Communication method and apparatus based on access-backhaul integration

Abstract

To provide a communication method and apparatus based on access / backhaul integration.SOLUTION: A method includes: an IAB node reporting first information to a donor node of the IAB node, in which the first information indicates a first condition, in which the first condition is a condition under which an MT of the IAB node and a DU of the IAB node operate synchronously; under the first condition, the DU of the IAB node communicating with a subordinate node of the IAB node or a terminal device; and the MT of the IAB node communicating with a superior node of the IAB node synchronously. The technical solution provided in the present application can effectively ensure that the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus based on access-backhaul integration. [Background technology]

[0002] The continuous development of mobile communication technologies puts strain on spectrum resources. To improve spectrum utilization, base stations will be deployed more densely in the future. Furthermore, dense deployment can further avoid coverage holes. In traditional cellular network architectures, base stations establish connections to core networks through optical fibers. However, the deployment costs of optical fibers are very high in many scenarios. Radio relay nodes (RNs) establish connections to core networks through wireless backhaul links, which can reduce the deployment costs of optical fibers to some extent.

[0003] Typically, a relay node establishes a wireless backhaul link to one or more upstream nodes (also called upstream nodes) and uses them to access the core network. The upstream nodes control the relay node (e.g., data scheduling, timing modulation, and power control) using multiple types of signaling. Furthermore, a relay node may serve multiple downstream nodes (also called downstream nodes). The upstream node of a relay node may be a base station or another relay node. The downstream node of a relay node may be a terminal device or another relay node. In-band relaying is a relay solution in which the backhaul link and the access link share the same frequency band. Because no additional spectrum resources are used, in-band relaying has advantages such as high spectral efficiency and low deployment costs. The new radio (NR) in-band relaying solution is called integrated access and backhaul (IAB), and the relay node is called an IAB node. An IAB node may include a mobile termination (also called an IAB MT) and a distributed unit (DU) (also called an IAB DU).

[0004] Therefore, how to enable the IAB MT and IAB DU to operate synchronously is an urgent need to be realized. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus based on access-backhaul integration to effectively ensure that a mobile termination (MT) of an IAB node and a distributed unit (DU) of an IAB node operate synchronously.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method based on access-backhaul integration, the method comprising: The IAB node reports first information to a donor node of the IAB node, the first information indicating a first condition, the first condition being a condition under which a mobile termination MT of the IAB node and a distributed unit DU of the IAB node operate synchronously; Under the first condition, the DU of the IAB node communicates with the subordinate node or terminal device of the IAB node, and synchronizes with the MT of the IAB node, and communicates with the superior node of the IAB node. Includes:

[0007] In this embodiment of the present application, the MT of the IAB node may be referred to as the IAB MT, and the DU of the IAB node may be referred to as the IAB DU. The condition for the IAB MT and the IAB DU to operate synchronously includes the condition for the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU to operate synchronously. That is, under the first condition, the IAB DU serves a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and the IAB MT communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier synchronously. It can be understood that for a description of the synchronous operation between the IAB DU and the IAB MT, please refer to the implementation shown below. Details will not be described here.

[0008] It may be understood that the synchronized operation described herein may be understood as simultaneous operation. For example, the first condition is a condition in which the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate simultaneously. For example, under the first condition, the IAB DU communicates with a subordinate node or a UE of the IAB node, and at the same time, the IAB MT communicates with a superior node of the IAB node. It may be understood that this description is also applicable to other embodiments described herein.

[0009] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node reports the first information to impose a restriction condition for the synchronous operation of the IAB node. Therefore, based on the restriction condition, the IAB node may communicate with its upper node or lower node, UE, etc. That is, according to the technical solution provided in the present application, the IAB node can ensure that the IAB MT and the IAB DU can operate synchronously based on a specific restriction condition (i.e., the first condition). For example, the IAB MT and the IAB DU can better perform synchronous reception or synchronous transmission.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the IAB node reports first indication information to the donor node of the IAB node, where the first indication information indicates whether a first condition needs to be satisfied when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously.

[0011] In the technical solution provided in the present application, the donor node can clearly know, based on the first indication information, whether the first condition needs to be satisfied when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. For example, the first indication information may indicate "limited" as shown in Table 2 below. In this case, the first indication information may indicate that the first condition needs to be satisfied when the IAB DU and the IAB MT operate synchronously. For example, the first indication information may indicate that when the IAB DU and the IAB MT operate synchronously, the IAB MT needs to satisfy the condition on available frequency domain resources shown below. Details will not be described here. For example, the first indication information may indicate "supported" as shown in Table 2 below. In this case, the first indication information may indicate that the IAB DU and the IAB MT unconditionally support synchronous operation.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the first condition includes available frequency domain resources of the MT of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously.

[0013] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT are reported. In this way, the donor node can configure resources for the IAB MT or the IAB DU based on the available frequency domain resources. Alternatively, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT are reported. In this way, the donor node can know the frequency domain resources used for communication in the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU need to operate synchronously.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the available frequency domain resources are: the starting physical resource block (PRB) of available frequency domain resources; End PRB of available frequency domain resources, Absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), and Number of resource blocks RB of available frequency domain resources Contains one or more of the following:

[0015] It can be appreciated that for explanation of the above information, please refer to Table 3 or Table 4 shown below, and the details will not be described again here.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first condition includes the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously, and / or the expected transmission power of the MT of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously.

[0017] In the technical solution provided in this application, the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node is reported. In this way, the donor node can determine a power parameter based on the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node reported by the IAB node. Therefore, the uplink transmission power determined by the upper node based on the power parameter is approximately the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node. Alternatively, the power difference between the uplink transmission power determined by the upper node based on the power parameter and the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node is within a specific range (e.g., an acceptable range). Furthermore, it can be ensured that the power difference between the received power when the IAB MT receives a signal from the DU of the upper node and the received power when the IAB DU receives a signal from the lower node or UE is within a specific range (e.g., within a first value range). This improves performance loss due to an excessively large power difference between the received power of the IAB MT and the received power of the IAB DU.

[0018] According to the technical solution provided in this application, the expected transmission power of the IAB MT is reported. In this way, the donor node can determine a power parameter based on the expected transmission power of the IAB MT. Therefore, the uplink transmission power of the IAB MT determined by the IAB node based on the power parameter is the same as the expected transmission power of the IAB MT, or the power difference between the uplink transmission power of the IAB MT and the expected transmission power of the IAB MT is within a specific range. Furthermore, it can be ensured that the power difference between the uplink transmission power when the IAB MT transmits a signal to the IAB node's upper node and the transmission power when the IAB DU transmits a signal to the IAB node's lower node or UE is within a specific range as much as possible. This improves serious interference caused by an excessively large transmission power difference between the IAB MT and the IAB DU, and effectively reduces interference between the IAB MT and the IAB DU.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the first condition is: The number of ports of the MT of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously, where the number of ports is the number of ports of the demodulation reference signal DMRS used for data transmission and / or data demodulation; the number of ports of the MT; The number of ports of the DU of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously, where the number of ports is the number of ports of the demodulation reference signal DMRS used for data transmission and / or data demodulation; and The number of layers of an IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously. Contains one or more of the following:

[0020] In a possible implementation, the first information includes indication information indicating a reference sub-carrier spacing (SCS), which is used to determine a bandwidth length of the available frequency domain resources.

[0021] In this embodiment of the present application, the reference SCS may be the SCS of the serving cell of the IAB MT.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the method further includes the IAB node transmitting second information to an upper node of the IAB node, the second information indicating a first frequency domain resource, the first frequency domain resource being included in available frequency domain resources of the MT of the IAB node.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the second information includes second indication information, which indicates a starting resource block (RB) of the first frequency domain resource and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the second indication information is an index value, which indicates a starting RB of the first frequency domain resource and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource.

[0025] In this embodiment of the present application, please refer to the following descriptions such as Table 5, Table 6, etc. for a description of the index locations.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the second information includes third indication information, which includes N bits, where each of the first N-1 bits of the N bits indicates whether a predetermined number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) are available, and the last bit of the N bits indicates whether a remaining number of PRBs are available, where the remaining number is determined based on the number of PRBs included in the first frequency domain resource and the number of PRBs corresponding to the N-1 bits, and N is an integer greater than 0.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the second information includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information indicates an operation mode of the IAB node, and the operation mode of the IAB node is as follows: The DU of the IAB node receives a signal from the lower node or terminal device of the IAB node, and synchronizes with the MT of the IAB node to receive a signal from the upper node of the IAB node; The DU of the IAB node sends a signal to the lower node or terminal device of the IAB node, and synchronously, the MT of the IAB node sends a signal to the upper node of the IAB node; The DU of the IAB node sends a signal to the subordinate node or terminal device of the IAB node, and the MT of the IAB node receives a signal from the superior node of the IAB node in synchronization; and The DU of the IAB node receives a signal from the lower node or terminal device of the IAB node, and synchronizes with the MT of the IAB node to transmit the signal to the upper node of the IAB node. Contains one of the following:

[0028] It can be understood that the operation modes shown here are only examples, and for descriptions of other operation modes, please refer to the following embodiments.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the second information is included in medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling.

[0030] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a communication device configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect, for example the communication device includes a unit configured to perform the method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0031] For example, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. For specific descriptions of the processing unit and the transceiver unit, please refer to the following embodiments, and details will not be described here.

[0032] According to a third aspect, the present application provides a communications device, the communications device including a processor configured to perform a method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect. Alternatively, the processor is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory to cause the method according to the first aspect or any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to be performed.

[0033] In the process of performing the above method, the process of transmitting information (e.g., reporting the first information or the second information) or receiving information (e.g., receiving information transmitted by the donor node) in the above method can be understood as a process of outputting the information by a processor or a process of receiving the input information by a processor. When outputting information, the processor outputs the information to the transceiver so that the transceiver transmits the information. After the information is output by the processor, other processing may need to be performed on the information before it arrives at the transceiver. Similarly, when the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the information and inputs the information to the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the information, other processing may need to be performed on the information before it is input to the processor.

[0034] Based on the above principle, for example, reporting the first information described in the above method may be understood as outputting the first information by the processor.

[0035] With respect to operations such as transmitting, sending, and receiving associated with a processor, unless otherwise specified, or in the relevant description, where the operations do not contradict the actual functionality or internal logic of the processor, the operations may be more generally understood as operations such as output and input of the processor, rather than operations such as transmitting, sending, and receiving performed directly by radio frequency circuits and antennas.

[0036] During the implementation process, the processor may be a processor specially configured to perform these methods, or a processor that executes computer instructions in memory to perform these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM). The memory and the processor may be integrated into one chip or may be separately located on different chips. The type of memory and the manner in which the memory and the processor are located are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the memory is located external to the communication device.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the memory is located in the communication device.

[0039] In this embodiment of the present application, the processor and the memory may alternatively be combined into one component, in other words, the processor and the memory may alternatively be integrated together.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the communication device further comprises a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to receive signals and / or transmit signals.

[0041] According to a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, the communication device including a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit coupled to the interface, the interface configured to output first information, the logic circuit configured to communicate with a subordinate node or terminal device of the communication device under a first condition, and to communicate synchronously with a superior node of the communication device.

[0042] It may be understood that the logic circuit shown here is configured to communicate with a subordinate node or terminal device of a communication device under a first condition and to communicate synchronously with a superior node of the communication device. Further, it may be understood that the logic circuit communicates with a subordinate node or terminal device of a communication device under a first condition through an interface and to communicate synchronously with a superior node of the communication device.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the interface is configured to output the first indication.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the interface is further configured to output the second information.

[0045] It can be understood that for the explanation of the first information, the first condition, the second information, etc., please refer to the explanation of the first aspect. The details will not be described again here.

[0046] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium configured to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, performs the method according to the first aspect and any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0047] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program or computer code, which, when run on a computer, performs the method according to the first aspect and any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

[0048] According to a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program which, when run on a computer, performs the method according to the first aspect and any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0049] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an IAB node according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2a] 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2b] 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2c] 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an IAB space division reception scenario according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4a] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of frequency division multiplexing of an IAB node according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4b] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of frequency division multiplexing of an IAB node according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of frequency domain resources of an IAB MT and an IAB DU according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an IAB-based communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic flowchart of an IAB-based communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8a] 1 is a schematic flowchart of reporting multiplexing capability information by an IAB node according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8b] 1 is a schematic flowchart of reporting first information by an IAB node according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a bit of second information according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0050] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the following further describes the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] In the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are intended only to distinguish between different items and do not describe a particular order. Furthermore, terms such as "comprise" or "have," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, and optionally also includes unlisted steps or units, or optionally includes other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product, or device.

[0052] The term "embodiment" as used herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with reference to this embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of such a phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0053] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "at least two" means two, three, or more, and "and / or" is used to describe a relationship between related entities and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" may indicate three cases: only A is present, only B is present, and both A and B are present. The " / " character generally indicates a "logical or" relationship between related entities. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions means any combination of these items. For example, at least one item of a, b, and c may represent a, b, c, "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "a, b, and c."

[0054] The technical solutions provided in this application may be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, internet of things (IoT) systems, narrow band-internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), fifth generation (5G) communication systems, new radio (NR), and other future communication systems.

[0055] The technical solutions provided in this application may further be applied to machine-type communication (MTC), long-term evolution-machine (LTE-M) type communication technologies, device-to-device (D2D) networks, machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, or other networks. IoT networks may include, for example, Internet of Vehicles. Communication modes in Internet of Vehicle systems are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X, where X can represent anything). For example, V2X may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication. For example, in the communication system shown below, a terminal may communicate with another terminal device by using D2D technology, M2M technology, V2X technology, etc.

[0056] The following provides a detailed description of the terminology used in this application.

[0057] 1. Terminal Device

[0058] A terminal device in this application is a device with radio transceiver functionality that can communicate with an access network device (also sometimes referred to as an access device, network device, etc.) in a radio access network (RAN).

[0059] A terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent, user equipment, etc. In possible implementations, the terminal device may be located on the ground, including an indoor device, an outdoor device, a handheld device, or a vehicle-mounted device, or may be located on the water surface (e.g., on a boat), or may be located in the air (e.g., on an airplane, balloon, or satellite). In possible implementations, the terminal device may be a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a sensor, an Internet of Things terminal, an Internet of Vehicles terminal, any form of terminal device in 5th generation (5G) networks and future networks, etc., having wireless communication capabilities. This is not a limitation of the present application.

[0060] It can be understood that the terminal device referred to in this application may include a vehicle (e.g., an entire vehicle) of the Internet of Vehicles, and may also include an in-vehicle device, an in-vehicle terminal, etc. The specific form of the terminal device applied to the Internet of Vehicles is not limited by this application.

[0061] For ease of description, the terminal device is hereinafter referred to as UE.

[0062] 2. Network Devices

[0063] A network device in this application may be an apparatus disposed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication services to terminal devices. A network device may also be referred to as an access device, a RAN device, an access network device, etc.

[0064] The network device may include, but is not limited to, a next generation base station (gNB) in a 5G system, an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an LTE system, a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (home evolved NodeB, or home NodeB (HNB)), a base band unit (BBU), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a small cell base station (pico), a mobile switching center, or a network device of a future network. For example, the network device may alternatively be a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Alternatively, the network device may be a wearable device, an in-vehicle device, etc. Alternatively, the network device may be a device having D2D, V2X, or M2M base station functionality, etc. The specific type of network device is not limited by this application. In systems using different radio access technologies, the names of devices having the functionality of a network device may be different.

[0065] Optionally, in some deployments of the network device, the network device may include a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), etc. In some other deployments of the network device, the CU may be further divided into a CU control plane (CP), a CU user plane (UP), etc. In some other deployments of the network device, the network device may alternatively be an open radio access network (ORAN) architecture, etc. The specific deployment manner of the network device is not limited by this application.

[0066] The network devices shown above may also be referred to as donor base stations, or may be referred to as donor nodes, IAB donor nodes, etc. The names of the network devices in the IAB system are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0067] For ease of description, the network devices are referred to below as donor nodes.

[0068] 3.IAB Node

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1, an IAB node may include a mobile termination (also referred to as an IAB MT) and a distributed unit (DU) (also referred to as an IAB DU). The MT may be understood as a component similar to a terminal device (e.g., UE) of the IAB node, and the MT may also be referred to as a function camping on the IAB node. Because the function of the MT is similar to that of a general UE, it may be understood that the IAB node accesses a higher-level node (also referred to as a parent node) or a higher-level network by using the MT. The function of the DU is described with respect to the function of a central unit (CU) of a network device. For example, the DU may be understood as a base station function module of the IAB node. That is, the IAB node may communicate with a lower-level node (also referred to as a child node) or a UE by using the DU. Both the MT and DU of the IAB node may have complete transceiver modules, and an interface exists between the MT and the DU. The MT and DU may be understood to be logical modules. In practical applications, the MT and the DU may share some sub-modules, such as a transceiver antenna and a baseband processing module. For example, the upper node may be a base station, another IAB node, etc., and the lower node may be another IAB node, etc.

[0070] Based on the above-described devices, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, an IAB node may provide wireless access and wireless backhaul of access services to a terminal device. A donor node may provide wireless backhaul functionality to the IAB node and provide an interface between the terminal device and a core network. That is, the IAB node may be connected to the donor node through a wireless backhaul link, so that a terminal device served by the IAB node is connected to the core network.

[0071] As shown in Figure 2a, for example, a donor node may include a CU and a DU. From a protocol stack perspective, the CU includes the radio resource control (RRC) layer and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer of the original LTE base station, and the DU includes the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) sublayer, and physical layer (PHY). For example, the CU and DU may be physically connected through optical fiber, and logically, there is a specially defined F1 interface used for communication between the CU and DU. From a functional perspective, the CU is mainly responsible for radio resource control and configuration, cross-cell mobility management, bearer management, etc. The DU is mainly responsible for scheduling, physical signal generation and transmission, etc.

[0072] As shown in Figure 2a, for example, a donor node sends configuration information to the DU of IAB node 1 by using a CU. The F1 interface application protocol (F1 application, F1-AP) data packet generated by the CU of the donor node is encapsulated into an IP packet and forwarded between air interface multihop nodes. After the F1-AP data packet arrives at IAB node 1, the F1-AP data packet is processed in the adaptation layer of the IAB MT, and then the F1-AP data packet is forwarded to the local IAB DU for processing. Finally, the F1-AP data packet is parsed in the IAB DU.

[0073] Based on FIG. 2a, IAB node 1 may communicate with the donor node by using MT and with IAB node 2 by using DU. Moreover, IAB node 1 may further communicate with terminal device 2 by using DU. The donor node may provide service to IAB node 1 and also provide service to terminal device 1. It may be understood that in the network architecture shown in FIG. 2a, the subordinate node of IAB node 1 may be terminal device 2 or may be IAB node 2.

[0074] It may be understood that a link through which an MT communicates with an upper node (donor node shown in FIG. 2a) is referred to as an upper backhaul link (parent backhaul link), a link through which a DU communicates with a lower IAB node (IAB node 2 shown in FIG. 2a) is referred to as a lower backhaul link (child backhaul link), and a link through which a DU communicates with a subordinate terminal device of the DU (terminal device 2 shown in FIG. 2a) is referred to as an access link. IAB nodes may be connected to donor nodes through multi-level upper nodes. In some embodiments, the lower backhaul link may also be referred to as an access link or the like. The name of the lower backhaul link is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, as shown in FIG. 2b, the upper backhaul link includes an upper backhaul uplink (uplink, UL) and an upper backhaul downlink (downlink, DL), the lower backhaul link includes a lower backhaul UL and a lower backhaul DL, and the access link includes an access UL and an access DL.

[0075] It should be noted that although the network architecture diagram shown in Figure 2a illustrates terminal devices, IAB nodes, and donor nodes, the network architecture may not be limited to terminal devices, IAB nodes, and donor nodes. For example, the network architecture may further include core network devices, devices configured to provide virtualized network functions, etc. Details will not be described here. Moreover, the number of terminal devices, IAB nodes, and donor nodes included in the network architecture is not limited by this application.

[0076] For example, FIG. 2c is a schematic diagram of another network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2c, the network architecture includes one terminal device, multiple IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node 1, IAB node 2, and IAB node 3 in FIG. 2c), and one donor node. The terminal device may access the donor node through two paths. One path passes through the terminal device, IAB node 2, IAB node 1, and the donor node in order. The other path passes through the terminal device, IAB node 2, IAB node 3, IAB node 1, and the donor node in order. The terminal device accessing the donor node through multiple paths can be understood as a multi-connectivity wireless backhaul scenario. This can ensure service transmission reliability.

[0077] It can be understood that the network architectures shown in Figures 2a and 2c are merely examples, and the specific form of the network architecture or the specific networking scenario is not limited in this application.

[0078] 4. Spatial duplex multiplexing (SDM)

[0079] For example, a spatial division multiplexing scenario may be shown in Figure 3. IAB node 1 synchronously (or may be understood as simultaneously) receives a downlink signal transmitted by an upper-level node on a backhaul link and an uplink signal transmitted by a lower-level node (e.g., IAB node 2 or a terminal device) on an access link. It may be understood that Figure 3 illustrates a spatial division reception scenario of an IAB node. For example, an IAB node may also synchronously transmit a signal to an upper-level node and a signal to a lower-level node, i.e., a spatial division transmission scenario of an IAB node.

[0080] 5.Frequency division multiplexing

[0081] In the IAB, frequency division multiplexing mainly refers to frequency division multiplexing between the IAB MT and the IAB DU. That is, the IAB MT and the IAB DU may implement frequency division multiplexing by using resources in different frequency regions. Frequency division multiplexing between the IAB MT and the IAB DU can effectively improve (e.g., reduce) the mutual influence of signals transmitted and received between the IAB MT and the IAB DU.

[0082] For example, FIG. 4a is a schematic diagram of frequency division multiplexing between an IAB MT and an IAB DU according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4a, in the same time domain resource, the IAB MT and the IAB DU may use different frequency domain resources. For example, the IAB MT communicates with an upper node of the IAB node by using frequency domain resource 1 (i.e., 1 shown in FIG. 4a), and the IAB DU communicates with a lower node or UE of the IAB node by using frequency domain resource 2. That is, the IAB DU may provide access service to a lower node or UE of the IAB node by using frequency domain resource 2. For example, when the IAB MT receives downlink data transmitted by an upper node by using frequency domain resource 1, and at the same time, the IAB DU transmits downlink data to a lower node or UE of the IAB node by using frequency domain resource 2, the scenario is downlink full duplex. For example, if an IAB MT transmits uplink data to an upper node by using frequency domain resource 1, and at the same time, an IAB DU receives uplink data transmitted by a lower node or UE of the IAB node by using frequency domain resource 2, the scenario is uplink full duplex.

[0083] For example, Figure 4b is a schematic diagram of frequency division multiplexing in a multi-connectivity wireless backhaul scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, when an IAB node has multiple upper nodes, the MTs of the IAB nodes may communicate with each other by using different frequency domain resources of different upper nodes. Figure 4b shows only two upper nodes of the IAB node as an example. For example, an IAB MT may separately communicate with upper node 1 and upper node 2 by using different frequency domain resources. Furthermore, time division multiplexing is performed between the IAB MT and the IAB DU, i.e., the IAB MT and the IAB DU may transmit signals in different OFDM symbols.

[0084] It can be understood that for the explanation of the guard bands shown in Figures 4a and 4b, reference should be made to the relevant standards, protocols, etc. Details will not be described in this application.

[0085] 6. Synchronous actuation, also known as simultaneous actuation

[0086] The synchronized operation referred to herein primarily refers to the synchronized operation between the IAB MT and the IAB DU.

[0087] For example, synchronized operation may include: The IAB DU receives signals from the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and the IAB MT receives signals from the IAB node's superior node in synchronization with the IAB DU (i.e., the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception, denoted as DU_RX / MT_RX). Alternatively, the IAB DU transmits signals to the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and the IAB MT transmits signals to the IAB node's superior node in synchronization with the IAB DU (i.e., the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission, denoted as DU_TX / MT_TX). Alternatively, the IAB DU transmits signals to the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and the IAB MT receives signals from the IAB node's superior node in synchronization with the IAB DU (i.e., the IAB MT supports reception in synchronization with the IAB DU supporting transmission, denoted as DU_TX / MT_RX). Alternatively, the IAB DU receives signals from the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and in synchronization with this, the IAB MT transmits signals to the IAB node's superior node (i.e., the IAB MT supports transmission in synchronization with the IAB DU's support of reception, which is denoted as DU_RX / MT_TX).

[0088] For example, the IAB MT and the IAB DU operating synchronously includes the first carrier (CC) of the IAB MT and the first cell (cell) of the IAB DU operating synchronously. For example, the IAB DU provides a service to a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell (this may also be referred to as the IAB DU providing an access service to a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell), and the IAB MT communicates with an upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier synchronously.

[0089] For example, synchronized operation may include: The IAB DU receives signals from a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and synchronizes with the IAB MT, and the IAB MT receives signals from an upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier (e.g., this may be abbreviated as "the first cell of the IAB DU and the first carrier of the IAB MT support synchronous reception"). Alternatively, the IAB DU transmits signals to a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and synchronizes with the IAB MT, and the IAB MT transmits signals to an upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier (e.g., this may be abbreviated as "the first cell of the IAB DU and the first carrier of the IAB MT support synchronous transmission"). Alternatively, the IAB DU transmits signals to a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and synchronizes with the IAB MT, and the IAB MT receives signals from an upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier (e.g., this may be abbreviated as "the first cell of the IAB DU supports transmission" and "the first carrier of the IAB MT supports reception"). Alternatively, the IAB DU receives a signal from a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and synchronizes, and the IAB MT transmits a signal to a superior node of the IAB node by using the first carrier (for example, it can be referred to as the first cell of the IAB DU supporting reception and the first carrier of the IAB MT supporting transmission).

[0090] The above case of synchronized operation may also be referred to as a duplex multiplexing mode or an IAB operation mode. That is, the above description of synchronized operation is also applicable to the duplex multiplexing mode of the IAB mode. For example, the duplex multiplexing mode supported by an IAB node may vary depending on different embodiments or hardware capabilities of the IAB node. The IAB node may report its duplex multiplexing capabilities based on the various duplex multiplexing modes supported by the IAB node. By reporting its multiplexing capabilities, the IAB node enables donor nodes to configure or adjust resources used by the IAB node for access and backhaul, etc.

[0091] For example, the IAB DU may report to the donor node (donor CU) whether the IAB DU's cell and the IAB MT's serving cell (which may also be understood as a carrier) can perform transmission or reception synchronously. That is, the IAB DU reports multiplexing capability information to the donor node. The multiplexing capability information is shown in Table 1. The multiplexing capability information shown in Table 1 is configured for one IAB DU's cell and one IAB MT's serving cell (i.e., CC). For example, the IAB DU's cell may be identified by using a new radio (NR) cell identity, and the MT's cell may be identified by using a configured serving cell (e.g., an IAB MT cell item). In Table 1, "supported" indicates that the corresponding multiplexing capability is supported, and "not supported" indicates that the corresponding multiplexing capability is not supported. For example, DU_RX / MT_RX in Table 1 indicates whether the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception, and DU_TX / MT_TX indicates whether the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission. For example, for DU_TX / MT_RX and DU_RX / MT_TX in Table 1, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again here. [Table 1]

[0092] It will be appreciated that for a description of IAB synchronous operation, duplex multiplexing modes, etc., reference should be made to the relevant standards, protocols, etc. Details will not be described again in this application. For example, for a description of duplex multiplexing modes, please refer to the description in [TS 38.473].

[0093] It can be understood that synchronized operation in this application can be replaced with simultaneous operation. For example, simultaneous operation can include: The IAB DU receives signals from the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and at the same time, the IAB MT receives signals from the IAB node's superior node (i.e., the IAB DU and IAB MT support simultaneous reception, which is denoted as DU_RX / MT_RX). Alternatively, the IAB DU transmits signals to the IAB node's subordinate node or UE, and at the same time, the IAB MT receives signals from the IAB node's superior node (i.e., the IAB DU supports transmission, and at the same time, the IAB MT supports reception, which is denoted as DU_TX / MT_RX).

[0094] It may be understood that only one example of the relationship between simultaneous operation and synchronized operation is described here. The description of simultaneous operation and synchronized operation will not be described in detail in this application. Based on the relationship between synchronized operation and simultaneous operation, in the following description of synchronized operation between the IAB DU and the IAB MT, simultaneous operation between the IAB DU and the IAB MT is described in some parts. This should not be construed as a limitation on this application. For example, when the IAB MT supports reception and the IAB DU supports transmission at the same time, the first condition that the IAB node must satisfy, described below, may be replaced with the following: the IAB MT supports reception, and, in synchronization, the IAB DU supports transmission. In this case, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition. As another example, when the IAB MT supports transmission and, in synchronization, the IAB DU supports reception at the same time, the first condition that the IAB node must satisfy may be replaced with the following: the IAB MT supports transmission, and, in synchronization, the IAB DU supports reception. In this case, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition, which will not be described in detail here.

[0095] It can be seen from the above description of synchronous operation that the synchronous operation between the IAB MT and the IAB DU can also be understood as the synchronous operation between the first carrier (which can also be understood as a carrier) of the IAB MT and the first cell (which can also be understood as a cell) of the IAB DU. The bandwidth occupied by the first carrier of the IAB MT and the bandwidth occupied by the first cell of the IAB DU can be shown separately in FIG. 5. For example, in a scenario in which the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU operate synchronously, if the first carrier of the IAB MT occupies Bandwidth 1 and communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using Bandwidth 1, the IAB MT and the IAB DU cannot satisfy the condition for synchronous operation. As a result, Bandwidth 2 occupied by the first cell of the IAB DU is unavailable at the above moment (i.e., the moment when the IAB MT communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using Bandwidth 1). It can be understood that the first carrier and the first cell shown in this application are merely examples.

[0096] In other words, when either the IAB MT or the IAB DU performs transmission by using the bandwidth shown in Figure 5 (for example, the IAB MT transmits a signal by using bandwidth 1, and the IAB DU transmits a signal by using bandwidth 2), for example, when the IAB MT in Figure 5 occupies a part of the bandwidth resource, the entire bandwidth resource of the IAB DU is unavailable in the current transmission occasion, so that the spectrum resource is wasted and the spectrum efficiency of the network is affected.

[0097] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and apparatus based on IAB, to help effectively reduce the waste of spectrum resources and improve the spectrum efficiency of the network.

[0098] 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method based on IAB according to an embodiment of the present application. For a description of the communication system and communication device to which the method is applied, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again here. As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0099] 601: The IAB node reports first information to the IAB node's donor node, where the first information indicates a first condition, and the first condition is a condition under which the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0100] In response, the donor node of the IAB node receives the first information.

[0101] It can be understood that in this embodiment of the present application, the IAB MT is the MT of the IAB node, and the IAB DU is the DU of the IAB node. The condition for the IAB MT and the IAB DU to operate synchronously includes a condition for the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU to operate synchronously. In other words, under the first condition, the IAB DU serves a subordinate node or UE of the IAB node in the first cell, and the IAB MT communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using the first carrier synchronously. For simplicity, the following describes the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by using an example in which the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0102] For example, the IAB node reporting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node may include the IAB DU reporting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node, or the IAB DU reporting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node by using F1-AP signaling (i.e., the first information may be included in the F1-AP signaling). The IAB node reports the first information to the donor node of the IAB node, and the donor node may configure or adjust resources used by the IAB node for access and backhaul, etc., based on the first information.

[0103] In a possible implementation, please refer to the above description for a description of synchronized operation between the IAB MT and the IAB DU. For example, the IAB MT and the IAB DU operating synchronously may indicate that the IAB MT receives a signal from an upper node of the IAB node, and the IAB DU receives a signal from a lower node or a UE of the IAB node in synchronization. The synchronization indicated here may not be limited to all operations of the IAB MT and the IAB DU being performed simultaneously. For example, the IAB MT is not limited to receiving a signal at a certain point in time, but the IAB DU is receiving a signal at that point in time. For example, synchronization may indicate that the IAB MT and the IAB DU receive signals synchronously within the same period, or within the same time slot, or within the same orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. Indeed, synchronization may also indicate that the IAB MT and the IAB DU receive signals simultaneously at the same point in time. Here, only the example in which IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous reception is used to describe synchronous operation. For the description of synchronous operation, please refer to the synchronous operation described above. The details will not be described again here.

[0104] Referring to the first condition, the first information indicates that the first condition must be satisfied when the IAB MT and IAB DU operate synchronously. In other words, the IAB node must report its frequency division multiplexing condition information to the donor node. For example, if the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous reception, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition. As another example, if the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous transmission, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition. As another example, if the IAB MT supports reception and is synchronous, and the IAB DU supports transmission, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition. As another example, if the IAB MT supports transmission and is synchronous, and the IAB DU supports reception, the IAB node must satisfy the first condition.

[0105] For example, when an IAB node accesses a network or when an IAB node is connected to a new donor node, the IAB node may report multiplexing capability information to the donor node. It may be understood that for a description of the multiplexing capability information, please refer to the above synchronized operation, Table 1, etc. Details will not be described again here. Optionally, when an IAB node reports multiplexing capability information, the IAB node may report first information to the donor node, that is, the first information and the multiplexing capability information may be included in the same signaling, for example, F1-AP signaling. Optionally, the multiplexing capability information and the first information reported by the IAB node may not be in the same signaling. It may be understood that when an IAB node reports multiplexing capability information and the first information, by default, the first condition may be considered (i.e., implicitly indicated) to need to be satisfied when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0106] It can be understood that the above implementation is shown based on the multiplexing capability information shown in Table 1. However, this embodiment of the present application further provides other types of multiplexing capability information, as shown in Table 2. "Supported" in Table 2 indicates that the IAB MT and IAB DU unconditionally support the corresponding multiplexing transmission. For example, "supported" indicates that the IAB MT and IAB DU unconditionally support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission. "Not supported" indicates that the IAB MT and IAB DU do not support the corresponding multiplexing capability. "Limited" indicates that the IAB MT and IAB DU support the corresponding multiplexing capability under certain conditions. For example, "Limited" indicates that the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous reception, synchronous transmission, etc. under a first condition. That is, "Limited" may explicitly indicate whether the first condition needs to be satisfied when the IAB MT and IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0107] That is, when an IAB node reports multiplexing capability information based on Table 2, the multiplexing capability information includes limited capability information. Therefore, the IAB MT and IAB DU operating synchronously can be understood as any one or more of the following: IAB MT and IAB DU unconditionally support synchronous reception (e.g., DU_RX / MT_RX and supported in Table 2), IAB MT and IAB DU unconditionally support synchronous transmission (e.g., DU_TX / MT_TX and supported in Table 2), When unconditional, the IAB MT supports receiving and the IAB DU supports transmitting (e.g., DU_TX / MT_RX and supported in Table 2); When unconditional, the IAB MT supports transmission and the IAB DU supports reception (e.g., DU_RX / MT_TX and supported in Table 2); Under the first condition, the IAB MT and the IAB DU support synchronous reception (e.g., DU_RX / MT_RX and limited in Table 2) (which may also be understood as the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU supporting synchronous reception); Under the first condition, the IAB MT and the IAB DU support synchronous transmission (e.g., DU_TX / MT_TX and limited in Table 2) (which may also be understood as the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU supporting simultaneous transmission); Under a first condition, the IAB MT supports reception, and at the same time, the IAB DU supports transmission (e.g., DU_TX / MT_RX and limited in Table 2) (which can also be understood as the first carrier of the IAB MT supports reception, and at the same time, the first cell of the IAB DU supports transmission); and Under the first condition, the IAB MT supports transmission, and at the same time, the first cell of the IAB DU supports reception (e.g., DU_RX / MT_TX and limited in Table 2) (which can also be understood as the first carrier of the IAB MT supports transmission, and at the same time, the first cell of the IAB DU supports reception). [Table 2]

[0108] In this embodiment of the present application, for example, in addition to reporting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node, the IAB node may further report first indication information to the donor node of the IAB node. The first indication information indicates whether a first condition needs to be satisfied when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. In other words, the first indication information may be understood as Table 2 limited, and the first information indicates a first condition that needs to be satisfied by the IAB MT and the IAB DU when there is limited multiplexing capability information. It may be understood that the first information and the first indication information may be included in the same signaling or may be included in different signaling. This is not a limitation in this embodiment of the present application.

[0109] It can be understood that the above synchronous operation is indicated when the multiplexing capability information is supported or limited. This embodiment of the present application also applies when the multiplexing capability information is not supported. For example, under the first condition, the IAB MT and the IAB DU do not support synchronous reception, synchronous transmission, etc.

[0110] It can be understood that for a specific description of the first condition, please refer to the specific example shown below, and the details will not be described again here.

[0111] In a possible implementation, the method shown in FIG.

[0112] 602: The donor node configures resources for the IAB node.

[0113] In this embodiment of the present application, the donor node may configure resources for the IAB MT and / or the IAB DU. For example, DU_TX / MT_TX is used as an example. After the donor node configures hardware type resources (i.e., resources always available to the IAB DU) for the IAB DU within a slot or symbol based on the multiplexing capability information reported by the IAB node and the first condition, the transmission direction is downlink (DL). For example, the IAB MT determines the transmission direction to be uplink based on the time division duplex (TDD) configuration. When the IAB MT is scheduled to transmit an uplink signal at the resource location and the IAB DU transmits a downlink signal synchronously, the IAB MT and the IAB DU can operate synchronously.

[0114] In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG.

[0115] 603: The donor node configures resources for the ancestor node of the IAB node.

[0116] In this embodiment of the present application, the donor node may configure resources for the DU of the upper node of the IAB node. It can be understood that for a specific description of the configuration of resources for the IAB node by the donor node or the configuration of resources for the DU of the upper node of the IAB node, please refer to relevant standards, protocols, etc. The details will not be described again here.

[0117] Optionally, the method shown in FIG. 6 may include step 601, step 602, and step 604. In this case, the ancestor node of the IAB node may be a donor node, etc. The specific network architecture in this case is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the method shown in FIG. 6 may include step 601 to step 604. In this case, as shown in the network architecture of FIG. 2a, the ancestor node of the IAB node may be another IAB node, and the ancestor node of the other IAB node is a donor node. The specific network architecture in this case is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. It may be understood that the order of step 602 and step 603 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0118] 604: Under a first condition, the IAB DU communicates with a subordinate node or a UE of the IAB node, and synchronously, the IAB MT communicates with an upper node of the IAB node.

[0119] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB DU communicates with the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and the IAB MT communicates with the superior node of the IAB node synchronously. This means that the IAB DU communicates with the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE based on the multiplexing capability information of the IAB node, and the IAB MT communicates with the superior node of the IAB node synchronously.

[0120] For example, the multiplexing capability information is that synchronous reception is supported and the IAB node must satisfy the first condition. The IAB DU receives signals from the subordinate node or UE of the IAB node, and the IAB MT receives signals from the superior node of the IAB node synchronously. It can be understood that the description of the multiplexing capability information can be referred to above. The details will not be described again here.

[0121] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node reports the first information, i.e., adds a restriction condition for supporting multiplexing based on the multiplexing capability information. Therefore, based on the restriction condition, the IAB node can communicate with its upper or lower node, UE, etc. Furthermore, based on the restriction condition, the IAB node can ensure that the IAB MT and the IAB DU can operate synchronously. For example, the IAB MT and the IAB DU can better perform synchronous reception or synchronous transmission.

[0122] The following specifically describes the first condition shown in this embodiment of the present application.

[0123] Implementation 1

[0124] The first condition includes available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. Alternatively, the first condition includes unavailable frequency domain resources of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0125] In this embodiment of the present application, when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously, the IAB MT and the IAB DU may be in a frequency division multiplexing mode. Therefore, it is necessary that the frequency domain resources of the IAB MT and the IAB DU do not overlap. As shown in FIG. 5, if the frequency domain resources of the IAB MT and the IAB DU overlap or the occupied frequency domain resources are smaller than the guard band, either the IAB MT or the IAB DU cannot operate. Therefore, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT are reported. In this way, the donor node can configure resources for the IAB MT or the IAB DU based on the available frequency domain resources. Alternatively, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT are reported. In this way, the donor node can know the frequency domain resources used for communication by the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU need to operate synchronously. It can be understood that the available frequency domain resources may also include bandwidth resources available to the IAB MT. That is, the available frequency domain resources may include the available bandwidth resources.

[0126] For example, the available frequency domain resources are: the starting physical resource block (PRB) of available frequency domain resources; End PRB of available frequency domain resources, Absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), and Number of resource blocks RB of available frequency domain resources Contains one or more of the following:

[0127] In some implementations, the available frequency domain resources include the starting PRB. In this case, the ending PRB of the available frequency domain resources may be the last PRB in the bandwidth resource by default. The bandwidth resource may be the frequency domain resource in which the first carrier of the IAB MT is located. Alternatively, the bandwidth resource may be the frequency domain resource of the serving cell (e.g., the first carrier) of the IAB MT.

[0128] In some other implementations, the available frequency domain resources include an ending PRB. In this case, the starting PRB of the available frequency domain resources may be PRB0. Generally, in ascending order, the first frequency domain resource, or bandwidth part (BWP), of a serving cell is usually PRB0. Therefore, when the ending PRB is indicated by using the first information, the starting PRB of the available frequency domain resources may be PRB0 by default.

[0129] In yet another implementation, the available frequency domain resources include an ARFCN, which may indicate an origin frequency of the available frequency domain resources.

[0130] In yet another implementation, the available frequency domain resources include the number of RBs (which may also be understood as the frequency domain length of the available frequency domain resources). In this case, the starting position of the available frequency domain resources may be PRB0, etc. How to set the starting position is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. It may be understood that the frequency domain length of the available frequency domain resources measured in units of RBs here is merely an example. For example, the frequency domain length of the available frequency domain resources may further be measured in units of PRBs or resource elements (REs). For example, the available frequency domain resources include the number of PRBs, the number of REs, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0131] In yet another implementation, the available frequency domain resources are indicated by using common resource blocks (CRBs).

[0132] In yet another implementation, the available frequency domain resources include a starting position (which may also be referred to as a start position, etc.) and an ending position (which may also be referred to as an end position, etc.) of the available frequency domain resources. In other words, the starting position and the ending position may indicate a condition that the frequency domain resources of the IAB MT need to satisfy when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. For example, the starting position and the ending position of the available frequency domain resources may be measured by using any one of the following units: PRB, RB, RE, etc. For example, as shown in Table 3, a semi-persistent frequency division multiplexing resource may be divided by using a starting PRB and an ending PRB. [Table 3]

[0133] For example, the second row of Table 3 may indicate that the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception, that the starting PRB of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is X1, and that the ending PRB is X2. The third row of Table 3 may indicate that the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission, and that the starting PRB of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is X3. In this case, the ending PRB of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is the last PRB in the bandwidth resource. It may be understood that X1, X2, and X3 shown here are merely examples, and the specific values ​​represented by X1, X2, and X3 are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. It may be understood that the operation mode shown in Table 3 may be understood as the duplex multiplexing mode of the IAB node, that is, the multiplexing capability information of the IAB node. Table 3 is illustrated by using the first information and multiplexing capability information reported by the IAB node as examples. If the operating mode for frequency domain resource allocation is not explicitly configured, the IAB node is considered not to perform frequency division multiplexing, e.g., the IAB node may perform time division multiplexing.

[0134] In yet another implementation, the available frequency domain resources include an ARFCN and a number of RBs. As shown in Table 4, the origin frequency and the number of RBs are indicated by using the ARFCN to perform semi-persistent frequency division multiplexing resource division. [Table 4]

[0135] For example, the second row of Table 4 indicates that the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception, that the starting frequency of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is Y1, and that the number of RBs is Y2. The third row of Table 4 indicates that the IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission, that the starting frequency of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is Y3, and that the number of RBs is y4. It can be understood that Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 shown here are merely examples, and the specific values ​​represented by Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0136] It can be understood that Tables 3 and 4 are merely examples, and the specific content of the available frequency domain resources is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT may further include ARFCN and end PRB, or the number of RBs and start PRB, or the number of RBs and end PRB. Details will not be described again here.

[0137] Regardless of which method is used to indicate the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT, the donor node needs to know the bandwidth resources of the IAB MT based on the subcarrier spacing (SCS). For example, the available frequency domain resources include the ARFCN and the number of RBs, and the number of RBs is 20. In this case, the donor node needs to know the bandwidth resources of the IAB MT based on the subcarrier length corresponding to each RB. In other words, the donor node and / or the IAB node needs to determine the bandwidth length of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT based on the reference SCS. That is, the reference SCS is used to determine the bandwidth length of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT. The following describes how to set the reference SCS.

[0138] Method 1: The reference SCS is the SCS of the serving cell of the IAB MT. In other words, the reference SCS is the SCS of the first carrier of the IAB MT. For example, the reference SCS is the SCS of the serving cell (e.g., the first carrier) of the IAB MT by default. As another example, the reference SCS indicated in the first information is the SCS of the serving cell of the IAB MT.

[0139] Method 2: The reference SCS is defined in the protocol. For example, the reference SCS is the SCS set for the initial bandwidth part (initial bandwidth part, also called the initial BWP or default BWP) of the reference MT.

[0140] Method 3: Explicitly set the reference SCS. For example, the first information includes indication information indicating the reference SCS. For example, the IAB node reports fifth indication information to the donor node of the IAB node, and the fifth indication information indicates the reference SCS. In other words, the reference SCS may be included in the first information, or the IAB node may indicate the reference SCS to the donor node of the IAB node by using other information (e.g., the fifth indication information). How the reference SCS is explicitly set is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0141] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node reports the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT of the IAB node to the donor node. The donor node can configure access and backhaul resources for the IAB DU based on the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT. Furthermore, when the IAB MT occupies the available frequency domain resources, the IAB DU can avoid frequency domain resources that overlap with the available frequency domain resources as much as possible. In this way, the waste of frequency domain resources shown in Figure 5 is improved, and the spectrum efficiency of the network is also improved.

[0142] All the above embodiments are illustrated by using an example in which the first condition includes the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. However, the first condition may alternatively include the unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. For a description of how to indicate the unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT, please refer to the above description of the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT. The details will not be described again here.

[0143] Implementation 2

[0144] The first condition includes an expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously, and / or an expected transmission power of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. In other words, the first condition includes an expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node when the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU operate synchronously, and / or an expected transmission power of the IAB MT when the first carrier of the IAB MT and the first cell of the IAB DU operate synchronously.

[0145] It may be understood that the transmission power indicated in this embodiment of the present application is simply the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node (hereinafter referred to as the expected first transmission power) or the expected transmission power of the IAB MT (hereinafter referred to as the expected second transmission power). In other words, even if the first information indicates the first condition, the relevant node may still determine the transmission power of the DU of the upper node, the transmission power of the IAB MT, etc. based on other constraints, etc. The expected first transmission power indicated in the present application may also be referred to as the reference transmission power of the DU of the upper node, and the expected second transmission power may also be referred to as the reference transmission power of the IAB MT.

[0146] Generally, when the IAB DU and IAB MT operate synchronously, for example, if the difference between the received power when the IAB DU receives a signal and the received power when the IAB MT receives a signal is too large, system performance loss occurs. As another example, if the difference between the transmit power when the IAB DU transmits a signal and the transmit power when the IAB MT transmits a signal is too large, interference occurs. The synchronous operation shown here is merely an example. For a description of synchronous operation, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again here.

[0147] With this in mind, the IAB node may report the expected first transmit power or the expected second transmit power to the donor node.

[0148] Example 1: An IAB node reports an expected first transmission power to its donor node. In this way, the donor node can set a related power parameter (e.g., which may be referred to as a first power parameter) for the DU_TX / MT_TX of the upper node based on the expected first transmission power. Specifically, the first power parameter is determined based on the expected first transmission power. It may be understood that the first power parameter may be understood as one power parameter, or may be understood as multiple power parameters, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The specific parameters included in the first power parameter are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, in the case of a method for determining power based on power parameters, please refer to a related standard or protocol. Details will not be described here.

[0149] In this manner, the upper node may determine its uplink transmission power based on the first power parameter. Since the donor node determines the first power parameter based on the expected first transmission power reported by the IAB node, the uplink transmission power determined by the upper node based on the first power parameter is approximately the expected first transmission power. Alternatively, the power difference between the uplink transmission power determined by the upper node based on the first power parameter and the expected first transmission power is within a specific range (e.g., an acceptable range). Furthermore, it may be ensured that the power difference between the received power when the IAB MT receives a signal from the DU of the upper node and the received power when the IAB DU receives a signal from the lower node or UE is within a specific range (e.g., a first value range).

[0150] Example 2: When the upper node of the IAB node is a donor node, the IAB node reports the expected first transmission power to the donor node. In this way, the transmission power of the donor node is as equal as possible to the expected first transmission power, or the power difference between the transmission power of the donor node and the expected first transmission power is within a specific range. Therefore, it can be ensured that the power difference between the received power when the IAB MT receives a signal from the donor node and the received power when the IAB DU receives a signal from the lower node or UE is also within a specific range.

[0151] From the above Examples 1 and 2, it can be seen that, for example, the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node may be determined based on measurements performed by the IAB MT on a reference signal transmitted by the DU of the upper node. Specifically, the received power RSRP or SINR (signal to interference plus noise ratio) of the downlink reference signal transmitted by the DU of the upper node may be measured. For example, the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node may be determined based on the received power range of the IAB MT or the IAB DU. The specific value of the expected transmission power of the DU of the upper node is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0152] For example, the IAB node may indicate the expected first transmit power to the donor node by using a power range for the expected first transmit power. For example, the first information may include a maximum value for the expected first transmit power and a minimum value for the expected first transmit power. For example, the IAB node may indicate the expected first transmit power to the donor node by using an offset value for the expected first transmit power. For example, the first information may include an offset value for the expected first transmit power, for example, -x dB.

[0153] Example 3: The IAB node reports the expected second transmission power to the donor node of the IAB node. In this way, the donor node can set a related power parameter (which may be referred to as a second power parameter, for example) for the IAB MT based on the expected second transmission power. For a description of the second power parameter, please refer to the above description of the first power parameter. The details will not be described again here.

[0154] Therefore, the IAB node determines the uplink transmit power of the IAB MT based on the second power parameter. Since the donor node determines the second power parameter based on the expected second transmit power, the uplink transmit power of the IAB MT determined by the IAB node based on the second power parameter may be the same as the expected second transmit power, or the power difference between the uplink transmit power of the IAB MT and the expected second transmit power may be within a specific range. Furthermore, it may be ensured that the power difference between the uplink transmit power when the IAB MT transmits a signal to the upper node of the IAB node and the uplink transmit power when the IAB DU transmits a signal to the lower node or UE of the IAB node is within a specific range as much as possible.

[0155] Therefore, the serious interference caused by the excessively large transmission power difference between the IAB MT and the IAB DU is improved, which effectively reduces the interference between the IAB MT and the IAB DU.

[0156] For example, the first information may include a nominal power of the expected second transmission power and / or an offset value of the nominal power (eg, −x dB).

[0157] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node reports the expected first transmission power to the donor node. In this way, system performance can be effectively improved and the excessively large difference between the received power when the IAB DU receives a signal and the received power when the IAB MT receives a signal is also improved. Alternatively, the IAB node reports the expected second transmission power to the donor node, so as to effectively improve interference and to improve the excessively large difference between the transmit power when the IAB DU transmits a signal and the transmit power when the IAB MT transmits a signal.

[0158] Implementation 3

[0159] The first condition is: The number of ports of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously, where the number of ports is the number of ports of the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) used for data transmission and / or data demodulation. The number of ports of the MT; The number of ports of the IAB DU when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously, where the number of ports is the number of ports of the DMRS used for data transmission and / or data demodulation; and the number of ports of the DU; Number of layers of IAB nodes when IAB MT and IAB DU operate synchronously Contains one or more of the following:

[0160] For example, an IAB node may include a total of four TRX radio frequency channels. Moreover, the IAB node may expect to use two of the four TRX radio frequency channels for backhaul and the remaining two for access to implement spatial division transmission. Therefore, the IAB node may report the number of layers or the number of ports so that the donor node can know the number of available layers or available ports of the IAB node in a multiplexing scenario.

[0161] It may be understood that the available frequency domain resources, the expected first transmission power, the expected second transmission power, the number of ports, or the number of layers may be separately included in the first information, that is, the first information may include any one of the above information. Alternatively, the first information may further include at least two of the above information, etc. This is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0162] Generally, the IAB DU may report multiplexing capability information to the donor node (shown in Table 1), and the multiplexing capability information may be carried by using the F1 interface application protocol. However, when the related information is configured by using the F1 interface application protocol, the transmission delay is large. In other words, when the related information needs to be updated in a timely manner, it is difficult to perform dynamic configuration by using the F1 interface application protocol configuration.

[0163] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide an IAB-based communication method and apparatus, so as to dynamically adjust the available frequency domain resources of an IAB MT.

[0164] 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method based on IAB according to an embodiment of the present application. For a description of the communication system and communication device in which the method is provided, please refer to the above description. The details will not be described again here. As shown in FIG. 7, the method includes the following steps:

[0165] In a possible implementation, the method shown in FIG.

[0166] Please refer to Figures 8a and 8b below for an explanation of step 701. Details will not be given here.

[0167] 702: The IAB node sends second information to the upstream node of the IAB node, where the second information indicates the first frequency domain resource. Correspondingly, the upstream node of the IAB node receives the second information.

[0168] For example, the second information may be included in a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE). For example, the IAB MT may transmit the second information to an upper node of the IAB node. The upper node of the IAB node may be a donor node, another IAB node, etc.

[0169] Optionally, the first frequency domain resource shown in this embodiment of the present application may be understood as an available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT, or alternatively, the first frequency domain resource may be understood as an unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT. For a description of the unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT, please refer to FIG. 8a shown below. The unavailable frequency domain resource will not be described again here. Optionally, the first frequency domain resource may be included in the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT shown in FIG. 6, or alternatively, the first frequency domain resource may be included in the unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT shown in FIG. 6. Note that both the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT and the unavailable frequency domain resource of the IAB MT may be included in the serving cell of the IAB MT, for example, the carrier of the IAB MT (e.g., the first carrier shown above).

[0170] In a possible implementation, after the IAB node reports the multiplexing capability information to the donor node, the IAB node sends the second information to the upper node of the IAB node. As shown in Fig. 8a, step 701 may include the following steps:

[0171] 7011: The IAB node reports multiplexing capability information to the donor node of the IAB node. Correspondingly, the donor node receives the multiplexing capability information. It can be understood that for a description of the multiplexing capability information, please refer to the above description of Table 1. For example, the multiplexing capability information includes any one of the following: the IAB MT and the IAB DU support synchronous reception; the IAB MT and the IAB DU support synchronous transmission; the IAB DU supports reception when the IAB MT supports transmission; and the IAB DU supports transmission when the IAB MT supports reception.

[0172] 7012: The donor node configures resources for the IAB node.

[0173] 7013: The donor node sets resources for the upper node of the IAB node.

[0174] It can be understood that for the description of step 7012 and step 7013, please refer to the above description, and the details will not be described again here.

[0175] That is, in FIG. 8a, after the IAB node reports the multiplexing capability information to the donor node of the IAB node, the IAB node may further dynamically transmit the first frequency domain resource to the upper node of the IAB node. The first frequency domain resource may be understood as the frequency domain resource available to the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. That is, when the method shown in FIG. 7 is not combined with the method shown in FIG. 6, the first frequency domain resource may be understood as the frequency domain resource available to the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously. The relationship between the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT shown here and the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT shown in FIG. 6 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0176] In this embodiment of the present application, if the upper node of the IAB node does not receive the second information, the upper node of the IAB node may assume by default that the IAB MT of the subnode and the IAB DU of the subnode are time division multiplexed. In other words, the upper node does not schedule the MT for transmission by frequency division multiplexing, that is, the upper node does not schedule the MT of the subnode for transmission on the time resource in which the DU of the subnode operates.

[0177] In actual transmission, the bandwidth resources required by an IAB MT or an IAB DU are usually not constant due to fluctuations in data throughput. Resource waste also occurs when semi-persistent configuration is performed using higher-level signaling, and pre-allocated frequency domain resources are excessive / redundant when the data transmission requirements on either the MT or the DU are small. In the method shown in Figure 6, semi-persistent frequency domain resource division between the IAB MT and the IAB DU is implemented. However, the IAB MT and the IAB DU may not always be able to operate based on the configured bandwidth. For example, the IAB DU can use 100 MHz frequency domain resources in that bandwidth. If the IAB MT and the IAB DU need to operate synchronously, the IAB MT can only use 0 MHz to 50 MHz of the 100 MHz. Depending on the size of the data that needs to be transmitted at each moment, the IAB MT may not always be able to use 50 MHz when performing frequency division multiplexing with the IAB DU. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, with reference to the method shown in FIG. 6, the IAB MT may use the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT.

[0178] In consideration of this, in another possible implementation, after the IAB node reports the first information to the donor node, the IAB node transmits the second information to the upper node of the IAB node. As shown in Fig. 8b, step 701 may include the following steps:

[0179] 7014: The IAB node reports first information to the donor node of the IAB node, where the first information includes a first condition, where the first condition is a condition for the IAB MT and the IAB DU to operate synchronously. In response, the donor node receives the first information.

[0180] It may be understood that for an explanation of the first information, the first condition, etc., please refer to the method shown in Fig. 6. Details will not be described again here. For example, the first condition includes available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT. In this case, the first frequency domain resources are included in the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT. In other words, with reference to the methods shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the first frequency domain resources may be understood as a subset of the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT.

[0181] 7015: The donor node configures resources for the IAB node.

[0182] 7106: The donor node sets resources for the upper node of the IAB node.

[0183] In this embodiment of the present application, if the upper node of the IAB node does not receive the second information, the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT reported by the IAB node (the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT when the IAB MT and the IAB DU operate synchronously) can be used for frequency division multiplexing by default. In other words, the entire bandwidth of the IAB MT under the first condition constraint can be multiplexed in the frequency domain.

[0184] It can be understood that the above description can be referred to for the description of step 7015 and step 7016. The details will not be described again here.

[0185] Steps 7011 to 7013 and steps 7014 to 7016 may be understood as embodiments independent of each other, and it may be understood that this does not indicate that steps 7011 to 7016 are one embodiment.

[0186] 703: The IAB node communicates with an upstream node of the IAB node by using the first frequency domain resource.

[0187] For example, the above-mentioned available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT may be included in the first carrier of the IAB MT. That is, the first frequency domain resource is further included in the first carrier. Therefore, the IAB MT communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using the first frequency domain resource. Alternatively, the IAB MT communicates with the upper node of the IAB node by using the first frequency domain resource. The following describes in detail the second information provided in this embodiment of the present application.

[0188] In a possible implementation, the second information includes second indication information, which indicates a starting RB and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource.

[0189] For example, the second indication information may be an index value, and the index value indicates the originating RB and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource. In other words, the IAB node may indicate the originating RB and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource to its upper node by using the index value. For example, the relationship between the index value and the originating RB and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource may be shown in Table 5. [Table 5]

[0190] It can be understood that Z1, Z2, and Z3 shown in Table 5 are merely examples, and the specific values ​​of Z1, Z2, and Z3 are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. Furthermore, the values ​​of the number of RBs, such as Z11 to Z18, Z21 to Z28, and Z31 to Z33, simply refer to the number of RBs related to the starting RB number. The specific values ​​of the above characters are also not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, as shown in Table 5, the starting RB corresponding to index 0 is Z1, and the number of RBs is Z11. In other words, when the second indication information is 0, the upper node of the IAB node can know that the starting RB number of the first frequency domain resource is Z1 and the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource is Z11 based on the index value 0.

[0191] For ease of understanding, the embodiment of the present application provides a specific example as shown in Table 6. [Table 6]

[0192] It will be understood that Tables 5 and 6 are examples only, and that the above tables merely show examples of combinations of portions of an index and the bandwidth indicated by that portion of the index.

[0193] It may be understood that the above measurement of the first frequency domain resource in units of RBs is merely an example. For example, the first frequency domain resource may be measured in units of RE, PRB, etc. For example, the second indication information indicates a starting RE and the number of REs of the first frequency domain resource. As another example, the second indication information indicates a starting PRB and the number of PRBs (or the number of RBs) of the first frequency domain resource.

[0194] In another possible implementation, the second information may separately include information indicating the starting RB of the first frequency domain resource and the number of RBs. For example, the second information may include information indicating the starting RB of the first frequency domain resource and information indicating the number of RBs of the first frequency domain resource.

[0195] In yet another possible implementation, the second information includes third indication information, which includes N bits, each of the first N-1 bits of which indicates whether a preset number of PRBs are available, and the last bit of the N bits indicates whether the remaining number of PRBs are available.

[0196] Optionally, the remaining number is determined based on the number of PRBs included in the first frequency domain resource and the number of PRBs corresponding to N-1 bits, where N is an integer greater than 0. In this case, the third indication information may indicate that a portion of the bandwidth in the first frequency domain resource is available and / or that a portion of the bandwidth is unavailable.

[0197] Optionally, the remaining number is determined based on the number of PRBs included in the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT and the number of PRBs corresponding to N-1 bits, where N is an integer greater than 0. In this case, the third indication information may indicate that a portion of the bandwidth in the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT is available and / or a portion of the bandwidth is unavailable. The following uses an example in which the remaining number is determined based on the number of PRBs included in the available frequency domain resources of the IAB MT and the number of PRBs corresponding to N-1 bits, to describe the third indication information provided in this embodiment of the present application with reference to a specific example.

[0198] It may be understood that the preset number may be the same as or different from the remaining number. This is not a limitation in this embodiment of the present application. The specific value of N is not a limitation in this embodiment of the present application. For example, N may be a fixed value, or N may be determined based on the number of PRBs included in the first frequency domain resource and the preset number, or N may be determined based on the number of PRBs included in the available frequency domain resource of the IAB MT and the preset number, etc.

[0199] Optionally, each of the first N-1 bits of the N bits indicates whether a fixed number of PRBs is available. That is, the preset number can be understood as the fixed amount. The specific value of the fixed amount is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the preset number is equal to any one of 10, 20, 30, etc. For example, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource is 200 MHz, the number of PRBs within 200 MHz is 275, and the preset number is 20. The third indication information includes 14 bits, and each of the first 13 bits indicates whether 20 PRBs are available. The first 13 bits may indicate whether 13 x 20 = 260 PRBs are available, and the last bit indicates that 275 - 260 = 15 PRBs are available.

[0200] It may be understood that the above example is illustrated by using an example in which the preset number is a fixed amount. Optionally, the preset number may be further determined based on the bandwidth length of the first frequency domain resource and N. For example, the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource is 200 MHz, the number of PRBs within 200 MHz is 275, and N=14. In this case, each of the first N-1 bits of the N bits indicates whether 19 PRBs are available. 19 can be obtained by rounding down to the nearest integer of 275 / 14, i.e., 275 / 14≈19.64, and the result obtained by rounding down to the nearest integer of 19.64 is 19. The last bit of the N bits indicates whether 275-19×13=28 PRBs are available. It may be understood that 19 obtained by rounding down to the nearest integer is merely an example. For example, 20 may be obtained by rounding up to the nearest integer of 275 / 14.

[0201] It may be understood that N=14 shown here is just an example. Optionally, N may be set by a protocol, for example, N is a fixed value. Optionally, N may alternatively be determined based on the bandwidth of the first frequency domain resource and the number of PRBs indicated by each bit, etc. The specific value of N is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0202] It may be understood that the above-described bit indicates whether a specific number of PRBs are available, and that the PRB is used as a unit, is merely an example. In this embodiment of the present application, RBs or REs may alternatively be used as a unit. For example, each bit may indicate whether a specific number of RBs are available, or each bit may indicate whether a specific number of REs are available. It may be understood that in the above implementation, the second information is described as including information indicating a first frequency domain resource. For example, the second information includes second indication information, third indication information, etc. In addition to the above information, the second information may further include fourth indication information. The fourth indication information indicates an operation mode of the IAB node. The operation mode of the IAB node is as follows: It may be understood that the IAB DU receives signals from the subordinate node or terminal device of the IAB node, and at the same time, the IAB MT receives signals from the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above-mentioned IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception; It may be understood that the IAB DU transmits a signal to the subordinate node of the IAB node or the terminal device, and at the same time, the IAB MT transmits a signal to the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission; It may be understood that the IAB DU transmits signals to the subordinate node of the IAB node or the terminal device, and at the same time, the IAB MT receives signals from the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above IAB DU supports transmission, and at the same time, the IAB MT supports reception; and It may be understood that the IAB DU receives signals from the subordinate node or terminal device of the IAB node, and at the same time, the IAB MT transmits signals to the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above IAB DU supports receiving, and at the same time, the IAB MT supports transmitting; It may include any one of the following:

[0203] It can be understood that the operation modes shown above are only examples. For the description of the operation modes, please refer to the above description of Table 1. The details will not be described again here.

[0204] For example, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of 16 bits included in the second information. As shown in Figure 9, the first two bits of the 16 bits may indicate an operation mode, and the third to sixteenth bits of the 16 bits may indicate a first frequency domain resource. As shown in Table 7, Table 7 shows an example of an operation mode indication method. For example, "00" may indicate that the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous reception (i.e., DU_RX / MT_RX), "01" may indicate that the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous transmission (i.e., DU_TX / MT_TX), "10" may indicate that the IAB MT supports reception and the IAB DU supports transmission (i.e., DU_TX / MT_RX), and "11" may indicate that the IAB MT supports transmission and the IAB DU supports reception (i.e., DU_RX / MT_TX). 9 shows an example in which the operation mode is one in which the IAB MT and IAB DU support synchronous reception. In the third to sixteenth bits, "0" may indicate that the preset number of PRBs is unavailable, and "1" may indicate that the preset number of PRBs is available. It can be understood that whether the number of PRBs indicated by the sixteenth bit is the same as that indicated by the above bits is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0205] For example, bits 3 to 16 in Figure 9 may indicate the bandwidth that can be occupied starting from PRB 0 of the first frequency domain resource. For example, bits 3 to 15 indicate whether 20 PRBs are available, and bit 16 indicates whether 15 PRBs are available. As shown in FIG. 9, starting from PRB0, PRB0 to PRB19 (denoted as PRB0-PRB19) are all unavailable, PRB20-PRB39 are all unavailable, PRB40-PRB59 are all unavailable, PRB60-PRB79 are all unavailable, PRB80-PRB99 are all unavailable, PRB100-PRB119 are all unavailable, PRB120-PRB139 are all unavailable, PRB140-PRB159 are available, PRB160-PRB179 are available, PRB180-PRB199 are available, PRB200-PRB219 are available, PRB220-PRB239 are available, PRB240-PRB259 are available, and PRB260-PRB275 are available. In other words, the frequency domain resources used by the IAB MT are PRB140 to PRB275. With reference to the available frequency domain resources and the first frequency domain resource of the IAB MT shown in Fig. 6, PRB0 to PRB275 shown here may be understood as the available frequency domain resources that need to be satisfied by the IAB MT when the IAB MT and IAB DU shown in Fig. 6 operate synchronously, and PRB140 to PRB275 may be understood as the first frequency domain resource shown in Fig. 7. [Table 7]

[0206] It can be understood that in Figure 9, the second information including 16 bits is just an example, and it should be understood that the second information may further include other numbers of bits, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0207] For example, the operating modes are: When unconditionally, it may be understood that the IAB DU receives a signal from the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and synchronizes with the IAB MT, and the IAB MT receives a signal from the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above IAB DU and IAB MT support unconditional synchronous reception; When unconditional, the IAB DU transmits a signal to the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and synchronously, the IAB MT transmits a signal to the superior node of the IAB node, that is, it may be understood that the above IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission; When there is no condition, the IAB DU transmits a signal to the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and the IAB MT receives a signal from the superior node of the IAB node in synchronization, which may be understood as meaning that when there is no above condition, the IAB DU supports transmission, and the IAB MT supports reception in synchronization; When there is no condition, the IAB DU receives a signal from the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and synchronizes with the IAB MT to transmit the signal to the superior node of the IAB node; that is, when there is no above condition, the IAB DU supports reception, synchronizes with the IAB MT, and transmits; It may be understood that under the first condition, the IAB DU receives a signal from a subordinate node or a UE of the IAB node and synchronizes with it, and the IAB MT receives a signal from an upper node of the IAB node, that is, the above-mentioned IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous reception under the first condition; It may be understood that under the first condition, the IAB DU transmits a signal to the subordinate node of the IAB node or the UE, and synchronously, the IAB MT transmits a signal to the superior node of the IAB node, that is, the above IAB DU and IAB MT support synchronous transmission under the first condition; Under the first condition, the IAB DU transmits a signal to a subordinate node or a UE of the IAB node, and the IAB MT receives a signal from a superior node of the IAB node in synchronization with the UE, that is, under the above first condition, the IAB DU supports transmission, and the IAB MT supports reception in synchronization with the UE; and Under the first condition, the IAB DU receives a signal from a subordinate node or a UE of the IAB node, and synchronizes with the IAB MT to transmit a signal to the superior node of the IAB node, which may be understood as: under the above first condition, the IAB DU supports reception, and synchronizes with the IAB MT supports transmission; It may further include any one of the following:

[0208] For example, the above operation mode may include, when unconditional, the IAB DU receiving a signal from a subordinate node of the IAB node or a UE, and simultaneously the IAB MT receiving a signal from an upper node of the IAB node, i.e., the above IAB DU and IAB MT may be understood to support simultaneous reception unconditionally. As another example, under a first condition, the IAB DU receives a signal from a subordinate node of the IAB node or a UE, and simultaneously the IAB MT receives a signal from an upper node of the IAB node, i.e., the above IAB DU and IAB MT may be understood to support simultaneous reception under the first condition. It may be understood that this is only one example of the relationship between simultaneous operation and synchronized operation.

[0209] It can be understood that the unconditional condition shown in this embodiment of the present application is for the first condition. For a specific description of the first condition, please refer to the above description of FIG. 6. The details will not be described again here.

[0210] In this embodiment of the present application, the IAB node reports the second information, and in this way, the frequency division multiplexing resource allocation can be dynamically changed between the IAB MT and the IAB DU, which improves spectral efficiency.

[0211] Regarding the above embodiments, for the parts not described in detail in one embodiment, please refer to other embodiments.

[0212] The following describes a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0213] In the present application, the communication device is divided into functional modules based on the above-mentioned method example. For example, functional modules corresponding to functions may be obtained by division, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that in the present application, the module division is an example and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division modes may be used. Below, the communication device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 to 12.

[0214] 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication device includes a processing unit 1001 and a transceiver unit 1002. The communication device may be the IAB node shown above, or a chip within the IAB node, etc. That is, the communication device may be configured to perform the steps, functions, etc. performed by the IAB node (including the IAB MT and / or the IAB DU) in the above method embodiments.

[0215] For example, the transceiver unit 1002 is configured to output the first information (including reporting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node or transmitting the first information to the donor node of the IAB node). The processing unit 1001 is configured to communicate with a subordinate node or UE of the communication device under a first condition, and to communicate with an upper node of the communication device in synchronization.

[0216] The processing unit 1001 shown here communicates with a lower node or UE of a communication device under the first condition, and synchronizes with an upper node of the communication device, which may be understood as follows:

[0217] 1. Under a first condition, the processing device 1000 may communicate with a subordinate node or UE of a communication device by using the transceiver unit 1002, and synchronize with the superior node of the communication device.

[0218] 2. The processing unit 1001 is configured to process signals input by the transceiver unit 1002, or to process signals output by the transceiver unit 1002. Here, the signals input by the transceiver unit 1002 include signals transmitted by a lower node of the communication device, signals transmitted by a higher node of the communication device, etc. Here, the signals output by the transceiver unit 1002 include signals processed by the processing unit 1001, etc.

[0219] For example, the transceiver unit 1002 is configured to output the first indication information (including reporting the first indication information to the donor node of the IAB node or transmitting the first indication information to the donor node of the IAB node).

[0220] For example, the transceiver unit 1002 is further configured to output the second information (including transmitting the second information to the upper node of the IAB node). In this case, the processing unit 1001 is further configured to communicate with the upper node of the communication device by using the first frequency domain resource. It can be understood that for the description of the processing unit here, please refer to the above description of the processing unit. The details will not be described again here.

[0221] In this embodiment of the present application, please refer to the illustrated embodiment for descriptions of the first condition, first information, first instruction information, second information, second instruction information, third instruction information, etc. Details will not be described again here.

[0222] For a specific description of the transceiver unit and processing unit shown above, please refer to the steps performed by the IAB node in the above method embodiment. For example, the transceiver unit 1002 may be configured to perform the transmitting step of step 601 and the receiving step of step 602 shown in FIG. 6, and the processing unit 1001 may be configured to perform the step 602 shown in FIG. 6. For example, the transceiver unit 1002 may be further configured to perform the transmitting step of step 702 shown in FIG. 7, and the processing unit 1001 may be further configured to perform the step 703 shown in FIG. 7. For example, the transceiver unit 1002 may be further configured to perform the transmitting step of step 7011 and the receiving step of step 7012 shown in FIG. 8a. For example, the transceiver unit 1002 may be further configured to perform the transmitting step of step 7014 and the receiving step of step 7015 shown in FIG. 8b.

[0223] The above describes the IAB node of the embodiment of the present application, and the following describes possible product forms of the IAB node. It should be understood that any product form having the functions of the IAB node described in Figure 10 falls within the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application. Furthermore, it should be understood that the following description is merely an example, and the product form of the IAB node in this embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

[0224] In a possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG. 10, the processing unit 1001 may be one or more processors, and the transceiver unit 1002 may be a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 1002 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be a transmitter. The receiving unit may be a receiver. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one component, for example, a transceiver. In this embodiment of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be combined, etc. The connection style between the processor and the transceiver is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0225] As shown in FIG. 11, the communications device 110 includes one or more processors 1120 and a transceiver 1110 .

[0226] In this embodiment of the present application, when the communication device 110 is an IAB node, for example, the methods, functions, operations, etc. performed by the processor 1120 are referred to as the methods, functions, operations, etc. performed by the processing unit 1001, and the methods, functions, operations, etc. performed by the transceiver 1110 are referred to as the methods, functions, operations, etc. performed by the transceiver unit 1002.

[0227] For a specific description of the processor and transceiver, please refer to the description of the processing unit and transceiver unit shown in Figure 10. The details will not be described again here.

[0228] In the embodiment of the communication apparatus shown in Figure 11, the transceiver may include a receiver device and a transmitter device. The receiver device is configured to perform receiving functions (or operations), and the transmitter device is configured to perform transmitting functions (or operations). The transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses over a transmission medium.

[0229] Optionally, the communication device 110 may further include one or more memories 1130 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 1130 is coupled to the processor 1120. A coupling in this embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical, or in other forms, and is used for information exchange between the devices, units, and modules. The processor 1120 may operate in cooperation with the memory 1130. The processor 1120 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1130. Optionally, at least one of the one or more memories may be included in the processor.

[0230] The specific connection medium between the transceiver 1110, the processor 1120, and the memory 1130 is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, the memory 1130, the processor 1120, and the transceiver 1110 are connected through a bus 1140 in FIG. 11. The bus is represented by a thick line in FIG. 11. The manner of connection between other components is merely an example for explanation and is not limited as such. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent a bus in FIG. 11, and this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0231] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, which may implement or perform the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of the present application may be performed and accomplished directly by a hardware processor, or may be performed and accomplished using a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor.

[0232] In this embodiment of the present application, memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be read and / or written by a computer (e.g., a communication device as shown in this application). However, it is not so limited. Memory in this embodiment of the present application may alternatively be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function and configured to store program instructions and / or data. For example, the memory may be configured to store reference signal sequence configuration information.

[0233] It can be understood that the communication device shown in this embodiment of the present application may further include more components than those shown in FIG. 11 , etc. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present application. The methods performed by the processor and transceiver are merely examples. Please refer to the above methods for specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver.

[0234] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG. 10, the processing unit 1001 may be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver unit 1002 may be an input / output interface or may be referred to as a communication interface, an interface circuit, an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 1002 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface. The transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, for example, an input / output interface. As shown in FIG. 12, the communication device shown in FIG. 12 (FIG. 12 shows a chip as an example) includes a logic circuit 1201 and an interface 1202. That is, the processing unit 1001 may be implemented by using the logic circuit 1201, and the transceiver unit 1002 may be implemented by using the interface 1202. The logic circuit 1201 may be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, a system-on-chip (SoC) chip, etc. The interface 1202 may be a communication interface, an input / output interface, etc. In this embodiment of the present application, a logic circuit may be further coupled to the interface. The specific connection manner of the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0235] The interface 1202 is configured to output the first information. The logic circuit 1201 is configured to communicate with a lower node or UE of the communication device under a first condition, and to communicate synchronously with an upper node of the communication device.

[0236] For example, the interface 1202 is further configured to output the first indication information.

[0237] For example, the interface 1202 is further configured to output second information.

[0238] The communication device shown in Fig. 12 may not include a memory, or may further include a memory. Whether the communication device shown in Fig. 12 includes a memory is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0239] For specific implementations of each embodiment shown in FIG. 12, please refer to the above embodiments. Details will not be described again here. For example, for a description of the logic circuit, please refer to the description of the processing unit. For a description of the interface, please refer to the description of the transceiver unit. Details will not be described again here.

[0240] In this embodiment of the present application, please refer to the illustrated embodiment for descriptions of the first condition, first information, first instruction information, second information, second instruction information, third instruction information, etc. Details will not be described again here.

[0241] It can be understood that the communication device shown in this embodiment of the present application may implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware or software, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0242] Moreover, the present application further provides a computer program, which can be used to implement the actions and / or processes performed by the IAB nodes in the methods provided herein.

[0243] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer code that, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the actions and / or processes performed by an IAB node in the methods provided herein.

[0244] The present application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program that, when executed on a computer, performs the actions and / or processes performed by an IAB node in the methods provided herein.

[0245] In some embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely examples. For example, the division into units is merely a logical division of function, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0246] The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separated, and the parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0247] Furthermore, the functional units of the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit, and the integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0248] When an integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may essentially be implemented in the form of a software product, or a portion of the technical solution, or all or a portion of the technical solution. The computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to execute all or a portion of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The readable storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0249] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be governed by the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method based on integrated access and backhaul (IAB), comprising: reporting, by an IAB node, first information to a donor node of the IAB node, the first information indicating a first condition, the first condition being a condition under which a mobile termination (MT) of the IAB node and a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node operate synchronously; Reporting multiplexing capability information by the IAB node to the donor node, the multiplexing capability information including supported, unsupported, and restricted, where supported indicates that the MT and the DU unconditionally support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission, unsupported indicates that the MT and the DU do not support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission, and restricted indicates that the MT and the DU support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission under the first condition; Under the first condition, communicating with a subordinate node or a terminal device of the IAB node by the DU of the IAB node, and synchronously communicating with a superior node of the IAB node by the MT of the IAB node; and When the multiplexing capability information and the first information are reported, it is considered that the first condition needs to be satisfied when the MT and the DU operate synchronously. method.

2. the first condition includes available frequency domain resources of the MT of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously. The method of claim 1.

3. The available frequency domain resources are: an originating physical resource block (PRB) of the available frequency domain resources; an ending PRB of the available frequency domain resources; Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN), and The number of resource blocks (RBs) of the available frequency domain resources including any one or more of The method of claim 2.

4. The first condition includes one or both of an expected transmit power of a DU of an upper node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously, and an expected transmit power of the MT of the IAB node when the MT of the IAB node and the DU of the IAB node operate synchronously.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A communication method based on integrated access and backhaul (IAB), comprising: reporting multiplexing capability information by the IAB node to a donor node of the IAB node, the multiplexing capability information including supported, unsupported, and restricted; the supported indicates that the mobile termination (MT) and distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node unconditionally support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission; The no support indicates that the MT and the DU of the IAB node do not support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission; The restricted indicates that the MT and the DU of the IAB node support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission under a first condition. method.

6. The first condition is that the MT and the DU of the IAB node are in frequency division multiplexing mode; The method of claim 5.

7. A communication device that functions as an IAB node, a transceiver unit configured to report first information to a donor node of the communication device, the first information indicating a first condition, the first condition being a condition under which a mobile termination (MT) of the communication device and a distributed unit (DU) of the communication device operate synchronously; a processing unit configured to communicate with a subordinate node or a terminal device of the communication device under the first condition, and to synchronize with the subordinate node or terminal device of the communication device and to communicate with a superior node of the communication device; and The transceiver unit is further configured to report multiplexing capability information to the donor node, the multiplexing capability information including supported, unsupported, and restricted, where supported indicates that the MT and the DU unconditionally support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission, unsupported indicates that the MT and the DU do not support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission, and restricted indicates that the MT and the DU support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission under the first condition; A communications device, wherein when the multiplexing capability information and the first information are reported, the first condition is deemed to need to be satisfied when the MT and the DU operate synchronously.

8. the first condition includes available frequency domain resources of the MT of the communication device when the MT of the communication device and the DU of the communication device operate synchronously. The communication device according to claim 7.

9. The available frequency domain resources are: an originating physical resource block (PRB) of the available frequency domain resources; an ending PRB of the available frequency domain resources; Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN), and The number of resource blocks (RBs) of the available frequency domain resources including any one or more of The communication device according to claim 8.

10. The first condition includes one or both of an expected transmission power of a DU of an upper node when the MT of the communication device and the DU of the communication device operate synchronously, and an expected transmission power of the MT of the communication device when the MT of the communication device and the DU of the communication device operate synchronously. A communication device according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. A communication device, a transceiver unit configured to report multiplexing capability information to a donor node of the IAB node, the multiplexing capability information including supported, unsupported, and restricted; the supported indicates that the mobile termination (MT) and distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node unconditionally support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission; The no support indicates that the MT and the DU of the IAB node do not support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission; The restricted indicates that the MT and the DU of the IAB node support synchronous reception or synchronous transmission under a first condition. Communication equipment.

12. The first condition is that the MT and the DU of the IAB node are in frequency division multiplexing mode; The communication device according to claim 11.

13. a processor; The processor is configured to execute computer-executable instructions in the memory to cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 6 to be performed. Communication equipment.

14. a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer-executable instructions; The processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6. Communication equipment.

15. A communication device configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

16. configured to store a computer program; The computer program, when executed, performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A computer-readable storage medium.

17. A computer program comprising: The computer program, when executed, performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Computer program.

Images