Wireless relay device and wireless relay method

Abstract

This radio relay device controls the relay state when radio waves from a radio base station or a terminal are relayed without signal interpretation. The radio relay device transmits or receives signals to be detected or identified to or from the radio base station or the terminal.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless relay device and a wireless relay method. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed specifications for the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G, also known as New Radio (NR) or Next Generation (NG)), and is also developing specifications for the next generation, known as Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution, or 6G.

[0003] Future networks such as 6G will require even higher quality than 5G, such as ultra-high-speed communications at terabits per second (TBP) and highly reliable, low-latency communications at the level of optical communications.

[0004] For this reason, the use of extremely high frequency bands, such as terahertz (THz) waves, is being considered, and it is expected that high speeds will be achieved by using ultra-wideband, and low latency will be achieved by using short symbol lengths. However, this will have the disadvantages of narrow coverage due to the large attenuation rate, and low reliability due to the high directivity of the waves. In addition, it is also necessary to consider the issue of how to ensure redundancy and increase communication points for each location where 6G communication is required.

[0005] As mentioned above, in high frequency bands, there are problems such as blind zones easily occurring due to the strong directional nature of radio waves, and currently, methods are being tried to improve communication quality in multipath environments using passive repeaters and active reflectors (RIS: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) (see Non-Patent Document 1, pp. 15-16, etc.). As a result, from the perspective of wireless base stations and terminals, it appears that the number of communication points is increasing. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] NTT Docomo, "Docomo 6G White Paper 3.0", [online], released in February 2021, Internet<URL:https: / / www.nttdocomo.co.jp / corporate / technology / whitepaper_6g / > DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION

[0007] When relaying radio waves from a radio wave source such as a base station or a terminal (User Equipment, UE) to a radio wave receiving destination by reflecting or transmitting the radio waves, it is necessary to accurately detect and identify each other, such as accurately finding the base station, UE, etc., and having the base station and UE, etc., find each other.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a wireless relay device and a wireless relay method that enable a base station, a UE, etc. to accurately detect or identify each other.

[0009] A wireless relay device (RIS300) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control unit (control unit 330) that controls the relay state when relaying radio waves from a wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or a terminal (UE200) without interpreting the signal, and a transceiver unit (transceiver unit 350) that transmits or receives signals related to detection or identification between the wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or the terminal (UE200).

[0010] A wireless relay method that is one aspect of the present disclosure includes a control step of controlling a relay state when relaying radio waves from a wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or a terminal (UE 200) without signal interpretation, and a transmission / reception step of transmitting or receiving a signal related to detection or identification between the wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or the terminal (UE 200). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of a wireless communication system 10. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a basic configuration diagram of a network using the wireless relay device 300. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the wireless relay device 300. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a typical problem when using a high frequency band. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between a transmitting antenna (Tx) of the base station 150A or the like, a relay antenna (Sx) of the reflective radio relay device 300, and a receiving antenna (Rx) of the UE 200 or the like. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between a transmitting antenna (Tx) of the base station 150A or the like, a relay antenna (Sx) of the transparent wireless relay device 300, and a receiving antenna (Rx) of the UE 200 or the like. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship in which the radio relay device 300 performs signaling of control information with the base station 100 or the UE 200. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of selecting a beam for transmission and reception by the RIS in the Meta Structure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of selecting a beam to transmit and receive to the RIS in the Meta Structure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case A. In FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case B. In FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case C. In FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the wireless relay device 300 and the base station 100 which transmits and receives signals. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transmission / reception flow between the wireless relay device 300 and the wireless base station 100. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the radio relay device 300 and the UE 200 that transmits and receives signals. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a transmission / reception flow between the radio relay device 300 and the UE 200. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the UE 200, the radio relay device 300, and the like. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same functions or configurations, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] (1) Overall configuration of wireless communication system 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wireless communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. The wireless communication system 10 is, for example, a wireless communication system conforming to 5G New Radio (NR) to 6G, and is configured with multiple wireless base stations and multiple terminals.

[0014] Specifically, the radio communication system 10 includes a radio base station 100, radio base stations 150A to 150D, and a user terminal 200 (hereinafter, referred to as User Equipment 200, UE).

[0015] The radio base station 100 is, for example, a radio base station conforming to 5G to 6G standards, and forms a cell C1. Note that the cell C1 is a relatively large cell, and is called a macrocell.

[0016] The radio base stations 150A to 150D are also radio base stations conforming to 5G to 6G, but form cells C11 to C14, which are relatively small in size, respectively. The cells C11 to C14 may be called small cells or semi-macro cells. As shown in FIG. 1, the cells C11 to C14 may be formed so as to be included in (overlay) the cell C1 (macro cell).

[0017] A macrocell is generally interpreted as a communication area with a radius of several hundred meters to several tens of kilometers that is covered by a single wireless base station, while a small cell is a general term for a cell that has low transmission power and covers an area smaller than that of a macrocell.

[0018] The radio base station 100 and the radio base stations 150A to 150D may be written as gNodeB (gNB) or BS (Base Station), etc. The UE 200 may be written as MS, etc. Furthermore, the specific configuration of the radio communication system 10 including the numbers and types of radio base stations and terminals is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0019] In addition, the wireless communication system 10 is not necessarily limited to a wireless communication system conforming to 5G or 6G. For example, the wireless communication system 10 may be a next-generation wireless communication system conforming to 6G or a wireless communication system conforming to Long Term Evolution (LTE).

[0020] The radio base station 100 and the radio base stations 150A to 150D perform, as an example, radio communication according to 5G to 6G with the UE 200. The radio base station 100, the radio base stations 150A to 150D, and the UE 200 can support Massive MIMO that generates a more directional beam BM by controlling radio signals transmitted from multiple antenna elements, Carrier Aggregation (CA) that uses a bundle of multiple component carriers (CCs), Dual Connectivity (DC) that simultaneously communicates between a UE and each of two NG-RAN nodes, and Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) that integrates a radio backhaul between radio communication nodes such as gNBs and radio access to a UE.

[0021] The wireless communication system 10 can also support high frequency bands higher than the following frequency ranges (FR) defined in 3GPP Release 15:

[0022] FR1: 410MHz~7.125GHz FR2: 24.25GHz~52.6GHz Specifically, the wireless communication system 10 supports a frequency band exceeding 52.6 GHz and up to 114.25 GHz. Here, such a high frequency band is called "FR4" for convenience. FR4 belongs to so-called EHF (extremely high frequency, also called millimeter wave). Note that FR4 is a provisional name and may be called by another name. Alternatively, the wireless communication system 10 is not limited to the above frequency band and may support any frequency band. For example, FR1 and FR2 may be used.

[0023] The wireless communication system 10 also includes a wireless relay device 300. In the present embodiment, as an example, the wireless relay device 300 may be described as a reflector (RIS), a phase control reflector, a passive repeater, an IRS (Intelligent Reflecting Surface), or the like. Specific examples of the reflector (RIS) may include those called metamaterial reflectors, dynamic metasurfaces, metasurface lenses, or the like (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0024] In this embodiment, the radio relay device 300 relays a radio signal transmitted from a radio base station (for example, the radio base station 150A) (in the description of this embodiment, the term "relay" may refer to at least one of "reflection," "transmission," "concentration" (concentrating radio waves at approximately one point), and "diffraction"). The UE 200 can receive the radio signal relayed by the radio relay device 300. Conversely, the radio relay device 300 may relay a radio signal transmitted from the UE 200. The same can be said about the radio base station 100 (including 150, the same applies below). In other words, the radio relay device 300 relays a radio signal from the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200.

[0025] As an example, the wireless relay device 300 can change the phase of a wireless signal relayed toward the wireless base station 100 or the terminal 200. From this viewpoint, the wireless relay device 300 may be called a variable-phase reflector. In the present embodiment, the wireless relay device 300 may be described as having a function of changing the phase of a wireless signal and relaying the wireless signal, but is not limited to this. The wireless relay device 300 may also be called a repeater, a relay device, a reflect array, an IRS, a transmit array, or the like.

[0026] In addition, in this embodiment, the wireless repeater 300 such as a RIS may be called a Battery less device, a metamaterial functional device, an Intelligent reflecting surface, a Smart repeater, etc. As an example, the wireless repeater 300 such as a RIS may be defined as having at least one of the following functions. [UE function] Reception function for signals transmitted from BS (e.g. DL (downlink) signals, SSB (SS Block), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), DM-RS (DeModulation Reference Signal), PT-RS (Phase Tracking Reference Signal), CSI-RS (Channel Status Information Reference Signal), RIS dedicated signals) Receive information related to the following metamaterial functions -Signal transmission function to BS (e.g. UL (uplink) signal, PRACH (Random Access Channel Preamble), PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), PUSCH Physical Uplink Control Channel, DM-RS, PT-RS, SRS (Sounding Reference Signal), RIS dedicated signal) Transmission of information related to the following metamaterial functions -Frame synchronization function with BS

[0027] [Metamaterial function] · Reflection function of the signal transmitted by the BS or UE (e.g. phase change) The RIS may reflect signals by changing the phase for each of a plurality of reflecting elements, or may reflect signals by performing a common phase change for a plurality of reflecting elements. Functions related to beam control (e.g. TCI (Transmission Configuration Indication)-state, functions related to QCL (Quasi Co Location) control, beam selection and application, spatial filter / precoding weight selection and application) · Power modification functions for signals transmitted by the BS or UE (e.g. power amplification) A different power change may be applied to each reflecting element, or a common power change may be applied to a plurality of reflecting elements.

[0028] In addition, "receive and transmit" or "relay" in a wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS may mean that up to the specified function A below is performed, but transmission is performed without performing the specified function B. A: A phase shifter is applied, but B: a compensation circuit (e.g., amplifier, filter) is not used. A: A phase shifter and a compensation circuit are applied, but B: no frequency conversion is performed.

[0029] In addition, when the phase is changed in the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS, the amplitude may be amplified. In addition, "relay" in the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS may mean transmitting a received signal as is without performing processing at the layer 2 / 3 level, transmitting a received signal at the physical layer level as is, or transmitting a received signal as is without signal interpretation (at that time, the phase may be changed, the amplitude may be amplified, etc.).

[0030] (2) Basic Configuration of a Network Using Wireless Relay Device 300 Next, a description will be given of a basic configuration of a network using the wireless relay device 300. FIG.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, as an example, the radio relay device 300 is interposed between the radio base station 150A (which may be another radio base station 100, etc.) and the UE 200, and relays (reflects, transmits, aggregates, diffracts, etc.) radio signals transmitted and received between the radio base station 150A and the UE 200.

[0032] As a specific example, when the radio quality is good, the radio base station 150A and the UE 200 transmit and receive radio signals directly without going through the radio relay device 300. When the radio quality deteriorates, for example, when there is an obstruction between the radio base station 150A and the UE 200, the radio relay device 300 relays the radio signals transmitted and received between the radio base station 150A and the UE 200.

[0033] Specifically, the wireless relay device 300 calculates propagation path information H between a radio wave generating source such as the wireless base station 150A or the UE 200 and a relay antenna based on a change in the received power when controlling a variable unit 303 such as a variable phase shifter. PT, H RP Based on the estimated propagation path information, the variable unit 303 such as a variable phase shifter is controlled to relay the radio signal to the radio wave receiving destination such as the UE 200. PT, H RPThe wireless relay device 300 may also relay a wireless signal to a radio wave receiving destination such as the UE 200 by controlling a variable unit 303 such as a variable phase shifter based on control information received from the wireless base station 150A or the UE 200.

[0034] Here, a propagation path or a propagation channel refers to an individual communication path of wireless communication, and in this case, refers to a communication path between each transmitting / receiving antenna (BS ant. and MS ant. in the figure, etc.).

[0035] As an example, the radio relay device 300 includes a small multi-element antenna 301 compatible with Massive MIMO, and a variable phase shifter or phase shifter 303 that changes the phase of a radio signal, essentially, a radio wave, to a specific phase, and controls the phase of the radio wave relayed to the UE 200 or the radio base station 150A using the phase shifter 303. For a specific method of controlling the phase, the following literature may be referred to. Venkat Arun and Hari Balakrishnan, “RFocus: Beamforming Using Thousands of Passive Antennas”, 17th USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation (NSDI '20), February 25-27, 2020, Santa Clara, CA, USA, pp.1047-1061 Qingqing Wu, and Rui Zhang, “Intelligent Reflecting Surface Enhanced Wireless Network via Joint Active and Passive Beamforming”, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS, VOL. 18, NO. 11, NOVEMBER 2019, pp.5394-5409

[0036] (3) Functional Block Configuration of Wireless Relay Device 300 3 is a functional block diagram of the wireless relay device 300. As shown in FIG.

[0037] Antenna 301 is at least one antenna connected to variable unit 303, as described later with reference to Figures 5 and 6. For example, antenna 301 may be arranged as an array antenna. In this embodiment, antenna 301 may be particularly called a relay antenna.

[0038] Variable unit 303 is connected to antenna 301 and can change the phase, load, power, amplitude, etc. For example, variable unit 303 may be a variable phase shifter, a phase shifter, an amplifier, etc. For example, by changing the phase of the radio wave that has arrived at the relay antenna from the radio wave generation source, it is possible to change the direction, beam, etc. of the radio wave.

[0039] The control unit 330 is a control means for controlling the variable unit 303. In this embodiment, the control unit 330 functions as a control unit for controlling the relay state when relaying radio waves from the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200 without signal interpretation. Here, the control unit 330 may change the relay state based on control information received from the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200, or may change the relay state based on the reception state of the radio waves from the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200. For example, the control unit 330 may select an appropriate reception beam and transmission beam (direction) based on control information such as SSB, and control the variable unit 303 for this purpose. Similarly, the control unit 330 may select an appropriate combination of reception direction and transmission direction based on criteria such as the highest reception quality or the highest reception power from the reception state, and control the variable unit 303 for this purpose.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 330 can control the variable unit 303 based on, for example, information on the propagation path between the UE 200 or the radio base station 150A and the relay antenna 301 (including information estimated from the reception state and control information; the same applies below). For example, the control unit 330 can relay the radio wave received from the radio base station 150A to a specific direction such as the radio wave receiving destination (UE 200 in this case) by changing the phase without using transmission power using a known method such as an active repeater or RIS. Specifically, the control unit 330 adjusts the estimated H PT and H RP Based on this, the phase of the radio signal is controlled to relay it towards the UE 200 or the radio base station 150A. That is, by changing the phase of an array antenna or the like based on the same principle as beamforming, it is possible to relay radio waves in a specific direction. Note that the radio relay device 300 controls (changes) only the phase of the radio signal (radio wave) by the control unit 330, and may relay the radio signal without power supply, without amplifying the power of the relayed radio signal, for example.

[0041] Moreover, the transmission / reception unit 350 is a transmission / reception means for transmitting and receiving radio waves, signals, and various information. In this embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 350 functions as a transmission / reception unit for transmitting or receiving signals related to detection or identification between the radio base station 100 (including 150; the same applies below) or the terminal 200. Specifically, the transmission / reception unit 350 may receive a signal for discovering the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200. Alternatively, the transmission / reception unit 350 may transmit a signal for discovering the radio relay device 300 by the radio base station 100 or the terminal 200. For example, the various signals described above may be used in the UE function and the metamaterial function. Specific examples of transmission and reception of signals (such as signaling examples) will be described later.

[0042] The transceiver 350 may also function as a receiver that acquires information based on the reception state, or as a receiver that acquires control information from the radio base station 150A or the UE 200. For example, the transceiver 350 may receive various signals, such as SSB (including the various signals exemplified in the above-mentioned UE function and metamaterial function), transmitted from the radio base station 150A or the UE 200 as control information. The transceiver 350 may also acquire propagation path information (H) between the radio wave generation source (e.g., radio base station 150A, UE 200) and the relay antenna 301 based on the reception state (e.g., change in reception power) when the variable unit 303 is controlling. PT ,H RP ) may be estimated.

[0043] In addition, H PT and H RP can be expressed as follows:

[0044]

number

[0045] M is the number of antennas at the terminal (receiving), N is the number of antennas at the wireless base station (transmitting), and K is the number of relay antennas.

[0046] The propagation path information (propagation channel information) regarding each propagation path is specifically information such as amplitude and phase, and in this embodiment, is information estimated regarding the propagation path of the radio wave arriving at the relay antenna 301. As an example, the transmitting / receiving unit 350 may estimate the propagation path information of the relay antenna 301 based on a change in the received power when the phase of the variable unit 303 of each of the array-shaped relay antennas 301 is switched to orthogonal, using a principle similar to that of I / Q (In-phase / Quadrature) detection.

[0047] (4) Examples of antenna configurations Next, a configuration example will be described focusing on the relay antenna 301. First, typical problems that arise when using a high frequency band will be described, and then an antenna configuration example in the wireless relay device 300 that can solve the problems will be described.

[0048] (4.1) Problems A wireless base station that supports Massive MIMO can transmit beams. Massive MIMO generally means MIMO communication using an antenna with 100 or more antenna elements, and enables faster wireless communication than before due to the multiplexing effect of multiple streams. Advanced beamforming (BF) is also possible. The beam width can be dynamically changed depending on the frequency band used or the state of the UE 200. In addition, it is possible to increase the received signal power due to the beamforming (BF) gain by using a narrow beam. In addition, it is expected to have effects such as reducing interference and effectively using wireless resources.

[0049] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a typical problem when a high frequency band is used. As shown in FIG. 4, when a high frequency band of several GHz to several tens of GHz or more is used, a blind zone is likely to occur due to the strong linearity of radio waves. When the radio base station 150A and the UE 200 are in line of sight, there is no effect on the wireless communication between the radio base station 150A and the UE 200 even when the high frequency band is used. On the other hand, when the line of sight between the radio base station 150A and the UE 200 is blocked by an obstacle OB such as a building or a tree, the wireless quality is significantly degraded. In other words, when the UE 200 moves to a blind zone blocked by the obstacle OB, the communication may be interrupted.

[0050] Considering the existence of applications (such as remote control) that take advantage of the high speed, large capacity, and low latency characteristics of 5G and 6G, it is important to eliminate blind spots, ensure that communications within the wireless communication system 10 are not interrupted, and keep the wireless base station and terminal connected.

[0051] Therefore, technologies have been developed that can relay radio waves between the base station 150A and the UE 200, such as radio wave propagation control devices such as active repeaters and RIS. In this way, communication characteristics can be improved by controlling the propagation characteristics of the base station signal, and it is possible to expand coverage without the need for a signal source, ensure communication redundancy, and reduce installation and operation costs by increasing the number of base stations.

[0052] A RIS (reflector) can relay (reflect, etc.) radio waves or signals such as beams coming from a base station or terminal in a specified direction and deliver them to the terminal or base station. Conventional wireless relay devices are classified into passive and active types. Passive types have the advantage of not requiring control information, but they are unable to perform fine beam control and are unable to keep up with moving objects and environmental changes. In contrast, active types change control of reflection angle, beam width, etc. according to the position of the mobile station. Active types have the disadvantage of requiring control information and increasing overhead, but they are capable of fine beam control by changing the load (phase) state of the control antenna, and can variably control the propagation characteristics of radio waves, allowing them to keep up with moving objects and environmental changes.

[0053] There are two types of active type radio relay devices (radio wave propagation control devices, etc.) and control methods: a feedback (FB) model and a propagation path information model. In the FB model, a variable type radio wave propagation control device randomly changes the load (phase) state and has the UE or the like feed back the communication state, and searches for optimal conditions. On the other hand, in the propagation path information model, the load state is determined based on propagation path information between the radio base station and the radio wave propagation control device, making it possible to perform optimal radio wave propagation control. Either type is applicable to this embodiment.

[0054] In addition, there are various types of relay methods, such as reflection, transmission, diffraction, and aggregation. In this embodiment, as an example, reflective and transmissive configurations will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these (for the diffraction and aggregation types, see Non-Patent Document 1, etc.).

[0055] (4.2) Reflective type An example of a system configuration of a reflective radio relay device 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between a transmitting antenna (Tx) of a base station 150A or the like, a relay antenna (Sx) of a transparent radio relay device 300, and a receiving antenna (Rx) of a UE 200 or the like. As shown in Fig. 5, in this embodiment, MIMO is used as an example, and there are multiple propagation paths between Tx and Sx and multiple propagation paths between Sx and Rx, and the radio relay device 300 relays radio waves by controlling a variable unit 303 such as a variable phase shifter of an antenna 301.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 5, in the case of the reflective type, the array-like relay antennas 301 are arranged facing the same direction. This makes it possible to estimate the propagation path of the relay antennas 301 based on the reception state observed when the phase condition of the relay antennas 301 is changed in multiple ways.

[0057] (4.3) Transparent type An example of the system configuration of the transparent wireless relay device 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between a transmitting antenna (Tx) of the base station 150A or the like, a relay antenna (Sx) of the transparent wireless relay device 300, and a receiving antenna (Rx) of the UE 200 or the like. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, MIMO is used as an example, and there are multiple propagation paths between Tx and Sx and multiple propagation paths between Sx and Rx. As shown in the figure, the wireless relay device 300 relays radio waves arriving from one side to the other side via a variable unit 303 such as a variable phase shifter of the relay antenna 301. Thus, in the case of the transparent type, the reference antenna 301A and the relay antenna 301 are arranged in pairs facing in opposite directions so that radio waves arriving from one side can be relayed to the other side. Whether the type is the transparent type or the reflective type, the power arriving at the relay antenna 301 may be detected by a power detector or the like to measure the reception state. In addition, the propagation path of the relay antenna 301 can be estimated based on the received signal observed when the phase condition of the relay antenna 301 is changed in a number of ways.

[0058] (5) Example of RIS operation Next, the following three cases will be described as examples of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS. Case A: Control information is exchanged between the base station and the RIS, and the operation of the RIS is determined based on the control information. Case B: Control information is exchanged between the mobile station and the RIS, and the RIS operation is determined based on the control information. Case C: The RIS autonomously decides the operation without exchanging control information with the base station and mobile station.

[0059] In each case, at least one of the following operations may be performed. Note that in this embodiment, discovery will be particularly described in detail. discovery Synchronization / connection with base station Synchronization / connection with mobile station Synchronization / connection between base station and mobile station Beam selection based on information from the base station Beam selection based on information from mobile station Feedback specifications for Meta Structure control Signaling mechanism for RIS beam control Beam selection by RIS Beam switching when multiple mobile stations are present Coordination by multiple RISs Communication quality report to base station / mobile station

[0060] (5.1) Case A Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case A. As shown in Fig. 10, in Case A, the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS controls the relay state based on control information received from the base station 100. Note that the wireless relay device 300 may perform the following operations as an initial connection procedure with the wireless base station 100.

[0061] ·discovery The RIS may discover base stations with which it can synchronize / connect. The RIS may be discovered by base stations with which it can synchronize / connect.

[0062] Synchronization / Connection: RIS performs operations related to synchronization / connection with the base station. For example, the RIS synchronizes based on the SSB transmitted from the base station and sends a connection request to the base station.

[0063] Initial connection between base station and mobile station: Receives and transmits signals related to the initial connection sent from the base station and mobile station (beam control in RIS) For example, the RIS directs the beam according to each SSB index.

[0064] Furthermore, the radio relay device 300 may perform the following operations when performing beam control (beam control based on control information from the base station) in communication after a connection between a base station and a mobile station is established. Note that the beam control may be performed UE-specific.

[0065] RIS receives and decodes control information from the base station For example, the RIS may receive and decode CSI information and location information of the mobile station and base station from the base station to perform beam control. RIS controls the beam based on the control information received and decoded from the base station For example, beam switching when multiple mobile stations are present. -RIS reports communication information to the base station For example, the RIS reports the communication quality on the RIS side to the base station.

[0066] (5.2) Case B Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case B. As shown in Fig. 11, in Case B, the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS controls a relay state based on control information received from the UE 200. Note that the wireless relay device 300 may perform the following operation as an initial connection procedure with the UE 200.

[0067] ·discovery The RIS may discover mobile stations that are available for synchronization / connection. The mobile station may discover a RIS with which it can synchronize / connect.

[0068] Synchronization / Connection: At least one of the RIS and the mobile station performs operations related to synchronization / connection. For example, the RIS synchronizes based on the S-SSB transmitted from the mobile station and transmits a connection request to the mobile station.

[0069] Initial connection between base station and mobile station: Receives and transmits signals related to the initial connection sent from the base station and mobile station (beam control in RIS) For example, the RIS directs the beam according to each SSB index.

[0070] Furthermore, the radio relay device 300 may perform the following operations in beam control (beam control based on control information from the mobile station) in communication after a connection between the base station and the mobile station is established. Note that the beam control may be performed UE-specific. RIS receives and decodes control information from the mobile station For example, the RIS may receive and decode CSI information and / or location information of the mobile station and base station from the mobile station to perform beam control. RIS controls the beam based on the control information received and decoded from the mobile station. For example, beam switching when multiple mobile stations are present. -RIS reports communication information to the mobile station For example, the RIS reports the communication quality on the RIS side to the mobile station.

[0071] (5.3) Case C Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the wireless relay device 300 in Case C. As shown in Fig. 12, in Case C, the wireless relay device 300 such as a RIS autonomously controls the relay state based on the reception state. Note that the wireless relay device 300 may perform the following operation as an initial connection procedure with the wireless base station 100 or the UE 200. · Discovery: The RIS may discover base stations and / or mobile stations with which it can synchronize. · Synchronization: The RIS performs operations related to synchronization with the base station and / or mobile stations. For example, the RIS performs synchronization based on SSBs transmitted from the base station. Initial connection between base station and mobile station: Receives and transmits signals related to the initial connection sent from the base station and mobile station (beam control in RIS) For example, the RIS directs the beam according to each SSB index.

[0072] Furthermore, the radio relay device 300 may perform the following operations in beam control (the RIS autonomously controls the beam) in communication after the connection between the base station and the mobile station is established. Note that the beam control may be performed UE-specific. The RIS controls the beam based on information about the signals received and transmitted from the base station and mobile station. That is, the RIS may be configured to perform beam control without receiving and decoding control information. For example, the RIS may perform beam control based on the quality of a signal received by the RIS.

[0073] (6) Transmission and reception of signals related to detection or identification 13 to 16, an example of an operation of the wireless relay device 300 to transmit or receive a signal related to detection or identification between the wireless relay device 300 and the wireless base station 100 or the terminal 200. Note that, although "detection" and "identification" are described below, they may also be applied to "synchronization" between the wireless relay device 300 and the wireless base station 100 or the terminal 200.

[0074] The operation example shown below is an example, and this embodiment includes cases where the RIS (an example of the wireless relay device 300) only receives, only transmits, and receives and transmits. This embodiment also includes cases where the RIS detects / identifies the base station or terminal, where the base station or terminal detects / identifies the RIS, and both. This embodiment including the following example enables the BS / UE to recognize the existence of the RIS and recognize it as one of the candidates for the communication path between the base station and the terminal. The RIS also recognizes the existence of the BS / UE and knows the target to receive the function of the RIS (i.e., a signal) and transmit (relay such as reflection). In the following, the wireless relay device will be described as a RIS, but it goes without saying that this is not limited to this and can be applied to other wireless relay devices.

[0075] (6.1) Example of signal transmission and reception between base station and RIS An example of signal transmission and reception between a wireless base station and a RIS will be described. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between a wireless relay device 300 and a base station 100 that transmits and receives signals. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a transmission and reception flow between the wireless relay device 300 and the wireless base station 100. Note that it is not intended that all of the flows in Fig. 14 be performed, and only some of the flows may be executed.

[0076] (6.1.1) Discovery of BS by RIS 14, the base station 100 transmits a signal such as SSB, and the RIS 300 receives the signal (step SA-1). Here, the following options may be adopted. 1-1: The RIS may detect / identify a base station based on the signal transmitted by the base station. 1-1a: The signal may be a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB) and / or system information (e.g., SIB). The sequences / resources / parameters / information of the synchronization signal (e.g., SSB) and / or system information (e.g., SIB) may be the same as or different from the signals that the terminal receives to connect to the base station. A SIB for RIS may be defined. The sequences / resources / parameters may be predefined or preconfigured in the RIS.

[0077] 1-1b: The signal may be a signal specified for a RIS. The sequences / resources / parameters may be predefined or preconfigured in the RIS.

[0078] 1-1c: PLMN information may be received in conjunction with base station detection / identification. It may be determined that the base station has been successfully detected / identified only if the received PLMN information is predetermined information. The predetermined information may be preset in the RIS.

[0079] 1-1d: If the received power of the received signal exceeds a predetermined value, it may be determined that the base station has been successfully detected / identified. The predetermined value may be preset in the RIS, or may be included in a signal received from the base station.

[0080] 1-1e: If multiple signals are received, it may be determined that the base station associated with the received signal with the greater reception power has been successfully detected / identified. The multiple signals may be multiple signals (eg, SSB) transmitted by the same base station, or may be signals transmitted by different base stations.

[0081] 1-1e': If multiple signals are received, it may be determined that the base station associated with the signal whose received power exceeds a predetermined value has been successfully detected / identified. If the received power of multiple signals exceeds a predetermined value, it may be determined that the base station associated with each signal has been successfully detected / identified. 1-f: If the signal received from the base station contains information related to RIS detection (e.g., information expecting / allowing a response from the RIS), it may be determined that the base station has been successfully detected / identified. Only in this case, the operations described below are applied. If the information does not contain the information, the operations described below may not be applied.

[0082] 1-2: After detecting / identifying a base station, the RIS does not have to make a specific response to the base station. Example: Only base station detection by RIS is performed, and base station does not perform RIS detection 1-2a: RACH transmission (PRACH transmission) for the received SSB does not need to be performed.

[0083] (6.1.2.) Discovery of BS by RIS / Discovery of RIS by BS 14, the RIS 300 that receives a signal from the base station 100 transmits the signal to the base station 100 (step SA-2). Here, the following options may be adopted.

[0084] 1-3: The RIS may transmit to the base station a signal corresponding to the signal received from the base station. For example, it may be a synchronization signal (eg, SSB) and / or a signal corresponding to system information (eg, SIB) (eg, PRACH). The resources of the signal transmitted by the RIS may be determined based on the signal reception. When transmitting a PRACH after receiving an SSB, the sequence / resource / parameter of the PRACH may be the same as or different from the signal transmitted by the terminal to connect to the base station. For example, by such signal transmissions the presence and location of the RIS may be determined by the base station. The signal transmission by the RIS may be performed at a predetermined interval.

[0085] 1-4: After transmission by 1-3, the RIS 300 may receive a corresponding signal from the base station (step SA-3). The signal may be a random access response (RAR). It may be determined that detection / identification of the base station is complete based on reception of this signal, rather than reception of the 1-1 signal. If the corresponding signal is not successfully received within a predetermined time period (eg, RAR window) after transmission by 1-3, 1-3 may be performed again. The sequence / resources / parameters of the signal transmitted again in 1-3 may be the same as the previous one, or may be different (e.g., power ramping).

[0086] 1-5: The RIS may perform an initial access operation based on the SSB transmitted from the base station. It may transmit PRACH based on SSB reception, and transmit a corresponding signal (e.g., Msg3) after receiving RAR from the base station. The sequence / resources / parameters of the PRACH / Msg3 may be the same as or different from the signal that the terminal transmits to connect to the base station. The Msg3 transmission may indicate successful detection / identification of the RIS.

[0087] 1-6: The RIS may transmit a predetermined signal independent of the signal transmitted from the base station. It may be transmitted based on a GNSS signal. The sequence / resources / parameters of the signal may be predefined or may be preconfigured in the RIS. The signal transmission by the RIS may be performed at a predetermined period. In addition, the above may be applied by replacing the base station and the RIS.

[0088] (6.2) Example of signal transmission and reception between terminal and RIS An example of signal transmission and reception between a terminal and a RIS will be described. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between a wireless relay device 300 and a UE 200 that transmits and receives signals. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing a transmission and reception flow between the wireless relay device 300 and the UE 200. Note that it is not intended that all of the flows in Fig. 16 be performed, and only some of the flows may be executed. Note that, as application conditions, the contents from 2-0 onwards may be limited to any of the following cases.

[0089] The RIS may be confined after detecting / identifying the base station. The RIS may be limited to a time after it is detected / identified by the base station (e.g., after transmitting a predetermined signal). May be limited to after RIS and base station are synchronized / connected The RIS may be limited to receiving and transmitting a predetermined signal (e.g., SSB) transmitted from the base station. The UE may be restricted after connecting with the base station

[0090] (6.2.1) Discovery of BS by RIS 16, the UE 200 transmits a signal, and the RIS 300 receives the signal (step SB-1). Here, the following options may be adopted.

[0091] 2-1: The RIS may detect / identify the UE based on the signal transmitted from the UE. 2-1a: The signal may be a PRACH. The sequence / resource / parameters may be the same as or different from the sequence / resource / parameters of the signal that the terminal transmits to connect to the base station. 2-1b: The signal may be an SRS. A usage may be defined for the RIS, and the usage may be associated with the SRS. 2-1c: The signal may be a synchronization signal (e.g., S-SSB). 2-1d: The signal may be a signal specified for the RIS. 2-1e: The UE may perform the transmission based on the received signal. Example: PRACH may be transmitted based on received SSB. Example: It may be a signal received from a RIS. 2-1f: The signal sequence / resources / parameters may be defined, may be pre-configured, may be configured / specified in the base station, or may be determined based on the received signal. This may be set / specified in any of SSB, SIB, signaling related to RRC connection, MAC CE, and DCI (e.g., group common PDCCH).

[0092] 2-1g: The signal may include information related to the identification of the NW / UE. It may be the identity of the UE: e.g. C-RNTI, UE-ID It may be information related to the connecting PLMN / base station. It may be determined that the UE has been successfully detected / identified only if the received information relating to the identification of the NW / UE is predetermined information. The predetermined information may be pre-configured in the RIS, may be configured from the base station, or may be associated with the base station to which it is detected / identified / synchronized / connected.

[0093] 2-1h: If the received power of the received signal exceeds a predetermined value, it may be determined that the UE has been successfully detected / identified. The predetermined value may be preset in the RIS, may be set by the base station, or may be included in a signal received from the UE.

[0094] 2-1i: After detecting / identifying the UE, the RIS may transmit information related to the UE to a predetermined base station. It may be the identity of the UE: e.g. C-RNTI, UE-ID The information may be related to the UE's position / direction / beam (QCL / TCI-state) / precoder / detection resource. A given base station may be a base station that the RIS detects / identifies / synchronizes / connects to.

[0095] 2-2: After detecting / identifying a UE, the RIS does not have to make a specific response to the UE. Example: Only UE detection by RIS, no RIS detection by UE 2-2a: There is no need to respond to the received PRACH / SRS / S-SSB.

[0096] (6.2.2) UE Discovery by RIS 2-3: The RIS may transmit to the UE a signal corresponding to the signal received from the UE (step SB-2). The resources of the signal transmitted by the RIS may be determined based on the signal reception. If the UE does not successfully receive the corresponding signal within a predetermined time period (e.g., RAR window) after transmission by 2-1, the UE may perform 2-1 again. The sequence / resources / parameters of the signal transmitted again at 2-1 may be the same as the previous one, or may be different (e.g., power ramping).

[0097] 2-4: After the transmission by 2-3, a corresponding signal may be received from the UE (step SB-3). It may be determined that detection / identification of the UE is complete based on reception of this signal, rather than reception of the signal 2-1.

[0098] (6.2.3) RIS Discovery by UE In the above 2-1 to 2-4, RIS and UE may be interchanged.

[0099] (6.3) Signals related to UE The RIS may receive information related to the UE from the base station. The information may be information about the PLMN to which the UE is connected, or may be information related to the frequency to be used (e.g. band, carrier, serving cell). The information may be the identity of the UE: e.g. C-RNTI, UE-ID The information may be information related to the UE's position / direction / beam (QCL / TCI-state) / precoder.

[0100] (6.4) Signals related to RIS The UE may receive information related to the RIS from the base station. In the above (6.3), the RIS and the UE can be interchangeably applied.

[0101] (7) Actions and Effects According to the above-described embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained: That is, the wireless relay device (RIS300) includes a control unit (control unit 330) that controls a relay state when relaying radio waves from a wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or a terminal (UE200) without interpreting the signal, and a transceiver unit (transceiver unit 350) that transmits or receives a signal related to detection or identification between the wireless base station (wireless base station 100, 150) or the terminal (UE200).

[0102] As a result, the wireless relay device 300 can accurately discover each other by transmitting and receiving signals between the base station 100, the UE 200, etc., which allow them to detect or identify each other, and can appropriately relay using a reflector (RIS) or the like.

[0103] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 350 of the wireless relay device 300 receives a signal for discovering the wireless base station 100 or the terminal 200, or transmits a signal for discovering the wireless relay device.

[0104] This allows signals that enable accurate mutual discovery to be used, leading to accurate relay operation.

[0105] In this embodiment, the transmitting / receiving unit 350 of the wireless relay device 200 receives information related to the terminal from the wireless base station.

[0106] This allows the wireless relay device 300 to indirectly receive signals for detecting, identifying, etc. the terminal 200 via the wireless base station 100, and to appropriately relay wireless signals to and from the terminal using a reflector (RIS) or the like.

[0107] In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the terminal 200 receives information relating to the wireless relay device 300 from the wireless base station 100.

[0108] This allows the terminal 200 to indirectly receive a signal for detecting and identifying the wireless relay device 200 via the wireless base station 100 .

[0109] In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 330 of the wireless relay device 300 controls at least one of the reflection, transmission, concentration, diffraction, and change in signal power of radio waves from a wireless base station or a terminal, and the reception or transmission beam.

[0110] This allows the wireless relay device 300 to switch to an appropriate relay state according to the control information and the reception state.

[0111] In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 330 of the wireless relay device 300 performs at least one of discovery, synchronization, and connection of a wireless base station or a terminal, initial connection between a wireless base station and a terminal, communication after connection establishment, and beam control.

[0112] This allows the wireless relay device 300 to perform various operations related to communication in addition to simply reflecting radio waves.

[0113] (9) Other embodiments The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0114] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the communication target of the wireless relay device is described as a "base station" or a "terminal", but the communication target is not limited to this and may be any communication device. Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the direction from the wireless base station to the terminal (downstream direction) is mainly described, but as described appropriately in the above-mentioned embodiment, the wireless signal in the direction from the terminal to the wireless base station (upstream direction) may also be controlled.

[0115] Moreover, the block diagram (FIG. 3) used in the description of the above-mentioned embodiment shows functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically combined, or may be realized by using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, by using wires, wirelessly, etc.). The functional block may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

[0116] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the function of transmission is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As described above, there is no particular limitation on the method of realization of any of these.

[0117] Furthermore, the above-mentioned UE 200 and the radio relay device 300 may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the base station 100, the UE 200, and the radio relay device 300. As shown in Fig. 17, the base station 100, the UE 200, and the radio relay device 300 may be configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, and a bus 1007.

[0118] In the following description, the term "apparatus" may be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the apparatus may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0119] Each functional block of the wireless relay device 300 (see FIG. 3) is realized by any hardware element of the computer device, or a combination of the hardware elements.

[0120] In addition, each function or some of the functions of the wireless relay device 300 may be realized by loading a specified software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication by the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing of data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0121] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system, and may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, a register, and the like.

[0122] Furthermore, the processor 1001 reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002, and executes various processes according to these. As the programs, programs that cause a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above-mentioned embodiments are used. Furthermore, the above-mentioned various processes may be executed by one processor 1001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0123] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be configured by at least one of, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store a program (program code), a software module, etc., capable of executing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a Compact Disc ROM (CD-ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, and the like. Storage 1003 may be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned recording medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other suitable medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0125] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for performing communication between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module.

[0126] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, and the like to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

[0127] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0128] In addition, each device such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002 is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0129] Furthermore, the device may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0130] Furthermore, the notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure, and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), other signals, or a combination of these. Furthermore, the RRC signaling may be called an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0131] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be applied to at least one of a system using Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), Beyond 5G, 6G, Future Radio Access (FRA), New Radio (NR), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G, etc.) may be applied.

[0132] The order of the steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0133] In the present disclosure, a specific operation performed by a base station may be performed by its upper node in some cases. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is clear that various operations performed for communication with a terminal may be performed by at least one of the base station and other network nodes other than the base station (e.g., MME or S-GW, etc., but are not limited to these). Although the above example illustrates a case in which there is one other network node other than the base station, it may also be a combination of multiple other network nodes (e.g., MME and S-GW).

[0134] Information, signals (information, etc.) may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer), and may be input and output via multiple network nodes.

[0135] The input / output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input / output information may be overwritten, updated, or appended. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0136] The determination may be based on a value represented by a single bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0137] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched according to execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

[0138] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0139] Additionally, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired and / or wireless technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0140] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0141] In addition, the terms described in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Also, a signal may be a message. Also, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0142] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0143] In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be represented using absolute values, may be represented using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be represented using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0144] The names used for the above-mentioned parameters are not limiting in any way. Furthermore, the formulas using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not limiting in any way.

[0145] In this disclosure, terms such as "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", "NodeB", "eNodeB (eNB)", "gNodeB (gNB)", "access point", "transmission point", "reception point", "transmission / reception point", "cell", "sector", "cell group", "carrier", "component carrier", etc. may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as a macro cell, a small cell, a femto cell, a pico cell, etc.

[0146] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the entire coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can also be provided with communication services by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

[0147] The term "cell" or "sector" refers to part or all of the coverage area of ​​a base station and / or a base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage.

[0148] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0149] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0150] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be called a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. At least one of the base station and the mobile station may be a device mounted on a moving body, the moving body itself, etc. The moving body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned moving body (e.g., a drone, an autonomous vehicle, etc.), or a robot (manned or unmanned). At least one of the base station and the mobile station may include a device that does not necessarily move during communication operation. For example, at least one of the base station and the mobile station may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device such as a sensor.

[0151] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a mobile station (user terminal, the same applies below). For example, each aspect / embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a configuration in which communication between a base station and a mobile station is replaced with communication between multiple mobile stations (which may be called, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D) or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)). In this case, the mobile station may be configured to have the functions of a base station. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to communication between terminals (for example, "side"). For example, an uplink channel, a downlink channel, etc. may be read as a side channel.

[0152] Similarly, a mobile station in the present disclosure may be read as a base station. In this case, the base station may be configured to have the functions of a mobile station. A radio frame may be composed of one or more frames in the time domain. Each of the one or more frames in the time domain may be called a subframe. A subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain. A subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0153] Numerology may be a communication parameter that applies to the transmission and / or reception of a signal or channel, and may indicate, for example, at least one of a SubCarrier Spacing (SCS), a bandwidth, a symbol length, a Cyclic Prefix length, a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), a number of symbols per TTI, a radio frame structure, a particular filtering operation that the transceiver performs in the frequency domain, a particular windowing operation that the transceiver performs in the time domain, etc.

[0154] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, etc.) A slot may be a numerology-based unit of time.

[0155] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may be composed of one or more symbols in the time domain. A minislot may also be called a subslot. A minislot may be composed of fewer symbols than a slot. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. A PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using a minislot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0156] A radio frame, a subframe, a slot, a minislot, and a symbol each represent a time unit for transmitting a signal. The radio frame, the subframe, the slot, the minislot, and the symbol may each be referred to by a different name.

[0157] For example, one subframe may be called a transmission time interval (TTI), multiple consecutive subframes may be called a TTI, or one slot or one minislot may be called a TTI. That is, at least one of the subframe and the TTI may be a subframe (1 ms) in the existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (for example, 1-13 symbols), or a period longer than 1 ms. Note that the unit representing the TTI may be called a slot, minislot, etc., instead of a subframe.

[0158] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the minimum time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in an LTE system, a base station performs scheduling to allocate radio resources (such as frequency bandwidth and transmission power that can be used by each user terminal) to each user terminal in TTI units. Note that the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0159] The TTI may be a transmission time unit for a channel-encoded data packet (transport block), a code block, a code word, etc., or may be a processing unit for scheduling, link adaptation, etc. When a TTI is given, the time interval (e.g., the number of symbols) in which a transport block, a code block, a code word, etc. are actually mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0160] In addition, when one slot or one minislot is called TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more minislots) may be the minimum time unit of scheduling. Also, the number of slots (minislots) constituting the minimum time unit of scheduling may be controlled.

[0161] A TTI having a time length of 1 ms may be called a normal TTI (TTI in LTE Rel. 8-12), a normal TTI, a long TTI, a normal subframe, a normal subframe, a long subframe, a slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a normal TTI may be called a shortened TTI, a short TTI, a partial or fractional TTI, a shortened subframe, a short subframe, a minislot, a subslot, a slot, etc.

[0162] In addition, a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a time length exceeding 1 ms, and a short TTI (e.g., a shortened TTI, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a TTI length shorter than the TTI length of a long TTI and equal to or greater than 1 ms.

[0163] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and the frequency domain, and may include one or more consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be the same regardless of the numerology, and may be, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may be determined based on the numerology.

[0164] In addition, the time domain of the RB may include one or more symbols and may be one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI in length. Each of one TTI, one subframe, etc. may be composed of one or more resource blocks.

[0165] One or more RBs may be called a physical resource block (PRB), a sub-carrier group (SCG), a resource element group (Reg:), a PRB pair, an RB pair, or the like.

[0166] Furthermore, a resource block may be composed of one or more resource elements (REs). For example, one RE may be a radio resource region of one subcarrier and one symbol.

[0167] A Bandwidth Part (BWP), which may also be referred to as a fractional bandwidth, may represent a subset of contiguous common resource blocks (RBs) for a numerology on a carrier, where the common RBs may be identified by the index of the RBs relative to a common reference point of the carrier. PRBs may be defined in a BWP and numbered within the BWP.

[0168] The BWP may include a BWP for UL (UL BWP) and a BWP for DL ​​(DL BWP). One or more BWPs may be configured for a UE within one carrier.

[0169] At least one of the configured BWPs may be active, and the UE may not expect to transmit or receive a given signal / channel outside the active BWP. Note that the terms "cell", "carrier", etc. in this disclosure may be replaced with "BWP".

[0170] The above-mentioned structures of radio frames, subframes, slots, minislots, symbols, etc. are merely examples. For example, the number of subframes included in a radio frame, the number of slots per subframe or radio frame, the number of minislots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or minislot, the number of subcarriers included in an RB, the number of symbols in a TTI, the symbol length, the cyclic prefix (CP) length, etc. may be changed in various ways.

[0171] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0172] The reference signal may also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS), and may be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0173] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0174] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0175] Any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0176] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, as is the term "comprising." Further, as used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0177] In this disclosure, where articles have been added due to translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0178] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. In addition, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to be a "judgment" or "decision." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to be a "judgment" or "decision." In addition, "judgment" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0179] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0180] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0181] 10. Wireless communication systems 100,150A~150D Wireless base station 200UE 300 Radio repeater 301 Relay Antenna 303 Variable Part 330 Control Unit 350 Transmitter / Receiver C Cell OB Obstacles 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication equipment 1005 Input Device 1006 Output device 1007 Bus

Claims

1. A wireless relay device, a control unit that controls a relay state when relaying radio waves from a wireless base station or a terminal without interpreting the signal; A transceiver unit for transmitting or receiving a signal related to detection or identification between the wireless base station or the terminal; Equipped with the control unit controls the relay state by controlling transmission of radio waves from the wireless base station or the terminal; The transmitting / receiving unit is receiving the signal including location information of the wireless relay device from the wireless base station; transmitting the signal including the location information of the wireless relay device to the terminal; Radio repeater device.

2. The transmitting / receiving unit is 2. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless relay device receives the signal for discovering the wireless base station or the terminal, or transmits the signal for discovering the wireless relay device.

3. The transmitting / receiving unit is 3. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless relay device receives information related to the terminal from the wireless base station.

4. 4. The wireless relay device according to claim 1, wherein it is assumed that the terminal receives information related to the wireless relay device from the wireless base station.

5. A wireless relay method executed by a wireless relay device, comprising: a control step of controlling a relay state when relaying radio waves from a wireless base station or a terminal without interpreting the signal; a transmission / reception step of transmitting or receiving a signal related to detection or identification between the wireless base station or the terminal; Including, the control step includes a step of controlling the relay state by controlling transmission of radio waves from the wireless base station or the terminal; The transmitting / receiving step includes: receiving the signal including location information of the wireless relay device from the wireless base station; transmitting the signal including location information of the wireless relay device to the terminal; Including, Radio relay method.

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