Method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium with contention-free ris handover via barring

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for prohibiting at least one UE from communicating with one or more RIS (Reference Systems). A base station can decide to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of a plurality of RIS. The base station can send a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS. The prohibition indication can identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. The UE can decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS based on the prohibition indication. The UE can communicate with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with one or more RIS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of International Application No. PCT / CN2021 / 080947, filed on March 16, 2021, entitled "CONTENTION-FREE RIS HANDOVER VIA BARRING", which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] In summary, this case concerns communication systems, and more specifically, the prohibition of user equipment (UE) from communicating with a reconfigurable smart surface (RIS) within a wireless communication system. Prior Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiplexing access technologies that support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiplexing access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA).

[0004] These multiplexing access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the city, country, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the Continuous Mobile Broadband Evolution (CMBE) released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with IoT), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC). Some forms of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvements to 5G NR technology. These improvements can also be applied to other multiplexing access technologies and telecommunications standards that adopt these technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following provides a brief overview of one or more patterns to offer a basic understanding of such patterns. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all anticipated patterns, nor is it intended to identify key or important elements of all patterns, nor to describe the scope of any or all patterns. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more patterns in a simple form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] In one embodiment of this case, methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a UE (User Equipment). The apparatus may receive from a base station a prohibition indication for one or more of a plurality of RIS (Restricted Information Systems). The prohibition indication may identify one or more RIS with which the UE is prohibited from communicating. Based on the prohibition indication, the apparatus may decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS. Based on the decision to avoid communicating with one or more RIS, the apparatus may communicate with the base station.

[0007] In one embodiment of this case, methods, computer-readable media, and apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a base station. The apparatus may decide to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of a plurality of RIS. The apparatus may send a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS. The prohibition indication may identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. The apparatus may communicate with at least one UE based on the prohibition indication.

[0008] To achieve the foregoing and related purposes, one or more forms include the features fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. The following description and figures illustrate certain illustrative features of one or more forms in detail. However, these features indicate only a few of the various methods by which the basic principles of the various forms can be adopted, and this specification is intended to include all such forms and their equivalents. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network.

[0010] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the first message frame of each state according to the content of this case.

[0011] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram showing examples of DL channels within a subframe according to various states of the case.

[0012] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a second message frame for each state according to the content of this case.

[0013] Figure 2D is a schematic diagram illustrating examples of UL channels within a subframe according to various states of the present case.

[0014] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station and user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0015] Figures 4 to 7 illustrate examples of wireless communication systems that support the transmission of RIS information to support RIS Multiplexing Access (RDMA) according to various aspects of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 8 shows an example of a wireless communication system.

[0017] Figure 9 illustrates an example communication flow of a wireless communication method.

[0018] Figure 10 is a flowchart of the wireless communication method.

[0019] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the wireless communication method.

[0020] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation method for an instance device.

[0021] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation method for an instance device. Implementation

[0022] The specific embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are intended as a description of various configurations and are not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. To provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, specific details are included in the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0023] Various apparatuses and methods will now be used to provide several embodiments of a telecommunications system. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings via various blocks, components, circuits, programs, and algorithms (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0024] Through instances, elements, any part of elements, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" including one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, system-on-a-chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described herein. One or more processors in a processing system can execute software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms, software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code fragments, code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, programs, functions, etc.

[0025] Therefore, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, such functions can be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media accessible by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of computer-readable media of the foregoing types, or any other media that can be used to store computer-executable code having an instruction or data structure accessible by a computer.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a UE 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include macrocells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macrocells include base stations. Small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells.

[0027] Base station 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolutionary Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with EPC 160 via first backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1 interface). Base station 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) can interface with core network 190 via second backhaul link 184. Among other functions, base station 102 can perform one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, motion control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of Non-Access Layer (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), user and device tracking, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, location, and transmission of warning messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC 160 or core network 190) via a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface). The first backhaul link 132, the second backhaul link 184, and the third backhaul link 134 can be wired or wireless.

[0028] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. Overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 may exist. For example, a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home Evolutionary Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which can provide services to restricted groups referred to as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. Communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link may be via one or more carriers. Base station 102 / UE 104 may use a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) per carrier allocated in carrier aggregation for transmission in each direction. Carriers may be adjacent to each other or may not be adjacent to each other. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric relative to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL). Component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more auxiliary component carriers. The primary component carrier may be referred to as the main cell (PCell), and the auxiliary component carriers may be referred to as auxiliary cells (SCells).

[0029] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. D2D communication link 158 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. D2D communication link 158 can use one or more side link channels, such as the Physical Side Link Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Side Link Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Side Link Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Side Link Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be conducted via various wireless D2D communication systems, such as WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0030] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 communicating with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 (e.g., in 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum, etc.). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform an idle channel assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0031] The small cell 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' can employ NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in unlicensed spectrum can improve access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity.

[0032] Typically, the electromagnetic spectrum is subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, it is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and citations. Similar naming issues sometimes arise with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in various documents and citations, although this differs from the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz – 300 GHz) designated as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0033] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has designated the operating frequency bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range name FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation above 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating frequency bands have been designated as the frequency range names FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands belongs to the EHF band.

[0034] In light of the above, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that the terms "sub-6 GHz" etc. (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that the terms "millimeter wave" etc. (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies including intermediate frequency band frequencies, can be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or can be within the EHF band.

[0035] Base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) may operate in conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies to communicate with UE 104. When gNB 180 operates in millimeter wave or near-millimeter wave frequencies, gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. Millimeter wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. Base station 180 and UE 104 may each include multiple antennas (such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays) to facilitate beamforming.

[0036] Base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182''. UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. Base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions. Base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the optimal receive and transmit directions for each of base station 180 / UE 104. The transmit and receive directions for base station 180 may be the same or different. The transmit and receive directions for UE 104 may be the same or different.

[0037] EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. MME 162 can communicate with the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. MME 162 is the control node that handles signal transfer between UE 104 and EPC 160. Typically, MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted via Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to PDN Gateway 172. PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. PDN Gateway 172 and BM-SC 170 are connected to IP Service 176. IP service 176 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. BM-SC 170 can provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. BM-SC 170 can be used as an entry point for MBMS transmissions to content providers, can be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a Public Terrestrial Mobile Network (PLMN), and can be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. MBMS gateway 168 can be used to distribute MBMS transmissions to base stations 102 belonging to a Broadcast Specific Service Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area, and can be responsible for communication period management (start / stop) and collection of billing information related to eMBMS.

[0038] The core network 190 may include Access and Motion Management Functions (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, Session Management Functions (SMF) 194, and User Plane Functions (UPF) 195. AMF 192 can communicate with Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. AMF 192 is the control node that handles signal passing between UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transmitted via UPF 195. UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. UPF 195 connects to IP services 197. IP services 197 may include the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Packet Switched (PS) Data Streaming (PSS) services, and / or other IP services.

[0039] A base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, Node B, eNB, access point, base station transceiver, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, Basic Services Set (BSS), Extended Services Set (ESS), Transmitter Receiver Point (TRP), or some other suitable term. Base station 102 provides access to EPC 160 or core network 190 for UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smartphones, conversation initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radio units, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet devices, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, medical devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some UE 104 devices may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, air pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, user station, mobile unit, user unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile user station, access terminal, mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handheld device, user agent, mobile service client, client, or some other suitable term.

[0040] Referring again to Figure 1, in some configurations, UE 104 may include a RIS prohibition component 198, which can be configured to receive prohibition indications from a base station for one or more RISs out of a plurality of RISs. The prohibition indications may identify one or more RISs with which the UE is prohibited from communicating. RIS prohibition component 198 can be configured to decide to avoid communicating with one or more RISs based on the prohibition indications. RIS prohibition component 198 can be configured to communicate with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with one or more RISs. In some configurations, base station 180 may include a RIS prohibition component 199, which can be configured to decide to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more RISs out of a plurality of RISs. RIS prohibition component 199 can be configured to send prohibition indications for one or more RISs to at least one UE. The prohibition indications may identify one or more RISs with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. RIS prohibition component 199 can be configured to communicate with at least one UE based on the prohibition indications. Although the following description focuses on 5G NR, the concepts described herein can be applied to other similar areas such as LTE, LTE-A, CDMA, GSM and other wireless technologies.

[0041] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram 200 illustrating an example of a first sub-frame within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram 230 illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G NR sub-frame. Figure 2C is a schematic diagram 250 illustrating an example of a second sub-frame within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D is a schematic diagram 280 illustrating an example of a UL channel within a 5G NR sub-frame. The 5G NR frame structure can be Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) (where, for a given set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), sub-frames within that set are dedicated to either DL or UL) or Time Division Duplex (TDD) (where, for a given set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), sub-frames within that set are dedicated to both DL and UL). In the examples provided via Figures 2A and 2C, it is assumed that the 5G NR frame structure is TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (primarily DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is used flexibly between DL / UL, and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 1 (all UL). Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 1 and 28 respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are all DL and all UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mixture of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The slot format is configured for the UE via the received Slot Format Indicator (SFI) (dynamically via DL Control Information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signals). Note that the following description also applies to TDD 5G NR frame structures.

[0042] Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures and / or different channels. A frame (10 ms) can be divided into 10 sub-frames (1 ms) of the same size. Each sub-frame can include one or more time slots. Sub-frames can also include micro-time slots, which can include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Depending on the time slot configuration, each time slot can include 7 or 14 symbols. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot can include 14 symbols, while for time slot configuration 1, each time slot can include 7 symbols. Symbols on the DL can be Cyclic Prefix (CP) Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbols. Symbols on the UL can be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-constrained scenarios; limited to single-stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and the digital scheme (numerology). For time slot configuration 0, different digital schemes µ 0 through 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 time slots per subframe, respectively. For time slot configuration 1, different digital schemes 0 through 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe, respectively. Therefore, for time slot configuration 0 and digital scheme µ, there are 14 symbols / time slots and 2 µ time slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the digital scheme. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to... kHz, where These are digital schemes 0 through 4. Thus, digital scheme µ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and digital scheme µ=4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely proportional to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A-2D provide examples of slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and digital scheme µ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within the frame set, one or more different bandwidth portions (BWPs) can exist for frequency division multiplexing (see Figure 2B). Each BWP can have a specific digital scheme.

[0043] A resource grid can be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)), which consists of 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0044] As shown in Figure 2A, some REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. RSs may include demodulation RS (DM-RS) for channel estimation at the UE (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS). RSs may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS), and phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0045] Figure 2B illustrates examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries the DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs), each CCE comprising six RE groups (REGs), each REG comprising 12 consecutive REs in the OFDM symbol of the RB. The PDCCH within a BWP can be referred to as a Control Resource Set (CORESET). The UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., a common search space, a UE-specific search space) during PDCCH monitoring on the CORESET, where the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs can be located at higher and / or lower frequencies spanning the channel bandwidth. The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) can be within symbol 2 of a specific subframe of the frame. UE 104 uses the PSS to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) can be within symbol 4 of a specific subframe of the frame. The UE uses the SSS to determine the physical layer cell identifier group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identifier and the physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically packetized with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also known as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the number of RBs and the system frame number (SFN) in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted by the PBCH (such as the system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2C, some REs in the REs carry DM-RS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a specific configuration, but other DMRS configurations are possible). The UE can transmit DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). PUSCH DM-RS can be transmitted in the first one or two symbols before the PUSCH. PUCCH DM-RS can be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short or long PUCCH is transmitted and the specific PUCCH format used. The UE can transmit a Sound Reference Signal (SRS). SRS can be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can transmit SRS on one of the combs. The base station can use SRS for channel quality estimation to implement frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0047] Figure 2D illustrates examples of various UL channels within sub-frames of a frame. The PUCCH can be placed as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) information (ACK / NACK (NACK)) feedback. The PUCCH carries data and can also be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power margin reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0048] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating communication between base station 310 and UE 350 in the access network. In the DL, IP packets from EPC 160 are provided to controller / processor 375. Controller / processor 375 implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions. Layer 3 includes the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Layer 2 includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides: RRC layer functions associated with: broadcasting system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), mobility between Radio Access Technologies (RATs), and measurement configuration for UE measurement reports; PDCP layer functions associated with: header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with: transmission of upper-layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, connection, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to transport blocks (TBs), and MAC... SDU performs demultiplexing from TB, schedules information reports, performs error correction via HARQ, prioritizes processes, and assigns logical channel priorities.

[0049] Transmit (TX) processor 316 and receive (RX) processor 370 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection of the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. TX processor 316 processes the mapping to the signal cluster based on various modulation schemes (e.g., Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), M-Phase Phase Shift Keying (M-PSK), M-QAM). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot signal) in the time and / or frequency domains, and subsequently combined using an inverse Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from channel estimator 374 can be used to determine coding and modulation schemes and to implement spatial processing. Channel estimates can be derived based on reference signals transmitted by UE 350 and / or channel status feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318 TX. Each transmitter 318 TX can modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier using the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0050] At UE 350, each receiver 354 RX receives a signal via its respective antenna 352. Each receiver 354 RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and RX processor 356 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 350, they can be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier used for the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signal on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal clustering point transmitted by base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by channel estimator 358. The soft decision is then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 310 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to controller / processor 359, which implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.

[0051] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with memory 360, which stores code and data. Memory 360 may be referred to as computer-readable media. In UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transmission and logic channels to recover IP packets from EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0052] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by base station 310, controller / processor 359 provides: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU transmission, error correction via ARQ, RLC SDU connection, segmentation and reassembly, RLC data PDU resegmentation, and RLC data PDU reordering; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transmission channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel priority allocation.

[0053] The channel estimate generated by the channel estimator 358 based on the reference signal or feedback output from the base station 310 can be used by the TX processor 368 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the TX processor 368 can be provided to different antennas 352 via different transmitters 354 TX. Each transmitter 354 TX can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0054] UL transmission at base station 310 is processed in a manner similar to that described for the receiver function integrated at UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives signals via its corresponding antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the RX processor 370.

[0055] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with memory 376 storing code and data. Memory 376 may be referred to as computer-readable media. In UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between transmission and logic channels to recover IP packets from UE 350. IP packets from the controller / processor 375 can be provided to EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operation.

[0056] At least one of the TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 can be configured to execute the state associated with 198 in FIG1. ​​At least one of the TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and controller / processor 375 can be configured to execute the state associated with 199 in FIG1.

[0057] In some wireless communications (e.g., systems implementing MIMO communication schemes), wireless devices can implement Spatial Multiplexing Access (SDMA) to increase signal transmission throughput. For example, a base station can use beamforming technology to communicate simultaneously with multiple UEs via spatial dimensions provided by the environment. However, in some cases, physical proximity or environmental factors (e.g., interference, congestion) may impair beamforming communication between the base station and multiple UEs. In some cases, to overcome this impairment, the base station can use an Active Antenna Unit (AAU) to act as a relay between the base station and multiple UEs. An AAU may include one or more antenna ports, an RF chain, and a power amplifier. An AAU can allow the base station to increase spatial diversity, beamforming gain, and cell coverage. For example, an AAU can receive beamformed communication from the base station, amplify the beamformed communication, and forward the beamformed communication to the UE. Therefore, compared to receiving beamformed communication directly from the base station, the UE may have a greater chance of successfully receiving beamformed communication via an AAU. However, the active components used by the AAU to amplify the signal (e.g., the RF chain, power amplifiers) may be associated with increased power consumption. For example, the power amplifier at the AAU can utilize significant power consumption to amplify and forward the received signal. In some systems, such power consumption may be undesirable and inefficient.

[0058] In some instances, a base station may employ a Reflection Array (RIS), which uses passive components (e.g., capacitors, resistors, etc.) to reflect input signals in one or more directions without significant power consumption. For example, a RIS may use capacitors and resistors to reflect signals in a specific direction (e.g., instead of using a power amplifier to amplify and relay the signal). Therefore, a RIS can increase cell coverage, spatial diversity, and beamforming gain while consuming less power compared to an AAU. In some cases, the base station may dynamically configure the RIS to reflect input signals in a specific direction. For example, the base station may configure the RIS to reflect beamformed communications in the direction of the UE based on the UE's location. Similarly, the UE may transmit beamformed communications in the direction of the RIS based on base station configuration or UE selection. To effectively implement the RIS, the base station may instruct the UE on configuration information for the RIS. Configuration information may include the location of the RIS, the uplink reflection angle of the RIS, the downlink reflection angle of the RIS, or a combination thereof. In some instances, the base station may send (e.g., via the RIS) configuration information for multiple RISs within the base station's coverage area to the UE. The UE can select one of multiple RISs based on configuration information for those RISs to facilitate communication with the base station. In some cases, the UE can send feedback to the base station indicating the selected RIS.

[0059] Base stations can use RDMA to communicate with multiple UEs via one or more RIS. For example, a base station can subdivide a RIS into multiple subsets of elements and use different subsets to communicate with different UEs. Alternatively or complementaryly, a base station can use multiple RIS distributed throughout the coverage area to communicate with multiple UEs. In some instances, a base station can use multiple RIS to communicate with a single UE. For example, if the path between the UE and the base station using a first RIS is blocked, interfered with, or otherwise degrades below a quality or signal strength threshold, the base station can use a second RIS to communicate with the UE via a different path. Therefore, RDMA can provide enhanced spatial diversity, cellular coverage and throughput, and other benefits. To effectively implement RDMA, a base station can send configuration information for one or more RIS to each of the multiple UEs. In some cases, the configuration information can identify a specific RIS and the set of time and frequency resources associated with that specific RIS. For example, a base station can indicate the identifier of the RIS, the configuration of the RIS, and the resource configuration associated with the RIS to at least one of the multiple UEs. In this way, the base station can allocate RIS resources, in addition to time and frequency resources, to at least one UE in the resource configuration used for communication. The base station can utilize one or more RIS in RDMA to facilitate communication between the base station and one or more UEs in the wireless communication system.

[0060] In one configuration, to prevent RIS overload or for any other reason, the base station may configure at least one UE to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more RIS.

[0061] Figure 4 illustrates examples of a wireless communication system 400 supporting the transmission of RIS information to support RDMA according to various configurations of this invention. The wireless communication system 400 can implement various configurations of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the wireless communication system 400 may include a UE 104-A and base stations 102 / 180-A, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein with reference to Figure 1. In some configurations, the UE 104-A and base stations 102 / 180-A can communicate within the geographical coverage area 110-A of base station 102 / 180-A, and can use RIS 405 to communicate via communication link 410. Base station 102 / 180-A can send a RIS configuration message 420 indicating configuration information for RIS 405 to UE 104-A via communication link 410 or a direct communication link 415. The RIS configuration message 420 enables UE 104-A to select RIS 405 based on the indicated configuration information and communicate with base station 102 / 180-A via the selected RIS 405. Subsequently, the selected RIS 405 allows UE 104-A and base station 102 / 180-A to communicate using enhanced spatial diversity, beamforming gain, and reliability.

[0062] In some systems, base station 102 / 180-A can determine the configuration of RIS 405. Based on the determined configuration of RIS 405, base station 102 / 180-A can generate RIS configuration message 420. In some instances, base station 102 / 180-A can use communication link 410 to send RIS configuration message 420 to UE 104-A via RIS 405. In some other instances, base station 102 / 180-A can send RIS configuration message 420 directly to UE 104-A via direct communication link 415. Based on the RIS configuration information, UE 104-A can select RIS 405 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-A. Based on the selection of RIS 405, UE 104-A can communicate with base station 102 / 180-A via RIS 405.

[0063] RIS 405 can be a near-passive device that reflects input signals in a specific direction according to its configuration. In some instances, the configuration of RIS 405 can be pre-configured, statically configured, semi-statically configured, or network-configured (e.g., configured by base station 102 / 180-A). For example, base station 102 / 180-A can send messages to RIS 405 configuring one or more components of the RIS. RIS 405 can include processing components (e.g., a processor) that can determine the configuration for RIS 405 (e.g., based on messages from base station 102 / 180-A) and can adjust one or more parameters of RIS 405 to support that configuration. For example, RIS 405 can use one or more capacitors, resistors, and other passive components to reflect signals between base station 102 / 180-A and UE 104-A (e.g., instead of using active components to amplify and forward signals). The RIS 405 can adjust capacitors, resistors, or combinations thereof to support specific configurations for one or more components of the RIS 405 (e.g., based on configuration information from base station 102 / 180-A). The RIS 405 can have a wired or wireless connection to base station 102 / 180-A and can be located anywhere within the coverage area 110-A of base station 102 / 180-A.

[0064] In some cases, the configuration information in the RIS configuration message 420 may indicate the location of the RIS 405, the uplink reflection angle of the RIS 405, the downlink reflection angle of the RIS 405, or a combination thereof. In some instances, base station 102 / 180-A may indicate the location, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, or a combination thereof as relative or explicit values. Supplementally or alternatively, the RIS configuration message 420 may indicate the set of time and frequency resources associated with the RIS 405. For example, base station 102 / 180-A may allocate frequencies and time slots to UE 104-A for beamforming communication based on the configuration of the RIS 405.

[0065] In some instances, base station 102 / 180-A can determine the configuration of RIS 405 based on the location of UE 104-A. For example, the base station can adjust the reflection angle (e.g., uplink reflection angle) of RIS 405 based on the location of UE 104-A, so that signals transmitted from UE 104-A are appropriately deflected to base station 102 / 180-A. In some instances, base station 102 / 180-A can periodically adjust the configuration of RIS 405. For example, RIS 405 can support different uplink reflection angles, downlink reflection angles, or both, in different symbols, sub-time slots, time slots, sub-frames, frames, or some combination thereof.

[0066] In some cases, UE 104-A can respond to RIS configuration message 420 by sending a feedback message to base station 102 / 180-A. The feedback message can indicate the selection of RIS 405. UE 104-A can select RIS 405 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-A based on the location of UE 104-A, the location of RIS 405 as indicated by RIS configuration message 420, the uplink reflection angle of RIS 405 as indicated by RIS configuration message 420, the downlink reflection angle of RIS 405 as indicated by RIS configuration message 420, signal measurements associated with direct communication link 415, communication link 410 via RIS 405, or both (e.g., Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal-to-Noise Plus Interference Ratio (SNIR), Signal-to-Interference Plus Interference Ratio (SINR)), or a combination thereof. In some instances, UE 104-A can use communication link 410 to send feedback messages via RIS 405. For example, UE 104-A can send a feedback message in the direction of RIS 405, and RIS 405 can reflect the feedback message in the direction of base station 102 / 180-A based on the uplink reflection angle of RIS 405. In some cases, the feedback message can be a UCI message, a MAC control element (CE) (MAC-CE), or an RRC message.

[0067] In some instances, RIS 405 can provide enhanced spatial diversity, beamforming gain, and cellular coverage. For example, if the direct communication link 415 between base station 102 / 180-A and UE 104-A is blocked, base station 102 / 180-A can use communication link 410 to maintain communication with UE 104-A via RIS 405. Therefore, RIS 405 can provide spatial diversity that allows UE 104-A and base station 102 / 180-A to mitigate channel conditions such as interference, obstruction, and fluctuations. Thus, RIS 405 can increase the reliability of communication between base station 102 / 180-A and UE 104-A.

[0068] In some instances, the RIS configuration message 420 may be an RRC message. In some such instances, the RRC message may indicate to the UE 104-A configuration information for one or more RIS 405s in the network. For example, the RRC message may include fields indicating RIS location, fields indicating uplink RIS reflection angles, fields indicating downlink RIS reflection angles, fields indicating RIS reflection angles (e.g., if RIS reflection behavior is reciprocal between uplink and downlink), fields indicating RIS identifiers, or some combination thereof. In some instances, the RRC message may include a set of fields indicating RIS location, a set of fields indicating uplink RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating downlink RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating reciprocal RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating RIS identifiers, or some combination thereof, to support indicating configuration for multiple RIS 405s. The fields may include bit values ​​indicating absolute values ​​(e.g., absolute position, absolute uplink reflection angle, absolute downlink reflection angle), relative values ​​(e.g., relative position, relative uplink reflection angle, relative downlink reflection angle), or some combination thereof. In some configurations, UE 104-A may receive RRC messages directly from base station 102 / 180-A or via RIS 405. Based on the RRC messages, UE 104-A may select one or more RIS 405s and utilize the selected RIS 405 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-A.

[0069] In some other instances, the RIS configuration message 420 may be a MAC-CE. In some such instances, the MAC-CE may indicate to the UE 104-A configuration information for one or more RIS 405s in the network. For example, the MAC-CE message may include fields indicating RIS location, fields indicating uplink RIS reflection angles, fields indicating downlink RIS reflection angles, fields indicating reciprocal RIS reflection angles (e.g., for both uplink and downlink), fields indicating RIS identifiers, or some combination thereof. In some instances, the RRC message may include a set of fields indicating RIS location, a set of fields indicating uplink RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating downlink RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating reciprocal RIS reflection angles, a set of fields indicating RIS identifiers, or some combination thereof, to support indicating configuration for multiple RIS 405s in the network. The fields may include bit values ​​indicating absolute values ​​(e.g., absolute position, absolute uplink reflection angle, absolute downlink reflection angle), relative values ​​(e.g., relative position, relative uplink reflection angle, relative downlink reflection angle), or some combination thereof. In some configurations, UE 104-A may receive MAC-CE messages directly from base station 102 / 180-A or via RIS 405. Based on the MAC-CE message, UE 104-A may select one or more RIS 405s and utilize the selected RIS 405 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-A.

[0070] In another instance, the RIS configuration message 420 can be a DCI message. In some such instances, the DCI message can assign a specific RIS 405 to UE 104-A for communication. For example, the DCI message can schedule communication for UE 104-A. The DCI message can allocate time resources, frequency resources, and RIS resources (e.g., a specific RIS 405 or one or more specific components of RIS 405) for a specific communication (e.g., receiving downlink messages, sending uplink messages, transmitting sidelink messages, or any other communication). In some instances, the DCI message can explicitly indicate the RIS 405 in the RIS identifier field. In some other instances, the DCI message can implicitly indicate the RIS 405 based on the association between the RIS 405 and a set of time resources, a set of frequency resources, or both. In other instances, the DCI message can implicitly indicate time resources, frequency resources, or both based on the indicated RIS 405 and the association between the RIS 405 and time resources, frequency resources, or both. Alternatively or supplementally, the DCI message may include one or more fields indicating the location of the assigned RIS 405, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, reciprocity reflection angle (e.g., for both uplink and downlink), or a combination thereof. In some configurations, UE 104-A may receive the DCI message directly from base station 102 / 180-A or via a specific RIS 405. Based on the DCI message, UE 104-A may utilize a specific RIS 405 to facilitate specific communications.

[0071] Figure 5 illustrates examples of a wireless communication system 500 supporting the transmission of RIS information to support RDMA, according to various configurations of this invention. Wireless communication system 500 can implement various configurations of wireless communication systems 100 and 400. For example, wireless communication system 500 may include UE 104-B, UE 104-C, UE 104-D, UE 104-E, and base station 102 / 180-B, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 4. In some configurations, base station 102 / 180-B may use RDMA technology to communicate with UE 104-B, UE 104-C, UE 104-D, and UE 104-E via RIS 505.

[0072] In some cases, base station 102 / 180-B may subdivide RIS 505 into a set of co-located subRIS 510, where each subRIS 510 comprises a subset of the elements of RIS 505. In some configurations, the term "RIS" as used herein may represent a single RIS, multiple RIS acting as a single entity, a subRIS, a RIS comprising multiple subRIS, or a combination thereof. In some instances, the subset of elements of each subRIS 510 may include elements distributed throughout RIS 505. For example, elements included in subRIS 510-A may not be adjacent elements. In some configurations, a corresponding subRIS 510 may be assigned to a specific UE 104. For example, subRIS 510-A may be assigned to UE 104-B, subRIS 510-B may be assigned to UE 104-C, subRIS 510-C may be assigned to UE 104-D, and subRIS 510-D may be assigned to UE 104-E. That is, the elements of RIS 505 can be divided into subsets, with each subset serving a different UE 104. In some cases, a subset of RIS 505 may not serve any UE 104 for a period of time, and base station 102 / 180-B may assign that subset to UE 104 when UE 104 accesses the network and facilitates communication with base station 102 / 180-B via RIS 505.

[0073] In some systems, UE 104 can use a corresponding sub-RIS 510 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-B. For example, UE 104-B can communicate with base station 102 / 180-B via communication link 515-A facilitated by sub-RIS 510-A, UE 104-C can communicate with base station 102 / 180-B via communication link 515-B facilitated by sub-RIS 510-B, UE 104-D can communicate with base station 102 / 180-B via communication link 515-C facilitated by sub-RIS 510-C, and UE 104-E can communicate with base station 102 / 180-B via communication link 515-D facilitated by sub-RIS 510-D.

[0074] In some configurations, each sub-RIS 510 may be associated with a configuration including the location of RIS 505, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, element set, or a combination thereof. Base station 102 / 180-B may send an indication to each UE 104 of the configuration of the sub-RIS 510 already assigned to that UE 104. For example, base station 102 / 180-B may send an indication to UE 104-C of the configuration of sub-RIS 510-B. In some configurations, base station 102 / 180-B may indicate the relative location of sub-RIS 510, the relative uplink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510, the relative downlink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510, or a combination thereof. For example, base station 102 / 180-B may send to UE 104-D an indication of the location of sub-RIS 510-C relative to the location of sub-RIS 510-B. Similarly, base station 102 / 180-B can send an indication of the uplink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510-C relative to the uplink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510-B, an indication of the downlink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510-C relative to the downlink reflection angle of sub-RIS 510-B, or both. Therefore, base station 102 / 180-B can avoid explicitly indicating the position, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, or a combination thereof for each sub-RIS 510. For example, instead of indicating the position, uplink reflection angle, and downlink reflection angle for each sub-RIS 510 in the configuration message, base station 102 / 180-B can indicate the position, uplink reflection angle, and downlink reflection angle for the first sub-RIS 510-A, and can indicate gradient values ​​for the position, uplink reflection angle, and downlink reflection angle for the other sub-RIS 510s. In addition to location, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, or a combination thereof, base station 102 / 180-B can also send an identifier for the sub-RIS 510 assigned to each UE 104. For example, base station 102 / 180-B can send the identifier, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, and location corresponding to sub-RIS 510-D to UE 104-E. Accordingly, if UE 104-E changes location, UE 104-E can continue beamforming towards sub-RIS 510-D based on the received RIS identifier, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, and location corresponding to sub-RIS 510-D.

[0075] In some instances, base station 102 / 180-B can independently configure each sub-RIS 510 based on the corresponding UE 104 to which each sub-RIS 510 is assigned. For example, based on the location of UE 104-C and the location of sub-RIS 510-B, base station 102 / 180-B can use a first configuration to configure sub-RIS 510-B such that sub-RIS 510-B deflects communication between UE 104-C and base station 102 / 180-B. Based on the location of UE 104-D and the location of sub-RIS 510-C, the base station can use a second configuration to configure sub-RIS 510-C such that sub-RIS 510-C deflects communication between UE 104-D and base station 102 / 180-B. Therefore, base station 102 / 180-B can configure sub-RIS 510-B and sub-RIS 510-C using different configurations (e.g., different uplink reflection angles, different downlink reflection angles, or both), enabling base station 102 / 180-B to communicate with UE 104-C and UE 104-D via RIS 505. Thus, base station 102 / 180-B can perform RDMA by multiplexing UE 104 using RIS 505.

[0076] In some instances, during the initial access procedure between base station 102 / 180-B and UE 104, base station 102 / 180-B may indicate the TDM communication scheme for RIS 505. Specifically, base station 102 / 180-B may indicate the uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, or both of RIS 505 in a time-dependent manner. That is, RIS 505 may have different uplink reflection angles, different downlink reflection angles, or both, in different symbols, sub-slots, time slots, sub-frames, frames, or some combination thereof. Therefore, base station 102 / 180-B may provide UE 104 with explicit scheduling information for communication via RIS 505. For example, base station 102 / 180-B may indicate to UE 104-B one or more time and frequency resources that UE 104-B can use to communicate with base station 102 / 180-B. In some configurations, base station 102 / 180-B can use DCI messages to indicate explicit scheduling information. In some instances, base station 102 / 180-B can allocate a specific RIS 505, sub-RIS 510, or both along with time and frequency resources to UE 104. In other instances, UE 104 can determine the RIS 505, sub-RIS 510, or both based on the allocated time resources and the TDM configuration of the RIS 505, sub-RIS 510, or both. In some cases, base station 102 / 180-B can allocate the same RIS 505 or sub-RIS 510 to multiple UE 104s via TDM.

[0077] In some instances, subdividing the RIS 505 into multiple sub-RIS 510s can reduce the complexity of performing RDMA. For example, if UE 104-E changes location, base station 102 / 180-B can reconfigure sub-RIS 510-D to account for the location change of UE 104-E, rather than reconfiguring the entire RIS 505. Therefore, subdividing the RIS 505 can reduce the processing power associated with performing RDMA for mobile UE 104. For example, if UE 104-B leaves the network or loses power after communicating with base station 102 / 180-B via sub-RIS 510-A, base station 102 / 180-B can reconfigure sub-RIS 510-A accordingly instead of reconfiguring the entire RIS 505. For example, if a new UE 104 connects to base station 102 / 180-B, base station 102 / 180-B can reconfigure the sub-RIS 510-A previously assigned to UE 104-B to facilitate communication between the new UE 104 and base station 102 / 180-B. Therefore, the subdivided RIS 505 can also reduce the processing power associated with performing RDMA for UE 104 when connecting to and disconnecting from the network.

[0078] Figure 6 illustrates examples of a wireless communication system 600 supporting the transmission of RIS information to support RDMA, according to various embodiments of the present invention. The wireless communication system 600 can implement various embodiments of wireless communication systems 100, 400, and 500. For example, the wireless communication system 600 may include UE 104-F, UE 104-G, UE 104-H, and base station 102 / 180-C, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein with reference to Figures 1, 4, and 5. In some embodiments, instead of subdividing the RIS into multiple co-located sub-RIS as described with reference to Figure 5, base station 102 / 180-C may use multiple spatially distributed RIS 605 to communicate with UE 104 via RDMA.

[0079] In some systems, base station 102 / 180-C may use multiple RIS 605s to communicate with one or more UEs 104. That is, UE 104 may be associated with one or more RIS 605s. For example, UE 104-H may be associated with RIS 605-D and RIS 605-E, such that UE 104-H can communicate with base station 102 / 180-C via communication link 610-D using RIS 605-D, communication link 610-E using RIS 605-E, or both. For example, if communication link 610-D between base station 102 / 180-C and UE 104-H is blocked, interfered with, or otherwise degraded below a quality or signal strength threshold, UE 104-H may use RIS 605-E to maintain communication with base station 102 / 180-C via communication link 610-E. Alternatively or supplementally, if another UE 104 is located near UE 104-H (e.g., within a threshold distance), UE 104-H and the nearby UE 104 can use different RIS 605s to spatially distinguish the signals between these UE 104s and base station 102 / 180-C. Therefore, by utilizing multiple distributed RIS 605s, spatial diversity for communication between base station 102 / 180-C and UE 104 can be enhanced.

[0080] Alternatively or supplementarily, base station 102 / 180-C can communicate with UE 104 via a direct communication link or via a communication link facilitated by RIS 605. For example, UE 104-F can communicate with base station 102 / 180-C via direct communication link 610-F. However, if the conditions of direct communication link 610-F deteriorate (e.g., due to interference or congestion), UE 104-F can maintain communication with base station 102 / 180-C via communication link 610-A facilitated by RIS 605-A. Therefore, using multiple distributed RIS 605s can provide greater spatial diversity compared to using a single RIS. Furthermore, base station 102 / 180-C can generate dynamic spatial dimensions based on activating or deactivating RIS 605. For example, if the RIS 605-B is in a de-energized state and the communication link 610-C between the base station 102 / 180-C and the UE 104-G is blocked (e.g., obstructed by obstacle 615), the base station 102 / 180-C can activate the RIS 605-B and use the RIS 605-B to communicate with the UE 104-G via the communication link 610-B.

[0081] In some instances, base station 102 / 180-C can send configuration information for multiple distributed RIS 605s to UE 104. For example, base station 102 / 180-C can send configuration information for RIS 605-B and RIS 605-C to UE 104-G. Alternatively or supplementarily, the configuration information can indicate other RIS 605s in the network, such as RIS 605-A, RIS 605-D, and RIS 605-E. The configuration information may include the location of the RIS 605, uplink reflection angle, downlink reflection angle, or a combination thereof. In some instances, UE 104-G can select, based on the configuration information and the corresponding locations of UE 104-G, base station 102 / 180-C, RIS 605-B, and RIS 605-C, whether to facilitate direct communication with base station 102 / 180-C via RIS 605-B or RIS 605-C. Alternatively or supplementally, the selection may be based on reference signal measurements (e.g., RSSI, RSRP, RSRQ) associated with RIS 605-B, RIS 605-C, a direct link, or a combination thereof. For example, if UE 104-G determines that the communication link 610-C corresponding to RIS 605-C is experiencing interference or deteriorating channel conditions (e.g., low RSSI below the RSSI threshold), then UE 104-C may avoid selecting RIS 605-C.

[0082] In some instances, UE 104 can send a feedback message to base station 102 / 180-C, indicating the selection of one or more RIS 605s among a plurality of distributed RIS 605s. For example, if UE 104-G receives configuration information for RIS 605-A, RIS 605-B, RIS 605-C, RIS 605-D, and RIS 605-E, the feedback message can indicate the RIS 605-B, RIS 605-C, or both selected by UE 104-G to facilitate communication between UE 104-G and base station 102 / 180-C. In some instances, the feedback message may also include Channel Status Information (CSI) associated with one or more RIS 605s. Based on the feedback message, base station 102 / 180-C can assign one or more RIS 605s to UE 104, so that UE 104 can use the selected RIS 605 to facilitate communication with base station 102 / 180-C.

[0083] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 700 supporting the transmission of RIS information to support RDMA, according to various configurations of this invention. The wireless communication system 700 can implement various configurations of wireless communication systems 100, 400, 500, and 600. For example, the wireless communication system 700 may include a UE 104-I and base stations 102 / 180-D, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 4 through 6. In some configurations, the UE 104-I can be moved, and handover can be performed between nearby RIS 705s based on updated location information for the UE 104-I and configuration information for nearby RIS 705s.

[0084] In some instances, UE 104-I may be a vehicle (e.g., a smart vehicle) in a V2X communication system. Movement of UE 104-I can alter the channel conditions of the communication link 710 between UE 104-I and base stations 102 / 180-D. For example, UE 104-I may use RIS 705-A to communicate with base stations 102 / 180-D via communication link 710-A. RIS 705-A may be configured with a reflection angle 715-A. In some cases, reflection angle 715-A may include an uplink reflection angle, a downlink reflection angle, or both. As UE 104-I moves, signals transmitted by UE 104-I and reflected by RIS 705-A may fail to reach base stations 102 / 180-D (e.g., based on reflection angle 715-A and the new location of UE 104-I). Therefore, if UE 104-I moves to a new location, UE 104-I can receive reflected signals with reduced signal quality from base station 102 / 180-D. That is, the reflection angle 715-A of RIS 705-A may not be able to correctly reflect the signal from base station 102 / 180-D to the new location of UE 104-I, and vice versa.

[0085] However, as described herein with reference to Figure 6, UE 104-I can access configuration information for other RIS 705s in the network. In some cases, the configuration information may include the location and reflection angle 715 for a nearby RIS 705. In other cases, the reflection angle 715 may include an uplink reflection angle, a downlink reflection angle, or both. For example, the configuration information may include the location and reflection angle 715-A for RIS 705-A, the location and reflection angle 715-B for RIS 705-B, the location and reflection angle 715-C for RIS 705-C, the location and reflection angle 715-D for RIS 705-D, and the location and reflection angle 715-E for RIS 705-E. In some instances, the reflection angle 715 of the RIS 705 may be based on a relationship (e.g., a mapping) between the angle of arrival (AoA) and the angle of departure (AoD) of the signal reflected by the RIS 705. For example, if a signal arrives at RIS 705-D with an AoA of 30 degrees and RIS 705-D has a reflection angle of 110 degrees, the signal may leave RIS 705-D with an AoD of 40 degrees. Specifically, the signal deflection can be based on Equation 1 below. In some cases, the relationship between AoA and AoD for RIS 705 may differ in the uplink and downlink (e.g., the reflection behavior of RIS 705 may not be reciprocal). Accordingly, the reflection angle 715 of RIS 705 can indicate the uplink reflection angle, the downlink reflection angle, or both. In some other cases, the relationship between AoA and AoD for RIS 705 can be the same in the uplink and downlink (e.g., the reflection behavior of RIS 705 may be reciprocal). Accordingly, the reflection angle 715 of RIS 705 can indicate a single reflection angle. Equation 1 below can correspond to uplink reflection, downlink reflection, or both. (1)

[0086] In some instances, base station 102 / 180-D can indicate to UE 104-I an explicit reflection angle mapping between AoA and AoD for a specific RIS 705. In other instances, base station 102 / 180-D can indicate a relative reflection angle mapping (e.g., gradient) for a specific RIS 705 based on a reflection angle mapping for another RIS 705. Similarly, base station 102 / 180-D can indicate the relative position of a specific RIS 705 based on the position of another RIS 705. For example, RIS 705-D and RIS 705-E can be subsets of a larger RIS 720 (e.g., RIS 705-D and RIS 705-E can be sub-RISs of the entire larger RIS 720). Base station 102 / 180-D can indicate configuration information for the larger RIS 720 to UE 104-I based on the relative configuration for the subset. That is, base station 102 / 180-D can indicate the reflection angle 715-E for RIS 705-E as a gradient (e.g., offset) of the reflection angle 715-D for RIS 705-D, and can indicate the position of RIS 705-E relative to RIS 705-D. Accordingly, by knowing or calculating the reflection angle 715-D and the gradient, UE 104-I can determine the absolute reflection angle 715-E for RIS 705-E. Similarly, by knowing the position of RIS 705-D and the relative position of RIS 705-E relative to RIS 705-D, UE 104-I can determine the absolute position of RIS 705-E. Therefore, base station 102 / 180-D can avoid sending explicit configuration information for each subset of the larger RIS 720, thereby avoiding the signal transmission management burden associated with sending such explicit configuration information. In some instances, base station 102 / 180-D can use similar techniques to indicate relative information for a separate RIS 705 that is not part of the larger RIS 720.

[0087] Based on configuration information, UE 104-I can determine which RIS 705 is configured to reflect signals more effectively between UE 104-I's new location and base station 102 / 180-D than RIS 705-A. Therefore, UE 104-I can perform a handover procedure from RIS 705-A to one of the other nearby RIS 705s. For example, based on previously acquired configuration information, UE 104-I can determine that RIS 705-E is configured with a reflection angle of 715-E, and that RIS 705-E reflects communication more effectively between base station 102 / 180-D and UE 104-I at the new location compared to RIS 705-A. Based on this determination, UE 104-I can perform a handover procedure from RIS 705-A to RIS 705-E. In some cases, UE 104-I can perform a handover procedure without input from base station 102 / 180-D. For example, base station 102 / 180-D may not participate in the handover procedure. This handover procedure can be transparent to base station 102 / 180-D, or UE 104-I can send a handover instruction to base station 102 / 180-D. In response to performing the handover procedure, UE 104-I can use RIS 705-E to communicate with base station 102 / 180-D via communication link 710-B. In some other scenarios, base station 102 / 180-D can trigger a RIS handover for UE 104-I, or UE 104-I can request a RIS handover and base station 102 / 180-D can acknowledge the RIS handover.

[0088] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 800. The wireless communication system 800 can implement various forms of wireless communication systems 100 and 400 to 700. For example, the wireless communication system 800 may include a UE 104-K and a base station 102 / 180-E, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 4 through 7. The base station 102 / 180-E may decide to prohibit at least one UE (e.g., UE 104-K) from communicating with one or more RIS (e.g., RIS 805-B). For example, when RIS 805-B has been used by several other UEs and has reached its service capacity, or for any other reason, the base station 102 / 180-E may decide to prohibit RIS 805-B from UE 104-K. The base station 102 / 180-E may send a prohibition instruction to UE 104-K. The prohibition instruction may be sent via MAC-CE, RRC messages, or DCI messages (e.g., via PDCCH). A prohibition indication can be broadcast to a plurality of UEs 104, including UE 104-K. The prohibition indication can specify RIS 805-B and can be used to instruct UE 104-K that it should avoid communicating with base stations 102 / 180 via RIS 805-B. The identifier of RIS 805-B or the location of RIS 805-B can be used to specify RIS 805-B in the prohibition indication. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may also include the time interval during which UE 104-K is prohibited from communicating with RIS 805-B. After the time interval expires, the prohibition can be automatically removed, and UE 104-K can freely communicate with RIS 805-B again.

[0089] In one scenario, UE 104-K may determine that it has not identified the identifier of RIS 805-B in the prohibition indication (i.e., the identifier may be unrecognizable). In this case, UE 104-K may send a request for further RIS information for RIS 805-B to base station 102 / 180-E via a UCI message. Upon receiving the request, base station 102 / 180-E may send the requested further RIS information for RIS 805-B to UE 104-K. The further RIS information can indicate that UE 104-K has identified the prohibited RIS 805-B.

[0090] In different states, base station 102 / 180-E can send a prohibition indication to indicate that all RIS 805s (e.g., RIS 805-A, 805-B, and 805-C) within the cell / coverage area 110 of base station 102 / 180-E are prohibited (e.g., for at least one UE 104-K).

[0091] Based on the received prohibition indication, UE 104-K can decide to avoid communicating with RIS 805-B. Subsequently, UE 104-K and base stations 102 / 180-E can communicate directly with each other, or via other RIS 805s besides RIS 805-B (e.g., RIS 805-C). In Figure 8, UE 104-K can initially communicate with base stations 102 / 180-E via RIS 805-A and communication link 810-A. As UE 104-K changes its location, it can decide to execute a handover procedure to a different RIS that better facilitates communication between UE 104-K and base stations 102 / 180-E. In the absence of a prohibition indication, both RIS 805-B and RIS 805-C can be candidate target RISs for the handover procedure. However, upon receiving a prohibition instruction, UE 104-K can avoid communicating with RIS 805-B and further avoid considering RIS 805-B as a candidate target RIS for the handover procedure. Therefore, UE 104-K can perform a handover procedure from RIS 805-A to RIS 805-C, and subsequently communicate with base station 102 / 180-E via RIS 805-C and communication link 810-B. Alternatively, UE 104-K can communicate directly with base station 102 / 180-E.

[0092] Figure 9 illustrates an example communication flow 900 of a wireless communication method of various types. UE 902 may correspond to UE 104-K in Figure 8, and base station 904 may correspond to base station 102 / 180-E in Figure 8. At 906, base station 904 may send instructions to UE 902 for a plurality of RIS, and UE 902 may receive instructions for the plurality of RIS from base station 904. The instructions may include at least one of the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or the location of each of the plurality of RIS. In particular, the configuration of the RIS may include a mapping between AoA and AoD of the signal reflected by the RIS. At 908, base station 904 may decide to prohibit at least one UE (e.g., UE 902) from communicating with one or more of the plurality of RIS. For example, when each of one or more RISes has been used by several other UEs and the service capacity of the corresponding RIS has been reached (i.e., the number of other UEs using one or more RISes may exceed a threshold), or for any other reason, base station 904 may decide to block one or more RISes for UE 902. At 910, base station 904 may send a block instruction to UE 902, and UE 902 may receive the block instruction from base station 904. The block instruction may be sent via MAC-CE, RRC message, or DCI message (e.g., via PDCCH). The block instruction may be broadcast to a plurality of UEs including at least one UE 902. The block instruction may specify one or more RISes and may be used to instruct at least one UE 902 that at least one UE 902 should avoid communicating with base station 904 via one or more RISes. Identifiers of one or more RISes or the locations of one or more RISes may be used to specify one or more RISes in the block instruction. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may also include a time interval during which at least one UE 902 is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS. After the time interval expires, the prohibition may be automatically removed, and at least the UE 902 may once again be free to communicate with one or more RIS.

[0093] In one configuration, at 912, UE 902 can determine whether the identifier used for one or more RIS is identifiable. In other words, UE 902 can determine whether it can identify the identifier used for one or more RIS in the prohibition indication. If it is determined that the identifier used for one or more RIS is not identifiable, at 914, UE 902 can send a request for further RIS information for one or more RIS via a UCI message to base station 904, and base station 904 can receive the request from UE 902 via a UCI message. Upon receiving the request, at 916, base station 904 can send the requested further RIS information for one or more RIS to UE 902, and UE 902 can receive this information from base station 904. The further RIS information indicates that UE 902 identifies one or more RIS.

[0094] In different states, at 910, base station 904 can send a prohibition indication to UE 902, and UE 902 can receive the prohibition indication from base station 904. The prohibition indication is used to indicate that all RIS within the cell / coverage area of ​​base station 904 are prohibited (e.g., for at least one UE 902).

[0095] Based on the received prohibition instruction, at 918, UE 902 can decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS. Subsequently, at 920, UE 902 and base station 904 can communicate with each other directly or via other RIS besides one or more RIS, so that UE 902 can avoid communicating with one or more RIS.

[0096] Figure 10 is a flowchart 1000 of a wireless communication method. The method can be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 104; UE 902; device 1202). At 1004, the UE can receive a prohibition indication from the base station for one or more RISs. The prohibition indication can identify one or more RISs to which the UE is prohibited from communicating. For example, 1004 can be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1240 in Figure 12. For example, at 910, UE 902 can receive a prohibition indication from base station 904 for one or more RISs.

[0097] At 1012, the UE can decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS based on a prohibition indication. For example, 1012 can be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1240 in Figure 12. For example, at 918, the UE 902 can decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS based on a prohibition indication.

[0098] At 1014, the UE can, based on a decision, avoid communicating with one or more RIS and communicate with the base station instead. For example, 1014 can be performed by the RIS blocking component 1240 in Figure 12. For example, at 920, the UE 902 can, based on a decision, avoid communicating with one or more RIS and communicate with the base station 904 instead.

[0099] At 1002, the UE can receive instructions for a plurality of RIS from the base station. The instructions may include at least one of the following: the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or the location of each of the plurality of RIS. For example, 1002 can be performed by the RIS blocking component 1240 in FIG. 12. For example, at 906, the UE 902 can receive instructions for a plurality of RIS.

[0100] In one configuration, the configuration of each of the plurality of RISes may include a mapping between AoA and AoD of the signal reflected by the RIS. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RISes, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RISes, or the location of one or more RISes.

[0101] In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include identifiers for one or more RIS. At 1006, the UE may determine whether the identifiers for one or more RIS are identifiable. For example, 1006 may be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1240 in FIG. 12. For example, at 912, the UE 902 may determine whether the identifiers for one or more RIS are identifiable. If it is determined that the identifiers for one or more RIS are not identifiable, at 1008, the UE may send a request to the base station for RIS information for one or more RIS. For example, 1008 may be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1240 in FIG. 12. For example, at 914, the UE 902 may send a request to the base station 904 for RIS information for one or more RIS.

[0102] In one configuration, a request for RIS information can be sent to the base station via a UCI message.

[0103] At 1010, the UE can receive requested RIS information for one or more RIS from the base station. For example, 1010 can be performed by the RIS blocking component 1240 in FIG12. For example, at 916, the UE 902 can receive requested RIS information for one or more RIS from the base station 904.

[0104] In one configuration, the prohibition indication may indicate one or more RIS within the cell. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may be received from the base station via MAC-CE, RRC, or DCI messages. In one configuration, the UE may communicate with the base station via at least one other RIS besides one or more RIS, or communicate directly with the base station.

[0105] Figure 11 is a flowchart 1100 of a wireless communication method. The method can be performed by a base station (e.g., base station 102 / 180; base station 904; device 1302). At 1104, the base station can decide to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of the plurality of RISs. For example, 1104 can be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1340 in Figure 13. For example, at 908, base station 904 can decide to prohibit at least one UE 902 from communicating with one or more of the plurality of RISs.

[0106] At 1106, the base station can send a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS. The prohibition indication can identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. For example, 1106 can be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1340 in FIG13. For example, at 910, the base station 904 can send a prohibition indication to at least one UE 902 for one or more RIS.

[0107] At 1112, the base station can communicate with at least one UE based on a prohibition indication. For example, 1112 can be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1340 in Figure 13. For example, at 920, the base station 904 can communicate with at least one UE 902 based on a prohibition indication.

[0108] At 1102, the base station can send an indication to at least one UE regarding a plurality of RISs. The indication may include at least one of the following: the configuration of each of the plurality of RISs or the location of each of the plurality of RISs. For example, 1102 can be performed by the RIS blocking component 1340 in FIG. 13. For example, at 906, the base station 904 can send an indication to at least one UE 902 regarding a plurality of RISs.

[0109] In one configuration, the configuration of each of the plurality of RISes may include a mapping between AoA and AoD of the signal reflected by the RIS.

[0110] In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RIS, a time interval during which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS, or the location of one or more RIS.

[0111] In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include an identifier for one or more RIS. At 1108, the base station may receive a request for RIS information for one or more RIS from at least one UE. For example, 1108 may be performed by the RIS prohibition component 1340 in FIG. 13. For example, at 914, the base station 904 may receive a request for RIS information for one or more RIS from at least one UE 902.

[0112] In one configuration, a request for RIS information can be received from at least one UE via a UCI message.

[0113] At 1110, the base station can send the requested RIS information for one or more RIS to at least one UE. For example, 1110 can be performed by the RIS blocking component 1340 in FIG13. For example, at 916, the base station 904 can send the requested RIS information for one or more RIS to at least one UE 902.

[0114] In one configuration, the prohibition indication may indicate one or more RIS within the cell. In another configuration, the prohibition indication may be sent to at least one UE via MAC-CE, RRC, or DCI messages.

[0115] In one configuration, a prohibition indication may be broadcast to a plurality of UEs, including at least one UE. In another configuration, the prohibition indication may be broadcast via PDCCH.

[0116] In one configuration, the base station can communicate with at least one UE via at least one other RIS besides one or more RIS, or directly with at least one UE.

[0117] In one configuration, the decision to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more RISs can be based on the decision that the number of other UEs using one or more RISs is greater than a threshold.

[0118] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram 1200 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for device 1202. Device 1202 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 1204 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 1222, one or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards 1220, an application processor 1206 coupled to a Secure Digital Card (SD) card 1208 and a screen 1210, a Bluetooth module 1212, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) module 1214, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module 1216, and a power supply 1218. The cellular baseband processor 1204 communicates with UE 104 and / or BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 1222. The cellular baseband processor 1204 may include computer-readable media / memory. The computer-readable media / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1204 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on computer-readable media / memory. When executed by the cellular baseband processor 1204, the software causes the cellular baseband processor 1204 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable media / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1204 during software execution. The cellular baseband processor 1204 also includes a receiving component 1230, a communication manager 1232, and a transmitting component 1234. The communication manager 1232 includes one or more of the components shown. The components within the communication manager 1232 can be stored in computer-readable media / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 1204. The cellular baseband processor 1204 can be a component of the UE 350 and can include at least one of a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359, and / or memory 360. In one configuration, device 1202 may be a modem chip and include only baseband processor 1204, and in another configuration, device 1202 may be the entire UE (e.g., see 350 in FIG3) and include the additional modules discussed above for device 1202.

[0119] The communication manager 1232 includes a RIS prohibition component 1240, which can be configured to receive prohibition indications from the base station for one or more of a plurality of RISs, for example, as described in conjunction with 1004 in FIG. 10. The prohibition indication can identify one or more RISs with which the UE is prohibited from communicating. The RIS prohibition component 1240 can also be configured to determine, based on the prohibition indication, to avoid communicating with one or more RISs, for example, as described in conjunction with 1012 in FIG. 10. The RIS prohibition component 1240 can also be configured to communicate with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with one or more RISs, for example, as described in conjunction with 1004 in FIG. 10.

[0120] The apparatus may include additional components for each block of the algorithm in the aforementioned flowchart of FIG10. Accordingly, each block of the aforementioned flowchart of FIG10 may be executed by components, and the apparatus may include one or more of these components. These components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the stated program / algorithm, may be implemented by a processor configured to execute the stated program / algorithm, may be stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0121] In one configuration, device 1202 (and particularly cellular baseband processor 1204) includes units for receiving prohibition indications from a base station for one or more of a plurality of RISs. The prohibition indication may identify one or more RISs with which the UE is prohibited from communicating. Device 1202 may also include units for determining to avoid communicating with one or more RISs based on the prohibition indication. Device 1202 may also include units for communicating with the base station based on the determination to avoid communicating with one or more RISs.

[0122] Apparatus 1202 may also include a unit for receiving indications to a plurality of RISs. The indication may include at least one of the following: the configuration of each of the plurality of RISs or the location of each of the plurality of RISs. In one configuration, the configuration of each of the plurality of RISs may include a mapping between the AoA and AoD of signals reflected by the RIS. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RISs, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RISs, or the location of one or more RISs. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include an identifier for one or more RISs. Apparatus 1202 may also include: a unit for determining whether an identifier for one or more RISs is identifiable; and a unit for sending a request for RIS information for one or more RISs to a base station when it is determined that the identifier for one or more RISs is unidentifiable. In one configuration, the request for RIS information is sent to the base station via a UCI message. The apparatus 1202 may also include a unit for receiving requested RIS information for one or more RIS from the base station. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may indicate that one or more RIS are within the cell. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may be received from the base station via a MAC-CE, RRC message, or DCI message. In one configuration, the UE may communicate with the base station via at least one other RIS besides one or more RIS, or communicate directly with the base station.

[0123] The aforementioned unit may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the device 1202 configured to perform the functions described via the aforementioned unit. As described above, the device 1202 may include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Accordingly, in one configuration, the aforementioned unit may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions described via the aforementioned unit.

[0124] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram 1300 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for device 1302. Device 1302 is a BS and includes a baseband unit 1304. Baseband unit 1304 can communicate with UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver 1322. Baseband unit 1304 may include computer-readable media / memory. Baseband unit 1304 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on computer-readable media / memory. When the software is executed by baseband unit 1304, it causes baseband unit 1304 to perform the various functions described above. Computer-readable media / memory can also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 1304 when executing software. Baseband unit 1304 also includes a receiving component 1330, a communication manager 1332, and a transmitting component 1334. Communication manager 1332 includes one or more of the components shown. The components within the communication manager 1332 can be stored in computer-readable media / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 1304. The baseband unit 1304 can be a component of the BS 310 and can include at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 and / or memory 376.

[0125] The communication manager 1332 includes a RIS blocking component 1340, which can be configured to block at least one UE from communicating with one or more of a plurality of RISs, for example, as described in conjunction with 1104 in FIG11. The RIS blocking component 1340 can also be configured to send a blocking indication to at least one UE for one or more RISs, for example, as described in conjunction with 1106 in FIG11. The blocking indication can identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is blocked from communicating. The RIS blocking component 1340 can also be configured to communicate with at least one UE based on the blocking indication, for example, as described in conjunction with 1112 in FIG11.

[0126] The apparatus may include additional components for each block of the algorithm in the aforementioned flowchart of FIG11. Accordingly, each block of the aforementioned flowchart of FIG11 may be executed by components, and the apparatus may include one or more of these components. These components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to execute the stated program / algorithm, may be implemented by a processor configured to execute the stated program / algorithm, may be stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0127] In one configuration, device 1302 (and particularly baseband unit 1304) includes a unit for determining to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of a plurality of RIS. Device 1302 may also include a unit for sending a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS. The prohibition indication may identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. Device 1302 may also include a unit for communicating with at least one UE based on the prohibition indication.

[0128] Apparatus 1302 may also include units for transmitting an indication to at least one UE for a plurality of RISs. The indication may include at least one of the following: the configuration of each of the plurality of RISs or the location of each of the plurality of RISs. In one configuration, the configuration of each of the plurality of RISs may include a mapping between the AoA and AoD of signals reflected by the RIS. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RISs, a time interval during which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RISs, or the location of one or more RISs. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may include an identifier for one or more RISs. Apparatus 1302 may also include units for receiving from at least one UE a request for RIS information for one or more RISs. In one configuration, the request for RIS information may be received from at least one UE via a UCI message. Apparatus 1302 may also include units for transmitting the requested RIS information for one or more RISs to at least one UE. In one configuration, the prohibition indication is used to indicate that one or more RISs are within a cell. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may be sent to at least one UE via MAC-CE, RRC, or DCI messages. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may be broadcast to a plurality of UEs, including at least one UE. In one configuration, the prohibition indication may be broadcast via PDCCH. In one configuration, the base station may communicate with at least one UE via at least one other RIS besides one or more RIS, or directly with at least one UE. In one configuration, the decision to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more RIS may be based on the decision that the number of other UEs using one or more RIS exceeds a threshold.

[0129] The aforementioned unit may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the device 1302 configured to perform the functions described via the aforementioned unit. As described above, the device 1302 may include a TX processor 316, an RX processor 370, and a controller / processor 375. Accordingly, in one configuration, the aforementioned unit may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions described via the aforementioned unit.

[0130] Based on the various configurations described above, at least one UE can be prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS. Specifically, the base station can decide to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of the plurality of RIS. The base station can send a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS. The prohibition indication can identify one or more RIS with which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating. Based on the prohibition indication, the UE can decide to avoid communicating with one or more RIS. The UE can communicate with the base station based on its decision to avoid communicating with one or more RIS. Therefore, when advantageous, at least one UE can be prohibited from accessing one or more RIS in a simple and flexible manner.

[0131] It is important to understand that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the disclosed program / flowchart is a description of the instance methods. It is also important to understand that the specific order or hierarchy of the blocks in the program / flowchart can be rearranged based on design preferences. Furthermore, some blocks can be combined or omitted. The attached method request provides the elements of various blocks in instance order, but is not intended to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided.

[0132] The preceding description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to practice the various forms described herein. Various modifications to these forms will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the overall principles defined herein may be applied to other forms. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the forms shown herein, but are to be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein, unless specifically stated otherwise, references to singular elements are not intended to mean "one and only one," but rather "one or more." Terms such as "if," "when," and "at" should be interpreted as meaning "under the condition of," rather than implying a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when") do not imply a response to an action or an immediate action during the occurrence of an action, but simply mean that an action will occur if the condition is met, without requiring a specific or immediate temporal constraint on the occurrence of the action. The word "exemplary" herein is used to mean "serving as an example, illustration, or description." Any configuration described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other configurations. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some" means one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, and C", and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, wherein any such combination may contain one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents of the components described throughout this case are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims, and such structural and functional equivalents are known or will be known to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Furthermore, the disclosures herein are not intended to be made public, whether or not such disclosures are expressly stated in the claims. The terms “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” etc., are not substitutes for the term “unit.” Therefore, no element of the claims is to be interpreted as a functional unit unless the element is expressly stated using the phrase “unit for…”.

[0133] The following examples are illustrative only and may be combined with, but not limited to, other examples or teachings described herein.

[0134] State 1 is a method of wireless communication at the UE, the method comprising: receiving from a base station a prohibition indication for one or more RIS among a plurality of RIS, the prohibition indication indicating that the UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS; deciding to avoid communicating with one or more RIS based on the prohibition indication; and communicating with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with one or more RIS.

[0135] State 2 is the method according to State 1, and also includes: receiving an instruction for a plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or the position of each of the plurality of RIS.

[0136] State 3 is based on the method of State 2, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between AoA and AoD of the signal reflected by the RIS.

[0137] State 4 is the method according to any of the states 1 to 3, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RIS, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS, or the location of one or more RIS.

[0138] State 5 is based on the method of State 4, wherein the prohibition instruction includes an identifier for one or more RIS, and the method also includes: determining whether the identifier for one or more RIS is identifiable; and when it is determined that the identifier for one or more RIS is not identifiable, sending a request to the base station for RIS information for one or more RIS.

[0139] State 6 follows the method of State 5, wherein the request for RIS information is sent to the base station via UCI message.

[0140] State 7 is the method according to State 5, and also includes: receiving requested RIS information for one or more RIS from the base station.

[0141] State 8 is the method according to any of the states 1 to 7, wherein the prohibition instruction is used to indicate one or more RIS within the cell.

[0142] State 9 is the method according to any of the states 1 to 8, wherein the prohibition indication is received from the base station via MAC-CE, RRC message or DCI message.

[0143] State 10 is the method according to any of states 1 to 9, wherein the UE communicates with the base station via at least one other RIS in addition to one or more RISs, or communicates directly with the base station.

[0144] State 11 is a method of wireless communication at a base station, comprising: deciding to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more of a plurality of RIS; sending a prohibition indication to at least one UE for one or more RIS, the prohibition indication indicating that at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS; and communicating with at least one UE based on the prohibition indication.

[0145] State 12 is the method according to State 11, and also includes: sending an indication to at least one UE to a plurality of RIS, wherein the indication includes at least one of the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or the position of each of the plurality of RIS.

[0146] State 13 is based on the method of State 12, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between AoA and AoD of the signal reflected by the RIS.

[0147] State 14 is the method according to any of states 11 to 13, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for one or more RIS, a time interval during which at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with one or more RIS, or the location of one or more RIS.

[0148] State 15 is the method according to State 14, wherein the prohibition indication includes an identifier for one or more RIS, and the method also includes: receiving a request from at least one UE for RIS information for one or more RIS.

[0149] State 16 is based on the method of State 15, wherein the request for RIS information is received from at least one UE via a UCI message.

[0150] State 17 is the method according to State 15, and also includes: sending the requested RIS information for one or more RIS to at least one UE.

[0151] State 18 is the method according to any of states 11 to 17, wherein the prohibition instruction is used to indicate one or more RIS within the cell.

[0152] State 19 is the method according to any of states 11 to 18, wherein the prohibition indication is sent to at least one UE via MAC-CE, RRC message or DCI message.

[0153] State 20 is the method according to any of states 11 to 19, wherein the prohibition instruction is broadcast to a plurality of UEs including at least one UE.

[0154] Status 21 is based on the method of status 20, wherein the prohibition instruction is broadcast via PDCCH.

[0155] State 22 is the method according to any of states 11 to 21, wherein the base station communicates with at least one UE via at least one other RIS other than one or more RIS, or communicates directly with at least one UE.

[0156] State 23 is the method described according to any of the states 11 to 22, wherein the decision to prohibit at least one UE from communicating with one or more RIS is based on the decision that the number of other UEs utilizing one or more RIS is greater than a threshold.

[0157] State 24 is an apparatus for wireless communication including at least one processor, the at least one processor being coupled to memory and configured to implement the method as described in any of states 1 to 23.

[0158] State 25 is an apparatus for wireless communication, which includes units for implementing the method described in any of states 1 to 23.

[0159] Format 26 is a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, wherein the code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the methods described in any of formats 1 to 23.

[0160] 100: Wireless communication systems and access networks 102 base station 102': Small cells 102 / 180:Base station 102 / 180-A: Base station 102 / 180-D: Base Station 102 / 180-E: Base Station 104:UE 104-A:UE 104-B:UE 104-C:UE 104-D:UE 104-E:UE 104-F:UE 104-G:UE 104-H:UE 104-I:UE 104-K:UE 110: Cells / Covered Area 110': Coverage area 110-A: Geographical Coverage Area 110-B: Geographical Coverage Area 120: Communication Link 132: First reload link 134: Third reload link 150: Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) 152: Wi-Fi Station (STA) 154: Communication Link 158:D2D communication link 160: Evolution Packet Core (EPC) 162: Management Entity (MME) 164: Other MMEs 166: Service Gateway 168: Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 170: Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 172: Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 174: Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 176: IP Service 182: Beamforming 182': Launch direction 182'': Receiving direction 184: Second reload link 190: Core Network 192: Access and Action Management Functions (AMF) 193: Other AMF 194: Communication Management Function (SMF) 195: User Plane Function (UPF) 196: Unified Data Management (UDM) 197: IP Service 198: RIS Forbidden Components 199: RIS Forbidden Components 200: Schematic diagram 230: Schematic diagram 250: Schematic diagram 280: Schematic diagram 310:Base station 316: Launch (TX) processor 318: Launcher 320: Antenna 350:UE 352: Antenna 354: Receiver 356:RX processor 358: Channel Estimator 359: Controller / Processor 360: Memory 368:TX processor 370: Receiver (RX) Processor 374: Channel Estimator 375: Controller / Processor 376: Memory 400: Wireless Communication System 405:RIS 410: Communication Link 415: Direct Communication Link 420: RIS Configuration Information 500: Wireless Communication System 505:RIS 510-A:RIS 510-B:RIS 510-C:RIS 510-D:RIS 515-A: Communication Link 515-B: Communication Link 515-C: Communication Link 515-D: Communication Link 600: Wireless Communication System 605-A:RIS 605-B:RIS 605-C:RIS 605-D:RIS 610-A: Communication Link 610-B: Communication Link 610-C: Communication Link 610-D: Communication Link 610-E: Communication Link 610-F: Communication Link 615: Obstacles 700: Wireless Communication System 705-A:RIS 705-B:RIS 705-C:RIS 705-D:RIS 705-E:RIS 710-A: Communication Link 710-B: Communication Link 715-A: Reflection angle 715-B: Reflection angle 715-C: Reflection angle 715-D: Reflection angle 715-E: Reflection angle 720:RIS 800: Wireless Communication System 900: Communication Process 902:UE 904:UE 906: Program 908: Program 910: Program 912: Program 914: Program 916: Program 918: Program 920: Program 1000: Flowchart 1002: Square 1004: Square 1006: Square 1008: Square 1010: Square 1012: Square 1014: Square 1100: Flowchart 1102: Square 1104: Square 1106: Square 1108: Square 1110: Square 1112: Square 1200: Schematic diagram 1202: Apparatus 1204: Honeycomb Baseband Processor 1206: Processor 1208: Secure Digital (SD) Card 1210: Screen 1212: Bluetooth Module 1214: Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Module 1216: Application Processor 1218: Global Positioning System (GPS) Module 1220: SIM Card 1222: Honeycomb RF Transceiver 1230: Receiver Component 1232: Communication Manager 1 1234: Sending Component 1240: RIS Prohibited Components 1300: Schematic diagram 1302: Apparatus 1304: Baseband Unit 1322: Honeycomb RF transceiver 1330: Receiving component 1332: Communication Manager 1334: Sending Component 1340: RIS Forbidden Components BWP: Bandwidth section CSI-RS: Channel Status Information Reference Signal PBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel PDSCH: Entity Downlink Shared Channel PSS: Primary Synchronization Signal PUCCH: Entity Uplink Control Channel PUSCH: Entity Uplink Shared Channel RB: Resource Block SSS: Auxiliary Synchronization Signal

[0161] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number) none Overseas storage information (please note in the order of storage country, institution, date, and number) none

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising the steps of: receiving from a base station a prohibition indication for one or more RIS among a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS), the prohibition indication identifying the one or more RIS with which the UE is prohibited from communicating; deciding, based on the prohibition indication, to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS; and communicating with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS.

2. The method according to claim 1 also includes the following steps: receiving an instruction for a plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

3. According to the method of claim 2, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of the signal reflected by the RIS.

4. The method according to request item 1, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

5. The method according to request item 4, wherein the prohibition indication includes an identifier for the one or more RIS, the method also includes the steps of: determining whether the identifier for the one or more RIS is identifiable; and when it is determined that the identifier for the one or more RIS is not identifiable, sending a request to the base station for RIS information for the one or more RIS.

6. According to the method of request item 5, the request for RIS information is sent to the base station via an uplink control information (UCI) message.

7. The method according to request item 5 also includes the following steps: receiving the requested RIS information for the one or more RIS from the base station.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prohibition instruction is used to indicate that one or more RIS are in a cell.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prohibition indication is received from the base station via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (MAC-CE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE communicates with the base station via at least one other RIS other than the one or more RIS, or communicates directly with the base station.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus being a user equipment (UE), comprising: One memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receive from a base station a prohibition indication for one or more of a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS), the prohibition indication identifying the one or more RIS with which the UE is prohibited from communicating; decide, based on the prohibition indication, to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS; and, based on the decision to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS, communicate with the base station.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is also configured to: receive an instruction on the plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of a signal reflected by the RIS.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the prohibition indication includes an identifier for the one or more RIS, and the at least one processor is also configured to: determine whether the identifier for the one or more RIS is identifiable; and, when it is determined that the identifier for the one or more RIS is not identifiable, send a request to the base station for RIS information for the one or more RIS.

16. The device according to request item 15, wherein the request for RIS information is sent to the base station via an uplink control information (UCI) message.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is also configured to: receive requested RIS information for the one or more RIS from the base station.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the prohibition indication is used to indicate the one or more RIS within a cell.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the prohibition indication is received from the base station via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (MAC-CE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the UE communicates with the base station via at least one other RIS in addition to the one or more RIS, or communicates directly with the base station.

21. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, which, when executed by a processor of a user equipment (UE), causes the processor to perform the following operations: receiving from a base station a prohibition indication for one or more of a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS), the prohibition indication identifying the one or more RIS with which the UE is prohibited from communicating; deciding, based on the prohibition indication, to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS; and communicating with the base station based on the decision to avoid communicating with the one or more RIS.

22. The computer-readable medium according to request 21, wherein the code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: receiving an instruction to the plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

23. The computer-readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of a signal reflected by the RIS.

24. The computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein the prohibition instruction includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

25. The computer-readable medium according to request 24, wherein the prohibition instruction includes an identifier for the one or more RIS, and the code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: determine whether the identifier for the one or more RIS is identifiable; and when it is determined that the identifier for the one or more RIS is not identifiable, send a request to the base station for RIS information for the one or more RIS.

26. The computer-readable media pursuant to request item 25, wherein the request for RIS information is sent to the base station via an uplink control information (UCI) message.

27. Computer-readable media according to request item 25, wherein the code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: receive requested RIS information for the one or more RIS from the base station.

28. The computer-readable medium according to request item 21, wherein the prohibition instruction is used to indicate that one or more RIS are in a cell.

29. Computer-readable media pursuant to request item 21, wherein the prohibition instruction is received from the base station via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (MAC-CE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

30. The computer-readable medium according to request item 21, wherein the UE communicates with the base station via at least one other RIS in addition to the one or more RIS, or communicates directly with the base station.

31. A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising the steps of: determining to prohibit at least one user equipment (UE) from communicating with one or more of a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS); sending a prohibition instruction to the at least one UE for the one or more RIS, the prohibition instruction identifying the one or more RIS with which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating; and communicating with the at least one UE based on the prohibition instruction.

32. The method according to request item 31 also includes the following steps: sending an indication to the at least one UE to the plurality of RIS, wherein the indication includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of the signal reflected by the RIS.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

35. The method according to request item 34, wherein the prohibition indication includes an identifier for the one or more RIS, the method also includes the steps of: receiving from the at least one UE a request for RIS information for the one or more RIS.

36. The method according to request item 35, wherein the request for RIS information is received from the at least one UE via an uplink control information (UCI) message.

37. The method according to request item 35 also includes the following steps: sending the requested RIS information for the one or more RIS to the at least one UE.

38. The method according to claim 31, wherein the prohibition instruction is used to indicate that one or more RIS are in a cell.

39. The method according to request item 31, wherein the prohibition indication is sent to the at least one UE via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (MAC-CE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

40. The method according to request item 31, wherein the prohibition indication is broadcast to a plurality of UEs including the at least one UE.

41. The method according to request item 40, wherein the prohibition indication is broadcast via the entity downlink control channel (PDCCH).

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the base station communicates with the at least one UE via at least one other RIS other than the one or more RIS, or communicates directly with the at least one UE.

43. The method according to claim 31, wherein the decision to prohibit the at least one UE from communicating with the one or more RIS is based on the decision that a number of other UEs using the one or more RIS is greater than a threshold.

44. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus being a base station, comprising: One memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determine to prohibit at least one user equipment (UE) from communicating with one or more of a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS); send a prohibition indication to the at least one UE for the one or more RIS, the prohibition indication identifying the one or more RIS with which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating; and communicate with the at least one UE based on the prohibition indication.

45. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the at least one processor is also configured to: send an instruction to the at least one UE regarding the plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

46. ​​The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of a signal reflected by the RIS.

47. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the prohibition indication includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

48. The apparatus according to request 47, wherein the prohibition indication includes an identifier for the one or more RIS, and the at least one processor is also configured to: receive from the at least one UE a request for RIS information for the one or more RIS.

49. The apparatus according to request item 48, wherein the request for RIS information is received from the at least one UE via an uplink control information (UCI) message.

50. The apparatus according to request 48, wherein the at least one processor is also configured to: send the requested RIS information for the one or more RIS to the at least one UE.

51. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the prohibition indication is used to indicate the one or more RIS within a cell.

52. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the prohibition indication is sent to the at least one UE via a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) (MAC-CE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

53. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the prohibition instruction is broadcast to a plurality of UEs including the at least one UE.

54. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein the prohibition indication is broadcast via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

55. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the base station communicates with the at least one UE via at least one other RIS other than the one or more RIS, or communicates directly with the at least one UE.

56. The apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the decision to prohibit the at least one UE from communicating with the one or more RIS is based on the decision that a number of other UEs utilizing the one or more RIS exceeds a threshold.

57. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, which, when executed by a processor of a base station, causes the processor to perform the following operations: determine to prohibit at least one user equipment (UE) from communicating with one or more of a plurality of reconfigurable smart surfaces (RIS); send a prohibition indication to the at least one UE for the one or more RIS, the prohibition indication identifying the one or more RIS with which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating; and, based on the prohibition indication, communicate with the at least one UE.

58. The computer-readable medium according to request item 57, wherein the code also causes the processor to perform the following operations: send an instruction to the at least one UE to the plurality of RIS, wherein the instruction includes at least one of a configuration of each of the plurality of RIS or a position of each of the plurality of RIS.

59. The computer-readable medium according to claim 58, wherein the configuration of each of the plurality of RIS includes a mapping between an angle of arrival (AoA) and an angle of departure (AoD) of a signal reflected by the RIS.

60. The computer-readable medium according to claim 57, wherein the prohibition instruction includes at least one of the following: an identifier for the one or more RIS, a time interval during which the at least one UE is prohibited from communicating with the one or more RIS, or a location of the one or more RIS.

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