Method, network control relay, and access network node

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for a network-controlled repeater, the method including receiving a first beamforming transmission from an access network node and transmitting a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmission, each of the second beamforming transmissions being transmitted in a different direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems and devices that operate in accordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)® standards or equivalents or derivatives thereof. The present disclosure particularly, but not exclusively, relates to improvements relating to network controlled repeaters (NCRs) and beamforming signals. [Background technology]

[0002] In 3GPP standards, a NodeB (or "eNB" in LTE and "gNB" in 5G) is a base station through which communication devices (user equipment or "UE") connect to the core network and communicate with other communication devices or remote servers. End-user communication devices are commonly referred to as User Equipment (UE) and include human-operated or automated devices. Such communication devices are mobile communication devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, smart watches, personal digital assistants, laptop / tablet computers, web browsers, e-readers, and connected cars. Such mobile (or generally stationary) devices are typically operated by users (and are therefore often collectively referred to as User Equipment (UE)), although Internet of Things (IoT) devices and similar Machine Type Communications (MTC) devices may also connect to the network. For simplicity, this application uses the term base station to refer to such base stations and the term mobile device or UE to refer to such communication devices.

[0003] The latest development in 3GPP standards is the so-called "5G" or "New Radio" (NR) standard, which refers to an evolving communications technology that is expected to support a variety of applications and services, such as MTC, IoT / Industrial IoT (IIoT) communications, vehicular communications and autonomous vehicles, high-definition video streaming, and smart city services. 3GPP intends to support 5G via the so-called 3GPP Next Generation (NextGen) radio access network (RAN) / radio access technology (RAT) and 3GPP NextGen core (NGC) network. Various details of 5G networks are described, for example, in Non-Patent Document 1.

[0004] In a communication network, a UE may be outside the transmission range of a base station. However, the range of the base station can be effectively extended by providing a repeater that receives transmissions from the base station and retransmits the received signal. Therefore, the UE can communicate with the base station through the repeater. Repeaters provide a flexible alternative for extending network coverage without deploying additional, conventional full-stack cells. Repeaters are sometimes called radio frequency (RF) repeaters. A simple repeater can receive signals from a base station and simply broadcast the received signals in all directions. In other words, an RF repeater can simply amplify and forward the signals received from the base station, providing an extended coverage area. RF repeaters provide a relatively cost-effective way to extend network coverage, but simple amplification and omnidirectional forwarding may not be appropriate if the original transmission from the base station is a beamforming transmission and beam sweeping is desired.

[0005] A repeater may be requested by the network to transmit received signals as beams in specific directions at specific times, and may need to be configured to receive signals from a UE from specific directions at specific times and frequencies on the access link. To inform the repeater of configuration information for transmitting and receiving beamforming signals, the repeater may receive corresponding control information from a base station. Such repeaters are sometimes called "network controlled repeaters" (NCRs), and the control information received from the base station is sometimes called "side control information."

[0006] In a system using beamforming signals, a base station can transmit signals to multiple UEs within the base station's normal, non-extended range using a first resource set in different beam directions for direct access. The base station can also transmit signals using a second resource set for forwarding by the repeater. The repeater then transmits / forwards in a corresponding set of beams configured according to control information received from the base station. In other words, the base station transmits signals in a first direction for direct access using a first resource set and transmits signals using a second resource set for one or more beamforming signals designated for relaying by the repeater. Each resource with a corresponding beam can be identified by a corresponding index. For example, if the index corresponds to a synchronization signal block (SSB), an SSB index can be used. Based on measurements of signals transmitted on each resource by the UE and the corresponding SSB index, the base station can determine whether the UE is within the direct coverage area provided by the base station or within the extended area of coverage provided by the repeater. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] 'NGMN 5G White Paper' V1.0 by the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance,<https: / / www.ngmn.org / 5g-white-paper.html> [Non-patent document 2] 3GPP TS 38.213 V16.7.0 [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TS 38.300 V16.7.0 [Non-patent document 4] 3GPP TS 37.340 V16.7.0 [Non-patent document 5] 3GPP TS 22.368 V13.1.0 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, this method of transmitting using an additional resource set for relay forwarding may not be efficient for some types of broadcast and common signaling, such as system information block 1 (SIB1) or paging, due to the large number of additional transmissions required from the base station for the forwarded beam. The additional transmissions for relay forwarding require additional communication resources and increase the risk of interference to UEs located within the base station's direct coverage area but that may also receive the additional transmissions directed to the relay. Furthermore, when additional transmissions using additional resources for relaying are used, each relay requires an additional transmission / resource set for forwarding, so the number of transmissions / resources that the base station must use increases rapidly as the number of relays increases.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need for improved apparatus and methods for systems that use beamforming signals, such as improved base stations and network controlled repeaters that provide improved efficiency, reduced noise, improved spatial directivity, and simplified network integration.

[0010] The present disclosure aims to provide a method and associated apparatus that addresses or at least alleviates (at least some of) the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for a network controlled repeater (NCR), the method including receiving a first beamforming transmission from an access network node; and transmitting a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmission, each of the second beamforming transmissions being transmitted in a different direction.

[0012] The method may further include performing signal measurements of the first beamforming transmission and determining, based on the signal measurements, to transmit a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmission.

[0013] The method may further include determining a receive time window corresponding to the first beamforming transmission.

[0014] The method may further include receiving NCR control information for controlling at least one of transmitting or receiving the beamforming signal in the NCR.

[0015] The NCR control information may indicate at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions.

[0016] The NCR control information may indicate at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving the beamforming signal.

[0017] The NCR control information may indicate at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving signals from the UE over the access link.

[0018] The NCR control information may indicate at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving signals from an access network node over a backhaul link.

[0019] Each of the plurality of second beamforming transmissions may be transmitted in different transmission periods.

[0020] The plurality of second beamforming transmissions may correspond to transmission of at least one of a synchronization signal block (SSB), a system information (SI), or a paging transmission.

[0021] The first beamforming transmission may be for direct access by user equipment (UE) within a non-extended transmission range of the access network node.

[0022] The beam direction corresponding to the first beamforming transmission may be the same as the beam direction used for the control link between the NCR and the access network node.

[0023] Transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions may include transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions each time the first beamforming transmission is received at the NCR.

[0024] Transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions may include transmitting one of the second beamforming transmissions each time the first beamforming transmission is received at the NCR.

[0025] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for a network controlled repeater (NCR), the method including receiving a first beamforming transmission from an access network node, performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration, and using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node.

[0026] The method may further include using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to transmission of at least one of System Information (SI), paging, or a channel dedicated for receiving in NCR.

[0027] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for an access network node, the method including: transmitting a first beamforming transmission that is received by a network controlled repeater (NCR); performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; and using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node.

[0028] The method may further include using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to transmission of at least one of System Information (SI), paging, or a channel dedicated for receiving in NCR.

[0029] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a network controlled repeater (NCR), the network controlled repeater including: means for receiving a first beamforming transmission from an access network node; and means for transmitting a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmission, each of the second beamforming transmissions being transmitted in a different direction.

[0030] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a network controlled repeater (NCR), including means for receiving a first beamforming transmission from an access network node, means for performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration, and means for using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node.

[0031] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an access network node, the access network node including: means for transmitting a first beamforming transmission for reception by a network controlled repeater (NCR); means for performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; and means for using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a mobile (cellular or wireless) telecommunications system in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a network controlled repeater (NCR) disposed between a base station and a UE. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a base station. [Figure 5] A schematic block diagram of the NCR is shown. [Figure 6] An example of communication between a gNB and a UE via NCR is shown. [Figure 7] An example of SSB transmission for beam sweeping is shown. [Figure 8] A first example of NCR forwarding is shown. [Figure 9] A second example of NCR forwarding is shown below. [Figure 10] Another example of communication between a gNB and a UE via NCR is shown. [Figure 11] 10 illustrates another example of NCR transmission in which a single beam is transmitted by the NCR within each transmission window. [Figure 12] 10 illustrates another example of NCR transmission in which multiple beams are transmitted by the NCR within each transmission window. [Figure 13] 1 illustrates a system capable of implementing the beam management procedures of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] The beam management procedure is shown. [Figure 15] 10 shows an example of PRACH reception via NCR. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a mobile (cellular or wireless) communication system 1 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0034] In this system 1, users of mobile devices 3 (UE) can communicate with each other and other users via base stations 5 (and other access network nodes) and a core network 7 using an appropriate 3GPP radio access technology (RAT), e.g., Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and / or 5G RAT. It will be appreciated that multiple base stations 5 form a (radio) access network or (R)AN. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while FIG. 1 shows four mobile devices 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D and two base stations 5A and 5B for illustrative purposes, the system, when implemented, will typically include other base stations / (R)AN nodes 5 and mobile devices (UE) 3.

[0035] Each base station 5 controls (directly or via other nodes such as home base stations, relays, remote radio heads, distributed units, etc.) one or more associated cells 6. In this example, the base station 5A has an area of direct coverage 6A-1 and an area of further coverage 6A-2 provided by a network controlled repeater (NCR) 9. As will be explained below, a UE 3B within the area of further coverage 6A-2 provided by the NCR 9 can communicate with the base station 5A via the NCR 9.

[0036] A base station 5 that supports next generation / 5G protocols may be referred to as a "gNB." It will be appreciated that some base stations 5 may be configured to support both 4G and 5G, and / or other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols. It will be appreciated that multiple base stations 5 form a (radio) access network or (R)AN.

[0037] A mobile device 3 and its serving base station 5 are connected via an appropriate air interface (e.g., the so-called "NR" air interface, the "Uu" interface, etc.). Adjacent base stations 5 can connect to each other via an appropriate inter-base station interface (e.g., the so-called "Xn" interface, the "X2" interface, etc.). The base stations 5 are also connected to core network nodes via an appropriate interface (e.g., the so-called "NG-U" interface (for the user plane), the so-called "NG-C" interface (for the control plane), etc.).

[0038] The core network 7 (e.g., EPC for LTE, NGC for NR / 5G) typically includes logical nodes (or “functions”) for subscriber management, mobility management, charging, security, and call / session management (among other things) to support communications in the telecommunications system 1. For example, the core network 7 in a “next generation” / 5G system includes user plane and control plane entities, such as one or more control plane functions (CPFs) 8-2 and one or more user plane functions (UPFs) 8-3. The core network 7 also includes a so-called Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 8-1 in 5G, or a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in 4G, which is responsible for handling connectivity and mobility management tasks for mobile devices 3. A Session Management Function (SMF) 8-4 is responsible for handling communication sessions for mobile devices 3, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) functions 8-5 may be implemented in software in one or more 5G CN nodes. The core network 7 is connected to a data network 10, such as the Internet or a similar Internet Protocol (IP)-based network.

[0039] When a UE 3 first establishes an RRC connection with a base station 6 via a cell, it registers with the appropriate AMF 8-1 (or MME). The UE 3 is in the so-called RRC connected state, and the relevant UE context is maintained by the network. Even when the UE 3 is in the so-called RRC idle or RRC inactive state, it needs to select a suitable cell to camp on, so that the network knows the approximate location of the UE 3 (although not necessarily at cell level).

[0040] 2 shows a schematic diagram of an NCR 9 disposed between a base station 5 and a UE 3. The NCR 9 includes an NCR-Mobile Termination (NCR-MT) 201 for communication with the base station 5 over a control link (including receiving "side control information," which is described in more detail below). The control link is based on the New Radio (NR) Uu interface. The NCR 9 also includes an NCR-Forwarding (NCR-Fwd) 202 for communication with the base station 5 over a backhaul link and with the UE 3 over an access link.

[0041] The NCR 9 receives control information from the gNB 5 regarding at least one beamforming signal transmitted and received by the NCR 9. This control information may be referred to as side control information. The side control information includes control information for downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL) transmissions. The operation of the NCR-Fwd 202 (e.g., one or more configurations of the NCR 9 related to the backhaul link and / or the access link) is controlled based on the side control information received from the gNB 5.

[0042] For DL transmissions, the repeater receives transmissions from the gNB 5 over the backhaul link and transmits corresponding signals to the UE 3 over the access link. The side control information may control the direction, timing, and frequency of transmissions on the access link to the UE 3. In other words, the side control information controls the forwarding of transmissions from the gNB 5 to the UE 3 by the NCR 9. For UL transmissions, the NCR 9 receives transmissions from the UE 3 over the access link and transmits corresponding signals to the gNB 5. The side control information may control the direction in which the NCR 9 receives on the access link in a particular time and / or frequency resource window.

[0043] The side control information may include configuration information for transmitting beamforming signals and / or uplink / downlink (UL / DL) time division duplex (TDD) configuration information. The UL / DL TDD configuration information may indicate a quasi-static TDD UL / DL configuration of the control link, backhaul link, and / or access link. The same TDD UL / DL configuration may be assumed for the backhaul link and the access link. If the NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd are in the same frequency band, the same TDD UL / DL configuration may be assumed for the control link, backhaul link, and access link. More generally, the control information is used to control the forwarding operation for the UL and / or DL of the NCR 9.

[0044] For downlink signal transmission, the side control information may include information indicating, for the access link, one or more directions in which the NCR 9 transmits signals received from the backhaul link during a predetermined time (e.g., a time window). For uplink signal transmission, the side control information may include information indicating, for the access link, one or more directions in which the NCR 9 receives signals from the UE during a predetermined time (e.g., a time window) and forwards them to the gNB via the backhaul link. The side control information may indicate different directions to be used at different times. The side control information may include information on a beam refinement procedure for a beam transmitted by the NCR 9. The beam refinement procedure may be used, for example, when the condition of the radio link between the UE 3 and the NCR 9 changes. The side control information may include beam information indicating a beam configuration for the access link. The side control information may include a direction in which to receive transmissions from the UE 3.

[0045] The side control information may include information regarding semi-static and / or dynamic downlink / uplink configuration, adaptive transmitter / receiver spatial beamforming, on-off information (e.g., for more efficient interference management and increased energy efficiency), power control information (e.g., for improved interference management), or any other suitable control information. The on-off information is for controlling the operation of NCR-Fwd and may include explicit indication of on-off states or on-off patterns. The on-off information may include implicit indication via signaling for other information such as beam information, DL / UL configuration information, or power control information. The on-off information may include a combination of explicit and implicit indications.

[0046] The side control information may include timing information indicating when the NCR 9 amplifies and forwards signals for the downlink and / or uplink. The timing information may be for setting the DL receive timing of the NCR-Fwd in the backhaul link. The timing information may also be for setting the UL receive timing of the NCR-Fwd in the access link. The NCR-Fwd 202 amplifies and forwards the corresponding received signals to the UE 3 for the downlink and to the gNB 5 for the uplink.

[0047] The side control information may be transmitted from the gNB 5 to the NCR 9 as L1 / L2 control signaling. The NCR 9 may obtain configuration information for receiving L1 / L2 signaling via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Alternatively, the configuration information for receiving L1 / L2 signaling may be received from an operations administration and maintenance (OAM) entity in the network or may be pre-configured at the NCR 9. As yet another alternative, the configuration information for receiving L1 / L2 signaling may be received partially via RRC signaling and partially from an OAM entity in the network. The configuration information for receiving L1 / L2 signaling may include configuration information for receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and / or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), configuration information for transmitting a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), configuration information for transmitting a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), configuration information for downlink control information (DCI), configuration information for uplink control information (UCI), and / or configuration information for a medium access control control element (MAC CE).

[0048] User Equipment (UE) FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the mobile device (UE) 3 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the UE 3 includes transceiver circuitry 21 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from one or more connected nodes via one or more antennas 22. While not necessarily shown in FIG. 3, the UE 3 naturally has all the usual functionality of a conventional mobile device (e.g., a user interface 24), which may be provided by any one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware, as appropriate. A controller 23 controls the operation of the UE 3 in accordance with software stored in memory 25. The software may be pre-installed in memory 25 and / or downloaded, for example, via the telecommunications network 1 or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 26 and a communications control module 27.

[0049] The communications control module 27 is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling messages and uplink / downlink data packets between the UE 3 and other nodes, including the AN node 6, the NCR 9, and core network nodes. The signaling may include control signaling (such as RRC signaling) related to configuring and assisting cell reselection by the UE 3.

[0050] The UE 3 may receive one or more beamforming signals (e.g., beamforming signals transmitted by the NCR 9) and perform corresponding signal strength measurements. The UE 3 may decide to communicate using a particular one of the beams (e.g., the beam having the strongest signal received at the UE during a measurement period). The beam selected by the UE 3 may be identified using a corresponding index (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB) index or other suitable index) and used for communication between the base station 5 and the UE 3 directly or via the NCR 9 (if the index corresponds to a beam transmitted by the NCR 9).

[0051] Base station / gateway (access network node) FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the gateway / base station 5 (a base station (gNB) or similar access network node; the base station 5 is not necessarily a gNB) shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the base station 5 includes transceiver circuitry 41 operable to transmit and receive signals to and from one or more UEs 3 or NCRs 9 via one or more antennas 42, and to transmit and receive signals to and from other network nodes (directly or indirectly) via a network interface 43. The network interface 43 typically includes an appropriate base station-to-base station interface (e.g., X2 / Xn) and an appropriate base station-to-core network interface (e.g., S1 / NG-C / NG-U). A controller 44 controls the operation of the base station 5 according to software stored in memory 45. The software may be pre-installed in memory 45 and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 46, a communications control module 47, a control link module 48, and a backhaul module 49.

[0052] The communication control module 47 is responsible for handling (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the base station 5 and the UE 3 and other nodes, such as core network nodes. The signaling may include, for example, control signaling (such as RRC signaling) related to configuring and assisting cell reselection by the UE 3.

[0053] The control link module 48 is responsible for controlling communications over the control link with the NCR 9's NCR-MT 201. It will be appreciated that the control link module 48 may be configured to control communications over the control link according to any of the examples described below.

[0054] The backhaul module 49 is responsible for controlling communications over the backhaul with the NCR-Fwd 202 of the NCR 9. It will be appreciated that the backhaul module 49 may be configured to control communications over the backhaul according to any of the examples described below.

[0055] Network Controlled Repeater (NCR) FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the major components of the NCR 9 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the NCR 9 includes transceiver circuitry 31 operable to transmit and receive signals to and from one or more UEs 3 and base stations 5 via one or more antennas 32. A controller 33 controls the operation of the NCR 9 in accordance with software stored in memory 34. The software may be pre-installed in memory 34 and / or may be downloaded, for example, over a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 35, a communications control module 36, a control link module 37, and an amplification and forwarding module 38.

[0056] The communication control module 36 is responsible for the overall handling (generation / transmission / reception) of signaling between the base station 5 and the UE 3 .

[0057] The control link module 37 is responsible for controlling communication over a control link with the base station 5. It will be appreciated that the control link module 37 may be configured to control communication over the control link according to any of the examples described below. The control link module 37 may be the NCR-MT 201 shown in FIG. 2.

[0058] The amplify-and-forward module 38 is responsible for controlling communications with the base station 5 over the backhaul and controlling communications with the UE 3 over the access link. It will be appreciated that the amplify-and-forward module 38 may be configured to control communications over the backhaul and the access link according to any of the embodiments described below. The amplify-and-forward module 38 may be the NCR-Fwd 202 shown in FIG. 2.

[0059] The received broadcast signal may be relayed multiple times by the NCR 9 over the access link in different beam directions within a preconfigured time window, thereby achieving effects (described in more detail below with reference to Figures 6 and 7).

[0060] The NCR 9 may be transparent to the UEs 3 in the system 1. The NCR 9 may be configured to simultaneously maintain a gNB repeater link (e.g., a backhaul link and / or a control link) and a repeater UE link (an access link).

[0061] Advantageously, as described in more detail below, the NCR 9 of the present disclosure may be configured to broadcast a subset of the broadcast beams (such as SSB, paging, and / or system information) broadcast by the base station 5. Similarly, the NCR 9 may receive a subset of the Physical Random Access Channels (PRACHs) typically selected by UEs within the coverage of the NCR 9, and may transmit and receive a subset of the UL / DL time / frequency / beam resources typically used when a gNB performs scheduling for UEs within the coverage of the NCR 9. Thus, advantageously, more efficient communication is achieved via the NCR 9. This may be achieved by controlling the on / off timing and reception frequency range of the NCR 9 to match the timing of a subset of the time / frequency / beam resources.

[0062] The following description primarily relates to the transmission of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) in beamforming signals (beams). SSBs may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). However, the present disclosure is not limited to the transmission of SSBs. In particular, the present embodiments may alternatively (or additionally) be used for the transmission of any other suitable information (e.g., broadcast signals), such as paging, system information (:SI), or signals for system information block 1 (:SIB1).

[0063] Communication Procedure - First Example Figure 6 shows a first example of communication between a gNB 5 and a UE 3F via an NCR 9.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 6, the base station 5 transmits multiple beamforming signals 60a-60d (or beamforming signaling, such as SSET or SIB1). For SSB transmissions, transmissions in different beam directions have different SSB indices. In the example shown in FIG. 6, each beam 60a-60d transmitted by the gNB 5 is transmitted in a different beam direction using a different time resource to achieve a beam sweeping effect (described below with reference to FIG. 7). While each beam 60a-60d is generally transmitted in a different direction, it will be understood that there may be some spatial overlap between the beams, as shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, for example, beam 60b partially overlaps with beams 60a and 60c. For SIB1 / SI / paging transmissions, there may be one or more beam sweeping cycles within the SIB1 / SI / paging transmission window / transmission opportunity.

[0065] Multiple SSB beams may be transmitted in the time domain as a group of SSB transmissions called an "SSB burst set." Each SSB within an SSB burst set may be referred to as an "SSB block." FIG. 7 shows an example of a 5 ms SSB burst set, in which SSB beams 60a-60d are transmitted sequentially by gNB 5, creating a "beam sweeping" effect. However, the SSBs do not necessarily have to be transmitted as shown in the example of FIG. 7, and the burst set does not necessarily have to be 5 ms in duration. Various other transmission configurations in the time domain may be used depending on the configuration of gNB 5 and the available communication resources. Furthermore, while in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, gNB 5 transmits four SSBs, the number of SSBs does not necessarily have to be four. Also, the number of SSBs may be three or less or five or more (e.g., up to 64 SSB blocks within an SSB burst set).

[0066] In the example of Figure 6, a first UE 3E is located within the coverage area of an SSB 60c transmitted by a gNB 5. A second UE 3F is located within the coverage area of an SSB 60c-3 transmitted (forwarded) by an NCR 9, and can communicate with the gNB 5 via the NCR 9 by communicating with the NCR 9 via an access link (and also by communicating between the NCR 9 and the gNB 5 via a backhaul link).

[0067] The first UE 3E receives a signal corresponding to SSB 60c and may also receive signals corresponding to other SSBs (e.g., adjacent SSBs 60b and 60d). The UE 3E and the gNB 5 may perform an initial access procedure after the UE 3E receives any of the beamforming signals transmitted by the gNB 5, and the UE 3E may be configured to transmit a corresponding measurement report to the gNB 5. The UE 3E may perform measurements of, for example, a synchronization signal RSRP (SS-RSRP) or a physical broadcast channel demodulation reference signal (PBCH DMRS). The UE 3E may be configured to determine an SSB index corresponding to the beam by decoding the PBCH DMRS. The UE 3E may determine a particular beam (and / or corresponding time or frequency resource) to be used for communication with the gNB 5 based on the corresponding signal measurements performed by the UE 3E. Alternatively, the UE 3E may report its measurements to the gNB 5, which may determine the beam (and / or corresponding time or frequency resources) to be used for communication with the UE 3E.

[0068] In this example, the second UE 3F is located outside the non-extended range of the gNB 5 and therefore does not receive an SSB signal directly from the gNB 5, but does receive a signal corresponding to the SSB beam 60c-3 transmitted by the NCR 9.

[0069] The NCR 9 receives one or more of the beams 60a-60d transmitted by the gNB 5. In this example, the NCR 9 receives at least beam 60c, and the NCR-MT 201 determines that beam 60c is the best candidate beam for communication (e.g., because it has the highest received signal strength / quality). The NCR-MT 201 determines a receive time window (e.g., a receive time window for SI, SIB1, and / or paging) corresponding to beam 60c. The receive time window corresponds to the transmit time window of the determined beam 60c.

[0070] The NCR-MT 201 determines how and when to forward the determined beam 60c to the UE 3 via the access link. In other words, the NCR-MT 201 determines the spatial, frequency, and time resources to use to transmit the forwarded one or more beams. The determination of how and when to forward the determined beam 60c may be based on information received from the gNB 5 via the control link. In this example, the NCR-MT 201 determines, based on side control information received from the gNB 5, to transmit a beam corresponding to the beam 60c transmitted with a beam sweeping effect (i.e., in this example, beams 60c-1 to 60c-3 are transmitted sequentially). However, the NCR 9 does not necessarily need to forward the beam 60c as shown in FIG. 6 and can use any suitable spatial, time, and frequency configuration for the beam.

[0071] Advantageously, the example described with reference to FIG. 6 does not require additional transmissions using additional resources from gNB 5 to NCR 9 that are beamformed toward NCR 9 for subsequent forwarding by NCR 9. Thus, the overall number of transmissions / resources used from gNB 5 is reduced, but the beam-sweeping effect is nevertheless achieved in an extended area of coverage provided by NCR 9. In other words, while the complexity of NCR 9 increases somewhat, additional transmissions (using additional resources) from gNB 5 directed toward NCR 9 are not used to be forwarded by NCR 9 as separate beams in separate directions, beneficially reducing the number of transmissions required from gNB 5. However, the beam-sweeping effect is still achieved because NCR 9 transmits multiple beams based on one of the beams received from gNB 5 and based on side control information received from gNB 5. For SIB1 / SI / paging, extra repetitions transmitted by base station 5 for relaying by NCR 9 are similarly avoided. Furthermore, for a UE 3E generally located between gNB 5 and NCR 9, while the UE 3E receives beam 60c transmitted by the gNB, the UE 3E does not receive any additional beams that would be beamformed towards NCR 9 for forwarding, thereby beneficially reducing the risk of interference at the UE 3E (and potentially reducing the number of received signals processed by the UE 3E).

[0072] FIG. 8 illustrates a first option for providing forwarding by the NCR 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the gNB 5 transmits beams 60a-60d. As described above, in this option, the NCR 9 receives at least beam 60c, and the NCR-MT 201 determines that beam 60c is the optimal beam for communication. The NCR 9 may also receive side control information for controlling NCR-Fwd. Based on the side control information received from the gNB 5, the NCR 9 determines when and how to forward beam 60c (e.g., spatial, time, and / or frequency resources) on the access link between the NCR 9 and the UE 3. In the case of SI / SIB1 / paging, the NCR-MT 201 determines the reception time window of SI / SIB1 / paging on beam 60c. This reception time window of SI / SIB1 / paging is equal to the transmission time window of SI / SIB1 / paging.

[0073] In this option, the NCR 9 transmits (forwards) one corresponding beamforming signal during each forwarding period (forwarding time). As shown in FIG. 8, when the NCR 9 receives a transmission via beam 60c, the NCR 9 forwards the received signal in a first direction S1 via corresponding beam 60c-1. When the NCR 9 receives a second transmission / repetition on beam 60c, the NCR 9 forwards the received signal in a second direction S2 on corresponding beam 60c-2. When the NCR 9 receives a third transmission / repetition on beam 60c, the NCR 9 forwards the received signal in a third direction S3 on corresponding beam 60c-3 (the first to third directions are shown in FIG. 6). Thus, the NCR 9 achieves a beam sweep effect for the forwarded beam 60c based on the side control information received from the gNB 5.

[0074] The beam directions S1 / S2 / S3 may be implicitly configured by the gNB as side control information, or the NCR 9 may forward the received transmission / repetition to all beam directions in sequence.

[0075] 8, forwarded beams 60c-1 through 60c-3 are shown as being transmitted substantially simultaneously as beam 60c from gNB 5 is received, but this need not be the case. Alternatively, the forwarded beams transmitted by NCR 9 may be offset in the time domain from one or more beams received from gNB 5. In other words, there may be an offset between the receive timing on the backhaul link and the transmit timing on the access link.

[0076] FIG. 9 illustrates a modification of the method shown in FIG. 8, in which three transmissions in beams 60c-1 through 60c-3 are transmitted by NCR 9 each time beam 60c is received from gNB 5. In the case of SIB1 / SI / paging, the transmissions in beams 60c-1 through 60c-3 are transmitted within the SIB1 / SI / paging receive / transmit window. While the optional NCR 9 shown in FIG. 9 may be more complex because it is configured to transmit signals multiple times within the transmission interval described above, the configuration shown in FIG. 9 (and the configuration shown in FIG. 8) advantageously results in more transmissions of common signals within the extended coverage provided via NCR 9. Thus, overall system performance is improved.

[0077] In the options shown in Figures 8 and 9, the side control information received from the gNB 5 may include on / off information and beam direction information that controls the direction of the beams 60c-1 to 60c-3 to achieve a beam sweeping effect. The side control information may also include information indicating when to receive one or more beams transmitted from the gNB 5 and timing information that controls when to forward transmissions received on the beams to the UE 3F over the access link (it will be understood that the timing information for receiving and the timing information for forwarding may be correlated or may be the same information). The side control information may also include information indicating the period and / or direction for receiving signals from the UE 3F.

[0078] Communication Procedure - Second Example 10 shows a second example of communication between gNB 5 and UE 3F via NCR 9. Advantageously, in this example, an additional beam 90e is used for forwarding by NCR 9 (in addition to beams 90a-90d used for direct access within the non-extended range of the cell), but the number of additional beams used for transmission by gNB 5 is nevertheless beneficially reduced.

[0079] In this example, gNB 5 initially transmits using beams 90a-90d. These beams can be used for direct access by UEs within the non-extended range of gNB 5, such as UE 3E located in beam 90c. NCR 9 receives the transmission on at least one of beams 90a-90d. In this example, NCR 9 receives the transmission on at least beam 90c and determines that beam 90c is the best beam for communication. NCR 9 may receive the SI / SIB including the UL / DL configuration and perform initial access to the gNB. As described in more detail below, NCR 9 performs beam management procedures using a control link between NCR 9 and gNB 5.

[0080] The gNB 5 then transmits using an additional beam 90e. For example, the additional beam may be an additional SSB beam. In the case of SI / SIB / paging, the additional beam corresponds to an additional SI / SIB / paging repetition. In this example, the additional beam transmission is transmitted to the NCR 9 using the same beam direction as the control link. Beam 90e may be a wider beam for SSB, SIB1, SI, or paging transmissions, or a narrower beam for PDSCH transmissions. In the case of SIB1 / SI / paging, the additional SIB1 / SI / paging repetition may be transmitted using different time / frequency resources, but within the same SIB1 / SI / paging transmission opportunity / window.

[0081] Side control information including the time and frequency configuration of the additional beam 90e is transmitted by the gNB 5 to the NCR-MT 201. The gNB 5 also transmits information to the NCR 9 indicating when to receive the signal (beam) on the backhaul for relaying.

[0082] Based on the received side control information, the NCR-MT 201 determines how and when (e.g., spatial, time, and frequency resources) to forward the beamforming transmissions on the access link. As described in more detail below, two options for forwarding transmissions in beams on the access link are shown in Figures 11 and 12.

[0083] Figure 11 illustrates a first option for forwarding transmissions by NCR 9. In this option, similar to the example described above with reference to Figure 8, in each transmission window NCR 9 transmits one beamforming transmission. However, in contrast to the example of Figure 8, in this example the forwarded transmission corresponds to a transmission in additional beam 90e rather than the originally measured beam 90c.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 11, when NCR 9 receives a transmission on beam 90e and side control information S1, NCR 9 transmits using beam 90e-1 corresponding to a first direction. When NCR 9 receives a transmission on beam 90e and side control information S2, NCR 9 transmits using beam 90e-2 corresponding to a second direction. When NCR 9 receives a transmission on beam 90e and side control information S3, NCR 9 transmits in a third direction using corresponding beam 90e-3 (note that the first through third directions are shown in FIG. 10). Thus, NCR 9 achieves a beam sweeping effect for the forward transmission on beam 90e based on the side control information received from gNB 5. Advantageously, although transmission using three beams by NCR 9 would normally require three corresponding beams for transmission from gNB 5 to NCR 9 for forwarding, in this example the beam sweeping effect is nevertheless achieved with only one additional beam 90e transmitted from gNB 5 to NCR 9.

[0085] 11, the forward transmissions on beams 90e-1 through 90e-3 are shown as being transmitted substantially simultaneously as the transmission on beam 90e from gNB 5 is received, but this need not necessarily be the case. Alternatively, the forward beams transmitted by NCR 9 may be offset in the time domain from the transmissions on one or more beams received from gNB 5. In other words, there may be an offset between the receive timing on the backhaul link and the transmit timing on the access link.

[0086] FIG. 12 illustrates a modification of the method illustrated in FIG. 11, in which transmissions in three beams 90e-1 through 90e-3 are transmitted by NCR 9 each time a transmission in beam 90e is received from gNB 5. For SIB1 / SI / paging, the transmissions in beams 90e-1 through 90e-3 are transmitted within the SIB1 / SI / paging receive / transmit window (opportunity). While the NCR 9 in the option illustrated in FIG. 12 may be more complex because the NCR 9 is configured to forward signals multiple times within a transmission interval, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 12 (and the configuration illustrated in FIG. 11) advantageously avoids the need for additional beams with corresponding additional indices to be sent by gNB 5 to NCR 9 for forwarding. Thus, the overall efficiency of the system is improved.

[0087] 11, side control information is shown to be received for each transmission at the time that beam 90c-1 is received at NCR 9, but this need not necessarily be the case. For example, only side control information S1 may be transmitted (in the period for receiving side control information S1 shown in FIG. 11, or alternatively in each period for receiving side control information shown in FIG. 12), in which case side control information S1 includes information indicating the configuration used for beams 90c-2 and 90c-3 in addition to the configuration information for beam 90c-1.

[0088] 11 and 12, the side control information received from gNB 5 may include on / off information and beam direction information that controls the direction of beams 90e-1 to 90e-3 to achieve a beam sweeping effect. The side control information may also include information indicating when to receive transmissions in one or more beams transmitted from gNB 5 and timing information that controls when to forward transmissions received in the beams to UE 3F over the access link. The side control information may also include information indicating the period and / or direction of receiving signals from UE 3F.

[0089] In a third option, instead of sending additional transmissions to NCR 9 over the backhaul, gNB 5 may transmit all information necessary to transmit using beams 90e-1 through 90e-3 over the control link. In this case, the control information transmitted over the control link includes all information necessary to control NCR-Fwd 202 by NCR 9 and transmissions using beams 90e-1 through 90e-3 (e.g., beam direction, time and frequency resources).

[0090] Beam Management Procedures FIG. 13 illustrates a system capable of implementing the improved beam management procedures of the present disclosure.

[0091] Although the beam management procedures are primarily described with reference to FIG. 13 where three additional beams 70e-70g are used by gNB 5 to transmit and forward from NCR 9, the beam management procedures may also be used to manage (e.g., tune) the additional beam 90e used for transmissions from gNB 5 to NCR 9 in the example shown in FIG. 10. More generally, the beam management procedures may be used to manage the beams used for transmissions from gNB 5 to NCR 9 for reception at NCR 9.

[0092] As shown in Figure 14, gNB 5 initially transmits using beams 70a-70d that can be used for direct access by UEs within the non-extended range of gNB 5. NCR 9 receives at least one of the beams broadcast by gNB 5, and NCR-MT 201 performs initial access to gNB 5.

[0093] Based on the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), the NCR 9 performs a beam management procedure to tune beamforming for the control link between the NCR 9 and the gNB 5. The NCR 9 may also perform power control management for the control link. The beam tuning determined for the control link is then applied to the backhaul link between the gNB 5 and the NCR 9. In other words, the gNB 5 transmits using additional beams 70e to 70g over the backhaul link using the beam tuning determined for the control link. Thus, advantageously, narrower beams on the backhaul link are achieved, resulting in more efficient transmission, improved signal quality, and reduced risk of interference.

[0094] The gNB 5 also transmits side control information S1 to S3 to configure forward transmissions of beams 70e-1 to 70g-1 by the NCR 9, as shown in Figure 14. The NCR-MT 201 may continue to monitor beams 70a to 70d for control link management. The NCR-Fwd 202 receives transmissions of additional beams 70e to 70g from the gNB 5 and transmits corresponding forward transmissions on beams 70e-1 to 70g-1 over the access link.

[0095] The improved beam adjustment for the backhaul link, which advantageously utilizes the beam adjustment procedure for the control link, may be used for any suitable beamforming transmission between the gNB 5 and the NCR 9. For example, the improved procedure may be used for SIB1, SI, paging, and / or dedicated channel transmissions if the transmission is for an NCR-Fwd 202 forwarding (in other words, if the beam is spatially directed toward the NCR 9 for the forwarding). For example, the improved beam management procedure shown in FIG. 14 may be applied to the example shown in FIGS. 10-12 (for the additional transmission 90e forwarded by the NCR 9).

[0096] PRACH Resources FIG. 15 shows an example of a mapping between SSB indices and corresponding PRACH resources. Based on the mapping between the PRACH resource and the SSB index, the gNB 5 or NCR-MT 201 may determine a beam direction for monitoring the uplink PRACH at a particular time / frequency resource in the access link, where the beam direction is equal to the beam direction of the corresponding SSB index.

[0097] The parameter "ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB" is shown below. TIFF2025525827000002.tif53150

[0098] The 'ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB' provides information about the number of SSBs per RACH opportunity. The value 'oneEighth' indicates that one SSB is associated with eight RACH opportunities, while the value 'oneFourth' corresponds to one SSB associated with four RACH opportunities. The 'ENUMERATED' part indicates the number of contention-based preambles per SSB. The value 'n4' corresponds to four contention-based preambles per SSB, while the value 'n8' corresponds to eight contention-based (CB) preambles per SSB. The total number of CB preambles in a RACH opportunity is given by 'CB-preambles-per-SSB' x max(1, SSB-per-rach-occasion). More details are provided in Non-Patent Document 2.

[0099] Figure 15 shows an example of PRACH reception via NCR 9. In this example, 'msg1-FDM=two' and 'ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-PreamblesPerSSB=oneHalf'. In this case, the receiving beam of NCR-Fwd 202 of the access link corresponds to the DL SSB0 beam of RO#0 and RO#1.

[0100] Modifications and Substitutions Detailed example embodiments have been described above. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, several modifications and alternatives can be made to the above embodiments while still benefiting from the disclosure embodied therein. By way of example only, some of these alternatives and modifications are described herein.

[0101] Base stations in 5G / NR communication systems are commonly referred to as New Radio Base Stations ("NR-BS") or "gNBs," although it is understood that they may also be referred to using the term "eNB" (or 5G / NR eNB), which more commonly refers to Long Term Evolution (LTE) base stations (also commonly referred to as "4G" base stations). Non-Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 4 define, among other things, the following nodes: gNB: A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination for the UE and is connected to the 5G core network (5GC) via the NG interface. ng-eNB: A node that provides Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface. En-gNB: A node that provides protocol termination for the NR user plane and control plane towards the UE and functions as a secondary node in E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC). NG-RAN node: Either a gNB or a ng-eNB.

[0102] It will be understood that the above embodiments are applicable to both 5G New Radio and LTE systems (E-UTRAN). A base station (gateway) supporting E-UTRA / 4G protocols can be referred to as an "eNB," and a base station supporting Next Generation / 5G protocols can be referred to as a "gNB." It will be understood that some base stations can be configured to support both 4G and 5G protocols, and / or other 3GPP or non-3GPP communication protocols.

[0103] Each cell has an associated "NR Cell Global Identifier (NCGI)" to globally identify the cell. The NCGI is constructed from the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity (PLMN ID) to which the cell belongs and the NR Cell Identity (NCI) of the cell. The PLMN ID included in the NCGI is the first PLMN ID in the set of PLMN IDs associated with the NR Cell Identity in System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1). The "gNB Identifier" (gNB ID) is used to identify a specific gNB within a PLMN. The gNB ID is included in the NCI of that cell. The "global gNB ID" is used to globally identify a gNB and consists of the PLMN identity to which the gNB belongs and the gNB ID. The Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC) are the same as those included in the NCGI.

[0104] In the above description, the UE 3, access network node (base station 5), and NCR 9 are described for ease of understanding as having several separate modules (such as a communications control module). These modules may be provided in this manner for a particular application, for example, where an existing system has been modified to implement the present disclosure; however, in other applications, for example, in a system designed from the beginning with the inventive features in mind, these modules may be incorporated into an overall operating system or code, and therefore may not be identified as separate entities. Furthermore, these modules may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0105] Each controller may include any suitable type of processing circuitry, including (but not limited to) one or more hardware-implemented computer processors; microprocessors; central processing units (CPUs); arithmetic logic units (ALUs); input / output (IO) circuitry; internal memory / cache (program and / or data); processing registers; communication buses (e.g., control buses, data buses, and / or address buses); direct memory access (DMA) functions; hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers, and / or timers; and / or the like.

[0106] In the above embodiments, multiple software modules have been described. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form, or may be supplied to the UE 3, NCR 9, or base station 5 as a signal, over a computer network, or on a recording medium. Furthermore, the functionality performed by some or all of this software may be performed using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates updates to update the functionality of the UE 3, NCR 9, or base station 5.

[0107] The above embodiments are also applicable to "non-mobile" or typically fixed user equipment 3. The mobile devices (UE) 3 mentioned above may include MTC / IoT devices, power-saving UEs, and / or the like.

[0108] User equipment 3 ("UE", "mobile station", "mobile device" or "wireless device") in this disclosure is an entity connected to a network via a radio interface. Note that this disclosure is not limited to dedicated communication devices, but is applicable to any device with communication capabilities, as described in the following paragraphs.

[0109] The terms "user equipment" or "UE" (as this term is used by 3GPP), "mobile station," "mobile device," and "wireless device" are generally intended to be synonymous with each other and include standalone mobile stations such as terminals, cell phones, smartphones, tablets, cellular IoT devices, IoT devices, and machines. It will be understood that the terms "mobile station" and "mobile device" also encompass devices that remain stationary for extended periods of time.

[0110] The UE may be, for example, equipment or machinery for production or manufacturing and / or energy-related machinery (e.g., equipment or machinery such as boilers; engines; turbines; solar panels; wind turbines; hydroelectric generators; thermal generators; nuclear generators; batteries; nuclear systems and / or related equipment; heavy electrical equipment; pumps including vacuum pumps; compressors; fans; blowers; hydraulic equipment; pneumatic equipment; metalworking machinery; manipulators; robots and / or application systems thereof; tools; molds or dies; rolls; material handling equipment; textile machinery; sewing machines; printing and / or related machinery; paper converting machinery; chemical machinery; mining and / or construction machinery and / or related facilities; machinery and / or implements for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries; safety and / or environmental protection equipment; tractors; precision bearings; chains; gears; power transmission equipment; lubrication equipment; valves; pipe fittings; and / or application systems for any of the foregoing equipment or machinery, etc.).

[0111] A UE may be, for example, an item of transportation equipment (e.g., transportation equipment such as railcars; automobiles; motorcycles; bicycles; trains; buses; carts; rickshaws; ships or other watercraft; aircraft; rockets; satellites; drones; balloons, etc.).

[0112] The UE may be, for example, an information and communication equipment item (eg, information and communication equipment such as electronic computers and related equipment; communications and related equipment; electronic components, etc.).

[0113] The UE may be, for example, a refrigerator, a refrigerator application product, a goods and / or service industry equipment item, a vending machine, an automated service machine, an office machine, a consumer electronic device and an appliance (e.g., consumer appliances such as audio equipment; video equipment; speakers; radios; televisions; microwave ovens; rice cookers; coffee machines; dishwashers; washing machines; dryers; electronic fans or related appliances; vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0114] The UE may be, for example, an electrical application system or device (eg, an electrical power application system or device such as an x-ray system; a particle accelerator; a radioisotope device; a sonic device; an electromagnetic application device; an electrical power application device, etc.).

[0115] The UE may be, for example, an electronic lamp, a lighting fixture, a measuring instrument, an analyzer, a tester, or a surveying or sensing device (e.g., a surveying or sensing device such as a smoke detector; a motion alarm sensor; a radio frequency tag; etc.), a wristwatch or watch, an inspection device, an optical device, a medical device and / or system, a weapon, a cutlery item, a hand tool, etc.

[0116] A UE may be, for example, a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related equipment, such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device (e.g., a personal computer, an electrical measuring instrument), etc.

[0117] The UE may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the applications, services, and solutions described below with respect to the "Internet of Things" (IoT).

[0118] Internet of Things devices (or "Things") may be equipped with appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connections, etc. that enable these devices to collect and exchange data with each other and other communicating devices. IoT devices may comprise automated machinery that follows software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without the need for human supervision or interaction. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods of time. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices may also be incorporated into non-stationary equipment (e.g., vehicles) or attached to animals or people to be monitored / tracked.

[0119] It will be appreciated that IoT technology may be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, whether such communication device is controlled by human input or software instructions stored in memory.

[0120] It will be understood that IoT devices may also be referred to as Machine-Type Communication (MTC) devices or Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication devices. It will be understood that a UE may support one or more IoT or MTC applications. Some examples of MTC applications are listed in the table below (Source: Non-Patent Document 5, Annex B, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). This list is not exhaustive and is intended to illustrate some examples of machine-type communication applications.

[0121] [Table 1]

[0122] The applications, services, and solutions may be Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services, emergency wireless communication systems, Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, PHS / digital cordless telecommunications systems, Point of sale (POS) systems, advertising call systems, Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) systems, train radio systems, location-related services, disaster / emergency wireless communication services, community services, video streaming services, femtocell application services, Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, billing services, wireless on-demand services, roaming services, activity monitoring services, telecommunications carrier / communication network selection services, function restriction services, Proof of Concept (PoC) services, personal information management services, ad hoc networks / Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) services, and the like.

[0123] Furthermore, the above-mentioned UE categories are merely examples of application of the concepts and exemplary embodiments described herein, and it should be understood that these concepts and embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned UEs and may be subject to various modifications.

[0124] Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0125] Although the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. And, each exemplary embodiment may be suitably combined with at least one other exemplary embodiment.

[0126] Each drawing is merely an example for describing one or more embodiments. Each drawing may relate not only to one particular embodiment, but also to one or more other embodiments. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features or steps described with reference to any one drawing can be combined with features or steps shown in one or more other drawings to create, for example, an embodiment not explicitly shown or described. Not all features or steps shown in any one drawing are necessary to describe an exemplary embodiment, and some features or steps may be omitted. The order of steps described in any drawing may be changed as appropriate.

[0127] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) 1. A method for a network controlled repeater (NCR), comprising: receiving a first beamformed transmission from an access network node; transmitting a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmissions; Including, Each of the second beamforming transmissions is transmitted in a different direction. (Appendix 2) performing signal measurements of the first beamforming transmission; and determining, based on the signal measurements, to transmit the plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmissions; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (Appendix 3) 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising determining a receive time window corresponding to the first beamforming transmission. (Appendix 4) 4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising receiving NCR control information for controlling at least one of transmission or reception of beamforming signals in the NCR. (Appendix 5) 4. The method of any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the NCR control information indicates at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions. (Appendix 6) 6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein the NCR control information indicates at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving a beamforming signal. (Appendix 7) 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the NCR control information indicates at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving signals from a UE over an access link. (Appendix 8) 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the NCR control information indicates at least one of spatial, time, or frequency resources to use for receiving signals from an access network node via a backhaul link. (Appendix 9) each of the plurality of second beamforming transmissions is transmitted in a different transmission period; 9. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) The plurality of second beamforming transmissions correspond to at least one transmission of a synchronization signal block (SSB), system information (SI), or paging transmission. 10. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 9. (Appendix 11) the first beamforming transmission is for direct access by user equipment (UE) within a non-extended transmission range of the access network node; 11. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 10. (Appendix 12) The beam direction corresponding to the first beamforming transmission is the same as the beam direction used for a control link between the NCR and the access network node; 12. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 11. (Appendix 13) transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions includes transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions each time the first beamforming transmission is received at the NCR. 13. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 12. (Appendix 14) transmitting the plurality of second beamforming transmissions includes transmitting one of the plurality of second beamforming transmissions each time the first beamforming transmission is received at an NCR. 13. The method of any one of appendices 1 to 12. (Appendix 15) 1. A method for a network controlled repeater (NCR), comprising: receiving a first beamformed transmission from an access network node; performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node; A method comprising: (Appendix 16) and further comprising using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to transmission of at least one of system information (SI), paging, or a channel dedicated for reception in the NCR. The method described in Appendix 15. (Appendix 17) 1. A method for an access network node, comprising: Transmitting a first beamformed transmission for reception by a network controlled repeater (NCR); performing a beam adjustment procedure to adjust a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node; A method comprising: (Appendix 18) and further comprising using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to transmission of at least one of system information (SI), paging, or a channel dedicated for reception in the NCR. The method described in Appendix 17. (Appendix 19) A network controlled repeater (NCR), means for receiving a first beamformed transmission from an access network node; means for transmitting a plurality of second beamforming transmissions based on the first beamforming transmissions; Equipped with each of the plurality of second beamforming transmissions is transmitted in a different direction. Network control repeater. (Appendix 20) A network controlled repeater (NCR), means for receiving a first beamformed transmission from an access network node; means for performing a beam adjustment procedure for adjusting a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; means for applying the adjusted beam configuration to a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node; A network control repeater comprising: (Appendix 21) an access network node, means for transmitting a first beamformed transmission for reception by a network controlled repeater (NCR); means for performing a beam adjustment procedure for adjusting a beam corresponding to a control link between the NCR and the access network node to obtain an adjusted beam configuration; means for using the adjusted beam configuration for a beam corresponding to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node; An access network node comprising:

[0128] This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from UK Patent Application No. 2211654.5, filed August 9, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 1 Mobile (cellular or wireless) communication systems 3. Mobile Devices 5 base stations 6 cells 7 Core Network 8-1 Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 8-2 Control Plane Function (CPF) 8-3 User Plane Function (UPF) 8-4 Session Management Facility (SMF) 8-5 Operation management and maintenance (OAM) function 9 Network Controlled Repeater (NCR) 10 Data Network 21 Transceiver Circuit 22 antennas 23 Controller 24User Interface 25 memory 26 Operating Systems 27 Communication Control Module 31 Transceiver Circuit 32 antennas 33 Controller 34 memory 35 operating systems 36 communication control module 37 Control Link Module 38 Amplification and Transmission Module 41 Transceiver Circuit 42 antennas 43 Network Interface 44 Controller 45 memory 46 Operating Systems 47 Communication Control Module 48 Control Link Module 49 Backhaul Modules 201 NCR-MT 202 NCR-Fwd

Claims

1. 1. A method for a network controlled repeater (NCR), comprising: receiving a plurality of beamforming transmissions from an access network node; detecting a best beamforming transmission from the plurality of beamforming transmissions; establishing a control link based on the best beamforming transmission; and receiving information about at least one other beamforming transmission via the control link; forwarding the at least one other beamformed transmission; and A method comprising:

2. and adjusting beamforming in the control link to apply the control link to a backhaul link between the NCR and the access network node. The method of claim 1.

3. determining a reception time window indicating a time period during which the NCR can receive the information about the at least one other beamforming transmission.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the timing indicated by the receive time window is equal to a transmit time window during which the NCR may transmit the at least one other beamforming transmission; The method of claim 3.

5. determining when and how to forward the at least one other beamforming transmission; and transmitting control information indicating when and how the NCR forwards the at least one other beamforming transmission; Including, receiving the information about the at least one other beamforming transmission via the control link based on the control information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. receiving, from the access network node, information for determining when and how to forward the at least one other beamforming transmission; the determining is performed based on information for determining when and how to forward the at least one other beamforming transmission. The method of claim 5.

7. wherein said establishing is performed by receiving from said access network node, within a receive timing window that is the same as a transmit timing window for forwarding said at least one other beamforming transmission, in spatial, time and / or frequency resources that are different from resources for said best beamforming transmission, and using the same direction as said best beamforming transmission.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. receiving configuration information for the at least one other beamforming transmission indicating when the at least one other beamforming transmission is to be transmitted; The method of claim 7.

9. The bandwidth for the at least one other beamforming transmission is Wider bandwidth for best beamforming transmission for synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block (SSB) / System Information (SI) / Paging transmissions, Narrower than the bandwidth for best beamforming transmission for Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmission, 9. The method of claim 7 or 8.

10. The receiving and the forwarding include: receiving information about one of the at least one other beamforming transmission; and forwarding one of the at least one other beamformed transmission in a first direction; and receiving information about another one of the at least one other beamforming transmission; and forwarding the other one of the at least one other beamformed transmission in a second direction different from the first direction; and performed by 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The receiving and the forwarding include: receiving the information about a plurality of other beamforming transmissions; forwarding the plurality of other beamforming transmissions a plurality of times; is performed by each of the plurality of other beamforming transmissions is transmitted in a different direction.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. the at least one other beamforming transmission corresponds to a transmission of at least one of a synchronization signal block (SSB), system information (SI), or paging.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. the best beamforming transmission is for direct access by user equipment (UE) within a non-extended transmission range of the access network node; 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. 1. A method for an access network node, comprising: transmitting the plurality of beamformed transmissions to a network controlled repeater (NCR); establishing a control link based on a best beamforming transmission determined by the NCR from the plurality of beamforming transmissions; transmitting, via the control link, information about at least one other beamforming transmission used for forwarding by the NCR; A method comprising:

15. A network controlled repeater (NCR), comprising: means for receiving a plurality of beamforming transmissions from an access network node; means for detecting a best beamforming transmission from the plurality of beamforming transmissions; means for establishing a control link based on the best beamforming transmission; means for receiving information about at least one other beamforming transmission via the control link; means for forwarding the at least one other beamforming transmission; A network control repeater comprising:

16. an access network node, means for transmitting the plurality of beamformed transmissions to a network controlled repeater (NCR); means for establishing a control link based on a best beamforming transmission determined by the NCR from the plurality of beamforming transmissions; means for transmitting, via a control link, information about at least one other beamforming transmission used for forwarding by the NCR; An access network node comprising:

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