Repeaters, terminal devices, and network devices

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method, a device, and a computer-readable medium for communication. A network device determines an application time of a beam of a repeater device and an SCS associated with the application time, and determines time-domain resource allocation information indicating the application time based on the determined SCS. The network device transmits the time-domain resource allocation information and indication information regarding the indication of the application time to the repeater device. In this way, the application time of the beam of the NCR can be efficiently indicated.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to communication methods, devices, and computer storage media for beam management of a Network-Controlled Repeater (NCR). [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, NCR has been introduced by adding side control information for beam management based on radio frequency (RF) repeaters to extend high frequency (HF) coverage in a more efficient manner. It is recognized that the time domain resources corresponding to the access link between the NCR and the terminal device can be determined by explicit determination based on the time domain resources explicitly indicated for each beam indication. However, the details regarding the indication of time domain resources for the access beam of NCR are still not defined and need to be developed. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure provide communication methods, devices, and computer storage media for beam management in NCR.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: in a network device, determining an application time of a beam of a repeater device, determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, determining time-domain resource allocation information indicative of the application time based on the determined subcarrier spacing, and transmitting, to the repeater device, the time-domain resource allocation information and indication information regarding the indication of the application time.

[0005] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, the method including: receiving, in a repeater device and from a network device, time-domain resource allocation information indicating an application time of a beam of the repeater device and instruction information regarding an indication of the application time, determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, and determining the application time based on the time-domain resource allocation information, the instruction information, and the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0006] In a third aspect, there is provided a communication device, the device including a processor configured to cause the device to perform a method according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the first, second or third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0008] Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description.

[0009] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed description of several embodiments of the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication scenario in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 1B] 1 illustrates an example communication model for NCR in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary communication process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B]1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4C] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5C] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an exemplary method of communication implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an exemplary method of communication implemented in a repeater device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0012] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to several embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are set forth for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure, and to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0013] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0014] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any device that has wireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, User Equipment (UE), personal computers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) devices, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices, Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) devices where X means pedestrian, vehicle, or infrastructure / network, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) devices, Small Data Transmission (SDT), mobility, Multicast and Broadcast Services (MBS), commercial network positioning, dynamic / flexible duplication, reduced capability (RedCap), and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Space or airborne aircraft in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), including satellite and High Altitude Platforms (HAP), including Aircraft Systems; Extended Reality (XR), including various types of reality such as Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR);Examples of such devices include Reality (VR) devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, which are aircraft without any human pilots, devices on high-speed trains (HSTs), image capture devices such as digital cameras and sensors, gaming devices, music storage and playback equipment, and internet appliances that enable wireless or wired Internet access and browsing. A "terminal device" may also have "multicast / broadcast" capabilities to support public safety and mission-critical V2X applications, transparent IPv4 / IPv6 multicast distribution, IPTV, smart TV, wireless services, over-the-air software distribution, group communication, and IoT applications. A terminal device may also incorporate one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), known as multi-SIMs. The term "terminal device" can be used interchangeably with UE, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile terminal, user terminal, or wireless device.

[0015] The term "network device" refers to a device that can provide or host a cell or coverage area over which terminal devices can communicate. Examples of network devices include, but are not limited to, a Node B (Node B or NB), evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), Transmission Reception Point (TRP), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote Radio Head (RRH), low power nodes such as IAB nodes, femto nodes, pico nodes, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS), network controlled repeaters, etc.

[0016] A terminal device or a network device may have artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning capabilities. The terminal device or the network device generally includes a model that is trained from a large amount of collected data for a specific function and can be used to predict some information.

[0017] A terminal or network device may operate in several frequency ranges, such as FR1 (410 MHz to 7125 MHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 71 GHz), frequency bands greater than 100 GHz, and terahertz (THz). Furthermore, it can operate in licensed, unlicensed, and shared spectrum. A terminal device may have multiple connections with network devices under a Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC) application scenario. A terminal device or network device can operate in full duplex, flexible duplex, and cross-division duplex modes.

[0018] The network device may have the function of network energy saving, Self-Organizing Networks (SON) / Minimized Drive Test (MDT) and the terminal may have the function of power saving.

[0019] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in test equipment, such as a signal generator, a signal analyzer, a spectrum analyzer, a network analyzer, a test terminal device, a test network device, and a channel emulator.

[0020] In one embodiment, a terminal device may be connected with a first network device and a second network device. One of the first network device and the second network device may be a master node, and the other may be a secondary node. The first network device and the second network device may use different Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network device may be a first RAT device, and the second network device may be a second RAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device is an eNB, and the second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to the different RATs may be transmitted to the terminal device from at least one of the first network device or the second network device. In one embodiment, the first information may be transmitted from the first network device to the terminal device, and the second information may be transmitted from the second network device directly or via the first network device to the terminal device. In one embodiment, information related to a configuration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted from the second network device via the first network device. Information related to the reconfiguration of the terminal device configured by the second network device may be transmitted to the terminal device directly from the second network device or via the first network device.

[0021] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "includes" and variations thereof should be read as open language meaning "including, but not limited to." The term "based on" should be read as "based at least in part on." The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be read as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" should be read as "at least one other embodiment." Terms such as "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same object. Other definitions, both explicit and implicit, may be included below.

[0022] In some instances, values, procedures, or devices are referred to as "best," "lowest," "highest," "minimum," "maximum," etc. It will be understood that such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection may be made from among many functional alternatives used, and that such a selection is not necessarily better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferred than other selections.

[0023] In the context of this application, the term "repeater" may be used interchangeably with "repeater device" or "network-controlled repeater," and the term "beam" may be used interchangeably with "link" or "channel" or "spatial filter." In the context of this application, the term "side control information" may be used interchangeably with "control information" or "on-off information." In the context of this application, the term "synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) index" may be used interchangeably with "Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) index."

[0024] In the context of this application, a slot may contain 14 symbols when the cyclic prefix (CP) length is normal CP, and a slot may contain 12 symbols when the CP length is extended cyclic prefix (ECP). For convenience, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with normal CP. It should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied in conjunction with ECP.

[0025] Currently, the intention is to investigate and identify which of the following side control information is required for network control repeaters, including assumptions about maximum transmit power: - beamforming information, - timing information for aligning the transmit / receive boundaries of network control repeaters; -Information about uplink (UL)-downlink (DL) time division duplexing (TDD) settings, - On / off information for efficient interference management and improved energy efficiency, - Power control information for efficient interference management (as second priority).

[0026] As described above, details regarding the indication of time-domain resources for an access beam of an NCR need to be developed. In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for indicating the time-domain resources (i.e., application time) of an access beam of an NCR. In this solution, a network device can determine the application time of a beam of a repeater device and a subcarrier spacing (SCS) associated with the application time, and determine time-domain resource allocation information indicating the application time based on the determined SCS. The network device can transmit indication information regarding the time-domain resource allocation information and the indication of the application time to the NCR. The NCR can determine the SCS and then determine the application time based on the time-domain resource allocation information, the indication information, and the SCS.

[0027] In this way, the time domain resources of the NCR access beam can be accurately indicated with acceptable signaling overhead.

[0028] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Example of a communication network 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication network 100A in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication network 100A may include a network device 110, a repeater device 120, and a terminal device 130. The network device 110 may provide service to the terminal device 130.

[0030] In some embodiments, network device 110 may communicate directly with terminal device 130. In this case, the link between network device 110 and terminal device 130 is a direct link. In some embodiments, network device 110 may communicate with terminal device 130 through repeater device 120. In this case, the link between network device 110 and terminal device 130 through repeater device 120 is an indirect link.

[0031] Repeater device 120 may have a forwarding function (also referred to as a normal operation mode) and a monitoring function (also referred to as a low power consumption mode). In the normal operation mode, repeater device 120 can forward signal transmissions between network device 110 and terminal device 130. That is, repeater device 120 can receive signals from network device 110, then amplify the received signals, and forward the amplified signals to terminal device 130. Alternatively, repeater device 120 can receive signals from terminal device 130, then amplify the received signals, and forward the amplified signals to network device 110. In the low power consumption mode, repeater device 120 can intermittently or periodically monitor signals from network device 110.

[0032] In some embodiments, network device 110 may transmit side control information to repeater device 120. The side control information may include at least one of the following: beamforming information, timing information for aligning transmit or receive boundaries of repeater device 120, information regarding UL-DL TDD configuration, on-off information for efficient interference management and improved energy efficiency, or power control information for efficient interference management.

[0033] 1A, network device 110 can support six beams 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116 for communication, repeater device 120 can support five beams 121, 122, 123, 124, and 125 for communication, and terminal device 130 can support four beams 131, 132, 133, and 134 for communication. These beams can function as transmit beams or receive beams in DL or UL transmissions. For convenience, it is assumed that beams 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, and 116 are transmitting beams of network device 110 in DL transmission, beams 121, 122, 123, and 124 are transmitting beams of repeater device 120 in DL transmission, beam 125 is a receiving beam of repeater device 120 in DL transmission, and beams 131, 132, 133, and 134 are receiving beams of terminal device 130 in DL transmission.

[0034] 1A is provided for illustrative purposes without implying any limitations on the present disclosure. Communications network 100A may include any suitable number of network devices and / or repeater devices and / or terminal devices and / or beams adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Communications in communication network 100A may conform to any suitable standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Evolution, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC), etc. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in accordance with any generation of communication protocols now known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, 5.5G, 5G advanced networks, or sixth generation (6G) networks.

[0036] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary communication model 100B of an NCR in which some embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. For convenience, this will be described with reference to the example of FIG. 1A. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the NCR 120 may include a mobile termination element (denoted as NCR-MT) 141 and a forwarding element (denoted as NCR-Fwd) 142. The NCR-MT 141 may be defined as a functional entity that communicates with the network device 110 via a control link to enable information exchange (e.g., side control information). The control link may be based on a Uu interface. The side control information may be used to control at least the NCR-Fwd 142. The NCR-Fwd 142 may be defined as a functional entity that performs amplification and forwarding of UL / DL RF signals between the network device 110 and the terminal device 130 via a backhaul link and an access link. The behavior of the NCR-Fwd 142 is controlled according to the side control information received from the network device 110.

[0037] It is agreed that the time domain resources corresponding to the beam of the access link (also called the access beam) may be determined by explicit determination based on the time domain resources explicitly indicated per beam designation. Different parameters may be indicated for semi-static or dynamic beam designation. One or more beams may be indicated via a single beam designation.

[0038] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for indicating the time domain resource (i.e., application time) of an access beam of an NCR, which will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 6B.

[0039] Example of application time indication 2 shows a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary process 200 of communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, process 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Process 200 may include network device 110, repeater device 120, and terminal device 130, as shown in FIG. 1A. It should be noted that process 200 may include more additional steps or omit some of the steps shown, and the present disclosure does not limit the order of the steps.

[0040] 2, network device 110 may determine 210 application times of beams of repeater device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the application times of each beam of repeater device 120 based on, for example, the application times of beams of terminal device 130. The disclosure is not limited in this respect, and any other suitable factors may be considered in determining the application times.

[0041] Network device 110 may determine 220 an SCS associated with the application time. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the SCS associated with the application time based on the SCS of repeater device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the SCS associated with the application time based on the SCS of terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the SCS of terminal device 130 may be indicated by network device 110 to repeater device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the SCS associated with the application time based on a predetermined or pre-configured SCS or reference SCS.

[0042] Based on the determined SCS, network device 110 may determine 230 time-domain resource information to indicate the application time. Network device 110 may then transmit 240, for example in an SCI, to repeater device 120, the time-domain resource allocation information and indication information regarding the indication of the application time.

[0043] Upon receiving the time-domain resource allocation information and the indication information, the repeater device 120 can determine the SCS in a similar manner (250). The repeater device 120 can then determine the application time based on the time-domain resource allocation information, the indication information, and the determined SCS (260).

[0044] For illustrative purposes, several exemplary embodiments are described below in relation to Embodiments 1 to 7.

[0045] Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, the application time may be contiguous, and the indication information may indicate that the application time is associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources.

[0046] In some embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset and slot number associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, which can be transmitted as time domain resource allocation information, where the application time is contiguous at the slot level.

[0047] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol offset for the first one of the slots, and a symbol length for the last one of the slots. The slot offset, the number of slots, the symbol offset, and the symbol length may be transmitted as time domain resource allocation information, where the application time is contiguous at the symbol level.

[0048] In the context of the present disclosure, the slot offset may be defined with respect to the slot in which the time domain resource allocation information is transmitted (e.g., the slot in which the SCI is located). In this case, the slot offset may refer to the interval between the first slot of the set of consecutive time domain resources and the slot in which the SCI is located. In other words, the slot offset may refer to the difference between the index of the first slot of the set of consecutive time domain resources and the index of the slot in which the SCI is located. In some embodiments, the slot offset may be zero. In this case, the first slot of the set of consecutive time domain resources and the slot in which the SCI is located are the same slot. It should be understood that the slot offset may take any other suitable value.

[0049] Alternatively, the slot offset may be defined relative to a system frame or subframe. In this case, the slot offset may refer to the interval between the first slot of the set of consecutive time domain resources and the first slot of the system frame or subframe. In some embodiments, the slot offset may be zero. In this case, the first slot of the set of consecutive time domain resources and the first slot of the system frame or subframe are the same slot. Of course, the slot offset may take any other suitable value.

[0050] It should be understood that the slot offset may also be defined in any other suitable manner, and the present application is not limited in this respect.

[0051] 3A shows a schematic diagram 300A illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, application time is shown to be continuous at the symbol level. As shown in FIG. 3A, k slot indicates the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI, and N slot denotes the number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, and k symdenotes the symbol offset in the first slot of the slots, and I sym indicates the symbol length available in the last slot of the slots.

[0052] In some embodiments, by considering that the PDCCH of the terminal device 130 is located before the first slot of the slots, k sym may be omitted or k sym The default value of I may be set to 0. In some embodiments, if the last few symbols in the last slot are not scheduled to any other terminal device, then I sym may be omitted or I sym The default value of may be set to 13 (for normal CP) or 11 (for extended CP).

[0053] In some embodiments, k slot The maximum value of may be set to 32, slot The maximum value of k may be set to 16. In some embodiments, slot The minimum value of is the threshold k th may be greater than k th may depend on the processing capabilities of the repeater device 120, including the PDCCH decoding capability and the information exchange capability between the NCR-MT 141 and the NCR-Fwd 142, and / or the beam switching capability of the NCR-Fwd 142.

[0054] In some embodiments, each instruction for a set of contiguous time domain resources may be associated with one beam.

[0055] In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine a gap between adjacent sets of contiguous time domain resources of a beam and another beam (also referred to herein as a further beam) of repeater device 120. The gap may also be transmitted as time domain resource allocation information. In other words, a gap between two adjacent sets of contiguous time domain resources may be indicated for another set of contiguous time domain resources other than the first set of contiguous time domain resources. In this manner, multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources for multiple beams may be indicated.

[0056] Embodiment 2 In this embodiment, the instruction information may indicate that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn the repeater device 120 on or off (also referred to herein as an on-off instruction).

[0057] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may associate an instruction to turn the repeater device 120 on or off with valid or invalid resources within a set of consecutive time domain resources for the application time. The network device 110 may determine a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of consecutive time domain resources. In some embodiments, the on-off instruction has a higher priority than the time domain resource instruction of the beam of the NCR-Fwd 142. In other words, a set of consecutive time domain resources may be indicated to the repeater device 120, and the repeater device 120 may determine valid and invalid resources within the set of consecutive time domain resources based on the on-off instruction. The determined valid resources may correspond to the application time of the beam of the repeater device 120.

[0058] 3B shows a schematic diagram 300B illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, slot-level indication is used. As shown in FIG. 3B, k slot and N slot may be indicated to the repeater device 120.slot indicates the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and N slot denotes the number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources.

[0059] In some embodiments, k slot The maximum value of may be set to 32, slot The maximum value of k may be set to 16. In some embodiments, slot The minimum value of is the threshold k th may be greater than k th may depend on the processing capabilities of the repeater device 120, including the PDCCH decoding capability and the information exchange capability between the NCR-MT 141 and the NCR-Fwd 142, and / or the beam switching capability of the NCR-Fwd 142.

[0060] Valid or invalid resources within a set of contiguous time domain resources may be indicated via an on-off indication. In some embodiments, one or more on-off indications may be applied. For example, one indication may indicate one slot. In another example, one indication may indicate multiple slots. In some embodiments, the on-off indication may be indicated by a semi-static or dynamic indication. For example, the dynamic indication may include a symbol-level bitmap for a given slot. In another example, the dynamic indication may include a slot-level bitmap for some slots, and for slots corresponding to turning on repeater device 120, an additional symbol-level bitmap may be used for that slot. In yet another example, the semi-static indication may include a slot-level bitmap for multiple slots.

[0061] 3B, reference numeral 310 indicates a symbol or slot corresponding to powering off the repeater device 120, and reference numeral 320 indicates a symbol or slot corresponding to powering on the repeater device 120. In other words, reference numeral 310 indicates a time resource reserved or defined or assigned to no beam, and reference numeral 320 indicates a time resource applied to one beam of the repeater device 120.

[0062] In this way, the continuous time shown includes only the application time of one beam and not the application time of another beam, and a set of continuous time domain resources including the application time of one beam is shown.

[0063] Embodiment 3 In this embodiment, the indication information may indicate that the application time is associated with a beam index list of a set of beams of the repeater device 120.

[0064] In some embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of a first beam in the set of beams, a number of symbols for a beam (e.g., each beam) in the set of beams, and a beam index list. In some embodiments, the number of symbols for each beam can be a default value, e.g., 4 or the number of symbols in a half slot. In this manner, regular timer domain resources for multiple beams can be indicated at the symbol group level.

[0065] 4A shows a schematic diagram 400A illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. slot , k sym , N sym , and the beam index list {B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5} may be indicated to the repeater device 120. slot denotes the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and ksym denotes the symbol offset in the first slot of the first beam in the set of beams, and N sym indicates the number of symbols applied to each beam. In this example, one beam corresponds to multiple symbols. The beam switching time between two adjacent beams can be included in the symbol or slot length of each beam.

[0066] In some embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of the first beam in the set of beams, a number of symbols for a beam (e.g., each beam) in the set of beams, a number of guard symbols between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list. In some embodiments, the number of symbols for each beam can be a default value, such as 4 or the number of symbols in a half slot. In this manner, the normal time domain resources of the multiple beams can also be indicated.

[0067] 4B shows a schematic diagram 400B illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. slot , k sym , N sym , k gap , and the beam index list {B0, B1, B2, B3} may be indicated to the repeater device 120. slot denotes the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and k sym denotes the symbol offset in the first slot of the first beam in the set of beams, and N sym denotes the number of symbols in each beam, and k gap indicates the number of guard symbols. In this example, one beam corresponds to multiple symbols. The beam switching time is explicitly considered as a guard symbol.

[0068] In some embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset, the number of slots of a beam in a set of beams, and a beam index list. In these embodiments, one beam can correspond to one or more slots. The beam switching time can be included in the length of the slots of each beam. In this way, the normal time domain resources of multiple beams can be indicated at the slot level or slot group level.

[0069] In some embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset, the number of slots of a beam in a set of beams, the number of guard slots between adjacent beams in a set of beams, and a beam index list. In these embodiments, one beam can correspond to one or more slots. The beam switching time is explicitly regarded as a guard slot. In this way, the normal time domain resources of multiple beams can also be indicated at the slot level.

[0070] In some scenarios, the application time of a beam determined according to the normal method may span slot boundaries. For example, M symbols and N symbols are arranged in two consecutive slots. In this case, the number of symbols to which the beam is applied is redetermined. In some embodiments, the number of symbols to which the beam is applied can be recounted from the first symbol of the next slot. In some embodiments, the number of application times of the beam can be clipped to M symbols by the slot boundary.

[0071] In some alternative embodiments, the symbols to which the beam is applied may be determined according to the values of M and / or M+N. For example, when M<N threshold, the application time can be recounted from the first symbol of the next slot. When M≧N threshold, the application time can be clipped to M symbols by the slot boundary. The N threshold may be equal to (M+N) / 2 or M+N-2.

[0072] Embodiment 4 In this embodiment, the indication may indicate that the application time is associated with multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, in other words, multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources may be indicated for one beam.

[0073] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources. In this manner, the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources may be indicated at the slot level.

[0074] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset for a first one of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol offset for a first slot in one of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol length for a last slot in one of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources. In this way, the multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources may be indicated at the symbol level.

[0075] In these embodiments, a gap may refer to the interval between the last slot or symbol of the previous set of contiguous time domain resources and the first slot or symbol of the current set of contiguous time domain resources. The gap may be slot-wise or symbol-wise.

[0076] 4C shows a schematic diagram 400C illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources are shown at the symbol group level. As shown in FIG. 4C, k sym-i , I sym-i , and N slot-imay be denoted for the i-th set of consecutive time domain resources, where i is 1, 2, .... sym-i denotes the symbol offset in the first slot of the ith set of consecutive time-domain resources, and I sym-i denotes the symbol length in the last slot of the ith set of consecutive time-domain resources, and N slot-i denotes the number of slots in the i-th set of consecutive time domain resources. slot may be denoted for a first set of consecutive time domain resources, and k gap-i k may be denoted for the (i+1)th set of consecutive time domain resources. slot denotes the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and k gap-i denotes the gap between the i-th set of consecutive time domain resources and the (i+1)-th set of consecutive time domain resources.

[0077] It should be understood that the i-th set of contiguous time domain resources (i=1, 2, ...) is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. The (i+1)-th set of contiguous time domain resources (i=0, 1, 2, ...) may also be used.

[0078] In this way, non-contiguous time domain resources can be presented for the beams of the NCR.

[0079] Embodiment 5 In this embodiment, the indication may indicate that the application time is associated with a bitmap, which may be at the slot level.

[0080] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset and may determine a bitmap of application times in the time domain resource based on the slot offset.

[0081] In some embodiments, the bitmap may include a first bitmap at the slot level and a second bitmap at the symbol level for slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value in the first bitmap. For example, for a slot corresponding to a "1" in the first bitmap, an additional bitmap at the symbol level (i.e., the second bitmap) may be used to further indicate the symbol resources within the slot.

[0082] 5A shows a schematic diagram 500A illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, multiple non-contiguous time domain resources are shown in a slot-level bitmap. As shown in FIG. 5A, k slot and the bitmap {101101110...1} can be shown. slot indicates the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame.

[0083] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap may be fixed, for example, the bit length may be 32. Of course, any other suitable value is also possible.

[0084] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap may be pre-configured. For example, the bit length may be pre-configured or may be configured simultaneously with the time domain resource indication, e.g., 4, 8, 16, and 32. For example, bit 00 may be configured to indicate 4, bit 01 may be configured to indicate 8, bit 10 may be configured to indicate 16, and bit 11 may be configured to indicate 32. In some embodiments, the bit length may be associated with a determined SCS, e.g., a higher SCS may be associated with a longer bit length.

[0085] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap may be dynamically determined. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap may be determined based on a predetermined maximum bit length and a bit length when the number of predetermined bit values ​​reaches a predetermined number (for convenience, also referred to herein as a first predetermined number). In some embodiments, the first predetermined number and the predetermined maximum bit length may be associated with a determined SCS. For example, the bit length of the bitmap may be dynamically determined based on the following equation (1): L=min{N,M} (1) where L denotes the bit length of the bitmap, N denotes the bit length when the number of predetermined bit values ​​(e.g., "1") reaches a predetermined number S, and M denotes a predefined or preconfigured maximum bit length.

[0086] In some embodiments, S may be related to M. In some embodiments, S and M may be related to a determined SCS. For example, a higher SCS may correspond to a larger S and M. For illustrative purposes, some exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 5B.

[0087] 5B shows a schematic diagram 500B illustrating an example time-domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, S is equal to 4. In the example shown by reference numeral 510, N=6 and M=8. In this case, the bit length is 6. In the example shown by reference numeral 520, N=8 and M=8. In this case, the bit length is 8. In the example shown by reference numeral 530, N>8 and M=8. In this case, the bit length is 8.

[0088] In this way, a slot-level bitmap can be used to indicate slot-level non-contiguous time domain resources for one beam.

[0089] Embodiment 6 In this embodiment, the indication information may indicate that the application time is associated with a bitmap. In this embodiment, the bitmap may be at a slot group level. In other words, a bit in the bitmap may be associated with a slot group. In this way, a slot group-level bitmap may be used to indicate non-contiguous time domain resources for one beam.

[0090] 5C shows a schematic diagram 500C illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources is 16. The number of slot groups is 8, and the number of slots in a slot group is 2. In that case, one bit in the bitmap corresponds to two slots. As shown in FIG. 5C, the bitmap {11011001} is shown.

[0091] In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group may be fixed, e.g., 2, 4, 8, or any other suitable number. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group may be pre-configured or configured, e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or any other suitable number.

[0092] In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group may be determined based on a predetermined rule. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group may be associated with a determined SCS. For example, a higher SCS may correspond to more slots in the slot group. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group may be associated with a predetermined maximum number of slots in a set of contiguous slots indicated by a bitmap.

[0093] In some embodiments, if a slot group corresponds to a predetermined bit value in the bitmap, the network device 110 may determine a further bitmap at the slot level to further indicate the slot resources within the slot group.

[0094] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap may be fixed, hi some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap may be pre-configured or configured.

[0095] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap may be dynamically determined. In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap may be determined based on a predetermined maximum number of slots and the number of slots when the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value reaches a predetermined number (also referred to herein as a second predetermined number for convenience). For example, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap may be dynamically determined based on the following equations (2) and (3): L'=min{N',M1} (2) TIFF2025532154000002.tif10160In the formula, L' indicates the number of slot groups associated with the bitmap, N1 indicates that the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value (e.g., "1") reaches a predetermined number S', M1 indicates a predefined or preset maximum number of slot groups, and M2 indicates a predefined or preset maximum number of slots. TIFF2025532154000003.tif8160 shows the ceiling operation.

[0096] In this way, a slot group level bitmap can be used to indicate multiple sets of contiguous time domain resources for one beam.

[0097] Embodiment 7 In this embodiment, the indication may indicate that the application time is associated with a priority of the resource.

[0098] In some embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a set of contiguous time domain resources including a first resource and a second resource set corresponding to the application time, and indicate the application time based on the priorities of the first resource and the second resource set on the set of contiguous time domain resources. In other words, if the first resource and the second resource set form a contiguous time domain resource set, the network device 110 may determine that the application time is indicated by indicating the set of contiguous time domain resources. The priority of the second resource may be higher or lower than the priority of the first resource.

[0099] The network device 110 may then determine the slot offset and slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources and transmit the slot offset and slot number as time domain resource allocation information.

[0100] The repeater device 120 can determine a set of consecutive time domain resources based on the slot offset and the number of slots. If the priority of a second resource in the second resource set is higher than the priority of a first resource, the repeater device 120 can determine that the time corresponding to the second resource does not belong to the application time. If the priority of the second resource is lower than the priority of the first resource, the repeater device 120 can determine that the time corresponding to the second resource belongs to the application time. In this way, the application time is determined based on the priority of the resource.

[0101] In some embodiments, the second set of resources may include at least one of the following: semi-static resources, disabled resources, reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions (e.g., PUCCH) of repeater device 120, or resources for uplink data channel transmissions (e.g., PUSCH) of repeater device 120. For illustrative purposes, some exemplary embodiments are described with reference to Figures 6A and 6B.

[0102] 6A shows a schematic diagram 600A illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for beams of NCR, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, semi-static and dynamic resources with respect to the application time of the beam are shown combined as continuous time resources.

[0103] In some embodiments, the semi-static resources may include resources for use other than the application time indication, invalid resources, or reserved resources. In some embodiments, the semi-static resources may include beam training resources for the terminal device 130 or ZP CSI-RS resources for the terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the semi-static resources may include UL resources.

[0104] As shown in Figure 6A, k slot and N slot may be indicated to the repeater device 120. slot indicates the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and N slot denotes the number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources. In this example, for DL ​​transmission, the set of contiguous time domain resources includes beam training and ZP CSI-RS resources 610 of terminal device 130 and UL resources 620 as a type of disabled resources.

[0105] In some embodiments, the priority of resources may be predefined, e.g., priority of disabled resources > priority of beam training and ZP CSI-RS resources > priority of dynamic resources for a set of contiguous time domain resources indicated for determining application time > priority of reserved resources. Note that these types and priority levels of resources are merely examples. More or fewer types are possible. Higher or lower priorities are also possible. More or fewer priority levels are also possible.

[0106] If the priority of the semi-static resource is higher than the priority of the indicated time resource of the set of contiguous resources for determining the beam application time, the repeater device 120 may determine that the time corresponding to the semi-static resource does not belong to the beam application time. If the priority of the semi-static resource is lower than the priority of the indicated time resource of the set of contiguous resources for determining the beam application time, the repeater device 120 may determine that the time corresponding to the semi-static resource belongs to the beam application time. In the example of FIG. 6A , the priority of the beam training and ZP CSI-RS resource is higher than the priority of the dynamic resource of the set of contiguous resources, so the beam training and ZP CSI-RS resource 610 is determined to be invalid with respect to the beam application time. Because the priority of the invalid resource is higher than the priority of the dynamic resource of the set of contiguous resources and the UL resource is not available for DL ​​transmission, the UL resource 620 is also determined to be invalid with respect to the beam application time. The other resources indicated by the dynamic resource are determined as the beam application time.

[0107] 6B shows a schematic diagram 600B illustrating an example time domain resource allocation for NCR beams, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the scheduling resources for NCR-MT 141 and NCR-Fwd 142 are shown combined.

[0108] In some embodiments, the scheduling resources of the NCR-MT 141 may include resources on a PUSCH, resources on a PUCCH, or any other similar resources.

[0109] As shown in Figure 6B, k slot and N slot may be indicated to the repeater device 120. slot indicates the slot offset relative to the slot of the SCI or the slot offset relative to the first slot of the system frame, and N slot denotes the number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, which in this example includes the PUCCH resource 630 of the NCR-MT141.

[0110] In some embodiments, the priority of resources may be predefined. For example, priority of resources on the PUCCH of NCR-MT 141 > priority of resources on the PUSCH of NCR-MT 141 for reporting or feedback > priority of consecutive resources indicated for determining the application time of the beam of NCR-Fwd 142 > priority of resources on the PUSCH of NCR-MT 141 for data transmission. Note that these types and priority levels of resources are merely examples. More or fewer types are possible. Higher or lower priorities are possible. More or fewer priority levels are also possible.

[0111] If the priority of the NCR-MT resource is higher than the priority of the contiguous resource indicated in the beam application time determination, the repeater device 120 can determine that the time corresponding to the NCR-MT resource does not belong to the beam application time. If the priority of the NCR-MT resource is lower than the priority of the contiguous resource indicated in the beam application time determination, the repeater device 120 can determine that the time corresponding to the NCR-MT resource belongs to the beam application time. In the example of FIG. 6B , the priority of the resource on the PUCCH of NCR-MT 141 is higher than the priority of the contiguous resource indicated in the beam application time determination of NCR-Fwd 142, so resource 630 is determined to be invalid with respect to the beam application time. The other contiguous resources indicated in the beam application time determination are determined as the beam application time.

[0112] In this way, the application time of the NCR beam can be accurately indicated while further reducing signaling overhead.

[0113] It should be understood that any of the solutions described in embodiments 1 to 7 may be used separately or in any suitable combination.

[0114] Example Method Embodiments Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods of communication implemented in network devices, repeater devices, and terminal devices, which are described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0115] 7 illustrates an example method 700 of communication implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 700 may be performed in network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1. For discussion purposes, method 700 is described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 700 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0116] In block 710, the network device 110 determines the application time of the beam of the repeater device 120.

[0117] At block 720, network device 110 determines subcarrier spacing associated with the application time. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of repeater device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the subcarrier spacing of terminal device 130 may be indicated by network device 110 to repeater device 120. In some embodiments, network device 110 may determine the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on a predetermined or preconfigured subcarrier spacing or a reference subcarrier spacing.

[0118] At block 730, the network device 110 determines time domain resource allocation information indicating application times based on the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0119] In some embodiments, the indication indicates that the application time is associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources. In these embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol offset for a first slot of the slots, and a symbol length for a last slot of the slots. In some embodiments, the network device 110 may further determine a gap between adjacent time domain resources of the beam and further beams of the repeater device 120.

[0120] In some embodiments, the instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn on or off the repeater device. In these embodiments, the network device 110 may associate valid or invalid resources in the set of contiguous time domain resources with the instruction to turn on or off the repeater device 120, and determine a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources.

[0121] In some embodiments, the indication indicates that the application time is associated with a beam index list of the set of beams. In these embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of a first beam in the set of beams, a number of symbols for a beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of a first beam in the set of beams, a number of symbols for a beam in the set of beams, a number of guard symbols between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots for a beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots for a beam in the set of beams, a number of guard slots between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list.

[0122] In some embodiments, the indication indicates that the application time is associated with multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In these embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In some alternative embodiments, the network device 110 may determine a slot offset for a first one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol offset in a first slot in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol length in a last slot in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources.

[0123] In some embodiments, the indication indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap. In these embodiments, the network device 110 can determine a slot offset and a bitmap of application times in the time domain resource based on the slot offset. In some embodiments, the bitmap includes a first bitmap at a slot level of the slots and a second bitmap at a symbol level of the slots, where the slots correspond to predetermined bit values ​​in the first bitmap.

[0124] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is fixed. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is configured. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is associated with a determined subcarrier spacing. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum bit length and the bit length at which the number of predetermined bit values ​​reaches a first predetermined number. In some embodiments, the first predetermined number and the predetermined maximum bit length are associated with a determined subcarrier spacing.

[0125] In some embodiments, bits in the bitmap are associated with slot groups. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is fixed. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is configurable. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is associated with a determined subcarrier spacing or a predetermined maximum number of slots. In some embodiments, where a slot group corresponds to a predetermined bit value in the bitmap, the network device 110 may also determine a further bitmap at the slot level for the slot group.

[0126] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is fixed. In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is configurable. In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum number of slots and the number of slots at which the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value reaches a second predetermined number.

[0127] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a priority of the resources. In these embodiments, the network device 110 may indicate the application time for a set of contiguous time domain resources including the first resource and the second resource set corresponding to the application time based on the priority of the first resource and the second resource set. The network device 110 may determine a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources. In some embodiments, the second resource set includes at least one of the following: semi-static resources, invalid resources, reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device 120, or resources for uplink data channel transmissions of the repeater device 120.

[0128] In these embodiments, the slot offset may be greater than a threshold value, the threshold value being related to the processing capabilities of the repeater device 120 .

[0129] At block 740, the network device 110 transmits to the repeater device 120 the time domain resource allocation information and the indication of the application time.

[0130] The method 700 allows the network to efficiently indicate the application time of the NCR beam.

[0131] 8 illustrates an exemplary method 800 of communication implemented in a repeater device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, method 800 may be performed in repeater device 120 as shown in FIG. 1. For discussion purposes, method 800 is described below with reference to FIG. 1. It should be understood that method 800 may include additional blocks not shown and / or omit some blocks that are shown, and that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0132] In block 810, the repeater device 120 receives, from the network device 110, time-domain resource allocation information indicating application times for beams of the repeater device and instruction information regarding the indication of the application times.

[0133] At block 820, repeater device 120 determines subcarrier spacing associated with the application time. In some embodiments, repeater device 120 may determine subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of repeater device 120. In some embodiments, repeater device 120 may determine subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of terminal device 130. In some embodiments, repeater device 120 may receive the subcarrier spacing of terminal device 130 from network device 110. In some embodiments, repeater device 120 may determine the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on a predetermined or preconfigured subcarrier spacing or reference subcarrier spacing.

[0134] At block 830, the repeater device 120 determines an application time based on the time domain resource allocation information, the indication information, and the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0135] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources. In these embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources. In some alternative embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset, a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol offset for the first slot of the slots, and a symbol length for the last slot of the slots. In some embodiments, the repeater device 120 can further determine a gap between adjacent time domain resources of the beam and further beams of the repeater device from the time domain resource allocation information.

[0136] In some embodiments, the instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn the repeater device on or off. In these embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time domain resource allocation information, a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, and determine valid or invalid resources within the set of contiguous time domain resources based on the instruction to turn the repeater device on or off.

[0137] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a beam index list of the set of beams. In these embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time-domain resource allocation information, a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of the first beam in the set of beams, the number of symbols for the beams in the set of beams, and the beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time-domain resource allocation information, a slot offset, a symbol offset within the first slot of the first beam in the set of beams, the number of symbols for the beams in the set of beams, the number of guard symbols between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and the beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time-domain resource allocation information, a slot offset, a slot number for the beam in the set of beams, the number of guard slots between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and the beam index list. In some alternative embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time-domain resource allocation information, a slot offset, a slot number for the beam in the set of beams, the number of guard slots between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and the beam index list.

[0138] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In these embodiments, repeater device 120 can determine from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In some alternative embodiments, repeater device 120 can determine from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset of a first slot in the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol offset in a first slot in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol length in a last slot in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources.

[0139] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap. In these embodiments, repeater device 120 may determine a slot offset from the time-domain resource allocation information and may determine a bitmap of the application time in the time-domain resource based on the slot offset.

[0140] In some embodiments, the bitmap includes a first bitmap at a slot level of slots and a second bitmap at a symbol level of slots, the slots corresponding to predetermined bit values ​​in the first bitmap.

[0141] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is fixed. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is configured. In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is related to a determined subcarrier spacing.

[0142] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum bit length and the bit length at which the number of predetermined bit values ​​reaches a first predetermined number, hi some embodiments, the first predetermined number and the predetermined maximum bit length are associated with the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0143] In some embodiments, bits in the bitmap are associated with slot groups. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is fixed. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is configurable. In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is associated with a determined subcarrier spacing or a predetermined maximum number of slots.

[0144] In some embodiments, the slot groups correspond to predetermined bit values ​​in the bitmap, and in these embodiments, repeater device 120 can further determine a further bitmap at the slot level for the slot groups from the time domain resource allocation information.

[0145] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is fixed. In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is configurable. In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum number of slots and the number of slots at which the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value reaches a second predetermined number.

[0146] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a priority of the resource. In these embodiments, the repeater device 120 can determine, from the time-domain resource allocation information, a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time-domain resources, and determine the application time from the set of contiguous time-domain resources based on the priority of the first and second sets of resources corresponding to the application time.

[0147] In some embodiments, the second set of resources includes at least one of the following: semi-static resources, disabled resources, reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device 120, or resources for uplink data channel transmissions of the repeater device 120.

[0148] In some embodiments, if the priority of a second resource in the set of second resources is higher than the priority of the first resource, repeater device 120 may determine that the time corresponding to the second resource does not belong to the applicable time. If the priority of the second resource is lower than the priority of the first resource, repeater device 120 may determine that the time corresponding to the second resource belongs to the applicable time.

[0149] In these embodiments, the slot offset may be greater than a threshold value, the threshold value being related to the processing capabilities of the repeater device 120 .

[0150] Method 800 allows the NCR to efficiently determine the application time of the NCR's beam.

[0151] Exemplary Device and Apparatus Embodiments 9 is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 900 may be considered a further exemplary implementation of network device 110, repeater device 120, or terminal device 130, as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, device 900 may be implemented in or as at least part of network device 110, repeater device 120, or terminal device 130.

[0152] As shown, device 900 includes a processor 910, a memory 920 coupled to the processor 910, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) 940 coupled to the processor 910, and a communication interface coupled to the TX / RX 940. The memory 910 stores at least a portion of a program 930. The TX / RX 940 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, although in practice the access nodes described in this application may have several antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements, such as an X2 / Xn interface for bidirectional communication between eNBs / gNBs, an S1 / NG interface for communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME) / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / SGW / UPF and an eNB / gNB, an Un interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a Relay Node (RN), or a Uu interface for communication between an eNB / gNB and a terminal device.

[0153] The program 930 is assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by an associated processor 910, cause the device 900 to operate according to embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 1A-8. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 910 of the device 900, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 910 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the combination of the processor 910 and the memory 920 may form a processing means 950 adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0154] Memory 920 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, by way of non-limiting example, non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. While only one memory 920 is shown in device 900, several physically distinct memory modules may be present within device 900. Processor 910 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 900 may have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that synchronizes the main processor.

[0155] In some embodiments, the network device includes circuitry configured to determine an application time of a beam of a repeater device, determine a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, determine time-domain resource allocation information indicative of the application time based on the determined subcarrier spacing, and transmit the time-domain resource allocation information and instruction information regarding the indication of the application time to the repeater device.

[0156] In some embodiments, the repeater device includes circuitry configured to receive, from the network device, time-domain resource allocation information indicating an application time of a beam of the repeater device and instruction information regarding an indication of the application time, determine a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, and determine the application time based on the time-domain resource allocation information, the instruction information, and the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0157] The term "circuit" as used herein may refer to a hardware circuit and / or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. For example, a circuit may be a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware. As a further example, a circuit may be any portion of a hardware processor having software, including a digital signal processor, software, and memory, that cooperate to cause an apparatus, such as a terminal device or a network device, to perform various functions. In yet a further example, a circuit may be a hardware circuit and / or processor, e.g., a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software / firmware for operation, although the software may not be present when software is not required for operation. As used herein, the term circuit also encompasses simply a hardware circuit or processor or portion of a hardware circuit or processor, as well as its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation.

[0158] In summary, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following solutions:

[0159] In one solution, a communication method includes, in a network device, determining an application time of a beam of a repeater device, determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, determining time domain resource allocation information indicating the application time based on the determined subcarrier spacing, and transmitting to the repeater device the time domain resource allocation information and instruction information regarding the indication of the application time.

[0160] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, and in these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information includes determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, or determining a slot offset, a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, a symbol offset for a first one of the slots, and a symbol length for a last one of the slots.

[0161] In some embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information further comprises determining gaps between adjacent time domain resources of the beam and further beams of the repeater device.

[0162] In some embodiments, the instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn the repeater device on or off. In these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information includes associating valid or invalid resources in the set of contiguous time domain resources with the instruction to turn the repeater device on or off, and determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources.

[0163] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a beam index list of the set of beams. In these embodiments, determining the time-domain resource allocation information includes determining a slot offset, a symbol offset within a first slot of a first beam of the set of beams, a number of symbols for the beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list; determining a slot offset, a symbol offset within a first slot of a first beam of the set of beams, a number of symbols for the beam in the set of beams, a number of guard symbols between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list; determining a slot offset, a number of slots for the beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list; or determining a slot offset, a number of slots for the beam in the set of beams, a number of guard slots between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list.

[0164] In some embodiments, the indication indicates that the application time is associated with multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information includes determining a slot offset, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, or determining a slot offset of a first one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol offset of a first slot for one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol length of a last slot for one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources.

[0165] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap. In these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information includes determining a slot offset and determining a bitmap of the application time in the time domain resource based on the slot offset.

[0166] In some embodiments, the bitmap includes a first bitmap at a slot level of slots and a second bitmap at a symbol level of slots, the slots corresponding to predetermined bit values ​​in the first bitmap.

[0167] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is fixed, or the bit length of the bitmap is configured, or the bit length of the bitmap is related to a determined subcarrier spacing.

[0168] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum bit length and the bit length at which the number of predetermined bit values ​​reaches a first predetermined number.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first predetermined number and the predetermined maximum bit length are associated with the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0170] In some embodiments, bits in the bitmap are associated with slot groups, where the number of slots in a slot group is fixed, or the number of slots in a slot group is configured, or the number of slots in a slot group is associated with a determined subcarrier spacing or a predetermined maximum number of slots.

[0171] In some embodiments, the slot group corresponds to a predetermined bit value in the bitmap, and in these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information further includes determining a further bitmap at the slot level of the slot group.

[0172] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is fixed, or the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is configured, or the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum number of slots and the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value when the number of slots reaches a second predetermined number.

[0173] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a priority of the resources. In these embodiments, determining the time domain resource allocation information includes indicating, for a set of contiguous time domain resources including the first resource and the second resource set corresponding to the application time, the application time based on the priority of the first resource and the second resource set, and determining a slot offset and a slot number associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources.

[0174] In some embodiments, the second set of resources includes at least one of the following: semi-static resources, disabled resources, reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device, or resources for uplink data channel transmissions of the repeater device.

[0175] In some embodiments, determining the subcarrier spacing includes determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of the repeater device, determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of a terminal device that communicates with the network device via the repeater device, or determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on a predetermined or pre-configured subcarrier spacing.

[0176] In some embodiments, the slot offset is greater than a threshold value, the threshold value being related to the processing capability of the repeater device.

[0177] In another solution, a communication method includes, in a repeater device, receiving, from a network device, time-domain resource allocation information indicating an application time of a beam of the repeater device and instruction information regarding an indication of the application time, determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time, and determining the application time based on the time-domain resource allocation information, the instruction information, and the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0178] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a set of consecutive time domain resources, in these embodiments, determining the application time includes determining from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of consecutive time domain resources, or determining from the time domain resource allocation information a slot offset, a number of slots associated with the set of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol offset for a first slot of the slots, and a symbol length for a last slot of the slots.

[0179] In some embodiments, determining the application time further includes determining a gap between adjacent time domain resources for the beam and further beams of the repeater device from the time domain resource allocation information.

[0180] In some embodiments, the instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn on or off the repeater device. In these embodiments, determining the application time includes determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources from the time domain resource allocation information, and determining valid or invalid resources within the set of contiguous time domain resources based on the instruction to turn on or off the repeater device.

[0181] In some embodiments, the instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with a beam index list of the set of beams, and determining the application time includes determining a slot offset, a symbol offset within a first slot of a first beam in the set of beams, the number of symbols of a beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list from the time-domain resource allocation information; determining a slot offset, a symbol offset within a first slot of a first beam in the set of beams, the number of symbols of a beam in the set of beams, the number of guard symbols between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list from the time-domain resource allocation information; determining a slot offset, a number of slots of a beam in the set of beams, and a beam index list from the time-domain resource allocation information; or determining a slot offset, a number of slots of a beam in the set of beams, the number of guard slots between adjacent beams in the set of beams, and a beam index list from the time-domain resource allocation information.

[0182] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources. In these embodiments, determining the application time includes determining, from the time domain resource allocation information, a slot offset, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, or determining, from the time domain resource allocation information, a slot offset for a first one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a number of slots in one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol offset in a first slot of one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, a symbol length in a last slot of one of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources, and a gap between adjacent ones of the multiple sets of consecutive time domain resources.

[0183] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap. In these embodiments, determining the application time includes determining a slot offset from the time domain resource allocation information and determining a bitmap of the application time in the time domain resource based on the slot offset.

[0184] In some embodiments, the bitmap includes a first bitmap at a slot level of slots and a second bitmap at a symbol level of slots, the slots corresponding to predetermined bit values ​​in the first bitmap.

[0185] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is fixed, or the bit length of the bitmap is configured, or the bit length of the bitmap is related to a determined subcarrier spacing.

[0186] In some embodiments, the bit length of the bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum bit length and the bit length at which the number of predetermined bit values ​​reaches a first predetermined number.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first predetermined number and the predetermined maximum bit length are associated with the determined subcarrier spacing.

[0188] In some embodiments, bits in the bitmap are associated with slot groups.

[0189] In some embodiments, the number of slots in a slot group is fixed, or the number of slots in a slot group is configured, or the number of slots in a slot group is related to a determined subcarrier spacing or a predetermined maximum number of slots.

[0190] In some embodiments, the slot group corresponds to a predetermined bit value in the bitmap, in which determining the application time further includes determining a slot-level further bitmap of the slot group from the time-domain resource allocation information.

[0191] In some embodiments, the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is fixed, or the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is configured, or the number of slot groups associated with a bitmap is determined based on a predetermined maximum number of slots and the number of slots corresponding to a predetermined bit value when the number of slots reaches a second predetermined number.

[0192] In some embodiments, the indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a priority of the resources. In these embodiments, determining the application time includes determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of consecutive time domain resources from the time domain resource allocation information, and determining the application time from the set of consecutive time domain resources based on the priorities of the first and second sets of resources corresponding to the application time.

[0193] In some embodiments, the second set of resources includes at least one of the following: semi-static resources, disabled resources, reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device, or resources for uplink data channel transmissions of the repeater device.

[0194] In some embodiments, determining the application time includes: determining that the time corresponding to the second resource does not belong to the application time according to a determination that the priority of the second resource in the set of second resources is higher than the priority of the first resource; and determining that the time corresponding to the second resource belongs to the application time according to a determination that the priority of the second resource is lower than the priority of the first resource.

[0195] In some embodiments, determining the subcarrier spacing includes determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of the repeater device, determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on the subcarrier spacing of a terminal device that communicates with the network device via the repeater device, or determining the subcarrier spacing associated with the application time based on a predetermined or pre-configured subcarrier spacing.

[0196] In some embodiments, the slot offset is greater than a threshold value, the threshold value being related to the processing capability of the repeater device.

[0197] In another solution, a communications device comprises a processor configured to cause the device to perform a method according to any of the above claims.

[0198] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representations, it will be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0199] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform a process or method such as those described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of a program module may be executed locally or in a distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0200] Program code for carrying out the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the processor or controller to perform the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0201] The above program code may be embodied in a machine-readable medium, which may be any tangible medium that may contain or store a program used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0202] Furthermore, while operations are shown in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or in any sequential order, or that all of the shown operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while details of several specific implementations are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0203] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims, is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A communication method comprising: determining, in the network device, an application time of a beam of a repeater device; determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time; determining time domain resource allocation information indicating the application time based on the determined subcarrier spacing; sending, to the repeater device, indication information regarding the time domain resource allocation information and the indication of application time; A method comprising:

2. The indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources, and determining the time domain resource allocation information includes: determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources; or determining a slot offset associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources, the number of the slots, a symbol offset in a first slot of the slots, and a symbol length in a last slot of the slots; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

3. determining the time domain resource allocation information The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a gap between adjacent time domain resources of the beam and a further beam of the repeater device.

4. The instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn on or off the repeater device, and determining the time domain resource allocation information includes: associating the instruction to turn on or off the repeater device with a valid or invalid resource within a set of consecutive time domain resources of the application time; determining a slot offset and the number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

5. The indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap, and determining the time domain resource allocation information includes: The method of claim 1 , comprising: determining a slot offset; and determining a bitmap of the application time in a time domain resource based on the slot offset.

6. The bit length of the bitmap is fixed, or The bit length of the bitmap is configured, or The method of claim 5 , wherein the bit length of the bitmap is related to the determined subcarrier spacing.

7. The indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a resource priority, and determining the time domain resource allocation information includes: For a set of consecutive time domain resources including a first resource and a second resource set corresponding to the application time, indicating the application time based on priorities of the first resource and the second resource set; determining a slot offset and the number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

8. The second set of resources comprises: semi-static resources, Invalid resource, Reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device; or resources for uplink data channel transmission of said repeater device; The method of claim 7, comprising at least one of:

9. The method of claim 2, 4, 5, or 7, wherein the slot offset is greater than a threshold associated with a processing capability of the repeater device.

10. 1. A communication method comprising: receiving, from a network device, time domain resource allocation information indicating application times for beams of the repeater device and instruction information regarding the indication of the application times; determining a subcarrier spacing associated with the application time; and determining the application time based on the time domain resource allocation information, the indication information, and the determined subcarrier spacing; A method comprising:

11. The indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a set of consecutive time domain resources, and determining the application time includes: determining a slot offset and the number of slots associated with the set of contiguous time domain resources from the time domain resource allocation information; or determining, from the time domain resource allocation information, a slot offset associated with the set of consecutive time domain resources, the number of the slots, a symbol offset in a first slot of the slots, and a symbol length in a last slot of the slots; The method of claim 10, comprising:

12. Determining the application time comprises: The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining from the time domain resource allocation information a gap between adjacent time domain resources of the beam and further beams of the repeater device.

13. The instruction information indicates that the application time is associated with an instruction to turn on or off the repeater device, and determining the application time includes: determining a slot offset and a number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources from the time domain resource allocation information; determining valid or invalid resources within the set of contiguous time domain resources based on the instruction to turn on or off the repeater device; The method of claim 10, comprising:

14. The indication indicates that the application time is associated with a bitmap, and determining the application time includes: The method of claim 10, comprising: determining a slot offset from the time domain resource allocation information; and determining a bitmap of the application times in time domain resources based on the slot offset.

15. The bit length of the bitmap is fixed, or The bit length of the bitmap is configured, or The method of claim 14 , wherein the bit length of the bitmap is related to the determined subcarrier spacing.

16. The indication information indicates that the application time is associated with a priority of a resource, and determining the application time includes: determining a slot offset and the number of slots associated with a set of contiguous time domain resources from the time domain resource allocation information; determining the application time from the set of consecutive time domain resources based on priorities of a first resource and a second resource set corresponding to the application time; The method of claim 10, comprising:

17. The second set of resources comprises: semi-static resources, Invalid resource, Reserved resources, resources for uplink control channel transmissions of the repeater device; or resources for uplink data channel transmission of said repeater device; 17. The method of claim 16, comprising at least one of:

18. Determining the application time comprises: According to determining that a priority of a second resource in the set of second resources is higher than a priority of the first resource, determining that a time corresponding to the second resource does not belong to the application time; determining that the time corresponding to the second resource belongs to the application time according to determining that the priority of the second resource is lower than the priority of the first resource; 17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

19. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the slot offset is greater than a threshold associated with a processing capability of the repeater device.

20. 1. A communication device, comprising: A communications device comprising a processor configured to cause the device to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or any one of claims 10 to 19.

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