Power headroom reporting for integrated access and backhaul - Patents.com

Abstract

The present application relates to devices and components, including apparatus, systems and methods, for power headroom reporting in integrated access and backhaul nodes.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) is a network technology in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to facilitate relaying of access traffic by sharing radio resources between access and backhaul links. In an IAB deployment, an IAB donor is a Radio Access Network (RAN) node that provides an interface to the core network and wireless backhaul functionality for an IAB node. An IAB node is a RAN node that provides wireless access to UEs and wirelessly backhauls access traffic to another IAB node or an IAB donor. In this way, last-mile connectivity can be improved when it is impractical to have fiber backhaul to every access node. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0002] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment according to some embodiments.

[0003] [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a packet headroom report according to some embodiments.

[0004] [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 includes another packet headroom report according to some embodiments.

[0005] [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0006] [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 illustrates another operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0007] [Figure 6]FIG. 1 illustrates another operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments.

[0008] [Figure 7] FIG. 2 illustrates an IAB node according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that various aspects of the various embodiments may be implemented in other examples that depart from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. For purposes of this disclosure, "A or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0010] Below is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure.

[0011] As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes hardware components configured to provide a described functionality, such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or group) or memories (shared, dedicated, or group), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, programmable systems on chips (SoCs)), digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. In some embodiments, a circuitry may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionality. The term "circuitry" may also refer to the combination of one or more hardware elements (or combinations of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code used to perform the functions of the program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuitry.

[0012] As used herein, the term "processor circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or the recording, storage, or transfer of digital data. The term "processor circuitry" may refer to an application processor, a baseband processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit, a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, or any other device that can execute or otherwise operate computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes.

[0013] As used herein, the term "interface circuitry" refers to, is a part of, or includes circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, or the like.

[0014] The term "user equipment" or "UE" as used herein refers to a device having wireless communication capabilities and may represent a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous with and may be referred to as client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, wireless equipment, reconfigurable wireless equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Additionally, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0015] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic device, computing device, or components thereof. In addition, the term "computer system" or "system" can refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to each other. Furthermore, the term "computer system" or "system" can refer to multiple computing devices or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to share computing or networking resources.

[0016] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component in a computing environment, or a physical or virtual component in a particular device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operations, ports or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, network, database and application, workload units, etc. "Hardware resource" may refer to a computational, storage, or network resource provided by a physical hardware element(s). "Virtualization resource" may refer to a computational, storage, or network resource provided by a virtualization infrastructure to an application, device, system, etc. The term "network resource" or "communication resource" may refer to a resource accessible by a computer device / system via a communication network. The term "system resource" may refer to any kind of shared entity for providing services and may include computing resources or network resources. A system resource may be thought of as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that reside on a single host or on multiple hosts and are accessible through a clearly identifiable server.

[0017] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to communicate data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous or equivalent to "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," or any other similar term indicating a path or medium over which data is communicated. Additionally, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0018] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiation," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. An "instance" also refers to a concrete occurrence of an object, such as may occur during the execution of program code.

[0019] The term "connected" may mean that two or more elements at a common communication protocol layer have an established signaling relationship with each other via a communication channel, link, interface, or reference point.

[0020] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to a physical or virtualized device or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered or referred to as synonymous with networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, virtualized network function, and the like.

[0021] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to an information element or an individual content of a data element that contains the content. An information element may contain one or more further information elements.

[0022] 1 illustrates a network environment 100 according to some embodiments. The network environment 100 may include several IAB nodes that provide network access to one or more UEs, e.g., a UE 104. In particular, the network environment 100 may include an IAB donor 108 coupled with a 3GPP 5th Generation Core Network (5GC) that provides various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers.

[0023] The IAB donor 108 may be coupled to the 5GC 112 by a fiber backhaul connection that can facilitate communication of network traffic at the higher speeds associated with 3GPP New Radio (NR) access links.

[0024] IAB donor 108 can provide wireless backhaul to one or more IAB nodes, including, for example, IAB parent 112, IAB node 116, and IAB child 120. An IAB node may be directly coupled to IAB donor 108 (as shown with respect to IAB parent 112) or indirectly coupled to IAB donor 108 through one or more intermediate IAB nodes. For example, IAB node 116 may be coupled to IAB donor 108 through IAB parent 112, and IAB child 120 may be coupled to IAB donor 108 through IAB node 116 and IAB parent 112.

[0025] The “parent” and “child” descriptors of IAB parent 112 and IAB child 120 are described with respect to IAB node 116. That is, IAB parent 112 may be a parent IAB node with respect to IAB node 116, and IAB child 120 may be a child IAB node with respect to IAB node 116.

[0026] The IAB donor 108 may include a centralized unit (CU) 124 and one or more distributed units (DUs), such as the DU 128. In general, the CU 124 may handle higher layer protocols, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence (PDCP), and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer protocols, while the DU may handle lower layer protocols, such as Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layer protocols.

[0027] Each of the IAB nodes 112, 116, and 120 may include a DU and a mobile terminal (MT). In particular, the IAB parent 112 may include a DU 132 and an MT 136. The IAB node 116 may include a DU 140 and an MT 144, and the IAB child 120 may include a DU 148 and an MT 152.

[0028] The MT may be used to connect the IAB node with an upstream (e.g., towards the 5GC 108) RAN node (e.g., an IAB node or an IAB donor). In general, the MT may provide an access function to the IAB node similar to that of a UE. For example, the MT may utilize a protocol that a typical UE may use to connect to a RAN. The MT may, for example, enable the IAB node to establish a signaling radio bearer (SRB) and / or a data radio bearer (DRB) with a parent node. The MT may perform cell selection to identify an upstream RAN node to join, and then set up and utilize an RLC channel via a backhaul adaptation (BAP) layer that provides the functionality to route data for different UE bearers on different routes through the network. The MT may also perform, for example, cell reselection, radio link failure, etc.

[0029] The DU may be used to connect an IAB node with a downstream IAB node or UE. The DU may establish an RLC channel, which may be referred to as a modified RLC channel, to a UE or MT of the downstream IAB node.

[0030] DU128 is a downlink donor link (L d,DL ) and uplink donor link (L d,UL ) to the MT 136. The DU 132 can be coupled to the downlink parent link (L p,DL ) and uplink parent link (L p,UL ) to the MT 144. The DU 140 may be coupled to the downlink child link (L c,DL ) and uplink child link (L c,UL ) to the MT 152. The DU 140 also includes a downlink access link (L a,DL ) and uplink access link (L a,UL ) may be coupled to the UE 104.

[0031] To multiplex resources between the child and parent links, the IAB node may operate in one of several duplex modes. In a first duplex mode, which may be referred to as a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode, an MT of the IAB node may not transmit on the uplink if a DU of the IAB node is transmitting on the downlink or receiving on the uplink. In a second duplex mode, which may be referred to as a simultaneous mode, an MT of the IAB node may transmit on the uplink or receive on the downlink if a DU of the IAB node is either transmitting on the downlink or receiving on the uplink. The simultaneous modes may include MT transmitting while the DU is transmitting, MT transmitting while the DU is receiving, MT receiving while the DU is transmitting, and MT receiving while the DU is receiving. The two simultaneous modes in which the MT is transmitting may be referred to herein as simultaneous transmission modes. For example, the simultaneous transmission modes may include MT transmitting while the DU is transmitting, and MT transmitting while the DU is receiving.

[0032] Embodiments herein describe ways to efficiently support simultaneous operation (transmit or receive) by child / parent links of an IAB node. Embodiments may take into account the timing mode (e.g., duplex operation) of the IAB node and associated downlink / uplink power control, crosslink interference (CLI), and interference measurements of the backhaul links.

[0033] An aspect of the operation of the network 100 that may be considered is whether the existing uplink power control mechanisms, including packet headroom reporting (PHR), are sufficient to support the operation of an IAB node operating in enhanced multiplexing mode. If the existing mechanisms are not sufficient, an aspect of consideration may include support for an IAB node indicating information to assist in its uplink power control.

[0034] A further aspect of the operation of the network 100 that may be considered is the support of an IAB node indicating information to assist its parent node's downlink power control towards the IAB node without mandating expected behavior at the parent IAB node. To avoid power imbalance, assistance information to support simultaneous operation within the IAB node may be used. Further consideration may be given to the type of assistance information (e.g., desired received power, power adjustment, preferred channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) resources, etc.), whether this information is provided to the parent node, the CU, or both, applicability of the assistance information (e.g., relationship to beam or multiplexing mode), and the channel that is carrying this assistance information.

[0035] Embodiments of the present disclosure describe aspects related to IAB-MT reporting power headroom and related operations.

[0036] In a typical radio access network, a UE can use the PHR procedure to provide the gNB with information about the difference between the nominal UE maximum transmit power and the estimated power for uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) or sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions for each activated serving cell. The UE can also use the PHR to provide information about the difference between the nominal UE maximum power and the estimated power for UL-SCH and PUCCH transmissions on the SPCell and PUCCH SCell.

[0037] In such networks, the PHR may be triggered when the phr-PeriodicTimer expires or when the phr-ProhibitTimer expires or has expired and the path loss has changed by more than a threshold (phr-Tx-PowerFactorChange) decibels (dB) for at least one activated serving cell of any MAC entity used as the path loss criterion from the last transmission of the PHR at the MAC entity when the MAC entity has UL resources for a new transmission.

[0038] The embodiments of the present disclosure describe PHRs for IAB MT in different duplex modes, for example, some embodiments describe PHRs for TDM mode and simultaneous transmission mode.

[0039] A PHR procedure may be used to provide the DU 132 of the IAB parent 112 with power headroom for the MT 144 of the IAB node 116. The PHR may be a Type 1 PHR or a Type 3 PHR. A Type 1 PHR may report the difference between the nominal MT maximum transmit power and the estimated power for UL-SCH transmission for each activated serving cell. A Type 3 PHR may report the difference between the nominal MT maximum transmit power and the estimated power for SRS transmission for each activated serving cell.

[0040] Unless otherwise described herein, the PHR procedures used by MT136 may be similar to the PHR procedures used by the UE, for example, based on section 5.4.6 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.321 v16.3.0 (2020-12).

[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates a PHR 200 according to some embodiments. The PHR 200 may be transmitted from the MT 144 of the IAB node 116 to the DU 132 of the IAB parent 112. The PHR 200 may be a single-entry MAC Control Element (CE) having two octets. The first octet 204 may include a PH field 208 occupying six bits. The PH field 208 may provide an indication of a power headroom level 0-63. Each power headroom level may correspond to a measurement quantity value, for example, as shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 corresponds to Table 10.1.17.1-1 of 3GPP TS 38.133 v17.0.0 (2020-12). In other embodiments, the power headroom level may correspond to other measurement quantity values. [Table 1]

[0042] The PH field 208 indicates that this is a Type 1 PHR provided for a primary serving cell (PCell), however, in other embodiments, other types and serving cells may be used.

[0043] The second octet 212 may include a P_CMAX,f,c field 216 occupying 6 bits. The P_CMAX,f,c field 216 indicates a reported value from 0 to 63 for the MT configured maximum output power used to calculate the power headroom level reported in the PH field 208. This may enable the DU 132 to calculate the path loss. The reported value may correspond, for example, to a measurement quantity value according to Table 2 below. Table 2 corresponds to Table 10.1.18.1-1 of 3GPP TS 38.133. [Table 2]

[0044] In some embodiments, the power headroom level reported by the PH field 208 may correspond to a first duplex mode, e.g., TDM multiplexing, i.e., the reported power headroom level may be used when the MT 144 is transmitting and the DU 140 is neither transmitting nor receiving.

[0045] In addition to the power headroom level reported by the PH field 208, the PHR 200 may include an offset field to indicate / report an offset to the reported power headroom level in case of a second duplex mode, which may be a simultaneous transmission mode in which the MT 144 is transmitting while the DU 140 is receiving (e.g., from the UE 104 or the IAB child 120) or transmitting (e.g., to the UE 104 or the IAB child 120).

[0046] The offset field may include one or more of the offset / reserved (O / R) fields 220. The offset field may provide up to 4 bits that may indicate offset levels 0-15. The offset levels may correspond to offsets as shown, for example, by Table 3 below. In other embodiments, the offset levels may be mapped to other offsets. Additionally / alternatively, the offset may be semi-statically configured by the gNB-CU and / or semi-statically adjusted between the IAB node and the IAB parent. [Table 3]

[0047] The offsets in Table 3 are negative offsets because the uplink power used for the simultaneous transmission mode will be less than the uplink power used for the TDM mode.

[0048] The reported offset may provide the DU 132 with an indication of the power headroom for the second duplex mode relative to the power headroom for the first duplex mode. For example, if the power headroom for the first duplex mode is −30 dB and OFFSET_1 is provided in the PHR 200, the power headroom for the second duplex mode may be −30.1 dB.

[0049] In some embodiments, the offset levels may correspond to power headroom levels instead of offset power values. For example, the offset levels may correspond to PH level offsets, such as those shown by Table 4 below. In other embodiments, the offset levels may be mapped to other PH level offsets. [Table 4]

[0050] For example, if the reported power headroom level for a first duplex mode is POWER_HEADROOM_53 and OFFSET_1 is provided in PHR 200, the power headroom for a second duplex mode may correspond to POWER_HEADROOM_52.

[0051] While the above embodiments describe the PH field 208 indicating the power headroom for the TDM duplex mode, other embodiments may use the PH field 208 to indicate the power headroom for the simultaneous transmission mode. In these embodiments, the offset field may be used to provide the power headroom for the TDM duplex mode based on the power headroom for the simultaneous transmission mode. This may be done similarly to that described above, except for replacing the negative offset with a positive offset.

[0052] In some embodiments, instead of actively signaling the offset in the PHR 200, the DU 132 may be semi-statically configured with the offset. For example, the CU 124 may configure the DU 132 with the offset to be used for the MT 144. This may be done via the F1 interface between the IAB donor 108 and the IAB parent 112.

[0053] In some embodiments, the power headroom value for a duplex mode in which the MT and DU are transmitting simultaneously, which may be referred to as a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode, may be different from the power headroom value for a duplex mode in which the MT is transmitting while the DU, which may be referred to as a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode. The different power headroom values ​​for different simultaneous transmission modes may be due to the interference of concern being located at different entities. For example, when the DU is transmitting, the interference of concern may be at the remote UE or MT. However, when the DU is receiving, the interference of concern may be at the receiving DU. Thus, the transmit power of the MT may be backed off more for the MU-Tx / DU-Rx case than for the MU-Tx / DU-Tx case.

[0054] To accommodate different power headroom values ​​for different simultaneous transmission modes, some embodiments may use the O / R field of the PHR 200 to indicate separate offsets for the different simultaneous transmission modes. For example, the O / R field may indicate a first offset for simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx modes and a second offset for simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx modes. The two offsets may be indicated by any of the following options:

[0055] In a first option, a single code point of reserved bits may be mapped to an offset for simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx and simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx modes. These offsets may be the same or different. For example, the offset field may provide up to 4 bits that may indicate an offset level 0-15. The offset levels may correspond, for example, to offsets as shown by Table 5 below. In other embodiments, the offset levels may be mapped to other offsets. [Table 5]

[0056] Thus, a bit value of "0000" may indicate a 0.1 dB offset (with respect to the reported TDM mode power headroom level) for the first duplex mode (e.g., simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx) and a 0.5 dB offset (with respect to the reported TDM power headroom level) for the second duplex mode (e.g., simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx).

[0057] In a second option, the O / R field may be split into two offset fields providing independent code points, for example, the O / R field 220 of the first octet 204 may be used as a first offset field to indicate an offset for a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode, while the O / R field 220 of the second octet 212 may be used as a second offset field to indicate an offset for a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode.

[0058] The reporting of independent offsets for the simultaneous transmission modes may be modified as described above to transmit one offset. For example, a power headroom level may be reported for a first simultaneous transmission mode and an offset may be reported for a second simultaneous transmission mode and a TDM mode. The offset may be reported in terms of a PH level instead of an offset power value, etc.

[0059] 3 illustrates a PHR 300 according to some embodiments. The PHR 300 may be transmitted from the MT 144 of the IAB node 116 to the DU 132 of the IAB parent 112. The PHR 300 may be a multi-entry MAC CE with a variable number of octets. Typically, the multi-entry MAC CE may include several PH fields and configured maximum power output fields for different cells and MAC entities. In this embodiment, the PHR 300 may include several octet pairs, each pair corresponding to one type and one duplex mode (DM).

[0060] The first octet pair 304 may include a PH field that provides a Type 1 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a first duplex mode (DM1). One or more of the bits in the reserved field of the second octet of the first octet pair 304 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds. For example, in one embodiment, a two-bit value of "00" may indicate that the power headroom level corresponds to DM1, which in some embodiments may be a TDM mode.

[0061] The second octet pair 308 may include a PH field that provides a Type 3 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a first duplex mode (DM1). One or more of the reserved fields in the second octet of the second octet pair 308 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds, for example, DM1.

[0062] The third octet pair 312 may include a PH field that provides a Type 1 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a second duplex mode (DM2). One or more of the reserved fields in the second octet of the third octet pair 312 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds. For example, in one embodiment, a two-bit value of "01" may indicate that the power headroom level corresponds to DM2, which in some embodiments may be a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode.

[0063] The fourth octet pair 316 may include a PH field that provides a Type 3 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a second duplex mode (DM2). One or more of the reserved fields in the second octet of the fourth octet pair 316 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds, for example, DM2.

[0064] The fifth octet pair 320 may include a PH field that provides a Type 1 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a third duplex mode (DM3). One or more of the reserved fields in the second octet of the fifth octet pair 320 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds. For example, in one embodiment, a two-bit value of "11" may indicate that the power headroom level corresponds to DM3, which in some embodiments may be a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode.

[0065] The sixth octet pair 324 may include a PH field that provides a Type 3 power headroom level for a PCell operating in a third duplex mode (DM3). One or more of the reserved fields in the second octet of the sixth octet pair 324 may be used as a duplex mode indicator to indicate the duplex mode to which the power headroom level corresponds, for example, DM3.

[0066] In other embodiments, additional or fewer octet pairs may be used in the multiple entry MAC CE. For example, in some embodiments, only one power headroom level may be indicated for both simultaneous transmission modes. In other embodiments, the PHR 300 may include only one type for each duplex mode. For example, the PHR 300 may indicate a Type 1 power headroom level for the TDM mode and the simultaneous transmission mode, a Type 1 power headroom level for the TDM mode and a Type 3 power headroom level for the simultaneous transmission mode, a Type 3 power headroom level for the TDM mode and a Type 1 power headroom level for the simultaneous transmission mode, or some other combination.

[0067] In some embodiments, a reserved bit field in an octet of the PHR 300 may be used to indicate an offset similar to that described above with respect to FIG.

[0068] In some embodiments, the MT 144 may generate and transmit a PHR, such as PHR 200 or PHR 300, based on a detected trigger event. The detected trigger event may be similar to those used to trigger a PHR in previous networks, such as those described above. Additionally / alternatively, the detected trigger event may include a change in duplex mode in the IAB node 116. For example, a detected trigger event may occur when the IAB node 116 changes from a TDM mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode or vice versa, from a TDM mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode or vice versa, or from a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode or vice versa.

[0069] 4 illustrates an operational flow / algorithm structure 400 according to some embodiments. The operational flow / algorithm structure 400 may be executed or performed by an IAB node, such as, for example, IAB node 116 or 700, or by a component thereof, such as, for example, the MT 144 or the baseband processor 704A.

[0070] The operational flow / algorithm structure 400 may include reporting an indication of a first PH value corresponding to a first duplex mode of the IAB node, at 404. The first duplex mode may be a mode in which an MT of the IAB node is transmitting and a DU of the IAB node is neither transmitting nor receiving. For example, the first duplex mode may be a TDM mode.

[0071] The operational flow / algorithm structure 400 may further include reporting an indication of a second PH value corresponding to a second duplex mode, at 408. The second duplex mode may be a mode in which a DU of the IAB node is transmitting or receiving while an MT of the IAB node is transmitting. For example, the second duplex mode may be a simultaneous transmission mode.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first and second indications may be part of a PHR. The PHR may be a single-entry MAC CE or a multi-entry MAC CE. In some embodiments, the first indication may be a 6-bit indication corresponding to a power headroom level that may be mapped to a first PH value based on a predefined lookup table. The predefined lookup table may be stored in a memory of the IAB node. The predefined lookup table may be configured by the 3GPP TS or may be dynamically configured during operation. The second indication may be a 1-4 bit offset indication that defines the second PH value relative to the first PH value. In other embodiments, the second indication may be a 6-bit indication and the first indication may be a 1-4 bit offset indication.

[0073] 5 illustrates an operational flow / algorithm structure 500 according to some embodiments. The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may be executed or performed by an IAB parent node, such as the IAB parent 112, or a component thereof, such as the DU 132 or the baseband processor 704A.

[0074] Operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may include receiving a PHR from an IAB child node, at 504. The PHR may be a single-entry MAC CE, such as that shown above with respect to PHR 200, or a multiple-entry MAC CE, such as that shown above with respect to PHR 300.

[0075] The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may further include determining 508 a first PH value corresponding to a first duplex mode based on the PHR. The first duplex mode in this case may be a TDM mode, a general simultaneous transmission mode, a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode, or a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode. In some embodiments, the IAB parent may determine the first PHR value by detecting the power headroom level from a 6-bit indication in the PHR and mapping the reported power headroom level to the first PHR value using a predefined lookup table.

[0076] The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may further include, at 512, determining a second PH value corresponding to a second duplex mode based on the PHR. The second duplex mode in this case may be different from the first duplex mode and may be a TDM mode, a general simultaneous transmission mode, a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode, or a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode. In some embodiments, the IAB parent may determine the second PHR value by detecting the power headroom level from a 6-bit indication in the PHR and mapping the reported power headroom level to the second PHR value using a predefined lookup table, or by detecting an indication of an offset value and determining the second PHR value relative to the first PHR value. The offset value indication may be provided in the PHR itself or may be semi-statically configured by the IAB donor's CU.

[0077] 6 illustrates an operational flow / algorithm structure 600 according to some embodiments. The operational flow / algorithm structure 500 may be executed or performed by an IAB node, such as, for example, the IAB node 116, or a component thereof, such as the MT 144 or the baseband processor 704A.

[0078] The operational flow / algorithm structure 600 may include detecting a PHR triggering event, at 604. The PHR triggering event may be a change in duplex mode of the IAB node. For example, the change may be from a TDM mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode or vice versa, from a TDM mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode or vice versa, or from a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Tx mode to a simultaneous MT-Tx / DU-Rx mode or vice versa.

[0079] The operational flow / algorithm structure 600 may further include generating a PHR based on the trigger event, at 608. The PHR may be similar to those described above with respect to FIG.

[0080] The operational flow / algorithm structure 600 may further include, at 612, sending the PHR to the IAB parent node.

[0081] 7 illustrates an IAB node 700 according to some embodiments. The IAB node 700 may be similar to, and substantially interchangeable with, the IAB donor 108, the IAB parent 112, the IAB node 116, or the IAB child 120 illustrated in FIG.

[0082] The IAB node 700 may include a processor 704, an RF interface circuit 708, a memory / storage 712, a user interface 716, a core network (CN) interface 720, a driver circuit 722, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 724, an antenna structure 726, and a battery 728. The components of the IAB node 700 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion thereof, a separate electronic device or other module, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 7 is intended to illustrate a high-level view of some of the components of the IAB node 700. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0083] The components of IAB node 700 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 732, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that may allow various circuit components (on a common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0084] The processor 704 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, a baseband processor circuit (BB) 704A, a central processing unit circuit (CPU) 704B, and a graphics processing unit circuit (GPU) 704C. The processor 704 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 712 to cause the IAB node 700 to perform the operations described herein.

[0085] In some embodiments, the baseband processor circuitry 704A can access a communications protocol stack 736 in the memory / storage 712 to communicate over a 3GPP compliant network. In general, the baseband processor circuitry 704A can access the communications protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and PDU layers, and control plane functions at the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and non-access layers. In some embodiments, PHY layer operations may additionally / alternatively be performed by components of the RF interface circuitry 708.

[0086] The baseband processor circuit 704A can generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information in a 3GPP-compliant network. In some embodiments, waveforms for NR can be based on Cyclic Prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) in the uplink or downlink and Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the uplink.

[0087] The memory / storage 712 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., communication protocol stack 736) that include instructions that may be executed by one or more of the processors 704 to cause the IAB node 700 to perform various operations described herein. Additionally, the memory / storage 712 may be used to store IAB and power headroom configuration information including, for example, lookup tables, configuration offsets, and the like.

[0088] Memory / storage 712 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout IAB node 700. In some embodiments, some of the memory / storage 712 may be located on the processor 704 itself (e.g., L1 and L2 caches), while other memory / storage 712 is external to the processor 704 but accessible via a memory interface. Memory / storage 712 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, without limitation, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0089] The RF interface circuitry 708 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM) that allows the IAB node 700 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 708 may include various elements disposed in the transmit or receive paths. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, combiner circuits, control circuits, etc.

[0090] In the receive path, the RFEM receives radiated signals from the air interface via the antenna structure 726 and may filter and amplify the signals (using a low noise amplifier). The signals may be provided to a transceiver receiver that downconverts the RF signals to baseband signals that are provided to a baseband processor in the processor 704.

[0091] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts the baseband signal received from the baseband processor and provides an RF signal to the RFEM, which may amplify the RF signal with a power amplifier before the signal is radiated over the air interface via the antenna 726.

[0092] In various embodiments, the RF interface circuitry 708 may be configured to transmit / receive signals in a manner compatible with NR access technologies and IAB technologies.

[0093] The antenna 726 may include antenna elements that convert electrical signals into radio waves to travel through the air and convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged in one or more antenna panels. The antenna 726 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof to enable beamforming and multiple-input multiple-output communications. The antenna 726 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna 726 may have one or more panels designed for a particular frequency band, including the FR1 or FR2 bands.

[0094] User interface circuitry 716 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with IAB node 700. User interface 716 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, among others, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for displaying or otherwise communicating information, such as sensor readings, actuator position(s), or other similar information. The output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, among others, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes "LEDs" and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays "LCDs", LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where output such as text, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or created from operation of the UE 1100.

[0095] The CN interface circuitry 720 can provide connectivity to a core network, e.g., 5GC, using a 5GC compliant network interface protocol, such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to and from the IAB node 1700 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 720 can include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 720 can include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0096] The driver circuitry 722 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices incorporated into, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the IAB node 700. The driver circuitry 722 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the IAB node 700. For example, the driver circuitry 722 may include a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface, a driver for obtaining actuator positions of electromechanical components or for controlling and allowing access to electromechanical components, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0097] The PMIC 724 may manage the power provided to the various components of the IAB node 700. In particular, with respect to the processor 704, the PMIC 724 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0098] A battery 728 may power the IAB node 700, although in some examples the IAB node 700 may be mounted and deployed at a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 728 may be a lithium ion battery, a metal air battery such as an air zinc battery, an aluminum air battery, a lithium air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as vehicle-based applications, the battery 728 may be a typical automotive lead acid battery.

[0099] It is understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of permitted uses should be clearly indicated to users.

[0100] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more of the operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section. Working Example

[0101] Further exemplary embodiments are provided in the following sections.

[0102] Example 1 includes a method of operating a mobile terminal (MT) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, the method including reporting to a distributed unit (DU) of an IAB parent node an indication of a first power headroom (PH) value corresponding to a first duplex mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is neither transmitting nor receiving, and reporting to the DU of the IAB parent node an indication of a second PH value corresponding to a second duplex mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is transmitting or receiving.

[0103] Example 2 includes the method of example 1 or any other example herein, wherein reporting the indication of the second PH value includes generating a medium access control (MAC) (CE) signal, where the indication of the second PH value is an indication of an offset from the first PH value.

[0104] Example 3 includes the method of example 2 or any other example herein, wherein the MAC CE includes 6 bits for providing an indication of the first PH value and 2 or 4 bits for providing an indication of the offset.

[0105] Example 4 includes the method of example 1 or any other example herein, wherein reporting the indication of the first PH value and reporting the indication of the second PH value includes generating a medium access control (MAC) (CE) where the indication of the first PH value is an indication of an offset from the second PH value.

[0106] Example 5 includes the method of example 4 or any other example herein, wherein the MAC CE includes 6 bits for providing an indication of the second PH value and 2 or 4 bits for providing an indication of the offset.

[0107] Example 6 includes the method of example 1 or any other example herein, further including detecting a change in duplex mode of the IAB node, and reporting the first PH value indication or the second PH value indication based on the detection of the change in duplex mode.

[0108] Example 7 includes the method of example 6 or any other example herein, wherein the change is a change from a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode to a simultaneous transmission mode, a change from a simultaneous transmission mode to a TDM mode, or a change from a first simultaneous transmission mode to a second simultaneous transmission mode.

[0109] Example 8 includes a method for operating a distributed unit (DU) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) parent node, the method including: receiving a power headroom report (PHR) from an IAB child node; determining, based on the PHR, a first power headroom (PH) value corresponding to a first duplex mode in which a mobile terminal (MT) of the IAB child node is transmitting and in which a DU of the IAB child node is neither transmitting nor receiving; and determining, based on the PHR, a second PH value corresponding to a second duplex mode in which the MT is transmitting and in which a DU of the IAB child node is transmitting or receiving.

[0110] Example 9 includes the method of example 8 or any other example herein, where the PHR includes an indication of the first PH value or the second PH value.

[0111] Example 10 includes the method of example 9 or any other example herein, and the method further includes receiving an indication of an offset from a next generation Node B (gNB) centralized unit (CU); and determining the first PH value or the second PH value based on the indication of the offset and the indication in the PHR.

[0112] Example 11 includes a method of operating a mobile terminal (MT) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, the method including: generating a power headroom report (PHR) to include an indication of a first power headroom (PH) value, an indication of a second PH value, and a duplex mode indicator corresponding to the first PH value, where the duplex mode indicator indicates whether the first PH value corresponds to a time division multiplexing (TDM) mode of the IAB node or a simultaneous transmission mode of the IAB node; and transmitting the PHR to an IAB parent node.

[0113] Example 12 includes the method of example 11 or any other example herein, and the duplex mode indicator indicates that the first PH value corresponds to a simultaneous transmission mode, and the simultaneous transmission mode includes the MT transmitting while the distributed (DU) of the IAB node is transmitting or receiving.

[0114] Example 13 includes the method of Example 11 or any other example herein, wherein the duplex mode indicator is a first duplex mode indicator, and the method further includes generating a PHR to include a second duplex mode indicator to indicate whether the second PH value corresponds to a TDM mode or a simultaneous transmission mode of the IAB node.

[0115] Example 14 includes the method of example 11 or any other example herein, wherein the duplex mode indicator includes 1 or 2 bits, and the indication of the first PH value includes 6 bits.

[0116] Example 15 includes the method of any one of examples 11-14 or any other example herein, wherein the PHR is a multiple-entry Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0117] Example 16 includes a method of operating a mobile terminal (MT) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, the method including reporting to a distributed unit (DU) of an IAB parent node an indication of a first power headroom (PH) value corresponding to a first duplex mode in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is not transmitting or receiving, reporting to the DU of the IAB parent node an indication of a second PH value corresponding to a second duplex mode in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is transmitting, and reporting to the DU of the IAB parent node an indication of a third PH value corresponding to a third duplex mode in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is receiving.

[0118] Example 17 includes the method of example 16 or any other example herein, and further includes generating a power headroom report (PHR) to include an indication of a first offset for reporting an indication of the second PH value, and an indication of a second offset for reporting an indication of the third PH value.

[0119] Example 18 includes the method of example 17 or any other example herein, further including setting a plurality of bits of an offset field in the PHR to a single code point corresponding to the first and second offsets in the lookup table.

[0120] Example 19 includes the method of example 17 or any other example herein, and further includes setting one or more bits of a first offset field in the PHR to a first code point corresponding to the first offset in the lookup table, and setting one or more bits of a second offset field in the PHR to a second code point corresponding to a second offset in the lookup table.

[0121] Example 20 includes the method of any one of Examples 17-19 or any other example herein, wherein the PHR report includes a single-entry Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or a multi-entry MAC CE.

[0122] Example 21 can include an apparatus including means for performing one or more elements of the method described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0123] Example 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0124] Example 23 may include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of the method described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0125] Example 24 can include any method, technique, or process described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or any portion or part thereof.

[0126] Example 25 may include an apparatus having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process related thereto, or portions thereof, as described in any of Examples 1 to 20.

[0127] Example 26 may include any of the signals described in or related to any of Examples 1-20, or a portion or part thereof.

[0128] Example 27 may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described or related to any of Examples 1-20, or that is a part or portion of any of Examples 1-20, or that is described in this disclosure.

[0129] Example 28 can include a signal encoded with data described or related to, or part or portion of, any of Examples 1-20, or described in this disclosure.

[0130] Example 29 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU, or message described or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or a portion or part thereof, or described in this disclosure.

[0131] Example 30 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, where execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or a portion thereof.

[0132] Example 31 may include a computer program including instructions, where execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or a portion thereof.

[0133] Example 32 may include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0134] Example 33 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0135] Example 34 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0136] Example 35 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

[0137] Any of the above examples can be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.

[0138] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated, and it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a mobile terminal (MT) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node to: generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) including a power value associated with controlling an uplink transmission power of the MT and a mode indicator for indicating that the power value corresponds to a mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node is receiving; having the DU of the IAB parent node transmit the MAC CE; One or more computer-readable media.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the power value is related to a maximum transmit power.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2 , wherein the MAC CE further indicates the maximum transmit power.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the mode indicator comprises two bits of the MAC CE.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the power value is a first power value, the mode indicator is a first mode indicator, the mode is a first mode, and the MAC CE further includes a second power value associated with controlling the uplink transmit power of the MT and a second mode indicator for indicating that the second power value corresponds to a second mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is transmitting.

6. One or more computer-readable media as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the MT to provide power adjustment assistance information and an indication of the applicability of the power adjustment assistance information to a beam to the IAB parent node.

7. An integrated access and backhaul (IAB) parent node having a distribution unit (DU), the DU comprising: Interface circuit and a processing circuit coupled to the interface circuit, receiving, via said interface circuitry, a transmission having a media access control (MAC) control element (CE) including a power value associated with controlling an uplink transmit power of a mobile termination (MT) of an IAB node and a mode indicator indicating that said power value corresponds to a mode of said IAB node in which said MT is transmitting and in which a distributed unit (DU) of said IAB node is receiving; and processing circuitry for controlling the uplink transmit power of the MT based on the power value.

8. The IAB parent node of claim 7 , wherein the power value is related to a maximum transmit power.

9. The IAB parent node of claim 8 , wherein the MAC CE further indicates the maximum transmit power.

10. 10. The IAB parent node of claim 7, wherein the mode indicator comprises two bits of the MAC CE.

11. The IAB parent node of claim 7, wherein the power value is a first power value, the mode indicator is a first mode indicator, the mode is a first mode, and the MAC CE further includes a second power value associated with controlling the uplink transmit power of the MT and a second mode indicator for indicating that the second power value corresponds to a second mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is transmitting.

12. An IAB parent node as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the instruction, when executed, further causes the MT to provide power adjustment assistance information and an indication of the applicability of the power adjustment assistance information to a beam to the IAB parent node.

13. 1. A method of operating a mobile terminal (MT) in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, comprising: generating a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) including a power value associated with controlling an uplink transmission power of the MT and a mode indicator indicating that the power value corresponds to a mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node is receiving; sending said MAC CE to a DU of an IAB parent node; A method comprising:

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the power value is related to a maximum transmission power.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the MAC CE further indicates the maximum transmit power.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mode indicator comprises two bits of the MAC CE.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the power value is a first power value, the mode indicator is a first mode indicator, the mode is a first mode, and the MAC CE further includes a second power value associated with controlling the uplink transmit power of the MT and a second mode indicator for indicating that the second power value corresponds to a second mode of the IAB node in which the MT is transmitting and in which the DU of the IAB node is transmitting.

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