Wireless communication node and wireless communication method

Abstract

A wireless communication node according to the present invention sets identification information for the wireless communication node, and transmits and receives wireless signals on the basis of the identification information. The wireless communication node sets, according to the function or type of the wireless communication node, identification information determined on the basis of different rules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication node and a wireless communication method corresponding to a flexible network and a mesh network.

Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is standardizing the 5th generation mobile communication system (also called 5G, New Radio (NR) or Next Generation (NG)), and is also promoting the standardization of the next generation called Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution or 6G.

[0003] For 6G, various use cases such as higher required performance, ultra-coverage extension / ultra-long-distance communication, ultra-large capacity, ultra-reliable communication, virtual cell (User centric no cell), flexible network, and mesh network / sidelink are assumed (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] Regarding the initial access of a wireless communication node (which may include a terminal (User Equipment, UE), a wireless base station (such as a gNB, which may have another name), and a communication device constituting Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)), a design considering such 6G characteristics is inevitable.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] In flexible networks and mesh networks, for example, flexible network function placement is assumed in combination with various network topologies.

[0007] For this reason, wireless communication nodes such as terminals need to quickly and reliably set valid identification information with various entities (which may also be read as wireless communication nodes) having different provided functions.

[0008] Therefore, the following disclosure has been made in view of such a situation, and aims to provide a wireless communication node and a wireless communication method capable of quickly and reliably setting valid identification information with various entities having different provided functions.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure includes a control unit (control unit 170) that sets identification information of a wireless communication node, and a transmission / reception unit (wireless signal transmission / reception unit 110) that transmits and receives wireless signals based on the identification information. The control unit is a wireless communication node (NW node 100, UE200) that sets the identification information determined based on different rules according to the function or type of the wireless communication node.

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure includes a step of setting identification information of a wireless communication node, and a step of transmitting and receiving wireless signals based on the identification information. In the setting step, the identification information determined based on different rules is set according to the function or type of the wireless communication node. This is a wireless communication method.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same functions and configurations, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] (1) Overall Schematic Configuration of Wireless Communication System FIG. 1 is an overall schematic configuration diagram of a wireless communication system 10 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication system 10 is a wireless communication system according to a system called Beyond 5G, 5G Evolution or 6G, which is a successor to 5G New Radio (NR).

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 10 may be composed of a plurality of wireless communication nodes. Specifically, the wireless communication system 10 may be composed of a plurality of network nodes 100 (hereinafter referred to as NW nodes 100) and terminals 200 (user equipment 200, hereinafter referred to as UE 200, which may also be called a mobile station). Note that the wireless communication system 10 may include a core network (not shown) connected to an external network or the like, and a part (or all) of the radio access network composed of the core network and / or the wireless communication nodes may be simply expressed as the "network".

[0015] The NW node 100 and the UE 200 are a kind of wireless communication nodes capable of performing wireless communication. Note that both the NW node 100 and the UE 200 are wireless communication nodes and may not be clearly distinguished. That is, the NW node 100 and the UE 200 may function as a network node or a UE (or both) according to the type of communication, the application to be executed, the communication state, the position, and the like.

[0016] In addition to the NW node and the user device, the wireless communication node may be called by another name meaning a device that performs wireless communication (mobile communication) such as a node, a network entity, a network device, a communication device, and the like.

[0017] Further, the functions of such wireless communication nodes may be provided while being mounted on various mobile bodies. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication node may be mounted on an aircraft 40, a drone 50, a vehicle 60, and the like.

[0018] The aircraft 40 is a vehicle that carries people or objects and flies in the air, and may include a balloon, an airship, a glider, an airplane, a helicopter, and the like. The flyable altitude of the aircraft 40 is not particularly limited, but an altitude up to 10,000 m may be assumed.

[0019] The drone 50 flies in the air like the aircraft 40, and in particular, it may be interpreted as an aircraft that flies unmanned by remote control or automatic control. However, the drone 50 does not necessarily have to be unmanned, nor does it have to be remotely controlled or automatically controlled. Also, generally, the flight altitude of the drone 50 may be lower than that of the aircraft 40. The drone 50 may be called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or the like.

[0020] The vehicle 60 may be interpreted as a vehicle that runs on land by power, such as an automobile. The vehicle 60 may include vehicles that run on a track, such as a train. Note that the wireless communication node may be mounted not only on land but also on a ship at sea.

[0021] Also, the wireless communication node may be mounted on a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a high-altitude platform station (HAPS), or the like. Note that HAPS can stay at a fixed location at an altitude of about 20 km and may form a coverage area with a large cell radius (for example, 50 km or more) on land.

[0022] In this way, the wireless communication system 10 can support coverage expansion including a non-terrestrial network.

[0023] Also, the wireless communication node may function as a wireless relay device interposed between other wireless communication nodes. The wireless relay device may be called a relay or a repeater, and may be a component of an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) that integrates wireless access to a terminal (User Equipment, UE) and a wireless backhaul between wireless communication nodes such as a wireless base station (for example, gNB).

[0024] The wireless communication system 10 may support the same frequency band as NR, and may use the same bandwidth (BW) and subcarrier spacing (SCS). Furthermore, the wireless communication system 10 may support even higher frequency bands. Specifically, the wireless communication system 10 may support high frequency bands such as millimeter waves above 10 GHz. Also, a bandwidth of about several hundred MHz may be applied.

[0025] Also, the wireless communication system 10 may support functions related to eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications), and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication) in the same way as NR. Also, in the same way as NR, Cyclic Prefix-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM) / Discrete Fourier Transform - Spread (DFT-S-OFDM) with a larger Sub-Carrier Spacing (SCS) may be applied.

[0026] Furthermore, in order to achieve ultra-high speed and large-capacity communication, an FTN (Faster-than-Nyquist) signal that non-orthogonally compresses and transmits a signal using a sampling rate larger than the frequency bandwidth in the time domain may be used.

[0027] Note that the time domain may also be referred to as the time direction, time component, time domain, symbol period, or symbol time. Also, the symbol period may also be referred to as the symbol length, time direction, or time domain. The frequency domain may also be referred to as the frequency direction, frequency component, frequency domain, resource block, resource block group, subcarrier, BWP (Bandwidth part), subchannel, common frequency resource, etc.

[0028] Also, similar to NR, the wireless communication system 10 may also support Massive MIMO (mMIMO) that generates a more directive beam by controlling wireless signals transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements, carrier aggregation (CA) that bundles and uses a plurality of component carriers (CCs), and dual connectivity (DC) that enables simultaneous communication between a UE and each of a plurality of wireless communication nodes.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, in the wireless communication system 10, a mesh-type network (mesh network) may be formed in which each wireless communication node is simultaneously connected to a plurality of wireless communication nodes and can form various connection paths (communication paths).

[0030] Also, as described above, the functions (which may also be roles) and types provided by each wireless communication node may be flexibly changed according to the situation and the like, and a flexible network function arrangement may be realized in combination with various network topologies. Such a network may be referred to as a flexible network.

[0031] For example, in the radio access technology (RAT) adopted in the wireless communication system 10, it may be possible to enhance the distributed network in the spatial domain, that is, to communicate at a distance as close as possible and in a line-of-sight environment (a path with less loss), and to create as many communication paths as possible to increase the room for path selection (increase redundancy).

[0032] To realize such a flexible network or mesh network, distributed antenna deployment that dispersedly deploys a large number of antenna devices, the arrangement of a reflector (RIS: Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface) for the purpose of improving wireless performance, cooperative transmission and reception technology between terminals (wireless communication nodes), etc. may be applied.

[0033] (2) Functional Block Configuration of Wireless Communication System Next, the functional block configuration of the wireless communication system 10 will be described. Specifically, the functional block configuration of the NW node 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block configuration diagram of the NW node 100 and the UE 200.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the NW node 100 includes a wireless signal transceiver 110, an amplifier unit 120, a modulation / demodulation unit 130, a control signal / reference signal processing unit 140, an encoding / decoding unit 150, a data transceiver 160, and a control unit 170.

[0035] Note that in FIG. 2, only the main functional blocks related to the description of the embodiment are shown, and it should be noted that the NW node 100 (UE 200) has other functional blocks (for example, a power supply unit, etc.). Also, FIG. 3 shows the functional block configuration of the NW node 100. For the hardware configuration, refer to FIG. 6.

[0036] The wireless signal transceiver 110 transmits and receives wireless signals according to the 6G RAT. In this embodiment, the wireless signal transceiver 110 may constitute a transceiver that transmits and receives wireless signals. The wireless signal transceiver 110 may transmit a wireless signal based on the identification information of the wireless communication node (own node).

[0037] Specifically, the wireless signal transceiver 110 may transmit and receive wireless signals using an identifier (which may also be called an ID, etc.) that can uniquely identify the wireless communication node.

[0038] The identification information may be set with a plurality of different identifiers according to functions, roles, or types provided by the wireless communication node, and a plurality of different identifiers may be assigned to one physical (or logical) wireless communication node.

[0039] The wireless signal transceiver unit 110 may support Massive MIMO that generates a more directional beam by controlling the wireless (RF) signals transmitted from a plurality of antenna elements, carrier aggregation (CA) that bundles and uses a plurality of component carriers (CCs), and dual connectivity (DC) that enables simultaneous communication between two NW nodes 100 (or UE200).

[0040] The amplifier unit 120 is composed of a PA (Power Amplifier) / LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), etc. The amplifier unit 120 amplifies the signal output from the modulation / demodulation unit 130 to a predetermined power level. Also, the amplifier unit 120 amplifies the RF signal output from the wireless signal transceiver unit 110.

[0041] The modulation / demodulation unit 130 performs data modulation / demodulation, transmission power setting, resource block allocation, etc. for each specific communication destination (UE200).

[0042] The control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 performs processing related to various control signals transmitted and received by the NW node 100. Specifically, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 receives various control signals transmitted from the UE200 via the control channel, for example, control signals of the radio resource control layer (RRC). The control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 can receive notification signals from the network, for example, system information (SIB: System Information Block).

[0043] Also, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 transmits various control signals to the UE200 via the control channel.

[0044] The control signals may include downlink control information (DCI) and uplink control information (UCI).

[0045] DCI may be interpreted as control information transmitted on the downlink (DL) that includes at least either the scheduling information necessary for each UE200 (or NW node 100) to demodulate data, or information on data modulation and channel coding rate.

[0046] UCI may be interpreted as control information transmitted on the uplink (UL) that includes at least either the ACK / NACK of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), the scheduling request (SR) from UE200 (or NW node 100), or Channel State Information (CSI).

[0047] Furthermore, the control signal and reference signal processing unit 140 can perform processing using reference signals (RS) such as Demodulation Reference Signal and Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS).

[0048] DMRS is a reference signal (pilot signal) known between the base station and the terminal for each terminal to estimate the fading channel used for data demodulation. PTRS is a reference signal for each terminal for the purpose of estimating phase noise, which is an issue in high frequency bands.

[0049] Note that in addition to DMRS and PTRS, the reference signal may include Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) for location information.

[0050] The channels include a control channel and a data channel. The control channel includes a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel), a PRACH (Physical Random Access Channel), a PBCH (Physical Broadcast Channel), and the like.

[0051] The data channel includes a PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel), a PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel), and the like. The signal may include a channel and a reference signal.

[0052] Note that the names of the reference signal and the channel are named according to NR, but they may be called by other names with the same meaning, and the names of the layers described later may also be called by other names with the same meaning.

[0053] In addition, the control signal may include a synchronization signal used for establishing synchronization between radio communication nodes. The control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 can transmit and receive the synchronization signal. In the present embodiment, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 may constitute a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives the synchronization signal.

[0054] Note that establishing synchronization may mean becoming a state where communication can be executed with a radio communication node at the connection destination (communication destination) via a specific control channel or data channel. In other words, it may be interpreted as a state where control data or user data can be transmitted or received in a specific time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0055] Note that in the radio communication system 10, synchronization signals of different configurations (which may be types) may be used according to the functions, roles, operating states, positions, usage environments, etc. of the radio communication nodes. That is, a plurality of types of synchronization signals may be used. Alternatively, the synchronization signals may be the same regardless of the functions of the radio communication nodes.

[0056] Further, the control signal / reference signal processing unit 140 may receive, from a radio communication node equivalent to a radio base station (gNB), information necessary to establish synchronization with the radio communication node or another radio communication node. The information may include, for example, the time and / or frequency domain to which a synchronization signal is allocated, a signal sequence (such as the number of bits), a modulation method, an encoding rule, and the like.

[0057] The encoding / decoding unit 150 performs data splitting / concatenation and channel coding / decoding for each specific communication destination (UE200).

[0058] Specifically, the encoding / decoding unit 150 splits the data output from the data transmission / reception unit 160 into a predetermined size and performs channel coding on the split data. Further, the encoding / decoding unit 150 decodes the data output from the modulation / demodulation unit 130 and concatenates the decoded data.

[0059] The data transmission / reception unit 160 performs the transmission and reception of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and Service Data Unit (SDU). Specifically, the data transmission / reception unit 160 performs operations such as the assembly / disassembly of PDU / SDU in a plurality of layers (such as the Medium Access Control layer (MAC), the Radio Link Control layer (RLC), and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer (PDCP)).

[0060] The control unit 170 controls each functional block constituting the NW node 100. In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 170 performs settings related to the identification information of the NW node 100 (and other radio communication nodes) when connected to a flexible network and / or a mesh network.

[0061] Specifically, the control unit 170 can set the identification information of the NW node 100 (which may include other wireless communication nodes). The identification information only needs to be able to uniquely identify the NW node 100 within the wireless communication system 10, and all wireless communication nodes (which may include the UE 200) may have identification information (appropriately read as an identifier or ID, etc.) determined according to the same rule.

[0062] Alternatively, different rules may be applied according to the role, function, or type of the wireless communication node, etc., and different identification information may be determined according to the rules. Also, a plurality of identification information may be assigned to the wireless communication node according to its role, function, type, etc. Thus, the control unit 170 may set the identification information determined based on different rules according to the function or type of the wireless communication node, etc.

[0063] In addition, the control unit 170 may determine (assign) the identification information according to a preset rule, or may set the identification information based on an instruction received from another wireless communication node (or the network may also be used) at the time of communication establishment.

[0064] The time of communication establishment may be interpreted, for example, as within a predetermined time before, during, or after the NW node 100 sets a wireless link (which may also be called a communication link) with another wireless communication node. Alternatively, it may be interpreted as the time of initial access when attempting to connect to another wireless communication node.

[0065] Further, the control unit 170 may set identification information based on a synchronization signal or a notification signal received by the control signal / reference signal processing unit 140. Note that the synchronization signal is not particularly limited as long as it is a signal used for establishing synchronization between wireless communication nodes as described above. For example, it may be a signal such as an NR synchronization signal block (SSB: SS (Synchronization Signal) / PBCH (Physical Broadcast CHannel) Block). Also, the notification signal may be a signal such as system information (SIB) that is broadcast (or multicast) to a plurality of wireless communication nodes as described above (however, unicast is also acceptable).

[0066] Also, the function related to the synchronization of the NW node 100 described above may also be provided in the UE 200.

[0067] (3) Operation of the wireless communication system Next, the operation of the wireless communication system 10 will be described. Specifically, an operation example related to the setting of identification information for wireless communication nodes in the wireless communication system 10 will be described.

[0068] (3.1) Operation overview Hereinafter, in a flexible network or a mesh network, etc., an operation example related to the setting (assignment) of identification information (hereinafter, also referred to as NW identifier or simply identifier) when one terminal (UE 200) is connected to a plurality of wireless communication nodes with different functions (hereinafter, appropriately abbreviated as nodes) will be described.

[0069] Specifically, the following operation example will be described.

[0070] ·(Operation example 1): Setting of identifier based on a predetermined rule The identifier may be set based on any of the following rules.

[0071] ·(Option 1): All nodes (e.g., radio base stations, terminals (mobile stations), etc.) have identifiers determined by the same rule ·(Option 2): Have identifiers determined by different rules according to the role, type, etc. of the nodes Figure 3 shows an example of assigning identifiers to radio communication nodes in a mesh network. As shown in Figure 3, multiple different identifiers (such as IDa, IDb, etc.) may be assigned to each node according to the role or type, etc. For example, IDa may be assigned based on Node 2 being a specific type of node, and IDb may be assigned based on Node 2 being a node with a specific role. In this way, multiple identifiers may be assigned to one physical (or logical) node.

[0072] ·(Operation Example 2): Method of setting identifiers Identifiers may be set based on any of the following methods.

[0073] ·(Option 1): Set identifiers according to pre-defined rules ·(Option 2): The network sets identifiers during communication establishment, etc. ·(Operation Example 3): Method of notifying identifiers Identifiers may be notified based on any of the following methods.

[0074] ·(Option 1): Notify using a synchronization signal ·(Option 2): Notify using an announcement signal ·(Option 3): Notify during the process of establishing a connection with the network in the initial access ·(Option 4): Notify according to the combination of the time and / or frequency resources of the signal used for notification ·(Option 5): Notify by a higher-level node, etc. ·(Option 6): Notify by a higher layer

[0075] (3.2) Operation Example 1 Based on predetermined rules, a network (NW) identifier is set. As for the types of NW identifiers, multiple identifiers may be assumed according to the role of the node.

[0076] Figure 4 shows an example of the NW identifier according to Operation Example 1. As shown in Figure 4, the following three types may be assumed as the types of NW identifiers according to the role of the node.

[0077] · (Node - specific identifier): An identifier set uniquely for each node When setting an identifier for a node, in the case of the identifier of a terminal (mobile station), the identifier may be used for specifying the node (at the initial access of the terminal).

[0078] In the case of the identifier of a radio base station, the identifier may be used for ANR (Automatic Neighbor Relation) or SON (Self Organizing Network) of the network, etc.

[0079] · (Identifier set for a node): An identifier set and assigned to each node It is set according to the installation status and / or connection status of each node and may be used for discriminating nodes, establishing a radio link, control, scheduling, routing of data, etc.

[0080] · (Identifier for each connection between nodes): An identifier set for each connection between nodes, etc. For the connection between nodes, it may be set according to the destination cell of the connection, connection type, order of connection, etc.

[0081] Note that the destination cell may include a primary cell (PCell), a secondary cell (SCell), and a primary - secondary cell (PSCell). Also, the connection type may include, for example, NR Uu, PC5 (V2V: Vehicle to Vehicle), etc.

[0082] A wireless communication node (which may include a terminal) may have any of the above-described identifiers, or may hold and set a plurality of identifiers.

[0083] Also, the identifier may be set based on any of the following rules.

[0084] · (Option 1): All nodes (e.g., radio base stations, terminals (mobile stations), etc.) are set with identifiers determined by the same rule For example, the number of configurable identifiers (X pieces, Y digits) is defined, and each node may have an identifier set within the defined range regardless of its role, type, etc.

[0085] Also, a part of the identifier or a specific group of numbers / characters (e.g., the leading numbers / characters, the leading X digits of numbers / characters) may indicate node identification or unique information (e.g., the role, type, location of the node, synchronization source information (such as satellite positioning system (GNSS synchronization), synchronization by gNB (equivalent node), or no synchronization source)).

[0086] · (Option 2): Identifiers determined by different rules may be set according to the role, type, etc. of the node.

[0087] For example, for radio base stations and terminals, the number of configurable identifiers (X pieces, Y digits) is defined for each, and each node may have an identifier set within the defined range for each.

[0088] As a method for discriminating the configurable identifiers for each role and type of node, examples include setting different numbers of digits of the identifier, or explicitly or implicitly notifying.

[0089] Also, the usage method of each identifier may be clearly separated and defined. For example, each node may have a single or multiple identifiers set according to its role, type, etc. The multiple identifiers may be set for each function of the node, or different identifiers may be set for each connected node.

[0090] (3.3) Operation Example 2 The identifier may be set based on any of the following methods.

[0091] ·(Option 1): The self-node may set an identifier set according to a predetermined rule, or it may be pre-defined.

[0092] For example, individual identifiers may be set for a radio base station and a terminal, and the identifier may be used for identification of a radio communication node, establishment, control, scheduling of a radio link, routing of data, etc.

[0093] ·(Option 2): It may be set by a network or other node at the time of communication establishment or the like.

[0094] In the case of a node corresponding to a terminal (mobile station), an identifier may be set by the destination node (for example, a radio base station, a terminal) during the process of establishing a radio link with the destination or after the establishment of the radio link.

[0095] In the case of a node corresponding to a radio base station (gNB), an identifier may be set for the CU (Central Unit), core network, etc. based on information such as the state and location of the gNB.

[0096] The set identifier may be changed under specific conditions or triggers associated with a change in the destination node, movement of the node, etc. Also, the node may request a change in the identifier, or may be notified of the change from the destination node.

[0097] The method of setting the identifier may vary according to the role, type, destination, etc. of the node. For example, if the self-node is a gNB (corresponding node), Option 1 may be applied, and if it is a terminal (corresponding node), Option 2 may be applied.

[0098] Alternatively, even for nodes of the same type (i.e., with the same identifier), Option 1 and Option 2 may be combined.

[0099] FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the NW identifier according to Operation Example 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the entire NW identifier may be a 10-digit value, where the upper 5 digits are pre-defined unique values and the lower 5 digits may be values set from the network or other nodes.

[0100] Also, the same identifier may be set for multiple nodes (group identifier). For example, for a node, either or both of an individual identifier and a group identifier may be set. For multiple nodes with the same group identifier, an identifier for further specifying the node may be set.

[0101] (3.4) Operation Example 3 The identifier of the local node may be notified by any of the following methods.

[0102] · (Option 1): Notify using a synchronization signal · (Option 2): Notify using an announcement signal · (Option 3): Notify during the connection establishment process with the network in the initial access · (Option 4): Notify according to the combination of the time and / or frequency resources of the signal used for notification For example, for elements of the identifier with less information volume (such as node type), different time and / or frequency resources may be used for each element.

[0103] · (Option 5): Notify by an upper node or the like For example, when all nodes can be directly or indirectly connected to a node corresponding to gNB, gNB may notify the identifier.

[0104] · (Option 6): Notify by an upper layer For example, it may be notified using an IP (Internet Protocol) layer or the like. All or part of the identifier (for example, the value of the lower 5 digits) may be notified.

[0105] If the identifiers overlap, new (additional) information may be requested and notified to identify the node. Different options described above may be applied for each partial value of the identifier. Also, different options may be applied according to the role, type, destination, etc. of the node.

[0106] (4) Operations and effects According to the above-described embodiments, the following operations and effects can be obtained. Specifically, the NW node 100 can set identification information determined based on different rules according to the function or type of the wireless communication node or the like.

[0107] Therefore, in a flexible network and a mesh network, etc., even when a flexible network function arrangement is assumed in combination with various network topologies, the NW node 100 can quickly and surely set effective identification information with various entities having different functions to be provided.

[0108] In this embodiment, the NW node 100 may set the identification information based on an instruction received from another wireless communication node (or a network) at the time of communication establishment. Therefore, appropriate identification information according to the state of the network or wireless communication node to be connected or the like can be quickly set at the start of communication.

[0109] In this embodiment, the NW node 100 may set the identification information based on a synchronization signal or a notification signal received from another wireless communication node. Therefore, appropriate identification information according to the state of the network or wireless communication node to be connected or the like can be set in a timely manner.

[0110] (5) Other embodiments Although the embodiments have been described above, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the description is not limited to the description of the embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0111] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the term "wireless communication node (NW node)" is used. However, as described above, it may be replaced with other similar terms such as "network device".

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, the terms "downlink (DL)" and "uplink (UL)" are used. However, they may be called by other terms. For example, they may be replaced or associated with terms such as "forward link", "reverse link", "access link", "backhaul", etc. Alternatively, terms such as simply "first link", "second link", "first direction", "second direction", etc. may be used.

[0113] Also, in the above description, "configure", "activate", "update", "indicate", "enable", "specify", "select" may be read as each other. Similarly, "link", "associate", "correspond", "map" may be read as each other, and "allocate", "assign", "monitor", "map" may also be read as each other.

[0114] Furthermore, "specific", "dedicated", "UE-specific", "UE-dedicated" may be read as each other. Similarly, "common", "shared", "group-common", "UE-common", "UE-shared" may be read as each other.

[0115] In addition, the block diagram (FIG. 2) used in the description of the above-described embodiment shows blocks of functional units. These functional blocks (constituent parts) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Also, the realization method of each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one physically or logically combined device, or two or more physically or logically separated devices may be directly or indirectly (e.g., using wired, wireless, etc.) connected and realized using these multiple devices. The functional block may be realized by combining software with the above one device or the above multiple devices.

[0116] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, decision, determination, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, solution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, regarded as, notification (broadcasting), notification (notifying), communication (communicating), forwarding, configuration (configuring), reconfiguration (reconfiguring), allocation (allocating, mapping), assignment (assigning), etc. For example, a functional block (constituent part) that functions to transmit is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As described above, the realization method is not particularly limited.

[0117] Furthermore, the above-described NW node 100 and UE 200 (the device) may function as a computer that performs the processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device. As shown in FIG. 6, the device 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, etc.

[0118] In the following description, the term "device" can be read as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the device may be configured to include one or more of each device shown in the figure, or may be configured without including some devices.

[0119] Each functional block of the device (see Figure 2) is realized by any hardware element of the computer device or a combination of the hardware elements.

[0120] Also, each function in the device is realized by loading a predetermined software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, so that the processor 1001 performs calculations and controls communication by the communication device 1004, or controls at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and the storage 1003.

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

[0122] Also, the processor 1001 reads a program (program code), software module, 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 program, a program for causing the computer to execute at least a part of the operations described in the above embodiments is used. Further, the above 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 mounted by one or more chips. Note that the program may be transmitted from a network via a telecommunication line.

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

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

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

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

[0127] The input device 1005 is an input device that receives an external input (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.). The output device 1006 is an output device that performs an external output (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.). Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may have an integrated configuration (for example, a touch panel).

[0128] Also, 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 for 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 each functional block may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware.

[0130] In addition, the notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure, and other methods may be used. For example, the notification of information may be implemented by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI), Uplink Control Information (UCI)), upper layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, notification information (Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or combinations thereof. Also, RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, etc.

[0131] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of systems 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), 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 thereon. Also, multiple systems may be combined (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A and 5G) and applied.

[0132] For each of the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. may be reordered as long as there is no contradiction. For example, for the methods described in the present disclosure, the elements of various steps are presented using an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0133] Specific operations assumed to be performed by a base station in the present disclosure may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. In a network consisting of one or more network nodes having a base station, it is obvious that various operations performed for communication with a terminal can be performed by at least one of the base station and other network nodes other than the base station (for example, but not limited to, an MME or an S-GW, etc.). Although the case where there is one other network node other than the base station is exemplified above, a combination of a plurality of other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW) may also be possible.

[0134] Information, signals (such as information) can be output from an upper layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or an upper layer). They may be input and output via a plurality of network nodes.

[0135] The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, a memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information can be overwritten, updated, or appended. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to other devices.

[0136] The determination may be made based on a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or may be made based on a Boolean value (true or false), or may be made by comparing numerical values (for example, comparing with a predetermined value).

[0137] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched and used during execution. Also, notification of predetermined information (for example, notification of "being X") is not limited to being explicitly performed, and may be performed implicitly (for example, by not performing the notification of the predetermined information).

[0138] Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., whether called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, a hardware description language, or by some other name.

[0139] Also, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, when software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), etc.) and wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of the transmission medium.

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

[0141] In addition, with respect to the terms described in this disclosure and the terms necessary for understanding this disclosure, they 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, the signal may be a message. Further, a component carrier (CC) may be referred to as a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, and the like.

[0142] The terms "system" and "network" used in this disclosure are used interchangeably.

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

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

[0145] In the present 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", and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. A base station may also be referred to by terms such as macro cell, small cell, femto cell, and pico cell.

[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 provide 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 a part or the whole of the coverage area of at least one of a base station that provides communication services in this coverage and a base station subsystem.

[0148] In the present disclosure, terms such as "Mobile Station (MS)", "user terminal", "User Equipment (UE)", and "terminal" 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 term.

[0150] At least one of the base station and the mobile station may also be referred to as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a communication device, etc. Note that 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.), a moving body that moves unmanned (e.g., a drone, a self-driving vehicle, etc.), or a robot (humanoid or unmanned). Note that at least one of the base station and the mobile station also includes 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] Also, the base station in the present disclosure may be read as a mobile station (user terminal, the same hereinafter). For example, for a configuration in which communication between the base station and the mobile station is replaced with communication between a plurality of mobile stations (which may be referred to as, for example, Device-to-Device (D2D), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), etc.), each aspect / embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied. In this case, the functions of the base station may be configured as functions of the mobile station. Also, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" may be read as terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "side"). For example, an uplink channel, a downlink channel, etc. may be read as a side channel (or sidelink).

[0152] Similarly, the mobile station in the present disclosure may be read as a base station. In this case, the functions of the mobile station may be configured as functions of the base station. A wireless 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. The subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain. The subframe may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that does not depend on numerology.

[0153] Numerology may be communication parameters applied to at least one of transmission and reception of a certain signal or channel. Numerology may indicate, for example, at least one of subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, wireless frame configuration, specific filtering processing performed by a transceiver in the frequency domain, specific windowing processing performed by a transceiver in the time domain, etc.

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

[0155] The slot may include a plurality of mini-slots. Each mini-slot may be composed of one or more symbols in the time domain. Also, the mini-slot may be called a sub-slot. The mini-slot may be composed of a smaller number of symbols than the slot. The PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted in a time unit larger than the mini-slot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type A. The PDSCH (or PUSCH) transmitted using the mini-slot may be called PDSCH (or PUSCH) mapping type B.

[0156] The radio frame, sub-frame, slot, mini-slot, and symbol all represent time units for transmitting signals. Different names corresponding to each of them may be used.

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

[0158] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the minimum time unit for scheduling in wireless communication. For example, in the LTE system, the base station performs scheduling to allocate radio resources (such as the frequency bandwidth and transmission power that can be used at 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 such as a channel-encoded data packet (transport block), a code block, or a codeword, or may be a processing unit such as for scheduling or link adaptation. When the TTI is given, the time interval (e.g., the number of symbols) during which a transport block, a code block, a codeword, etc. are actually mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0160] Note that when one slot or one mini-slot is called a TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more mini-slots) may be the minimum time unit for scheduling. Also, the number of slots (mini-slots) constituting the minimum time unit for the 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 TTI (partial or fractional TTI), a shortened subframe, a short subframe, a mini-slot, a sub-slot, a slot, etc.

[0162] Note that a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be read as a TTI having a time length exceeding 1 ms, or a short TTI (e.g., a shortened TTI, etc.) may be read as a TTI having a TTI length less than that of a long TTI and equal to or more 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 a plurality of 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] Also, the time domain of the RB may include one or more symbols, and may be the length of 1 slot, 1 mini-slot, 1 sub-frame, or 1 TTI. 1 TTI, 1 sub-frame, etc. may each be composed of one or more resource blocks.

[0165] Note that one or more RBs may be referred to as Physical RB (PRB), Sub-Carrier Group (SCG), Resource Element Group (REG), PRB pair, RB pair, etc.

[0166] Also, the resource block may be composed of one or more Resource Elements (REs). For example, 1 RE may be a radio resource area of 1 sub-carrier and 1 symbol.

[0167] The Bandwidth Part (BWP) (which may also be called partial bandwidth, etc.) may represent a subset of consecutive common resource blocks (common RBs) for a certain numerology in a certain carrier. Here, the common RB may be specified by the index of the RB based on the common reference point of the carrier. The PRB is defined in a certain BWP and may be 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 set within 1 carrier for the UE.

[0169] At least one of the set BWPs may be active, and the UE may not be assumed to transmit and receive a predetermined signal / channel outside the active BWP. Note that "cell", "carrier", etc. in the present disclosure may be read as "BWP".

[0170] The structures such as the above-mentioned radio frames, sub-frames, slots, mini-slots, and symbols are merely illustrative. For example, the number of sub-frames included in a radio frame, the number of slots per sub-frame or radio frame, the number of mini-slots included in a slot, the number of symbols and RBs included in a slot or mini-slot, the number of sub-carriers included in an RB, and the number of symbols, symbol length, Cyclic Prefix (CP) length, etc. within a TTI can be variously changed.

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

[0172] The reference signal can also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS) and may be called a Pilot according to the applicable standard.

[0173] The description "based on" used in this disclosure does not mean "only based on" unless otherwise specified. In other words, the description "based on" means both "only based on" and "at least based on".

[0174] In the configurations of the above-described respective devices, the "means" may be replaced with "section", "circuit", "device", or the like.

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

[0176] In the present disclosure, when terms such as "include", "including" and their variants are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, like the term "comprising". Further, the term "or" used in the present disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive disjunction.

[0177] In the present disclosure, for example, when articles are added by translation, like a, an, and the in English, the present disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0178] As used herein, the terms "determining" and "determination" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determination" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., searching a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and considering something as having been "determined" or "determined". Further, "determining" and "determination" may include considering something as having been "determined" or "determined" based on receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., transmitting information), inputting, outputting, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Further, "determining" and "determination" may include considering something as having been "determined" or "determined" based on resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. That is, "determining" and "determination" may include considering something as having been "determined" or "determined" by performing some action. Further, "determining (determination)" may be read as "assuming", "expecting", "considering", etc.

[0179] As used herein, the term "A and B are different" may mean that "A and B are different from each other". Note that the term may also mean that "A and B are each different from C". Terms such as "separated" and "coupled" may be interpreted in the same way as "different".

[0180] As described above in detail, it is obvious 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 as modified and changed aspects without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and does not have any limiting meaning for the present disclosure.

Description of Reference Signs

[0181] 10 Wireless communication system 40 Aircraft 50 Drone 60 Vehicle 100 NW Node 110 Wireless signal transceiver 120 Amplifier section 130 Modulation / demodulation section 140 Control signal / reference signal processing section 150 Encoding / decoding section 160 Data transceiver 170 Control section 200 UE 1001 Processor 1002 Memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication device 1005 Input device 1006 Output device 1007 Bus

Claims

Claim 1 a control unit configured to set identification information of a wireless communication node; a transceiver unit configured to transmit and receive a wireless signal based on the identification information; and the identification information includes first identification information set according to the type of the wireless communication node and second identification information set according to the role of the wireless communication node, the wireless communication node. Claim 2 The wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the identification information based on an instruction received from another wireless communication node at the time of communication establishment. Claim 3 The wireless communication node according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the identification information based on a synchronization signal or a notification signal received by the transceiver unit. Claim 4 A wireless communication method performed by a wireless communication node, comprising: setting identification information of the wireless communication node; transmitting and receiving a wireless signal based on the identification information; and the identification information includes first identification information set according to the type of the wireless communication node and second identification information set according to the role of the wireless communication node, the wireless communication method.

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