Wireless communication node

Abstract

This wireless communication node comprises a control unit for determining a downlink transmission timing in the wireless communication node on the basis of a downlink transmission timing in an upper node, and a transmission / reception unit for performing transmission and reception at the determined timing, the control unit determining an uplink transmission timing in the wireless communication node on the basis of a specification method.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication node for setting up wireless access and wireless backhaul. [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has specified Long Term Evolution (LTE), and has also specified LTE-Advanced (hereinafter, LTE-Advanced is collectively referred to as LTE) with the aim of further increasing the speed of LTE. Furthermore, successor systems to LTE, such as 5G New Radio (NR) or Next Generation (NG), are also being specified.

[0003] For example, in the NR radio access network (RAN), Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) is being considered, which integrates wireless access to terminals (User Equipment, UE) and wireless backhaul between wireless communication nodes such as radio base stations (gNB) (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] In the IAB, an IAB node has a Mobile Termination (MT), which is a function for connecting with a Parent node (which may also be called an IAB donor), and a Distributed Unit (DU), which is a function for connecting with a Child node or a UE.

[0005] In 3GPP Release 16, wireless access and wireless backhaul are assumed to be half-duplex and time division multiplexing (TDM), while the application of space division multiplexing (SDM) and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) is being considered for Release 17 and later.

[0006] Non-Patent Document 1 specifies seven cases regarding the alignment of transmission timing between a parent node and an IAB node. For example, the following cases are specified as premises: downlink (DL) transmission timing alignment between an IAB node and an IAB donor (Case #1), DL and uplink (UL) transmission timing alignment within the IAB node (Case #2), DL and UL reception timing alignment within the IAB node (Case #3), adjustment in which the Case #2 transmission timing adjustment is applied to transmission and the Case #3 reception timing adjustment is applied to reception within the IAB node (Case #4), a combination of Case #1 DL transmission timing adjustment and Case #2 UL transmission timing adjustment (Case #6), and a combination of Case #1 DL transmission timing adjustment and Case #3 UL reception timing adjustment (Case #7).

[0007] In Case #1, in order to synchronize the DL transmission timing of the DU of each node, the IAB node calculates the propagation delay (T propagation_0 ) and offset the transmission timing before transmission.

[0008] Here, TA is the value of Timing Advance for determining the transmission timing of the UE as defined in 3GPP Release 15, and T_delta is determined taking into consideration the switching time from reception to transmission at the parent node, etc. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TR 38.874 V16.0.0, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Study on Integrated Access and Backhaul; (Release 16), 3GPP, December 2018 Summary of the Invention

[0010] Incidentally, assuming a case where an IAB node supports two or more of Cases #1 to #7, a mechanism is required to appropriately determine the UL transmission timing (which may also be called MT transmission timing) of the IAB node.

[0011] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication node that can appropriately determine MT transmission timing in Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) when one or more adjustment methods are supported by the IAB node as a mechanism for defining the MT transmission timing of the IAB node.

[0012] One aspect of the disclosure is a wireless communication node comprising: a control unit that determines a downlink transmission timing in the wireless communication node based on a downlink transmission timing in an upper node; and a transceiver unit that transmits and receives at the determined timing, wherein the control unit determines an uplink transmission timing in the wireless communication node based on a specific method.

[0013] One aspect of the disclosure is a wireless communication method comprising the steps of: determining a downlink transmission timing at a wireless communication node based on a downlink transmission timing at an upper node; determining an uplink transmission timing at the wireless communication node based on a specification method; and transmitting and receiving at the determined timing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall schematic configuration of a wireless communication system 10. As shown in FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the basic configuration of the IAB. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the wireless communication node 100A. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the wireless communication node 100B. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between Tpropagation_0, TA, and T_delta. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an overview of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the application of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of ConfiguredGrantConfigInformation. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the CU 50 and the wireless communication nodes 100A to 100C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments 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 descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0016] (1) Overall configuration of the wireless communication system 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a wireless communication system 10 according to an embodiment. The wireless communication system 10 is a wireless communication system conforming to 5G New Radio (NR), and is configured by a plurality of wireless communication nodes and terminals.

[0017] Specifically, the wireless communication system 10 includes wireless communication nodes 100A, 100B, and 100C, and a terminal 200 (hereinafter referred to as UE 200, User Equipment).

[0018] The wireless communication nodes 100A, 100B, and 100C can set up wireless access with the UE 200 and can set up wireless backhauls (BH) between the wireless communication nodes. Specifically, backhauls (transmission paths) by wireless links are set up between the wireless communication node 100A and the wireless communication node 100B and between the wireless communication node 100A and the wireless communication node 100C.

[0019] Such a configuration in which the wireless access to the UE 200 and the wireless backhaul between the wireless communication nodes are integrated is called Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB).

[0020] The IAB reuses existing functions and interfaces defined for radio access, in particular Mobile-Termination (MT), gNB-DU (Distributed Unit), gNB-CU (Central Unit), User Plane Function (UPF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and Session Management Function (SMF), as well as corresponding interfaces, such as NR Uu (MT to gNB / DU), F1, NG, X2 and N4, are used as the baseline.

[0021] The wireless communication node 100A is connected to an NR radio access network (NG-RAN) and a core network (Next Generation Core (NGC) or 5GC) via a wired transmission path such as fiber transport. The NG-RAN / NGC includes a Central Unit 50 (hereinafter, CU50), which is a communication node. The NG-RAN and NGC may be collectively referred to simply as the "network."

[0022] The CU 50 may be configured using any one or a combination of the UPF, AMF, and SMF described above, or may be a gNB-CU as described above.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of an IAB. As shown in Fig. 2, in the embodiment, the wireless communication node 100A constitutes a parent node in the IAB, and the wireless communication node 100B (and the wireless communication node 100C) constitutes an IAB node in the IAB. Note that the parent node may be called an IAB donor, and may be considered to be a type of IAB node. Furthermore, a grandparent node (not shown) that is a parent node of the parent node may be configured.

[0024] The child node in the IAB is configured by another wireless communication node not shown in Fig. 1. Alternatively, the UE 200 may configure the child node.

[0025] A wireless link is established between the Parent node and the IAB node. Specifically, a wireless link called Link_parent is established.

[0026] A wireless link is established between the IAB node and the Child node. Specifically, a wireless link called Link_child is established.

[0027] A wireless link established between such wireless communication nodes is called a wireless backhaul link. Link_parent is composed of a DL Parent BH in the downlink (DL) direction and a UL Parent BH in the uplink (UL) direction. Link_child is composed of a DL Child BH in the DL direction and a UL Child BH in the UL direction.

[0028] That is, in IAB, the direction from a parent node to a child node (including UE 200) is the DL direction, and the direction from a child node to a parent node is the UL direction.

[0029] The radio link established between the UE 200 and the IAB node or the Parent node is called a radio access link. Specifically, the radio link is configured by a DL access in the DL direction and a UL access in the UL direction.

[0030] The IAB node has a Mobile Termination (MT) that is a function for connecting to a Parent node, and a Distributed Unit (DU) that is a function for connecting to a Child node (or UE 200). The Child node may also be called a lower node.

[0031] Similarly, a parent node has an MT for connecting to a higher-level node and a DU for connecting to a lower-level node such as an IAB node. Note that a parent node may have a CU (Central Unit) instead of an MT.

[0032] Similarly to the IAB node and the Parent node, the Child node also has an MT for connecting to a higher-level node such as the IAB node, and a DU for connecting to a lower-level node such as the UE 200.

[0033] From the DU's point of view, the radio resources used by the DU, such as DL, UL, and Flexible time-resource (D / U / F), are classified into one of the following types: Hard, Soft, or Not Available (H / S / NA). Also, even within Soft (S), available or not available is specified.

[0034] Although the IAB configuration example shown in Fig. 2 uses CU / DU division, the IAB configuration is not necessarily limited to this configuration. For example, the IAB may be configured by tunneling using GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U / User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / Internet Protocol (IP) for the wireless backhaul.

[0035] The main advantage of such IAB is that it allows flexible and dense deployment of NR cells without densifying the transport network. IAB can be applied to various scenarios, such as outdoor small cell deployment, indoor deployment, and even support for mobile relay (e.g., in buses and trains).

[0036] The IAB may also support NR-only standalone (SA) deployments, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or non-standalone (NSA) deployments that include other RATs (such as LTE).

[0037] In the embodiment, the wireless access and wireless backhaul operate under the assumption of half-duplex communication. However, the wireless access and wireless backhaul are not necessarily limited to half-duplex communication, and may be full-duplex communication if the requirements are met.

[0038] Additionally, time division multiplexing (TDM), space division multiplexing (SDM), and frequency division multiplexing (FDM) are available as multiplexing methods.

[0039] When an IAB node operates in half-duplex communication, the DL Parent BH is the receiving (RX) side, the UL Parent BH is the transmitting (TX) side, the DL Child BH is the transmitting (TX) side, and the UL Child BH is the receiving (RX) side. In addition, in the case of Time Division Duplex (TDD), the DL / UL configuration pattern in the IAB node is not limited to DL-F-UL only, and configuration patterns such as wireless backhaul (BH) only, UL-F-DL, etc. may be applied.

[0040] In the embodiment, as an example, SDM / FDM may be used to realize simultaneous operation of the DU and MT of an IAB node.

[0041] (2) Functional block configuration of wireless communication system Next, the functional block configuration of the wireless communication node 100A and the wireless communication node 100B that configure the wireless communication system 10 will be described.

[0042] (2.1) Wireless communication node 100A 3 is a functional block diagram of the wireless communication node 100A constituting the Parent node. As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication node 100A includes a wireless transmitting unit 110, a wireless receiving unit 120, a NW IF unit 130, a control unit 140, and a timing-related information transmitting unit 150.

[0043] The wireless transmission unit 110 transmits a wireless signal conforming to the 5G specifications. The wireless reception unit 120 receives the wireless signal conforming to the 5G specifications. In the embodiment, the wireless transmission unit 110 and the wireless reception unit 120 perform wireless communication with a wireless communication node 100B constituting an IAB node. The wireless communication node 100A has MT and DU functions, and the wireless transmission unit 110 and the wireless reception unit 120 transmit and receive wireless signals in accordance with MT / DU.

[0044] In an embodiment, the wireless receiving unit 120 may be configured as a receiving unit that receives capability information regarding timing adjustment capabilities (e.g., information on whether or not Case #1, Case #2, Case #3, Case #6, and Case #7 are supported) from a lower node such as the wireless communication node 100B.

[0045] The NW IF unit 130 provides a communication interface that realizes connection with the NGC side, etc. For example, the NW IF unit 130 may include interfaces such as X2, Xn, N2, and N3.

[0046] The control unit 140 executes adjustment of each functional block constituting the wireless communication node 100A. For example, the control unit 140 may perform adjustment to align the DL transmission timing (e.g., DU transmission timing) of the IAB node with the DL transmission timing of the upper node. The control unit 140 may perform adjustment to align the UL transmission timing (e.g., MT transmission timing) and the DL transmission timing (e.g., DU transmission timing). The control unit 140 may perform adjustment to align the DL reception timing (e.g., MT reception timing) and the UL reception timing (e.g., DU reception timing).

[0047] For example, adjusting the DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing at the upper node may correspond to Case #1 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874. Adjusting the UL transmission timing and DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match may correspond to Case #2 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874. Furthermore, adjusting the DL reception timing and UL reception timing at the IAB node to match may correspond to Case #3 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874.

[0048] The timing adjustment at the IAB node may include adjusting the UL transmission timing and the DL transmission timing in addition to adjusting the DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing at the upper node. That is, the control unit 140 may support Case #6, which is a combination of the adjustments in Case #1 and Case #2.

[0049] The timing adjustment at the IAB node may include adjusting the DL reception timing and the UL reception timing in addition to adjusting the DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing at the upper node. That is, the control unit 140 may support Case #7, which is a combination of the adjustments in Case #1 and Case #3.

[0050] Here, the control unit 140 can obtain the propagation delay between the wireless communication node 100A (parent node) and the wireless communication node 100B (lower node).

[0051] Specifically, the control unit 140 calculates the propagation delay of the path (0) between the parent node and the lower node based on (Equation 1).

[0052] T propagation_0 = (TA / 2+T_delta) ...(Equation 1) TA is a Timing Advance (TA) value for determining the transmission timing of a UE as defined in 3GPP Release 15. Here, TA may be referred to as timing information. T_delta may be determined taking into consideration the switching time from reception to transmission of the parent node, etc.

[0053] The control unit 140 may adjust the DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing at the upper node, and may also adjust the DL transmission timing and the UL transmission timing to match (Case #6). In such a case, the control unit 140 may acquire a propagation delay between the wireless communication node 100A (Parent node) and the wireless communication node 100B (Lower node) used to determine the DL transmission timing, or may acquire a propagation delay between the wireless communication node 100A and the wireless communication node 100B used to determine the UL transmission timing at the wireless communication node 100B.

[0054] The propagation delay is T propagation_0 may mean T1, T prop1 , T2, T porp2 , TA / 2, or TA. Propagation delay may also be called transmission time, delay time, or simply delay, or any other term that indicates the time required for DL ​​or UL transmission between wireless communication nodes that make up the IAB.

[0055] T1 is the difference between the MT Rx timing and DU Tx timing of the parent node. In addition to T1, the parent node notifies the IAB node of the "number of symbols to offset." The "number of symbols to offset" may include 0 (for example, select from 0, 1, 2, or 3). In addition, if 0, it may be used as slot-level timing alignment. In addition, whether or not T1 / offset is notified may be used to determine the timing mode.

[0056] T2 is "1 symbol length" x "number of symbols to offset" - (the difference between MT Rx timing and DU Tx timing). Note that the timing mode may be determined based on whether or not T2 is notified. Also, the IAB node does not need to be instructed on the "number of symbols to offset" (it may be notified separately).

[0057] T prop1 is the propagation delay between the parent node and the grandparent node, and T prop2 is the propagation delay (T prop2 )

[0058] The control unit 140 may adjust the DL transmission timing at the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing at the upper node, and may also adjust the DL reception timing and the UL reception timing to match (Case #7). In such a case, the control unit 140 may determine timing information used to determine the UL transmission timing, specifically, an adjustment value for the reception timing based on the TA or an offset value from the timing information (TA).

[0059] Here, the adjustment value of the receive timing based on the TA may be the TA value by the TA command in the Random Access Response (RAR) to which information (for example, 1 bit) indicating positive (+) or negative (-) is added. Also, the adjustment value may be only information indicating negative, or may be another value associated with negative.

[0060] Alternatively, the value of the TA (N TA ) may be an extended value. Specifically, in 3GPP Release-15, N TA can take on values ​​of 0, 1, 2, ..., 3846, but the adjustment value of the reception timing based on the TA may be, for example, a negative value obtained by subtracting a value from 3846 using a value between 3847 and 4095. Note that subtraction is not necessarily required, and values ​​from 3847 onwards may be treated as implicitly applied negative values.

[0061] The offset value from the timing information (TA) may indicate an offset (time) from the TA specified in 3GPP Release 15 or the TA value in cases corresponding to the above-mentioned Case #1, Case #6, and / or Case #7. The offset value may be a value conforming to the TA, or may not be a value conforming to the TA as long as the offset time can be determined.

[0062] In principle, the Timing Advance (TA) is positive in the direction going back in time and negative in the direction going forward in time. Therefore, for example, assuming that the timing information, adjustment value, or offset value is a positive value or is not a negative value may mean, in an embodiment, that the transmission timing is not transmitted after being shifted backward in time, but is transmitted in advance in time. Conversely, for example, assuming that the timing information, adjustment value, or offset value is a negative value or is not a positive value may mean, in an embodiment, that the transmission timing is not transmitted before being shifted forward in time, but is transmitted after being shifted backward in time.

[0063] The offset value from the timing information (TA) may indicate the TA specified in 3GPP Release 15 or an offset (time) from the TA value. The offset value may be a value based on the TA, or may not be a value based on the TA as long as the offset time can be determined.

[0064] The timing-related information transmitting unit 150 transmits information relating to DL or UL transmission timing or reception timing (hereinafter referred to as timing-related information) to the lower node. Specifically, the timing-related information transmitting unit 150 may transmit information relating to DL or UL transmission timing or reception timing (TA, T1, T2, etc.) to the IAB node and / or Child node as the timing-related information. The timing-related information may include the number of symbols to be offset or the symbol length, etc. The timing-related information transmitting unit 150 may transmit an adjustment value of the reception timing based on the TA or an offset value from the TA to the lower node as the timing-related information.

[0065] The timing information (TA) can be transmitted using a TA command in a Random Access Response (RAR) or a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE). Similarly, timing-related information may be transmitted using the MAC-CE, or using appropriate channels or higher layer (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC)) signaling.

[0066] The channels include a control channel and a data channel, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH).

[0067] The data channels include a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0068] The reference signal includes a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), and a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and the signal includes a channel and a reference signal. Furthermore, the data may refer to data transmitted via a data channel.

[0069] UCI is control information that is the counterpart of Downlink Control Information (DCI) and is transmitted via a PUCCH or a PUSCH. UCI may include a Scheduling Request (SR), a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) ACK / NACK, a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), etc.

[0070] (2.2) Wireless communication node 100B 4 is a functional block diagram of a wireless communication node 100B constituting an IAB node. As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless communication node 100B includes a wireless transmitting unit 161, a wireless receiving unit 162, a timing-related information receiving unit 165, and a control unit 170.

[0071] The wireless transmitting unit 161 transmits a wireless signal conforming to the 5G specifications. The wireless receiving unit 162 also transmits a wireless signal conforming to the 5G specifications. In the embodiment, the wireless transmitting unit 161 and the wireless receiving unit 162 constitute a transmitting / receiving unit that transmits and receives at a timing determined by the control unit 170.

[0072] In the embodiment, the wireless transmitting unit 161 may be configured as a transmitting unit that transmits capability information relating to the capability of timing adjustment to a higher-level node, a lower-level node, or the like.

[0073] The timing-related information transmitting unit 165 receives information (timing-related information) relating to DL or UL transmission timing or reception timing from an upper node. Details of the timing-related information are as described above.

[0074] The control unit 170 executes control of each functional block constituting the radio communication node 100B. In the embodiment, the control unit 170 constitutes a control unit that determines the downlink transmission timing in the radio communication node (here, the radio communication node 100B) based on the downlink transmission timing in the upper node (for example, the radio communication node 100A). The control unit 170 determines the uplink transmission timing in the radio communication node 100B based on a specific method.

[0075] For example, the control unit 170 may adjust the DL transmission timing (e.g., DU transmission timing) in the IAB node to match the DL transmission timing in an upper node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A constituting the Parent node). The control unit 170 may adjust the UL transmission timing (e.g., MT transmission timing) and the DL transmission timing (e.g., DU transmission timing) to match. The control unit 170 may adjust the DL reception timing (e.g., MT reception timing) and the UL reception timing (e.g., DU reception timing) to match.

[0076] For example, an adjustment to align the DL transmission timing of an IAB node (here, the wireless communication node 100B) with the DL transmission timing of an upper node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A) may correspond to Case #1 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874. An adjustment to align the UL transmission timing and DL transmission timing of an IAB node (here, the wireless communication node 100B) may correspond to Case #2 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874. An adjustment to align the DL reception timing and UL reception timing of an upper node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A) may correspond to Case #3 specified in 3GPP TR 38.874. In such a case, the UL transmission timing of the IAB node (here, the wireless communication node 100B) is adjusted based on the UL reception timing of the upper node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A).

[0077] The timing adjustment in the IAB node may include adjusting the UL transmission timing and the DL transmission timing in addition to adjusting the DL transmission timing to match the DL transmission timing in the upper node. That is, the control unit 170 may support Case #6, which is a combination of the adjustments in Case #1 and Case #2.

[0078] The timing adjustment in the IAB node may include adjusting the DL reception timing and the UL reception timing in addition to adjusting the DL transmission timing to match the DL transmission timing in the upper node. That is, the control unit 170 may support Case #7, which is a combination of the adjustments in Case #1 and Case #3.

[0079] As described above, as a method for adjusting the UL transmission timing in an IAB node (here, the wireless communication node 100B), Case #6 and Case #7 are possible in addition to Case #1, which has no particular constraints.

[0080] As an example, the control unit 170 may adjust the DL transmission timing in the upper node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A) and the DL transmission timing in the wireless communication node 100B based on the time required for switching from UL reception to DL transmission, specifically, T_delta.

[0081] In such a case, T_delta may be half the value of the switching time from reception to transmission in the upper node (parent node). In other words, the control unit 170 may adjust the DL transmission timing taking into account the switching time from reception to transmission in the parent node.

[0082] When the received timing-related information includes T2, the control unit 170 may set the UL transmission timing (MT Tx timing) to a timing obtained by offsetting T2+(TA+T_dalta) from the reception timing (MT Rx timing).

[0083] When the received timing-related information includes T1, the control unit 170 may set the UL transmission timing (MT Tx timing) to a timing offset by (TA+T_dalta)-T1 from the reception timing (MT Rx timing).

[0084] When the received timing-related information includes T1, the control unit 170 may set the UL transmission timing (MT Tx timing) as a timing obtained by offsetting the reception timing (MT Rx timing) by "Symbol length" x "Number of Symbols to be offset - T1 + (TA + T_dalta)".

[0085] (3) Background technology Below, as background art, a brief description of the 3GPP specifications will be given. 3GPP TR 38.874 (for example, V16.0.0) specifies the following seven cases for matching DL or UL transmission timings between wireless communication nodes that make up an IAB:

[0086] (Case #1): DL transmission timing adjustment between IAB node and IAB donor (Case #2): Coordination of DL and UL transmission timing within an IAB node (Case #3): DL and UL reception timing adjustment within the IAB node (Case #4): Transmission by Case #2 and reception by Case #3 within the IAB node (Case #5): Applying Case #1 to the access link timing within an IAB node in different time slots, and Case #4 to the backhaul link timing. (Case #6): DL transmission timing adjustment of Case #1 + UL transmission timing adjustment of Case #2 (Case #7): DL transmission timing adjustment of Case #1 + UL reception timing adjustment of Case #3 In 3GPP Release 16, as mentioned above, in order to align the DL transmission timing (DU transmission timing) between the wireless communication nodes that make up the IAB, the IAB node calculates the propagation delay (T propagation_0 ) and offset the transmission timing before transmission.

[0087] Here, TA is the value of Timing Advance for determining the transmission timing of the UE as defined in 3GPP Release 15, and T_delta is determined taking into consideration the switching time from reception to transmission at the parent node, etc.

[0088] Figure 5 shows the propagation delay T propagation_05 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between TA, T_delta, and T_delta. propagation_0 is obtained by adding T_delta to the value obtained by dividing TA0 between the parent node and the IAB node in half. T_delta may correspond to the value obtained by dividing the gap (Tg) caused by the switching time from UL reception to DL transmission at the parent node in half.

[0089] (4) Example of operation Next, a description will be given of the operation of the wireless communication system 10. Specifically, a case will be illustrated in which the wireless communication nodes constituting the IAB support Case #6 and Case #7 in addition to Case #1.

[0090] As shown in the left column of Fig. 6, in Case #1, the DL transmission timing (DU transmission timing) at the IAB node is adjusted to align with the DL transmission timing (DU transmission timing) at the parent node. As shown in the center column of Fig. 6, in Case #6, the UL transmission timing (MT transmission timing) at the IAB node is adjusted to align with the DL transmission timing (DU transmission timing). As shown in the right column of Fig. 6, in Case #7, under the premise that the UL reception timing (DU reception timing) at the parent node is adjusted to align with the DL reception timing (MT reception timing), the UL transmission timing (MT transmission timing) at the IAB node is adjusted to align with the UL reception timing (DU reception timing) at the parent node. Note that in the embodiment, the DU reception timing and MT reception timing at the IAB node are not particularly limited and may or may not be aligned.

[0091] In addition, when Case #6 is supported, simultaneous transmission of MT Tx and DU Tx in the IAB node (Case #2) as well as simultaneous transmission of DU Tx in the Parent node and DU Tx in the IAB node (Case #1) must be realized. Similarly, when Case #7 is supported, simultaneous reception of MT Rx and DU Rx in the Parent node (Case #3) as well as simultaneous transmission of DU Tx in the Parent node and DU Tx in the IAB node (Case #1) must be realized. Therefore, the propagation delay is the propagation delay between the Parent node and the IAB node (T prop2 ), as well as the propagation delay between the parent node and the grandparent node (T prop1 ) may be considered.

[0092] Under these assumptions, a method for determining the UL transmission timing (MT transmission timing) in an IAB node (for example, the wired communication node 100B) will be described. The following options are possible as the method for determining the UL transmission timing (MT transmission timing).

[0093] (4.1) Option 1 In option 1, the specifying method includes a method in which the uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) of the wireless communication node is set by an upper node. The upper node may be a parent node (for example, the wireless communication node 100A) or the CU 50.

[0094] For example, as shown in Fig. 7, when Case #1 is applied to an IAB node (e.g., wireless communication node 100B), an upper node sets which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to apply as the UL transmission timing (MT transmission timing) at the IAB node. For example, the IAB node may receive, from the upper node, an information element that explicitly indicates which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to apply. Such an information element may be a type of the timing-related information described above.

[0095] First, which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 is applied may be configured semi-statically (hereinafter, Option 1-1). An information element for configuring any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 semi-statically may be included in an RRC message or a message on the interface (F1-AP) between the gNB-CU and the gNB-DU. The information element may be referred to as a timing mode. The timing mode may be configured for each time resource (e.g., slot or symbol).

[0096] Case #1 may be considered to be one of the timing modes. In such a case, all timing modes applicable to each time resource may be set. Alternatively, Case #1 may not be considered to be one of the timing modes. In such a case, Case #1 may be applied to time resources for which no timing mode is set.

[0097] Second, whether Case #1, Case #6, or Case #7 is to be applied may be dynamically set (specified) (hereinafter, Option 1-2).

[0098] For example, an information element for dynamically setting any one of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be included in DCI used by the parent node for scheduling the MT Tx in the IAB node.

[0099] The information element that sets any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be an existing field (e.g., HARQ) included in an existing DCI (e.g., DCI format 0_0 / 0_1 / 0_2, DCI format 1_0 / 1_1 / 1_2), and whether Case #1, Case #6, or Case #7 is to be applied may be implicitly specified by reinterpreting the existing field.

[0100] Alternatively, the information element that sets any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be a new field included in a newly defined DCI, and the new field may explicitly specify which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to apply.

[0101] Alternatively, the information element for setting any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to Dynamic may be defined by DCI including an information element regarding transmission timing.

[0102] An information element for setting any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be included in an extended existing DCI by extending the existing DCI (e.g., DCI format 2_5). The existing DCI may include an information element for specifying the radio resources used by the IAB-DU. From the DU's perspective, the radio resources used by the IAB-DU, including DL, UL, and Flexible time-resource (D / U / F), may be classified into any of the following types: hard, soft, or not available (H / S / NA). Even within soft (S), available or not available may be specified. The existing DCI may include an information element for setting any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 in addition to the information element for specifying the radio resources used by the DU.

[0103] Alternatively, the information element that sets any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be included in a newly defined DCI.

[0104] Alternatively, an information element that sets any one of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 may be included in the TA command.

[0105] Alternatively, the timing-related information may be implicitly notified to the IAB node depending on whether T_delta is included or not. The timing-related information may be implicitly notified to the IAB node depending on whether an adjustment value or an offset value is included or not. The IAB node may determine whether to set Case #1, Case #6, or Case #7 based on T_delta, the adjustment value, or the offset value. The timing-related information may include an information element that specifies the Timing mode.

[0106] Third, whether Case #1, Case #6, or Case #7 is to be applied may be set (specified) to semi-persistent (hereinafter, options 1-3).

[0107] An information element that sets any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to semi-persistent may be included in a MAC CE message or in a DCI. An information element that sets any of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to semi-persistent may include an information element that specifies the start of Case #6 or Case #7, or may include an information element that specifies the end of Case #6 or Case #7. Case #1 may be applied during a period when Case #6 or Case #7 is not set. The period when Case #6 or Case #7 is applied may be managed by a timer that is started by the start of Case #6 or Case #7. If a timer is introduced, an information element that specifies the end of Case #6 or Case #7 need not be defined. When the timer expires, Case #1 may be applied.

[0108] Fourth, which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 is applied may be set by a higher layer (hereinafter, options 1-4).

[0109] An information element indicating which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to apply may be included in an RRC message. The RRC message may include an information element indicating which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 to apply, in addition to an information element for configuring frequency and time resources for RL resources (configured grant PUSCH, SRS, PUSCH, etc.). The information element may be referred to as timingMode. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the RRC message may be ConfiguredGrantConfigInformation including timingMode.

[0110] (4.2) Option 2 In option 2, the specifying method includes a method in which the wireless communication node specifies the uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) in the wireless communication node.

[0111] For example, the IAB node may notify the upper node of an information element (e.g., Timing mode) indicating which of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7 the IAB node requests to apply depending on the transmission status of MT / DU. The information element may be included in a UCI, a MAC CE message, an RRC message, or an F1-AP message. For example, the IAB node may request the Timing mode from the upper node together with a Scheduling request. The upper node may be a Parent node (e.g., the wireless communication node 100A) or the CU50.

[0112] In such a case, the IAB node may apply the timing mode requested by the upper node, assuming that the upper node will set the requested timing mode. Alternatively, the IAB node may apply the timing mode set by the upper node if the upper node sets the requested timing mode. The setting of the timing mode by the upper node may be performed in the same manner as in Option 1.

[0113] (4.3) Option 3 In option 3, the identifying method includes a method of determining uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) in the wireless communication node based on a predetermined rule. The predetermined rule may be a rule defined by a setting regarding simultaneous operation of the IAB-DU and IAB-MT.

[0114] For example, the predetermined rule may be defined by radio resources (at least one of radio resources in the time direction, frequency direction, and space direction) used by the IAB-DU. The predetermined rule may be defined by H / S / NA specified as semi-static, or may be defined by IA / INA specified as dynamic (option 3-1).

[0115] Alternatively, the predetermined rule may be defined by the configuration of the TDD pattern of IAB-MT and IAB-DU. The TDD pattern of IAB-MT and IAB-DU may be configured by tdd-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated-IAB-MT (option 3-2).

[0116] Alternatively, the predetermined rule may be defined by setting the above-mentioned Timing mode. The Timing mode may be set by at least one of Option 1 and Option 2 (Option 3-3).

[0117] The IAB node may determine the MT transmission timing based on at least one of options 3-1 to 3-3.

[0118] For example, when the first TDD pattern is configured and the Timing mode of Case #6 is configured, the IAB node may apply the MT transmission timing of Case #6. Similarly, when the second TDD pattern is configured and the Timing mode of Case #7 is configured, the IAB node may apply the MT transmission timing of Case #7. The second TDD pattern may be the same as the first TDD pattern or may be different from the first TDD pattern.

[0119] Alternatively, when Hard or Soft IA is configured as the radio resource used by the IAB-DU, the IAB node may determine the MT transmission timing to align with the transmission timing of the IAB-DU, on the premise that both the IAB-DU and IAB-MT will be transmitted in the radio resource configured as Hard or Soft IA (Case #6).On the other hand, when NA or Soft INA is configured as the radio resource used by the IAB-DU, the IAB node may determine the MT transmission timing on the premise that the IAB-MT will be transmitted without transmitting the IAB-DU in the radio resource configured as NA or Soft INA (Case #1).

[0120] (4.4) Option 4 In Option 4, the identification method includes a method of determining based on capability information regarding timing adjustment capability. The capability information regarding timing adjustment capability may include an information element that implicitly or explicitly indicates whether the IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7.

[0121] First, the information element that implicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may be the information element shown below.

[0122] For example, an information element that implicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may be a combination of an information element indicating whether it supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Tx (i.e., simultaneous transmission of MT and DU) and an information element indicating whether it supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Rx and / or TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Tx. For example, a parent node may determine that an IAB node supports Case #6 when it receives a report that the IAB node supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Rx and / or TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Tx in addition to a report that the IAB node supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Tx.

[0123] For example, an information element that implicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may be a combination of an information element indicating whether it supports TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Rx (i.e., simultaneous reception of MT and DU) and an information element indicating whether it supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Rx and / or TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Tx. For example, a parent node may determine that an IAB node supports Case #7 when it receives a report that the IAB node supports TDM of MT-Tx and DU-Rx and / or TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Tx in addition to a report that the IAB node supports TDM of MT-Rx and DU-Rx.

[0124] Second, the information element that explicitly indicates whether the IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may be the information element shown below.

[0125] For example, an information element that explicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may include an information element that indicates whether the IAB node supports each of Case #6 and Case #7.

[0126] For example, an information element that explicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may include an information element that indicates whether the IAB node supports each of the TAs of Case #6 and Case #7.

[0127] For example, an information element that explicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may include information elements that indicate whether the IAB node supports each of Case #6 and Case #7 for each frequency range (e.g., FR1, FR2, etc.).

[0128] For example, an information element that explicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may include an information element that indicates whether the IAB node supports each of Case #6 and Case #7 for each frequency band.

[0129] For example, an information element that explicitly indicates whether an IAB node supports at least one of Case #6 and Case #7 may include an information element that indicates whether the IAB node supports each of Case #6 and Case #7 for each frequency combination.

[0130] (5) Action and effect In the embodiment, an IAB node (e.g., wireless communication node 100B) determines downlink transmission timing (DU transmission timing) at the IAB node based on downlink transmission timing at an upper node (e.g., wireless communication node 100A). Under this premise, the IAB node determines uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) at the IAB node based on a specific method. With this configuration, when the IAB node can support one or more of the adjustment methods of Case #1, Case #6, and Case #7, it is possible to appropriately determine the MT transmission timing.

[0131] In an embodiment, the specifying method may include a method in which the upper node sets the uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) of the IAB node. With this configuration, the IAB node can appropriately determine the MT transmission timing while appropriately reflecting the status of the upper node.

[0132] In an embodiment, the specifying method may include a method in which the IAB node specifies the uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) of the IAB node. With this configuration, the IAB node can appropriately determine the MT transmission timing while appropriately reflecting the status of the IAB node.

[0133] In the embodiment, the specifying method may include a method of determining the uplink transmission timing (MT transmission timing) in the wireless communication node based on a predetermined rule. With this configuration, the MT transmission timing can be appropriately determined in the IAB node while reflecting the design concept of the wireless communication system 10.

[0134] In the embodiment, the IAB node transmits capability information regarding timing adjustment capability to the upper node. With this configuration, the upper node can appropriately set the MT transmission timing adjustment method.

[0135] (6) Appendix An example of achieving Over-the-Air (OTA) synchronization in Case #6 (a combination of Case #1 and Case #2) or Case #7 (a combination of Case #1 and Case #3) will be described below.

[0136] (6.1)Case #6 In the timing alignment of Case #6, the following method may be adopted as a method for determining the transmission timing of the IAB-MT using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU.

[0137] -Align the IAB-MT transmission timing with the IAB-DU transmission timing IAB-MT derives the transmission timing using TA (Case #1) and T_delta, just like IAB-DU. Follow the instructions of TA (Case #6) for the timing of sending IAB-MT When adopting a method of matching the transmission timing of the IAB-MT with the transmission timing of the IAB-DU, the transmission timing of the IAB-DU may be derived from TA (Case #1) and T_delta, or may be derived using GSNN, etc.

[0138] When the method of following the instruction of TA (Case #6) for the transmission timing of IAB-MT is adopted, the Parent node may notify the IAB-node of TA (Case #6) together with TA (Case #1). Note that the IAB-node may determine the Timing mode (case #1 / #2 / #3 / #6 / #7, etc.) depending on whether TA (Case #6) has been notified.

[0139] (6.2)Case #7 In the timing alignment of Case #7, the following method may be adopted as a method for determining the transmission timing of the IAB-MT using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU: In the timing alignment of Case #7, the transmission timing of the IAB-MT may be determined at the slot level using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU (Slot-based timing alignment).

[0140] Specifically, the IAB-MT may determine the MT transmission timing using T1 (Slot-based timing alignment) as follows:

[0141] Set the timing offset (TA+T_delta)-T1 from the MT Rx timing Set the timing offset by (TA+T_delta) / 2-T1 from the DU Tx timing derived using GNSS, etc. Here, T1 is the difference between the MT Rx timing and the DU Tx timing of the parent node. The IAB node may determine the timing mode depending on whether T1 is notified (e.g., if T1 is notified, it may be determined as Case #7).

[0142] In addition, the transmission timing of the IAB-MT may follow the instructions of TA (Case #7). The parent node notifies the IAB-node of TA (Case #7) together with TA (Case #1). The timing mode may be determined depending on whether TA (Case #7) has been notified.

[0143] (6.3)Case #7 In the timing alignment of Case #7, the following method may be adopted as a method for determining the transmission timing of the IAB-MT using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU: In the timing alignment of Case #7, the transmission timing of the IAB-MT may be determined at the slot level using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU (Slot-based timing alignment).

[0144] Specifically, the IAB-MT may use T2 to determine the MT transmission timing as follows:

[0145] Set the timing offset by T2 + (TA+T_delta) from the MT Rx timing Set the timing offset by T2 + (TA + T_delta) / 2 from the DU Tx timing derived using GSNN etc. Here, T2 is "length of 1 symbol" x "number of symbols to offset" - (the difference between MT Rx timing and DU Tx timing). Note that the IAB node may determine the timing mode depending on whether T2 has been notified or not (for example, if T2 has been notified, it may be determined as Case #7). Also, the IAB node does not need to be instructed on the "number of symbols to offset" (it may be notified separately).

[0146] (6.4)Case #7 In the timing alignment of Case #7, the following method may be adopted as a method for determining the transmission timing of the IAB-MT using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU: In the timing alignment of Case #7, the transmission timing of the IAB-MT may be determined at the symbol level using the transmission timing of the IAB-DU (Symbol-based timing alignment).

[0147] Specifically, the IAB-MT may use T1 to determine the MT transmission timing as follows:

[0148] Set the timing offset from MT Rx timing by “Symbol length” x “number of Symbols” - T1 + (TA + T_delta) Set the timing offset by "Symbol length" x "number of Symbols" - T1 + (TA + T_delta) / 2 from the DU Tx timing derived using GSNN etc. Here, T1 is the difference between the MT Rx timing and DU Tx timing of the parent node. In addition to T1, the parent node notifies the IAB node of the "number of symbols to offset." The "number of symbols to offset" may include 0 (for example, select from 0, 1, 2, or 3). If 0, it may be slot-level timing alignment. The IAB node may determine the timing mode depending on whether T1 / offset has been notified (for example, if T1 / offset has been notified, determine Case #7).

[0149] In addition, the transmission timing of the IAB-MT may follow the instructions of TA (Case #7). The parent node notifies the IAB-node of TA (Case #7) together with TA (Case #1). The timing mode may be determined depending on whether TA (Case #7) has been notified.

[0150] (7) Other embodiments The present invention has been described above with reference to the examples, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these examples and that various modifications and improvements are possible.

[0151] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the names Parent node, IAB node, and Child node are used, but as long as a wireless communication node configuration is adopted in which a wireless backhaul between wireless communication nodes such as gNBs and wireless access with terminals are integrated, the names may be different. For example, they may be simply called a first node, a second node, etc., or may be called an upper node, a lower node, a relay node, an intermediate node, etc.

[0152] Furthermore, the wireless communication node may simply be called a communication device or a communication node, or may be read as a wireless base station.

[0153] In the above-described embodiment, the terms downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) are used, but other terms may be used. For example, they may be replaced with or associated with terms such as forward link, reverse link, access link, and backhaul. Alternatively, terms such as first link, second link, first direction, and second direction may simply be used.

[0154] In the above-described embodiment, the methods for adjusting the MT transmission timing have been mainly described as Cases #1, #6, and #7. However, the embodiments may also include methods for adjusting the MT transmission timing other than Cases #1, #6, and #7 (e.g., Cases #3, #4, and #5).

[0155] Furthermore, the block diagrams (FIGS. 3 and 4) used in the description of the above-described embodiments show 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 using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are connected directly or indirectly (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or the multiple devices with software.

[0156] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, receiving, transmitting, output, accessing, resolving, selection, choosing, establishing, comparing, assuming, expecting, regarding, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assigning. For example, a functional block (component) that performs a transmission function may be called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As described above, there are no particular limitations on how each function is implemented.

[0157] Furthermore, the above-described CU 50 and the wireless communication nodes 100A to 100C (the devices) may function as a computer that performs processing of the wireless communication method of the present disclosure. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the devices. As shown in Fig. 13, the devices may be configured as a computer including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, etc.

[0158] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can 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.

[0159] Each functional block of the device (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is realized by any hardware element of the computer device or a combination of the hardware elements. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the CU 50 and the wireless communication nodes 100A to 100C.

[0160] Each function of the device is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0161] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system, and may be configured as a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, a register, and the like.

[0162] The processor 1001 also reads 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 in accordance with these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the various processes described above 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.

[0163] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of 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., that can execute a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0164] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be, for example, at least one of 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 disc), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned recording medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0165] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating 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.

[0166] The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize, for example, at least one of Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD).

[0167] The input device 1005 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (for example, a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. The input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (for example, a touch panel).

[0168] Furthermore, 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.

[0169] 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), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), 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.

[0170] 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 thereof. Furthermore, the 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, or the like.

[0171] Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5G, and other standards. th The present invention may be applied to at least one of a system using a next 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), or other suitable system, and a next generation system enhanced based on these. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a combination of multiple systems (e.g., a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G).

[0172] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. 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.

[0173] In the present disclosure, a specific operation described as being 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 another network node other than the base station (for example, but not limited to, an MME or an S-GW). Although the above example illustrates a case where there is one other network node other than the base station, a combination of multiple other network nodes (for example, an MME and an S-GW) may also be used.

[0174] Information, signals (information, etc.) may be output from a higher layer (or a lower layer) to a lower layer (or a higher layer), or may be input / output via multiple network nodes.

[0175] The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be sent to another device.

[0176] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0177] Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Furthermore, notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being done explicitly, but may be done implicitly (e.g., by not notifying the predetermined information).

[0178] 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.

[0179] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0180] 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. 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.

[0181] Note that terms explained in this disclosure and 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). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0182] As used in this disclosure, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0183] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0184] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions 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 intended to be limiting in any way.

[0185] 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," and "component carrier" may be used interchangeably. Base stations may also be referred to by terms such as macrocell, small cell, femtocell, and picocell.

[0186] A base station can accommodate one or more (e.g., three) cells (also called sectors). When a base station accommodates multiple cells, the overall coverage area of ​​the base station can be divided into multiple smaller areas, and each smaller area can be provided with communication service by a base station subsystem (e.g., a small indoor base station (Remote Radio Head: RRH)).

[0187] The terms "cell" or "sector" refer to part or all of the coverage area of ​​a base station and / or base station subsystem that provides communication services within that coverage area.

[0188] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0189] 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.

[0190] 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 mobile body, the mobile body itself, etc. The mobile body may be a vehicle (e.g., a car, an airplane, etc.), an unmanned mobile 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 also include devices that do not necessarily move during communication operations. 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.

[0191] Furthermore, a base station in the present disclosure may be read as a mobile station (user terminal, the same applies hereinafter). For example, the aspects / embodiments 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, terms such as uplink channel and downlink channel may be read as side channel.

[0192] Similarly, a mobile station in the present disclosure may be interpreted as a base station, in which case the base station may have the functions of a mobile station.

[0193] A radio frame may be composed of one or more frames in the time domain, each of which may be called a subframe. A subframe may further be composed of one or more slots in the time domain, and may have a fixed time length (e.g., 1 ms) that is independent of numerology.

[0194] Numerology may be a communication parameter applied to at least one of transmission and reception of a signal or channel, such as subcarrier spacing (SCS), bandwidth, symbol length, cyclic prefix length, transmission time interval (TTI), number of symbols per TTI, radio frame structure, specific filtering operations performed by a transceiver in the frequency domain, and specific windowing operations performed by a transceiver in the time domain.

[0195] A slot may consist of one or more symbols in the time domain (such as an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbol). A slot may be a time unit based on numerology.

[0196] A slot may include multiple minislots. Each minislot may consist of one or multiple symbols in the time domain. A minislot may also be called a subslot. A minislot may consist 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.

[0197] The radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol all represent time units for transmitting signals, and may be referred to by other names corresponding to the radio frame, subframe, slot, minislot, and symbol.

[0198] 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 existing LTE, a period shorter than 1 ms (e.g., 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.

[0199] Here, TTI refers to, for example, the smallest 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. However, the definition of TTI is not limited to this.

[0200] 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) to which a transport block, a code block, a code word, etc. is actually mapped may be shorter than the TTI.

[0201] When one slot or one minislot is called a TTI, one or more TTIs (i.e., one or more slots or one or more minislots) may be the minimum time unit for scheduling. Also, the number of slots (minislots) constituting the minimum time unit for scheduling may be controlled.

[0202] A TTI having a time length of 1 ms may be called a regular TTI (TTI in LTE Rel. 8-12), normal TTI, long TTI, regular subframe, normal subframe, long subframe, slot, etc. A TTI shorter than a regular TTI may be called a shortened TTI, short TTI, partial or fractional TTI, shortened subframe, short subframe, minislot, subslot, slot, etc.

[0203] In addition, a long TTI (e.g., a normal TTI, a subframe, etc.) may be interpreted as a TTI having a time length of more than 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.

[0204] A resource block (RB) is a resource allocation unit in the time domain and 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 numerology, for example, 12. The number of subcarriers included in an RB may also be determined based on numerology.

[0205] The time domain of an RB may include one or more symbols and may have a length of one slot, one minislot, one subframe, or one TTI. One TTI, one subframe, etc. may each be composed of one or more resource blocks.

[0206] Note that one or more RBs may also 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.

[0207] 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.

[0208] 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 given numerology on a given carrier, where the common RBs may be identified by their index relative to a common reference point of the carrier. PRBs may be defined in a given BWP and numbered within that BWP.

[0209] 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.

[0210] 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 read as "BWP."

[0211] The above-described 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.

[0212] 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 one or more wires, cables, and / or 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.

[0213] The reference signal may also be abbreviated as Reference Signal (RS), and may also be called a pilot depending on the applicable standard.

[0214] 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."

[0215] The "means" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "part," "circuit," "device," etc.

[0216] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing 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.

[0217] When used in this disclosure, the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when used in this disclosure, the term "or" is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0218] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0219] 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, searching, inquiring (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 memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0220] 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."

[0221] 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 herein. 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]

[0222] 10. Wireless communication systems 50 CU 100A, 100B, 100C wireless communication nodes 110 Radio transmitter 120 Radio receiver 130 NW IF Department 140 Control Unit 150 Timing-related information transmission unit 161 Radio transmitter 162 Radio receiving unit 165 Timing-related information receiver 170 Control Unit UE 200 1001 processor 1002 memory 1003 Storage 1004 Communication equipment 1005 Input Device 1006 Output Device 1007 Bus

Claims

1. A wireless communication node, a receiving unit that receives an instruction of a transmission timing for the upper node from an upper node of the wireless communication node via a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE); a control unit that determines a transmission timing to the upper node based on the instruction; Equipped with The indication is set to semi-persistent via the MAC-CE. Wireless communication node.

2. the control unit determines, based on the instruction, which of the following cases to apply as the transmission timing to the upper node: a first case in which DL transmission timing between the wireless communication node and the upper node is adjusted; a second case in which the adjustment in the first case and adjustment of DL and UL transmission timings in the wireless communication node are performed; or a third case in which the adjustment in the first case and adjustment of DL and UL reception timings in the wireless communication node are performed. The wireless communication node according to claim 1 .

3. A wireless communication method performed by a wireless communication node, receiving, from an upper node of the wireless communication node, an instruction of a transmission timing for the upper node via a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE); determining a transmission timing for the upper node based on the instruction; The indication is set to semi-persistent via the MAC-CE. Wireless communication method.

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