solutions may need to be studied.

[0075] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary environment 300 in which some embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0076] An environment 300 that can be part of a communication network includes a third network device 310, a first terminal device 330, and a second terminal device 320. Assume that a third network device 310 operating in full-duplex mode based on sub-bands schedules a PUSCH 360 for a second terminal device 320 in a slot for a second service in advance by DCI 340, and schedules a PDSCH 370 for a first terminal device 330 in the same slot for a first service 330 by DCI 350. The priority of the first service is higher than that of the second service. In this case, if the guard band is not sufficient, there may be a CLI in the network device 310 operating in full-duplex mode, and the DL reception requirements for the service with high priority will not be met.

[0077] The number of terminal devices and network devices is shown in the environment 300 only for the purpose of illustration and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the environment 300 may include another terminal device that communicates information with another network device.

[0078] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a signaling process 400 for managing CLI between a network device and a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake of explanation, the process 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0079] In the signaling base 400, the third network device 310 receives (410) a CLI measurement report from the first terminal device 330 configured to have the first service. In some embodiments, the second terminal device 320 may transmit at least one CLI-RS based on a pre-set CLI RS setting. As described above, the CLI RS includes an existing RS, such as an SRS, a DMRS, and / or a newly designed RS. And the first terminal device 330 may measure the CLI level based on the CLI RS setting. The first terminal device 330 further generates a CLI measurement report including the CLI level, and transmits the CLI measurement report to the third network device 310. In some embodiments, similar to that described with reference to FIG. 2, the CLI RS setting 415 can be pre-set.

[0080] When the CLI measurement level exceeds the first threshold, the third network device 310 transmits (420) a first instruction to at least one terminal device, such as the second terminal device 320, to remove the CLI by the terminal device.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first instruction may include a muting pattern indicating a set of time units. For example, the muting pattern may include a bit field having a DCI format, and the first state of the bits in the bit field indicates the time units when uplink (UL) transmission is disabled. For example, the bit field "100001" is associated with six time units, and the first and the last of the six time units are indicated as being disabled for UL transmission.

[0082] In some embodiments, the muting pattern may be transmitted within the current DCI or a new DCI format. Additionally or alternatively, the muting pattern may be indicated by an extended DCI format 2_4 by introducing a new large time granularity, e.g., a slot. Additionally or alternatively, the muting pattern may be indicated by reusing a group common DCI format 2_4.

[0083] In some embodiments, the muting pattern may be determined based on the periodicity of the DL transmission of the first service. For example, if there is an SPS configuration associated with a high-priority service, the muting pattern may be determined based on the periodicity of the SPS configuration, and the CLI generated by the UL transmission within the slot for the SPS PDSCH transmission can be avoided.

[0084] Upon receiving the muting pattern, at least one of the second terminal devices 320 does not perform UL transmission on the time units indicated within the muting pattern.

[0085] Additionally or alternatively, the first indication may include a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a first portion indicating a deferred UL transmission. For the sake of clarity in the description, refer to FIG. 5 and describe the first indication including the time pattern.

[0086] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing exemplary uplink transmission scheduling according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 5, the third network device 310 first configures a configured grant (CG) PUSCH #0 for the second terminal device and a CG PUSCH #1 for the third terminal device. The third network device 310 schedules an emergency PDSCH with a high priority within the same slot for the first terminal device 330 by means of PDCCH #0. In order to avoid the CLI generated by CG PUSCH #0 and CG PUSCH #1 for PDSCH reception, the third network device 310 transmits PDCCH #1 together with a first indication. Upon receiving the first indication including the first part, the second terminal device 320 defers PUSCH 0, and the third terminal device defers PUSCH 1, to the next one or more time units. In the example of FIG. 5, only one slot, the second terminal device 320 defers PUSCH 0 and the third terminal device defers PUSCH 1. It should be understood that PUSCH 0 and PUSCH 1 may be deferred for only a plurality of slots.

[0088] Referring to FIG. 4, the time pattern may include a second part indicating an uplink (UL) transmission in which a frequency offset is executed. For example, the third network device 130 may indicate CLI processing signaling by means of group common DCI for at least one terminal device involved in interference. The CLI processing signaling indicates to a terminal device, for example, the second terminal device 320, to execute a frequency offset for the UL transmission within the slot so as to be able to expand the guard band between the DL transmission and the UL transmission. In other words, the guard band within the frequency domain between the DL sub-band and the UL sub-band can be dynamically adjusted. In some embodiments, the offset value is also indicated by the DCI. Additionally or alternatively, the offset may be pre-defined.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, the third network device 310 may send the sensing settings indicated to the second network device 320 to execute a sensing procedure before UL transmission. In this case, the second network device 320 may execute a sensing procedure before executing UL transmission. In some embodiments, the second terminal device 320 determines whether the third priority of the UL transmission to be executed exceeds a priority threshold. If the third priority exceeds the priority threshold, the second terminal device 320 executes the UL transmission without a sensing procedure. And if the third priority does not exceed the priority threshold, the second terminal device 320 executes a sensing procedure before UL transmission. The priority threshold may be predefined or dynamically adjusted. For example, if there are only two services executed by the second terminal device 320, the lower of the priorities of these two services may be determined as the priority threshold. Also, the priority threshold may be determined for other purposes.

[0090] In some embodiments, the third network device 310 may indicate to the second network device 320 to execute a spatial filter to remove the CLI caused by the device 320. For example, if the UL transmission is configured or scheduled for a set of terminal devices within the UL sub-band in slot n, and the third network device 310 schedules a DL transmission for the first terminal device 330 within the DL sub-band in the same slot n, and the CLI measurement result value (e.g., RSRP) from the first terminal device 330 is greater than a threshold, the third network device 310 may indicate CLI processing signaling by group common DCI for the set of terminal devices to adjust / update the transmission beam for UL transmission within the slot, and the updated beam information is carried within the DCI.

[0091] In this way, by canceling UL transmission, delaying UL transmission, and indicating sub-band offset or spatial filter, the CLI occurring within the same cell provided by a network device operating in full-duplex mode can be removed.

[0092] Additionally or alternatively, the above operations for CLI management between the network device 310 and the terminal devices 320 and 330 may also be expressed as follows. TIFF2025517227000005.tif68161 TIFF2025517227000006.tif58161TIFF2025517227000007.tif59161

[0093] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary communication method 600 implemented in a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 can be implemented in the first network device 110 shown in FIG. 1. For the sake of explanation, the method 600 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 600 may include additional operations not shown and / or may omit some of the operations shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0094] In block 610, the first network device 110 measures the CLI level based on at least one CLI reference signal (RS) received from a second network device.

[0095] In block 620, in response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold level, the first network device transmits a first instruction to the second network device. The first instruction includes service information associated with the CLI.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first threshold level is set for a first service, where the first instruction further includes a CLI removal request for disabling downlink (DL) transmission on communication resources.

[0097] In some embodiments, the CLI removal request includes at least one of a sub-band based time division duplex (TDD) setting of the first network device, the priority of the service, and the communication resources.

[0098] In some embodiments, the CLI removal request includes a set of RSs, where each RS in the set of RSs corresponds to a respective service.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first service includes at least one of an ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) service, an industrial internet of things (IIoT) service, and an extended reality (XR) service.

[0100] In some embodiments, the communication resources are indicated by a bit field having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bit field indicates a time unit during which downlink (DL) transmission is disabled.

[0101] In some embodiments, in response to the measured CLI level exceeding a second threshold level, the first network device 110 transitions from the sub-band full-duplex mode to the TDD mode.

[0102] In some embodiments, the second threshold level is set for a second service, and the method further includes transmitting, by the first network device, a second indication to the terminal device indicating that the first network device has already transitioned from the sub-band full-duplex mode to the TDD mode.

[0103] In some embodiments, transmitting the second indication includes transmitting the second indication within a first group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling, transmitting the second indication within a system information block (SIB) signaling, and transmitting the second indication by RRC reconfiguration, including at least one of them.

[0104] In some embodiments, the second service includes an enhanced mobile broadband (EMBB) service.

[0105] In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting, to the terminal device, a third indication for delaying an uplink (UL) transmission transmitted from the terminal device.

[0106] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method 700 implemented in a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 700 can be implemented in the second network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. For the sake of explanation, the method 700 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that the method 700 may include additional operations not shown and / or may omit some of the operations shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0107] In block 710, the second network 120 transmits at least one Cross Link Interference (CLI) Reference Signal (RS) to a first network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode.

[0108] In block 720, the second network device 120 receives a first indication including service information associated with the CLI from the first network device.

[0109] In block 730, the second network device 120 executes a CLI removal procedure based on the first indication.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first indication further includes a CLI removal request for disabling downlink (DL) transmission on communication resources.

[0111] In some embodiments, the CLI removal request includes at least one of a sub-band-based Time Division Duplex (TDD) setting of the first network device, a service priority, and communication resources.

[0112] In some embodiments, the CLI removal request includes a set of RSs, where each RS in the set corresponds to a respective service.

[0113] In some embodiments, the communication resources are indicated by a bitfield having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bitfield indicates a time unit during which downlink (DL) transmission is disabled.

[0114] In some embodiments, executing the CLI removal procedure includes determining communication resources on which downlink (DL) transmission is disabled based on the CLI removal request, and not executing downlink (DL) transmission on the determined communication resources.

[0115] In some embodiments, determining the communication includes determining the communication resources based on the second TDD setting of the second device and the sub-band-based TDD setting within the CLI removal request.

[0116] In some embodiments, executing the CLI removal procedure includes transmitting a fourth instruction to a terminal device associated with the second network device to cancel reception on the communication resources.

[0117] In some embodiments, transmitting the fourth instruction includes transmitting the fourth instruction within at least one of an extended DCI format and a second group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0118] In some embodiments, executing the CLI removal procedure includes determining a first priority of a third service affected by the CLI based on service information associated with the CLI, determining whether the first priority is higher than a second priority of a fourth service executed by the second device, and executing an interference cancellation mechanism for the third service according to a determination that the first priority is higher than the second priority, or executing the DL transmission for the fourth service according to a determination that the first priority is less than or equal to the second priority.

[0119] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a communication method 800 implemented in a third network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 800 can be implemented in the third network device 310 shown in FIG. 3. For the sake of explanation, the method 800 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. It should be understood that the method 800 may include additional operations not shown and / or may omit some of the operations shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0120] In block 810, the third network device 310 receives a cross-link interference (CLI) measurement report from a first terminal device configured to have a first service. The CLI measurement report includes a CLI measurement level.

[0121] In block 820, in response to the CLI measurement value exceeding a first threshold level, the third network device 310 transmits a first instruction to at least one second terminal device configured to have a second service to remove the CLI by the second terminal device. The priority of the first service is higher than the priority of the second service.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first instruction includes a bit field having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bit field indicates a time unit in which uplink (UL) transmission is disabled.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first instruction includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a first portion indicating a deferred uplink (UL) transmission.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first instruction includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a second portion indicating an uplink (UL) transmission in which a frequency offset is executed.

[0125] In some embodiments, further comprising transmitting, to the at least one second terminal device, sensing settings indicating to the at least one terminal device to perform a sensing procedure before UL transmission.

[0126] In some embodiments, transmitting the first indication includes transmitting the third indication within a first group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling.

[0127] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a communication method 900 implemented in a second terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 900 can be implemented in the second terminal device 320 shown in FIG. 3. For the sake of explanation, the method 900 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. It should be understood that the method 900 may include additional operations not shown and / or may omit some of the operations shown, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0128] In block 910, the second terminal device 320 transmits at least one cross-link interference (CLI) reference signal (RS).

[0129] In block 920, the second terminal device 320 receives, from a third network device 310 operating in sub-band full-duplex mode, a first indication for the second terminal device to remove CLI.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first indication includes a bit field having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bit field indicates a time unit during which uplink (UL) transmission is disabled.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first indication includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a first portion indicating a deferred uplink (UL) transmission.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first indication includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a second portion indicating an uplink (UL) transmission in which a frequency offset is performed.

[0133] In some embodiments, receiving, from the third network device, a sensing configuration indicating to the at least one terminal device to perform a sensing procedure before UL transmission; determining whether a third priority of the UL transmission to be performed exceeds a priority threshold; and performing the UL transmission without the sensing procedure according to a determination that the third priority exceeds the priority threshold, or performing the sensing procedure before the UL transmission according to a determination that the third priority is less than or equal to the priority threshold.

[0134] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1000 suitable for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1000 may be regarded as another exemplary embodiment of the terminal devices 130 and 140 as shown in FIG. 1, the terminal devices 320 and 330 as shown in FIG. 3, or the network devices 110 and 120 as shown in FIG. 1 and the network device 310 as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the apparatus 1000 may be implemented in or as at least a part of the above network device or terminal device.

[0135] As shown, apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 1040 coupled to the processor 1010, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 1040. The memory 1020 stores at least a portion of program 1030. The TX / RX 1040 is used for two-way communication. The TX / RX 1040 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although the access nodes referred to herein may actually have multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 interface for two-way communication between eNB / gNB, an S1 interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Serving Gateway (S-GW) and a gNB or eNB, a Un interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a relay node (RN), and a Uu interface for communication between a gNB or eNB and a terminal device.

[0136] It is assumed that program 1030 includes program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1010 with reference to FIGS. 1-9 described herein, enable apparatus 1000 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1010 of apparatus 1000, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1010 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, the combination of the processor 1010 and the memory 1020 may form processing means 1050 suitable for implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0137] Memory 1020 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, by way of non-limiting example, may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology such as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, a fixed memory, and a removable memory. Although only one memory 1020 is shown within device 1000, there may be several physically different memory modules within device 1000. Processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and, by way of non-limiting example, may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1000 may have an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is temporally dependent on a clock that synchronizes multiple processors, such as a main processor.

[0138] In some embodiments, the terminal device comprises circuitry configured to execute method 900.

[0139] In some embodiments, the network device comprises circuitry configured to execute methods 600, 700, and / or 800.

[0140] The components included in the devices and / or apparatuses of the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or more units may be implemented using software and / or firmware such as machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium. In addition to or instead of the machine-executable instructions, some or all of the units within the devices and / or apparatuses may be implemented at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. By way of non-limiting example, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), system on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0141] Overall, the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, technical terminal devices, or methods described herein may be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general purpose hardware or a controller or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0142] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that are executed within a device on a target physical processor or virtual processor to perform the process or method described above with reference to any one of FIGS. 3 to 11. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0143] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure may be described in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes are provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, and when these program codes are executed by the processor or controller, they implement the functions / operations specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0144] The above program code may be embodied on a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that includes or stores a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine-readable storage medium include an electrical connection including one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0145] Note that although the operations have been described in a particular order, it should be understood that in order to obtain the desired results, these operations may be performed in the particular order shown or sequentially, or that all of the operations shown may be required. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion includes details of some specific embodiments, these are not limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather explanations of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Some features described in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in one embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of one embodiment may be implemented separately in a plurality of embodiments, or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0146] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of words specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined by the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method implemented in a first network device operating in a sub-band full-duplex mode, comprising: measuring a cross-link interference (CLI) level based on at least one CLI reference signal (RS) received from a second network device; transmitting a first indication including service information associated with the CLI to the second network device in response to the measured CLI level exceeding a first threshold level; A method comprising the above.

2. The first threshold level is set for a first service, and the first indication further includes a CLI removal request for disabling downlink (DL) transmission on communication resources. The method according to claim 1.

3. The CLI removal request includes: a sub-band-based time division duplex (TDD) setting of the first network device; a priority of the service; the communication resources; The method according to claim 2, including at least one of the above.

4. The CLI removal request includes a set of RSs, and each RS in the set of RSs corresponds to a respective service. The method according to claim 2.

5. In response to the measured CLI level exceeding a second threshold level, transitioning from the sub-band full-duplex mode to the TDD mode. The method according to claim 1, further including the above.

6. The second threshold level is set for a second service, and the method includes: transmitting a second indication to a terminal device indicating that the first network device has already transitioned from the sub-band full-duplex mode to the TDD mode. The method according to claim 5, further including the above.

7. Transmitting the second indication includes: transmitting the second indication within a first group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling; transmitting the second indication within a system information block (SIB) signaling; transmitting the second indication by RRC reconfiguration; The method according to claim 6, including at least one of the above.

8. Transmitting a third instruction to the terminal device to postpone uplink (UL) transmission sent from the terminal device The method according to claim 5, further comprising this.

9. A communication method implemented in a second network device, comprising: Transmitting at least one cross-link interference (CLI) reference signal (RS) to a first network device operating in sub-band full-duplex mode; Receiving a first instruction including service information associated with the CLI from the first network device; Executing a CLI removal procedure based on the first instruction; A method including this.

10. Executing the CLI removal procedure includes: Determining communication resources in which downlink (DL) transmission is disabled based on a CLI removal request; Not performing downlink (DL) transmission on the determined communication resources; The method according to claim 9, including this.

11. Determining the communication includes: Determining the communication resources based on a second TDD setting of a second device and a sub-band-based TDD setting within the CLI removal request; The method according to claim 10, including this.

12. Executing the CLI removal procedure includes: Transmitting a fourth instruction to a terminal device associated with the second network device to cancel reception on the communication resources; The method according to claim 10, including this.

13. Transmitting the fourth instruction includes: Transmitting the fourth instruction within at least one of an extended DCI format and a second group common downlink control information (DCI) signaling; The method according to claim 12, including this.

14. The communication resources are indicated by a bit field having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bit field indicates a time unit in which downlink (DL) transmission is disabled The method according to claim 12.

15. Executing the CLI removal procedure includes: Determining a first priority of a third service affected by the CLI based on service information associated with the CLI; Determining whether the first priority is higher than a second priority of a fourth service executed by the second device; Executing an interference cancellation mechanism for the third service according to a determination that the first priority is higher than the second priority, or Executing the DL transmission for the fourth service according to a determination that the first priority is less than or equal to the second priority; The method according to claim 10, comprising.

16. A communication method implemented in a third network device operating in a sub-band full-duplex mode, comprising: Receiving a CLI measurement report including a cross-link interference (CLI) measurement level from a first terminal device configured to have a first service; Transmitting, to at least one second terminal device configured to have a second service, a first instruction for the second terminal device to remove the CLI in response to the CLI measurement level exceeding a first threshold level; The priority of the first service is higher than the priority of the second service Method.

17. The first instruction includes a bit field having a DCI format, and a first state of bits in the bit field indicates a time unit in which uplink (UL) transmission is disabled The method according to claim 16.

18. The first instruction includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a first portion indicating a deferred uplink (UL) transmission The method according to claim 16.

19. The first instruction includes a time pattern, and the time pattern includes a second portion indicating an uplink (UL) transmission in which a frequency offset is executed The method according to claim 16.

20. Transmitting, to the at least one second terminal device, a sensing setting indicating to the at least one terminal device to execute a sensing procedure before UL transmission; The method according to claim 16, further comprising.

Images