Method, device, and system for determining timing in a wireless network

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to a method, a device, and a system for determining timing information for uplink and downlink transmissions in a wireless network. One method performed by a wireless device is disclosed. The method includes at least one of: constructing two DL timings for DL transmissions from a network element, the two DL timings including a first DL timing and a second DL timing; or constructing two UL timings for UL transmissions to the network element, the two UL timings including a first UL timing and a second UL timing, wherein each of the two DL timings and each of the two UL timings are associated with a time block for DL transmission or UL transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Technical Field The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and in particular, to methods, devices, and systems for determining timing information for uplink and downlink transmissions in a wireless network.

Background Art

[0002] Background Flexible and efficient wireless transmission resource scheduling is essential in a wireless communication network. The ecosystem in a wireless communication network includes an increasing number of applications that require low latency. These applications include vehicle-to-vehicle communication, autonomous driving, mobile games, etc. Specifically, when time-division multiplexing (TDD) is deployed in a wireless network, it is desirable to enable full-duplex data / signal transmission in specific slots and / or symbols in order to reduce transmission latency. Sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) is an important function for implementing full-duplex in a TDD system. Determining timing information is essential in SBFD, for example, to reduce self-interference intensity, mitigate the difficulty of self-interference cancellation, reduce channel state information (CSI) feedback overhead, and improve system performance.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0003] Summary The present disclosure is directed to methods, devices, and systems for determining timing information for uplink and downlink transmissions in a wireless network, and in particular, in a TDD system equipped with an SBFD function.

[0004] In some embodiments, a method performed by a wireless device is disclosed. The method includes at least one of: configuring two downlink (DL) timings for DL transmissions from a network element, where the two DL timings include a first DL timing and a second DL timing; or configuring two uplink (UL) timings for UL transmissions to the network element, where the two UL timings include a first UL timing and a second UL timing. Each of the two DL timings and each of the two UL timings are associated with a time block for DL or UL transmission.

[0005] In some embodiments, the above method may further include that the first UL timing is based on a timing advance value and the second UL timing is based on the timing advance value and a timing advance offset value.

[0006] In some embodiments, the above method may further include that the first DL timing is determined based on a reference signal, and the reference signal includes at least one of a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0007] In some embodiments, the above method may further include that the second DL timing is based on the first DL timing and a timing advance offset value.

[0008] In some embodiments, a method performed by a network element is disclosed. The method may include configuring two UL timings for UL transmission, where the two UL timings include a first UL timing and a second UL timing.

[0009] In some embodiments, the above method may further include that the second UL timing is based on the first UL timing and the timing advance offset value, or the first UL timing is based on the second UL timing and the timing advance offset value.

[0010] In some embodiments, the above method may further include configuring two DL timings for DL transmission, where the two DL timings include a first DL timing and a second DL timing.

[0011] In some embodiments, there exists a network element or a UE comprising a processor and a memory, and the processor is configured to read code from the memory and implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments.

[0012] In some embodiments, there is a computer program product comprising stored computer-readable program media code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement any of the methods described in any of the embodiments.

[0013] The above embodiments and other aspects and alternatives of their implementations will be described in more detail in the following drawings, description, and claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Brief Description of the Drawings

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[0023] Detailed Description Wireless Communication Network FIG. 1 shows an exemplary wireless communication network 100 including a core network 110 and a radio access network (RAN) 120. The core network 110 further includes at least one mobility management entity (MME) 112 and / or at least one access and mobility management function (AMF). Other functions that may be included in the core network 110 are not shown in FIG. 1. The RAN 120 further includes a plurality of base stations, such as base stations 122 and 124. The base stations may include at least one evolved NodeB (eNB) for 4G LTE, an extended LTE eNB (ng-eNB), or a next-generation NodeB (gNB) for 5G New Radio (NR), or any other type of signal transmission / reception device such as a UMTS NodeB. The eNB 122 communicates with the MME 112 via the S1 interface. Both the eNB 122 and the gNB 124 may be connected to the AMF 114 via the Ng interface. Each base station manages and supports at least one cell. For example, the base station gNB 124 may be configured to manage and support Cell 1, Cell 2, and Cell 3.

[0024] gNB 124 may include a Central Unit (CU) and at least one Distributed Unit (DU). The CU and the DU may be located in the same place or may be split into different places. The CU and the DU may be connected via an F1 interface. Alternatively, in the case of an eNB that can be connected to a 5G network, this may also be similarly split into a CU and at least one DU, which are respectively called ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU. The ng-eNB-CU and the ng-eNB-DU may be connected via a W1 interface.

[0025] The wireless communication network 100 may include one or more tracking areas. A tracking area may include a set of cells managed by at least one base station. For example, the tracking area 1 labeled 140 includes cells 1, 2, and 3, and may further include more cells (not shown in FIG. 1) that may be managed by other base stations. The wireless communication network 100 may also include at least one UE 160. The UE may select a cell from among a plurality of cells supported by the base station to communicate with the base station via an over-the-air (OTA) wireless communication interface and resources. The UE 160 may reselect a cell for communication when moving within the wireless communication network 100. For example, the UE 160 may first select cell 1 to communicate with the base station 124, and then reselect cell 2 at a later point in time. The cell selection or reselection by the UE 160 may be based on the wireless signal strength / quality and other factors in various cells.

[0026] Wireless communication network 100 can be implemented as, for example, a 2G, 3G, 4G / LTE, or 5G cellular communication network. Correspondingly, base stations 122 and 124 can be implemented as 2G base stations, 3G NodeBs, LTE eNBs, or 5G NR gNBs. UE 160 can be implemented as a mobile or fixed communication device that can access wireless communication network 100. UE 160 can include, but is not limited to, mobile phones, laptop computers, tablets, personal digital assistants, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, MTC / eMTC devices, distributed remote sensor devices, roadside assistance devices, XR devices, and desktop computers. UE 160 can also generally be referred to as a wireless communication device, or a wireless terminal. UE 160 can support sidelink communication with another UE via the PC5 interface.

[0027] The following description focuses on a cellular wireless communication system as shown in FIG. 1, but the basic principles are applicable to other types of wireless communication systems for paging wireless devices. These other wireless systems can include, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, and WiMax networks.

[0028] Figure 2 shows an example of an electronic device 200 for implementing a network base station (e.g., a radio access network node), a core network (CN), and / or operations and maintenance (OAM). Optionally, in one implementation, the exemplary electronic device 200 may include a radio transmission / reception (Tx / Rx) circuit 208 for transmitting / receiving communication with a UE and / or other base stations. Optionally, in one implementation, the electronic device 200 may also include a network interface circuit 209 for communicating the base station with other base stations and / or a core network, e.g., an optical or wired interconnect, Ethernet (registered trademark), and / or other data transmission media / protocols. The electronic device 200 may optionally include an input / output (I / O) interface 206 for communicating with, e.g., an operator.

[0029] The electronic device 200 may also include a system circuit 204. The system circuit 204 may include one or more processors 221 and / or a memory 222. The memory 222 may include an operating system 224, instructions 226, and parameters 228. The instructions 226 may configure one or more of the processors 221 to perform the functions of a network node. The parameters 228 may include parameters for supporting the execution of the instructions 226. For example, the parameters may include network protocol settings, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and / or other parameters.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an example of an electronic device for implementing a terminal device 300 (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). The UE 300 may be a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a mobile communication module installed in a vehicle. The UE 300 may include some or all of a communication interface 302, a system circuit 304, an input / output interface (I / O) 306, a display circuit 308, and a storage 309. The display circuit may include a user interface 310. The system circuit 304 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic / circuits. The system circuit 304 may be implemented, for example, using one or more system-on-chips (SoCs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), individual analog and digital circuits, and other circuits. The system circuit 304 may be part of the implementation of any desired function in the UE 300. In this regard, the system circuit 304 may include, by way of example, logic for decoding and playing music and video, such as decoding and playing MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV, executing applications, receiving user input, storing and retrieving application data, establishing, maintaining, and terminating a data connection for a cellular phone call or, by way of example, an Internet connection, establishing, maintaining, and terminating a wireless network connection, a Bluetooth® connection, or other connections, and facilitating the display of relevant information on the user interface 310. The user interface 310 and the input / output (I / O) interface 306 may include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensor display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or face recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Further examples of the I / O interface 306 may include a microphone, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headset and microphone input / output jacks, universal serial bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., IR sensors), and other types of input.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 3, the communication interface 302 may include radio frequency (RF) transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) circuits 316 that handle the transmission and reception of signals via one or more antennas 314. The communication interface 302 may include one or more transceivers. The transceiver may be a wireless transceiver that includes modulation / demodulation circuitry, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), shaping tables, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), filters, waveform shapers, filters, pre-amplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic for transmitting and receiving via one or more antennas or, in the case of some devices, via a physical (e.g., wired) medium. The signals transmitted and received may conform to any of a variety of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and encodings. As one specific example, the communication interface 302 may include a transceiver that supports transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, BT, WiFi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)+, 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE), and 5G standards. However, the techniques described below are applicable to other wireless communication technologies regardless of whether they originated from the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), GSM® Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other partnership or standardization body.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 3, the system circuit 304 may include one or more processors 321 and a memory 322. The memory 322 stores, for example, an operating system 324, instructions 326, and parameters 328. The processor 321 is configured to execute the instructions 326 to perform the desired functions for the UE 300. The parameters 328 may provide and specify configuration and operation options for the instructions 326. The memory 322 may also store any BT, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other data transmitted or received by the UE 300 via the communication interface 302. In various implementations, the system power of the UE 300 may be supplied by a power storage device such as a battery or a transformer.

[0033] Transmission Resources in a Wireless Network In a wireless network, data and / or signals are transmitted using wireless transmission resources. The transmission resources may be presented as a two-dimensional grid where time is one dimension and frequency is the other dimension.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 4 for an exemplary transmission resource configuration in a wireless network, such a network may operate in the TDD mode. In the time domain, the transmission resources can be organized by time blocks such as slots (or time slots) like slot 0 to slot 4 shown in FIG. 4. Based on the data / signal transmission direction, a slot may be allocated to the downlink (DL) direction, in which case the slot is dedicated to DL transmission / traffic. A slot may also be allocated to the uplink (UL) direction, in which case the slot is dedicated to UL transmission / traffic. A slot may also be configured as a flexible slot in the sense that the slot can be flexibly configured to support both DL and UL traffic. Further, a flexible slot may support both DL and UL transmissions simultaneously, or a flexible slot may support DL transmission in one cycle and UL transmission in another cycle. The direction allocated to a slot may be associated with the format of the slot. For example, a DL format (or D format) slot is dedicated to DL transmission, a UL format (or U format) slot is dedicated to UL transmission, and a flexible format (or F format) slot may support two-way transmission.

[0035] Transmission resources may occur periodically. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 4, the transmission resource 402 has a "DDDFU" pattern (D: DL slot, F: flexible slot, U: UL slot). The letters "D", "U", and "F" may each represent the format of the slot. In this example, this particular pattern has a periodicity of 2.5 milliseconds (ms).

[0036] It should be noted that the foregoing "DDDFU" pattern and its periodicity are for illustrative purposes only. Other patterns and associated periodicities may be configured based on actual requirements. The pattern may be a combination of various numbers of slots in various formats. For example, an exemplary pattern may be "DDDDFUU". This pattern has four consecutive DL slots, a single flexible slot, and two consecutive UL slots.

[0037] In some embodiments, formats such as DL, UL, and flexible formats can also generally be applied to time blocks such as symbols. A symbol can be · an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, · a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or · a filter bank multiple access (FBMA) symbol, and can include at least one of them.

[0038] Taking the OFDM symbol as an example, each slot can include a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Referring to FIG. 4, a slot can include 14 OFDM symbols. In the frequency domain, each symbol can include a plurality of resource blocks (RBs). The number of RBs in each OFDM symbol can depend on, for example, the bandwidth of the cell or carrier.

[0039] In a conventional TDD system, there is no specific frequency resource dedicated to downlink or uplink. One frequency resource can be used for downlink transmission, uplink transmission, or both downlink and uplink transmission in a TDD manner.

[0040] Sub-band full duplex (SBFD) In an exemplary wireless network operating in TDD mode, as discussed above, data / signal transmission (and associated time blocks) can follow a certain pattern such as "DDDFU". The following discussion is based on this pattern, but it will be understood that the transmission can follow various other patterns. This discussion uses slots for illustrative purposes, and other time blocks can be applied similarly. In the "DDDFU" pattern, slots 0 to 2 are DL slots, slot 3 is a flexible slot, and slot 4 is a UL slot. The resulting DL and UL traffic is thus time-division multiplexed according to the transmission slot pattern. UL transmission is overly served to have only a single dedicated slot. From the perspective of network performance, UL transmission can suffer excessive latency as the UE is restricted to transmission in the UL resources allocated in a single dedicated U slot and a flexible slot. This can lead to performance issues, especially in the case of latency-sensitive applications such as advanced road traffic systems, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and remote surgery. Another factor to consider is that the transmission energy for UL communication is restricted to the dedicated U slot, which can lead to sub-optimal or degraded wireless coverage.

[0041] To address the aforementioned problems regarding latency and transmission energy limitations, one solution is to introduce sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) mode into the wireless network. The advantages of SBFD can include enhanced signal coverage and reduced communication latency.

[0042] SBFD can be implemented in various ways. For example, one possible implementation form is by sub-bands. Referring to FIG. 5, slots 1 to 2, which were originally dedicated to DL transmission, can be allocated to create UL sub-bands (UL SB502) for supporting UL transmission for a part of the spectrum resources within slots 1 to 2, while the remaining spectrum resources can still be reconfigured to support DL transmission. Therefore, simultaneous DL transmission and UL transmission can be achieved in slots 1 to 2. Similarly, slot 4, which was originally dedicated to UL transmission, may be reconfigured, and a part of the spectrum resources (DL SB504) may be allocated to support DL transmission. In this example, slot 0 remains in the original format (D) and is still dedicated to DL transmission. In some embodiments, sub-bands such as UL SB502 and DL SB504 can be formed by one or more resource blocks.

[0043] Another possible implementation form of SBFD is by multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, multiple BWPs may be configured and activated simultaneously, and each activated BWP may have its own DL and / or UL configuration such as pattern and periodicity. If there are multiple activated BWPs, for a given time and a given UE, it is possible that one BWP is allocated for DL transmission and another BWP is allocated for UL transmission.

[0044] Timing in a Wireless System In a wireless system, the UL frame is transmitted by the UE towards the base station, and the DL frame is transmitted by the base station towards the UE. There is a set of frames for the uplink and a set of frames for the downlink on the carrier. The uplink frame number i for transmission from the UE starts at T before the start of the corresponding downlink frame as shown in FIG. 7. TA to start. T TA can be based on various factors as listed below. · The round-trip propagation delay of the signal transmitted between the UE and the base station. · Hardware switching time for switching between TX mode and RX mode. For example, the switching time can be the time delay between deactivating the RX module and activating the TX module, or vice versa. · Frequency range and band, as well as subcarrier spacing (SCS).

[0045] In some embodiments, T TA =(N TA + Nta_offset)*Tc. Tc is the basic time unit of a wireless system such as a 5G NR system. N TA can be obtained by the base station by detecting the physical random access channel (PRACH) and / or UL reference signal. N TA can be signaled to the UE via a timing advance command. Nta_offset may be pre-defined or may be notified to the UE by the base station via signaling such as "n-TimingAdvanceOffset" signaling. Table 1 below shows exemplary values of Nta_offset.

Table 1

[0046] In some embodiments, the base station and the UE can each maintain UL timing and DL timing. Referring to FIG. 8, the timing advance (TA) of the UE can correspond to the round-trip propagation delay (i.e., 2*Tprop). Additionally, although not shown in FIG. 8, the timing advance may be further compensated based on Nta_offset.

[0047] From the UE side, the reference point for the UE initial transmission timing can be the downlink timing of the reference cell minus the value of the timing advance. The downlink timing can be the time when the first path (in terms of time) detected in the corresponding downlink frame is received from the reference cell. In some implementations, the DL timing can be obtained through the detection of DL reference signals such as Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), etc.

[0048] From the base station side, in an exemplary implementation, the UL timing is aligned with the DL timing.

[0049] Frame Structure and Slot Format Configuration In a wireless network, various signaling and / or messages can be provided to configure time blocks (e.g., frames, slots, symbols, etc.). This can include patterns (e.g., the "DDDFU" pattern shown in Figure 4), the periodicity of the patterns, etc., as described in the previous section.

[0050] The signaling can include cell-specific signaling, e.g., tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon. This signaling is applied to all UEs within one cell. Referring back to Figure 4, this signaling can indicate to the UE the pattern of time blocks and the periodicity of the time block pattern. For example, a "DDDFU" pattern with a periodicity of 2.5 ms can be signaled.

[0051] The above-mentioned indication / configuration uses slots as units in the time domain. In some embodiments, to obtain a finer granularity, the same basic principle can be applied at the symbol level. For example, the periodicity may be presented as the number of OFDM symbols (or an equivalent period corresponding to the number of OFDM symbols). Similarly, this format can also be applied to OFDM symbols. That is, the base station can indicate to the UE the format for each OFDM symbol, whether the symbol is for DL purposes, UL purposes, or flexible purposes.

[0052] The signaling may also include UE-specific signaling, such as tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated. In some embodiments, the UE-specific signaling may override the configuration indicated by the cell-specific signaling.

[0053] In some embodiments, if the UE is not provided with either cell-specific signaling or UE-specific signaling, the UE may assume that all slots and / or OFDM symbols are in a flexible format.

[0054] When one or more slots or one or more OFDM symbols are configured as a flexible format, the base station can dynamically schedule the transmission resources within the slot or OFDM symbol in the desired direction, whether the direction is DL or UL. For example, referring to FIG. 4, slot 3 is configured as an F slot. In the time domain, the base station can allocate the entire slot or at least one OFDM symbol in this slot for UL transmission. In the frequency domain, this resource allocation can occupy all the resource blocks (or at least one OFDM symbol) within the entire slot, or only a part of them. For example, assuming there is a single carrier in the frequency domain including 100 resource blocks, in one exemplary allocation, resource blocks 11 to 20 out of these 100 resource blocks of the entire slot 3 can be allocated for UL transmission. In another allocation, resource blocks 50 to 80 out of these 100 resource blocks within OFDM symbols 8 to 10 of slot 3 can be allocated for UL transmission.

[0055] By using the signaling described above, the transmission resources can be configured in an initial configuration including an initial pattern. Referring further to FIG. 4, the slot pattern 402 can be configured as "DDDFU" using the aforementioned signaling method. The slot pattern 402 can be configured with an exemplary periodicity equal to 2.5 ms.

[0056] In some implementations, the transmission resources can be restricted in a single cell or a single carrier.

[0057] SBFD Transceiver Structure To implement the SBFD function, there are two types of SBFD transceiver structures.

[0058] SBFD Transceiver Structure 1 In SBFD transceiver structure 1, the transmission (Tx) antenna array and the reception (Rx) antenna array are separated. Transmission and reception in a base station (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, etc.) are each performed by different radio frequency (RF) chain sets. Referring to FIG. 6A, RF chain set 1 is an RX RF chain that always operates in RX mode, and RF chain set 2 is a TX RF chain that always operates in TX mode. RF chain set 1 covers the DL portions of DL slot 0, DL slots 1 and 2, and DL portions of UL slots 3 and 4. RF chain set 2 covers the UL sub-bands within DL slots 1 and 2, and the UL portions of UL slots 3 and 4. In order to suppress self-interference, isolation is required between these two RF chain sets. Structure 1 is simple and cost-effective from the viewpoints of design and implementation. Self-interference cancellation is only required in the RX RF chain. On the hardware side, the TX RF chain requires a TX module and does not require an RX module, and the RX RF chain requires an RX module and does not require a TX module. The drawback of structure 1 is the loss of channel reciprocity, which is essential for TDD systems, especially TDD systems with large-scale MIMO, due to the isolation between the two RF chain sets. As background information, channel reciprocity can enable the acquisition of DL channel states via UL measurements, which can dramatically reduce the channel state information (CSI) feedback overhead and improve TDD system performance. As background information, in a new radio (NR) system, when one DL (or UL) channel / signal is configured as a reference channel / signal for another UL (or DL) channel / signal, channel reciprocity can be assumed between the DL channel / signal and the UL channel / signal.

[0059] SBFD transceiver structure 2 In the SBFD transceiver structure 2, the TX / RX antenna array is shared among different RF chain sets at the base station. Referring to FIG. 6B, there are RF chain set 1 and RF chain set 2. At least one RF chain is composed of both a TX module and an RX module for DL transmission and UL transmission respectively. The RF chain can switch between the DL mode and the UL mode according to the DL / UL allocation. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, RF chain set 1 is in the DL mode in DL slots 0 to 2, and then switches to the UL mode in slots 3 to 4. As another example, RF chain set 2 is in the UL mode in slots 1 to 2 (in the case of UL SB602), and then switches to the DL mode in slots 3 to 4 (in the case of DL SB604). In slots 3 and 4, it can be observed that both RF chain sets are operating, with RF chain set 1 operating in the UL mode and RF chain set 2 operating in the DL mode.

[0060] In the SBFD transceiver structure 2, since the RF chain set is composed of both an RX module and a TX module, channel reciprocity can be achieved. It should be noted that there is still isolation between the two RF chain sets. However, the drawback of structure 2 is that more RX modules and TX modules are required, and each RF chain set requires a self-interference cancellation function, which may involve high complexity and cost.

[0061] Under SBFD implementation, when Nta_offset is set to be greater than 0 as in the case of a legacy TDD system, the DL sub - band and the UL sub - band are not aligned in the time domain, which imposes higher self - interference. As one solution, it is possible to make Nta_offset equal to 0. This can be effective for transceiver structure 1 because when transmission and reception are implemented by two different RF chain sets, DL / UL switching is not required. However, in the case of transceiver structure 2, DL / UL switching can be performed within the RF chain set, and the switching time may not be negligible. Therefore, the assumption that Nta_offset is equal to 0 may not hold under transceiver structure 2. The DL / UL switching time may need to be compensated under transceiver structure 2 implementation.

[0062] In the present disclosure, various embodiments for obtaining DL and / or UL timing are described to achieve alignment between resources assigned different link directions and to mitigate the self - interference problem. On the other hand, channel reciprocity is maintained in these embodiments, which significantly reduces the CSI feedback overhead and enhances the system performance.

[0063] In the following embodiments, for illustrative purposes only, the time unit of a slot is used. The same basic principle applies to other types of time blocks such as symbols, frames, mini - slots, etc.

[0064] In the following embodiments, a slot configuration (or called slot pattern) such as "DDFFU" is for illustrative purposes only. The same basic principle applies to other slot patterns.

[0065] In the following embodiments, gNB is used as an exemplary base station. The same basic principle applies to other types of base stations such as eNB, gn - eNB, eNodeB, etc.

[0066] Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0067] Referring to FIG. 9, there are two UL timings configured for the UE. For UL1 transmitted in the DL slot, the first UL timing, Tu_1 = Nta, is used. For UL2 transmitted in the UL slot, the second UL timing, Tu_2 = Nta + Nta_offset, is used. Detailed descriptions of Nta and Nta_offset may be found in the previous section.

[0068] On the other hand, there are two UL timings configured at the gNB. The UL channel / signal in the DL slot is aligned with the timing of the DL slot. The UL channel / signal in the UL slot is aligned with the timing of the UL slot.

[0069] In some exemplary implementations, the UL channel / signal may generally be referred to as UL transmission, and the DL channel / signal may generally be referred to as DL transmission.

[0070] Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU, which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0071] Referring to FIG. 10, from the UE side, the UL timing for the UE in the flexible slot can be configured as Tu_1 = Nta, which is the same as the UL timing in the DL slot.

[0072] On one hand, from the gNB side, there are two UL timings in the gNB. The UL channels / signals in the DL slot and the flexible slot are aligned with the timing of the DL slot. The UL channels / signals in the UL slot are aligned with the timing of the UL slot.

[0073] Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU, which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0074] Referring to FIG. 11, from the UE side, the UL timing of the UE in the flexible slot can be configured as Tu_2 = Nta + Nta_offset, which is the same as the UL timing in the UL slot. In the case of UL transmitted in the DL symbol / slot, Tu_1 = Nta can be used.

[0075] On one hand, from the gNB side, there are two UL timings in the gNB. The UL channels / signals in the DL slot are aligned with the timing of the DL slot. The UL channels / signals in the UL slot and the flexible slot are aligned with the timing of the UL slot.

[0076] Embodiment 4 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0077] Referring to FIG. 12, from the UE side, there are two DL timings configured for the UE. In the case of DL1 transmitted in the DL slot, the first DL timing, Td_1, can be obtained, for example, via the detection of the SSB or CSI-RS. In the case of DL2 transmitted in the UL slot, the second DL timing, Td_2 = Td_1 - Nta_offset, can be configured.

[0078] On the one hand, the gNB has two DL timings. The DL channels / signals in the DL slots are aligned with the timing of the DL slots. The DL channels / signals in the UL slots are aligned with the timing of the UL slots, which may be Nta_offset earlier than the DL timing of the DL channels / signals in the DL slots having the same slot index.

[0079] Embodiment 5 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0080] Referring to FIG. 13, on the UE side, there are two DL timings configured for the UE. In the case of DL1 transmitted in the DL slot and DL3 transmitted in the flexible slot, the first DL timing, Td_1, can be obtained, for example, via the detection of SSB or CSI-RS. In the case of DL2 transmitted in the UL slot, the second DL timing, Td_2 = Td_1 - Nta_offset, can be configured.

[0081] On the one hand, the gNB has two DL timings. The DL channels / signals in the DL slots and flexible slots are aligned with the timing of the DL slots. The DL channels / signals in the UL slots are aligned with the timing of the UL slots, which may be Nta_offset earlier than the DL timing of the DL channels / signals in the DL slots having the same slot index.

[0082] Embodiment 6 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0083] Referring to FIG. 14, from the UE side, there are two DL timings configured for the UE. For DL1 transmitted in a DL slot, the first DL timing, Td_1, can be obtained, for example, via the detection of SSB or CSI-RS. For DL2 transmitted in a UL slot and DL3 transmitted in a flexible slot, the second DL timing, Td_2 = Td_1 - Nta_offset, can be configured.

[0084] On the other hand, there are two DL timings for the gNB. The DL channel / signal in a DL slot is aligned with the timing of the DL slot. The DL channel / signal in a UL slot and a flexible slot is aligned with the timing of the UL slot, which can be Nta_offset earlier than the DL timing of the DL channel / signal in a DL slot having the same slot index.

[0085] Embodiment 7 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0086] In the previous embodiments, two DL timings and two UL timings of the UE have been described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, on the UE side, for a flexible slot, the first DL timing Td_1 is used in combination with the first UL timing Tu_1.

[0087] In one implementation, Td_1 can be obtained, for example, via the detection of SSB or CSI-RS. Tu_1 can be configured as Nta.

[0088] Embodiment 8 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0089] In the previous embodiment, two DL timings and two UL timings of the UE have been described. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, in the case of a flexible slot, the second DL timing Td_2 is used in combination with the second UL timing Tu_2.

[0090] In one implementation, Tu_2 = Nta + Nta_offset and Td_2 = Td_1 - Nta_offset.

[0091] Embodiment 9 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0092] Referring to FIG. 17, in the case of flexible slots 2 and 3, the first DL timing Td_1 is used in combination with the first UL timing Tu_1. Note that flexible slots 2 and 3 are scheduled for both DL transmission and UL transmission. The slot before slot 2 is a DL slot, and the slot after slot 3 is a UL slot. In this embodiment, the duration 1702 at the end of slot 3, which is equal to Nta_offset, is excluded from any UL / DL transmission including UL / DL channels / signals. The duration 1702 can function as a guard interval for switching delay, for example, for the RF chain serving DL1 in slot 3 to switch to the UL mode to serve the uplink transmission in UL slot 4. Note that the duration 1702 is at the end of consecutive flexible slots. If there is only one flexible slot between slots of other formats, the duration 1702 is at the end of that single flexible slot.

[0093] In one implementation, Td_1 can be obtained, for example, via the detection of SSB or CSI-RS. Tu_1 can be configured as Nta.

[0094] Note in FIG. 17 that from the gNB side, flexible slot 3 and UL slot 4 have an overlapping duration 1704. This is to illustrate that the gNB is using two different timings. For example, the timing used for UL1 or DL1 in flexible slot 3 is different from the timing used for UL transmission in UL slot 4.

[0095] Embodiment 10 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0096] Referring to FIG. 18, in the case of flexible slots 2 and 3, the first DL timing Td_1 is used in combination with the first UL timing Tu_1. It should be noted that flexible slots 2 and 3 are scheduled for both DL transmission and UL transmission. The slot before slot 2 is a DL slot, and the slot after slot 3 is a UL slot. In this embodiment, the duration 1802 at the end of slot 3, which is equal to 2*Nta_offset, is excluded from any UL / DL transmission including UL / DL channels / signals. The duration 1802 can function as a guard interval for mode switching between the DL mode and the UL mode. It should be noted that the duration 1802 is at the end of consecutive flexible slots. If there is only one flexible slot between slots of other formats, the duration 1802 is at the end of that single flexible slot.

[0097] In one implementation, Td_1 can be obtained, for example, via the detection of SSB or CSI-RS. Tu_1 can be configured as Nta.

[0098] Embodiment 11 In this embodiment, the slot configuration is DDFFU (D: DL slot, U: UL slot, F: flexible slot), which can be indicated to the UE via cell-specific signaling such as "tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon".

[0099] Referring to FIG. 19, in the case of flexible slots 2 and 3, the second DL timing Td_2 is used in combination with the second UL timing Tu_2. Note that flexible slots 2 and 3 have both DL transmission and UL transmission scheduled. The slot before slot 2 is a DL slot, and the slot after slot 3 is a UL slot. In this embodiment, a duration 1902 starting from the start of slot 2, which is equal to Nta_offset, is excluded from any UL / DL transmission including UL / DL channels / signals. Note that the duration 1902 starts from the start of consecutive flexible slots. If there is only one flexible slot between slots of other formats, the duration 1902 starts from that single flexible slot.

[0100] In one implementation, Tu_2 = Nta + Nta_offset and Td_2 = Td_1 - Nta_offset.

[0101] Embodiment 12 The above embodiments illustrate that both the base station and the UE can each have two UL timings and two DL timings. The quantification of UL / DL timings may be pre-defined or indicated to the UE by the base station.

[0102] In one implementation, the gNB may signal to the UE to add one UL / DL timing in addition to the existing timings.

[0103] In one implementation, the gNB may signal to the UE to reduce the amount of UL / DL timings to only one UL timing and / or one DL timing.

[0104] In one implementation, if there is only one UL timing, the first UL timing is configured or used. In this case, Nta_offset = 0.

[0105] In one implementation, when there is only one DL timing, the first DL timing is configured or used. In this case, the DL timing can be obtained through the detection of DL reference signals such as SSB, CSI-RS, etc.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the transmission resources can be restricted in a single cell or a single carrier.

[0107] The above embodiment can be particularly applied to the SBFD transceiver structure 2.

[0108] The above description and the accompanying drawings provide specific exemplary embodiments and implementations. However, the described subject matter may be embodied in various different forms, and thus it is intended that the subject matter being targeted or claimed is not limited to any of the exemplary embodiments described herein. A reasonably broad scope of the claimed or targeted subject matter is intended. In particular, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as a method, a device, a component, a system, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing computer code. Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of, for example, hardware, software, firmware, storage media, or any combination thereof. For example, the method embodiments described above may be implemented by a component, a device, or a system including a memory and a processor by executing computer code stored in the memory.

[0109] Throughout this specification and the claims, terms may have subtly different meanings presented or suggested in the context beyond the explicitly described meaning. Similarly, the phrase "in one embodiment / implementation" used in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrase "in another embodiment / implementation" used in this specification does not necessarily refer to different embodiments. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, combinations of exemplary embodiments.

[0110] Generally, terms can be understood at least in part from their usage in context. For example, terms such as "and", "or", or "and / or" used herein may include various meanings that may depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Typically, "or" when used to associate a list such as A, B, or C is intended to mean A, B, and C when used in an inclusive sense, as well as A, B, or C when used in an exclusive sense. Additionally, the term "one or more" used herein may, at least in part, depend on the context, be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in a singular sense, or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or properties in a plural sense. Similarly, terms such as "a", "an", or "the" may be understood, at least in part, depending on the context, to convey a singular or plural usage. Additionally, the term "based on" may be understood not necessarily to convey a set of exclusive factors, but rather, may, again at least in part, depend on the context, and may allow for the presence of additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described.

[0111] Throughout this specification, references to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all features and advantages realizable using the solution should be or are included in any single implementation. Rather, the language referring to features and advantages is to be understood as meaning that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the solution. Thus, discussion of features and advantages, and similar language, may refer to the same embodiment throughout the specification, but not necessarily so.

[0112] Furthermore, the features, advantages, and characteristics described in this solution may be combined in any suitable way in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the solution may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages that may not be present in all embodiments of the solution may be recognized in a particular embodiment.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a wireless device, the method comprising: configuring two downlink (DL) timings for downlink (DL) transmission from a network element, the two DL timings including a first DL timing and a second DL timing, or configuring two uplink (UL) timings for uplink (UL) transmission to the network element, the two UL timings including a first UL timing and a second UL timing including at least one of; wherein each of the two DL timings and each of the two UL timings are associated with a time block for the DL transmission or the UL transmission.

2. wherein the first UL timing is based on a timing advance value, wherein the second UL timing is based on the timing advance value and a timing advance offset value, The method according to claim 1.

3. wherein the first DL timing is determined based on a reference signal, the reference signal including at least one of a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), The method according to claim 1.

4. wherein the second DL timing is based on the first DL timing and a timing advance offset value, The method according to claim 1 or 3.

5. receiving the timing advance offset value from the network element, or determining the timing advance offset value based on a predefined value The method according to claim 4, further comprising.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the network element includes a base station.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the timing advance offset value is based on a switching delay time between a UL mode and a DL mode of a hardware circuit of the network element.

8. time domain information of the resources allocated for the UL transmission, or frequency domain information of the resources allocated for the UL transmission The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting a UL timing from the two UL timings for UL transmission based on at least one of.

9. In response to the UL transmission being scheduled in the DL format time block, selecting the first UL timing for the UL transmission; In response to the UL transmission being scheduled in the UL format time block, selecting the second UL timing for the UL transmission; In response to the UL transmission being scheduled in the flexible format time block, selecting one of the two UL timings for the UL transmission based on signaling provided by the network element or predefined rules; The method according to claim 1, further comprising.

10. The units for the DL format time block, the UL format time block, and the flexible format time block are time slots, or symbols The method according to claim 9, comprising at least one of.

11. Based on at least one of the time domain information of the resources allocated to the DL transmission or the frequency domain information of the resources allocated to the DL transmission Selecting a DL timing from the two DL timings for the DL transmission The method according to claim 1, further comprising.

12. In response to the DL transmission being scheduled in the DL format time block, selecting the first DL timing for the DL transmission; In response to the DL transmission being scheduled in the UL format time block, selecting the second DL timing for the DL transmission; In response to the DL transmission being scheduled in the flexible format time block, selecting one of the two DL timings for the DL transmission based on signaling provided by the network element or predefined rules; The method according to claim 1, further comprising.

13. Receiving signaling from the network element for scheduling DL reception in the flexible format time block and UL transmission in the flexible format time block; Selecting the first DL timing for the DL transmission in the flexible format time block and selecting the first UL timing for the UL transmission in the flexible format time block, or Selecting the second DL timing for the DL transmission in the flexible format time block and selecting the second UL timing for the UL transmission in the flexible format time block Determining timing information according to one of the above The method according to claim 1, further comprising.

14. The second UL timing is based on a timing advance offset value, and the method includes At least one of the first DL timing being applied to a DL transmission scheduled in a flexible format time block or the first UL timing being applied to a UL transmission scheduled in the flexible format time block, in response to the format of the next time block of the flexible format time block not being a flexible format, determining that a duration ending at the end of the flexible format time block is excluded for DL reception or UL transmission, the duration being based on the timing advance offset value, this The method according to claim 1, further comprising.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the duration is equal to the timing advance offset value or twice the timing advance offset value.

16. The second UL timing is based on a timing advance offset value, and the method includes The second DL timing is applied to DL reception scheduled in a flexible format time block, or the second UL timing is applied to UL transmission scheduled in the flexible format time block, and at least one of them determines that a duration starting from the start of the flexible format time block is excluded from DL reception or UL transmission in response to the format of the time block before the flexible format time block not being a flexible format, and the duration is based on the timing advance offset value The method according to claim 1, further comprising this

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the duration is equal to the timing advance offset value

18. Determining that the UL channel following the first UL timing is the reference channel of the DL channel following the second DL timing Determining that the UL signal following the first UL timing is the reference signal of the DL signal following the second DL timing Determining that the DL channel following the second DL timing is the reference channel of the UL channel following the first UL timing, or Determining that the DL signal following the second DL timing is the reference signal of the UL signal following the first UL timing The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of these

19. Determining that the UL channel following the second UL timing is the reference channel of the DL channel following the first DL timing Determining that the UL signal following the second UL timing is the reference signal of the DL signal following the first DL timing Determining that the DL channel following the first DL timing is the reference channel of the UL channel following the second UL timing, or Determining that the DL signal following the first DL timing is the reference signal of the UL signal following the second UL timing The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of these

20. Adjusting the number of DL timings such that only the first DL timing is configured based on signaling from the network element or predefined rules, or Adjusting the number of the UL timings such that only the first UL timing is configured based on signaling from the network element or a predefined rule The method according to claim 1, further comprising this.

21. A method for wireless communication performed by a network element, the method comprising Configuring two UL timings for UL transmission, the two UL timings including a first UL timing and a second UL timing A method comprising this.

22. The second UL timing is based on the first UL timing and a timing advance offset value, or The first UL timing is based on the second UL timing and the timing advance offset value The method according to claim 21.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the second UL timing is the sum of the first UL timing and a timing advance offset value.

24. Applying the first UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a UL format time block, and Applying the second UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a DL format time block or a flexible format time block The method according to claim 21, further comprising this.

25. Applying the first UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a UL format time block or a flexible format time block, and Applying the second UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a DL format time block The method according to claim 21, further comprising this.

26. Applying the first UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a flexible format time block The method according to claim 21, further comprising this.

27. Applying the second UL timing for the UL transmission in response to the UL transmission being transmitted in a flexible format time block The method according to claim 21, further comprising this.

28. Comprising configuring two DL timings for DL transmission, the two DL timings including a first DL timing and a second DL timing The method according to claim 21, further comprising.

29. Applying the first DL timing for the DL transmission in response to the DL transmission being transmitted in a DL format time block or a flexible format time block Applying the second DL timing for the DL transmission in response to the DL transmission being transmitted in a UL format time block, the second DL timing being ahead of the first DL timing by a value equal to a timing advance offset The method according to claim 28, further comprising.

30. Applying the first DL timing for the DL transmission in response to the DL transmission being transmitted in a flexible format time block The method according to claim 28, further comprising.

31. Applying the second DL timing for the DL transmission in response to the DL transmission being transmitted in a flexible format time block, the second DL timing being ahead of the first DL timing by a value equal to a timing advance offset The method according to claim 28, further comprising.

32. A device for wireless communication comprising a memory for storing computer instructions and a processor communicating with the memory, wherein when the processor executes the computer instructions, the processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31

33. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable program medium storing computer code, wherein when the computer code is executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors are caused to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 31

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