Base station, terminal, and communication method
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2024/024244
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-08-08
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-04
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-13
Smart Images

Figure JP2024024244_13022025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Base station, terminal and communication method
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a base station, a terminal, and a communication method.
[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has completed the physical layer specifications for Release 17 NR (New Radio access technology) as a functional extension of 5th Generation mobile communication systems (5G). NR supports enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to meet the requirements of high speed and large capacity, as well as ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1-5).
[0003] 3GPP TS 38.211 V17.5.0, "NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)," June 20233GPP TS 38.212 V17.5.0, "NR; Multiplexing and channel coding (Release 17)," March 20233GPP TS 38.213 V17.6.0, "NR; Physical layer procedure for control (Release 17)," June 20233GPP TS 38.214 V17.6.0, "NR; Physical layer procedures for data (Release 17)," June 20233GPP TS 38.331 V17.5.0, "NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17)", June 2023
[0004] However, there is room for improvement in the transmission efficiency of wireless communication.
[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a base station, a terminal, and a communication method that can improve transmission efficiency in wireless communication.
[0006] A base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that determines, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into a plurality of bands, which of the plurality of bands is prioritized among reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band, which are semi-statically set based on a relationship between reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band at a terminal, and a communication circuit that performs the prioritized communication.
[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, repeat transmission control in wireless communication can be appropriately performed.
[0009] Further advantages and benefits of one embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.
[0010] 3GPP NR system architecture Sequence diagram showing an example of operation of a base station and a terminal Diagram showing an example of collision control Diagram showing an example of collision control Diagram showing an example of collision control Diagram showing an example of collision control Diagram of an example architecture of an exemplary 3GPP NR system Schematic diagram showing functional separation between NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) and 5GC (5th Generation Core) Sequence diagram of Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection setup / reconfiguration procedures Schematic diagram showing usage scenarios of enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) Block diagram showing an exemplary 5G system architecture for a non-roaming scenario
[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0012] [Subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD)] "Study on evolution of NR duplex operation" is being discussed as a study item in Release 18. One of the main topics of this study item is support for subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD, also known as Cross Division Duplex (XDD)).
[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the Duplex system. In Figure 1, the vertical axis represents frequency and the horizontal axis represents time. Also, in Figure 1, "U" represents uplink transmission and "D" represents downlink transmission.
[0014] FIG. 1(a) shows an example of half-duplex Time Division Duplex (TDD). In FIG. 1(a), a terminal (UE: User Equipment) is a terminal connected to a base station (e.g., gNB). In the half-duplex shown in FIG. 1(a), the transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink) in a certain time resource may be common between the base station and the terminal. For example, the transmission direction in a certain time resource does not differ between terminals.
[0015] FIG. 1(b) shows an example of SBFD. In SBFD, a frequency resource (or a frequency band) is divided into multiple bands (e.g., subbands, RB sets, subbands, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth Parts)), and transmission in different directions (e.g., downlink or uplink) is supported for each subband. In SBFD, a terminal transmits and receives data in either the uplink or downlink in a certain time resource, but does not transmit or receive data in the other direction. On the other hand, in SBFD, a base station can transmit and receive data in both the uplink and downlink simultaneously. There may be cases where a terminal does not use resources in the transmission direction in a certain time resource (e.g., resources indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1(b)).
[0016] Although not shown in Fig. 1, a guard band may be arranged between the uplink band (UL sub-band: U) and the downlink sub-band (DL sub-band: D). The guard band may be used to reduce cross link interference (CLI) between different transmission directions (links).
[0017] In the following description, a symbol on which SBFD operation or control is performed is called an "SBFD symbol." A symbol on which SBFD operation or control is not performed (for example, a symbol different from an SBFD symbol) may also be called a "non-SBFD symbol." For example, a slot configured with SBFD symbols may also be called an "SBFD slot," and a slot configured with non-SBFD symbols may also be called a "non-SBFD slot."
[0018] The subband configuration is expressed as {X...X}, where X represents the UL subband (U) or DL subband (D). The order of notation corresponds to the order in which the subbands are arranged. For example, the subband configuration in Figure 1(b) is expressed as {DUD}.
[0019] [SBFD symbol / operation] The SBFD symbol may be configured using a legacy symbol (or an existing symbol) such as a DL symbol, a UL symbol, or a Flexible symbol. For example, the SBFD symbol may be configured using at least one legacy symbol of a DL symbol and a Flexible symbol. For example, a legacy symbol may be changed and used as the SBFD symbol. The legacy symbol is configured by, for example, RRC signaling (for example, TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon). Here, a non-SBFD symbol is, for example, a legacy symbol that is not used as an SBFD symbol.
[0020] Furthermore, as the SBFD control, for example, at least one of semi-static SBFD and dynamic SBFD may be applied. In semi-static SBFD, the transmission direction in a subband is set semi-statically (e.g., the transmission direction is not changed dynamically). In dynamic SBFD, the transmission direction of a subband may be changed dynamically. Figure 2 shows an example of dynamic SBFD. Figure 2(a) shows an example of a semi-statically set subband transmission direction ({DUD}), and Figure 2(b) shows an example of a dynamically changed transmission direction ({DDD}). In the example of Figure 2, the transmission direction of the second subband is changed from uplink (U) to downlink (D).
[0021] [Collision between UL transmission and DL reception in SBFD] In existing TDD or Half duplex Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) defined in RedCap (Reduced Capability) of Release 17, collision between quasi-statically configured DL reception and UL transmission in the same symbol is not permitted. For example, if DL reception and UL transmission are quasi-statically configured in the same symbol, the terminal will regard it as an error.
[0022] On the other hand, even in SBFD, if collisions between DL subband communication (e.g., DL reception at a terminal, hereinafter referred to as "DL reception"), which is semi-statically configured, and UL subband communication (e.g., UL transmission at a terminal, hereinafter referred to as "UL transmission") are not allowed, the flexibility of the semi-static configuration may be reduced.
[0023] One of the main motivations for introducing SBFD is to reduce UL latency by utilizing the UL subband. One way to reduce UL latency is to frequently allocate Scheduling Request (SR) / Configured grant - Physical Uplink Shared Channel (CG-PUSCH) / Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) using the UL subband. Frequent allocation of SR / CG-PUSCH / PDCCH is effective in reducing the scheduling latency of UL data. For example, for SR or CG-PDCCH, it is effective in reducing the latency between UL data generation and transmission, and for PDCCH, it is effective in allocating UL data resources with low latency.
[0024] For example, frequently allocating resources for SR / CG-PUSCH / PDCCH may increase the possibility of collision with other quasi-static transmission / reception. On the other hand, if the resources are configured to avoid collision (e.g., if resources for other quasi-static transmission / reception are not allocated to the same time domain resources as SR / CG-PUSCH / PDCCH), the flexibility of the quasi-static transmission / reception configuration may decrease.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows an example of resource allocation for PDCCH and CG-PUSCH.
[0026] In the example of Figure 3, Slot #0 is a DL slot (a slot consisting of DL symbols), Slot #1, #2, and #3 are SBFD slots (slots consisting of SBFD symbols), and Slot #4 is a UL slot (slot consisting of UL symbols).
[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the PDCCH is allocated to the DL slot and the DL subband of the SBFD slot. Furthermore, the CG-PUSCH is allocated to Slot #2 and Slot #3 (the UL subband of the SBFD slot). Here, in order to prevent collision between the PDCCH and the CG-PUSCH in the time domain, the CG-PUSCH is allocated to avoid the PDCCH, as shown in Figure 3, which may reduce the flexibility of the semi-static transmission / reception configuration.
[0028] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for improving the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings will be described. For example, in a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, by allowing collisions between semi-static DL reception and UL transmission in the time domain and selecting either DL reception or UL transmission, it is possible to reduce UL delay while maintaining the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings.
[0029] [Overview of Communication System] A communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, for example, a base station 100 (e.g., gNB) shown in Figures 4 and 6 and a terminal 200 (e.g., UE) shown in Figures 5 and 7. A plurality of base stations 100 and a plurality of terminals 200 may exist in the communication system.
[0030] 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a portion of a base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the base station 100 illustrated in FIG. 4, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) determines a prioritized communication from among the quasi-statically set downlink band reception and uplink band transmission based on a relationship between downlink band reception (DL reception) and uplink band transmission (UL transmission) in a terminal 200 among multiple bands in a time domain resource (e.g., symbols or slots) in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands (e.g., subbands). A communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a communication circuit) performs the prioritized communication.
[0031] 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a portion of a terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the terminal 200 illustrated in FIG. 5, a control unit (e.g., corresponding to a control circuit) determines a prioritized communication between a quasi-statically set downlink band reception and an uplink band transmission based on a relationship between downlink band reception (DL reception) and uplink band transmission (UL transmission) among a plurality of bands in a time domain resource (e.g., symbols or slots) in which a frequency band is divided into a plurality of bands (e.g., subbands). A communication unit (e.g., corresponding to a communication circuit) performs the prioritized communication.
[0032] [Configuration of Base Station] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a base station 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Fig. 6, the base station 100 includes a receiving unit 101, a demapping unit 102, a demodulation / decoding unit 103, a scheduling unit 104, a collision control unit 105, a control information holding unit 106, a data / control information generating unit 107, an encoding / modulation unit 108, a mapping unit 109, and a transmitting unit 110.
[0033] For example, at least one of the demapping unit 102, demodulation / decoding unit 103, scheduling unit 104, collision control unit 105, control information holding unit 106, data / control information generation unit 107, coding / modulation unit 108, and mapping unit 109 may be included in the control unit shown in Figure 4, and at least one of the receiving unit 101 and transmitting unit 110 may be included in the communication unit shown in Figure 4.
[0034] The receiving unit 101 performs reception processing such as down-conversion or A / D conversion on a signal received via an antenna, and outputs the processed received signal to the demapping unit 102 .
[0035] The demapping unit 102 performs resource demapping on the received signal (for example, an uplink signal) input from the receiving unit 101 , and outputs the modulated signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 103 .
[0036] The demodulation and decoding section 103 demodulates and decodes the modulated signal input from the demapping section 102 , for example, and outputs the decoding result to the scheduling section 104 .
[0037] The scheduling unit 104 may perform scheduling for the terminals 200, for example. The scheduling unit 104 schedules transmission and reception for each terminal 200 based on, for example, at least one of the decoding result input from the demodulation and decoding unit 103, information input from the collision control unit 105 (including, for example, DL / UL priority information), and control information input from the control information holding unit 106, and instructs the data and control information generating unit 107 to generate at least one of data and control information. Furthermore, the scheduling unit 104 outputs control information related to scheduling for the terminals 200 to the control information holding unit 106.
[0038] The collision control unit 105 determines which of DL and UL to prioritize when, for example, semi-statically configured transmission and reception collide in the same time domain resource, based on control information (e.g., information related to SBFD or information related to semi-static transmission and reception settings) input from the control information holding unit 106. The collision control unit 105 outputs information indicating which of DL and UL to prioritize (e.g., DL / UL priority information) to the scheduling unit 104.
[0039] The control information holding unit 106 holds, for example, control information set in each terminal 200. The control information may include, for example, information related to SBFD and information related to semi-static transmission and reception settings. The control information holding unit 106 may output the held information to each component of the base station 100 (for example, the scheduling unit 104 and the collision control unit 105) as necessary.
[0040] The data and control information generating unit 107 generates at least one of data and control information, for example, in accordance with an instruction from the scheduling unit 104, and outputs a signal including the generated data or control information to the coding and modulation unit 108. The generated data may include, for example, signaling information of an upper layer.
[0041] The coding and modulation section 108 codes and modulates, for example, the signal (for example, data, control information) input from the data and control information generation section 107 , and outputs the modulated signal to the transmission section 110 .
[0042] The mapping section 109 performs resource mapping on the modulated signal input from the coding and modulation section 108 , for example, and outputs the transmission signal to the transmitting section 110 .
[0043] The transmitter 110 performs transmission processing such as D / A conversion, up-conversion, or amplification on the signal input from the mapping unit 109, and transmits the radio signal obtained by the transmission processing from an antenna to the terminal 200.
[0044] [Terminal Configuration] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a terminal 200 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In Fig. 7, the terminal 200 includes a receiving unit 201, a demapping unit 202, a demodulation and decoding unit 203, a collision determination unit 204, a control unit 205, a control information holding unit 206, a data and control information generation unit 207, an encoding and modulation unit 208, a mapping unit 209, and a transmission unit 210.
[0045] For example, at least one of the demapping unit 202, demodulation / decoding unit 203, collision determination unit 204, control unit 205, control information storage unit 206, data / control information generation unit 207, coding / modulation unit 208, and mapping unit 209 may be included in the control unit shown in Figure 5, and at least one of the receiving unit 201 and transmitting unit 210 may be included in the communication unit shown in Figure 5.
[0046] The receiving unit 201 performs reception processing such as down-conversion or A / D conversion on a received signal received via an antenna, and outputs the processed received signal to the demapping unit 202 .
[0047] The demapping unit 202 performs resource demapping on the received signal input from the receiving unit 201 , for example, and outputs the modulated signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 203 .
[0048] The demodulation / decoding unit 203 demodulates and decodes the modulated signal input from the demapping unit 202, and outputs the decoding result to the control unit 205. The decoding result may include, for example, at least one of upper layer signaling information and downlink control information.
[0049] The collision determination unit 204 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL when quasi-statically configured transmission and reception collide in the same time domain resource, for example, based on control information input from the control information storage unit 206 (for example, information related to SBFD and information related to quasi-static transmission and reception settings), and outputs DL / UL priority information indicating the determined result to the control unit 205.
[0050] The control unit 205 may determine whether or not to transmit or receive data or control information, for example, based on the decoding result (e.g., data or control information) input from the demodulation and decoding unit 203 and the control information input from the control information storage unit 206. For example, if the determination result indicates that data or control information is to be transmitted, the control unit 205 may determine a slot for transmitting the data or control information based on DL / UL priority information input from the collision determination unit 204, and instruct the data and control information generation unit 207 to generate at least one of data and control information. Furthermore, the control unit 205 outputs, for example, control information related to scheduling for the terminal 200 to the control information storage unit 206.
[0051] The control information holding unit 206 holds, for example, control information input from the control unit 205, and outputs the held information to each component (for example, the collision determination unit 204 and the control unit 205) as necessary.
[0052] The data and control information generating unit 207 generates data or control information according to instructions from the control unit 205 , for example, and outputs a signal including the generated data or control information to the encoding and modulation unit 208 .
[0053] The coding and modulation section 208 codes and modulates the signal input from the data and control information generation section 207 , for example, and outputs the modulated signal to the mapping section 209 .
[0054] The mapping section 209 performs resource mapping on the modulated signal input from the coding and modulation section 208 and outputs the transmission signal to the transmission section 210 .
[0055] The transmitter 210 performs transmission processing such as D / A conversion, up-conversion, or amplification on the signal input from the mapping unit 209, and transmits the radio signal obtained by the transmission processing from an antenna to the base station 100.
[0056] [Operations of Base Station 100 and Terminal 200] An example of operations in the base station 100 and terminal 200 having the above configuration will be described.
[0057] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the base station 100 and the terminal 200.
[0058] In FIG. 8, the base station 100 determines, for example, settings (configuration) related to SBFD or quasi-static transmission and reception (S101).
[0059] The base station 100 transmits, for example, upper layer signaling information including the determined setting information to the terminal 200 (S102).
[0060] For example, based on the setting information included in the signaling information transmitted from the base station 100, the terminal 200 determines which of DL and UL is to be prioritized when semi-statically set transmission and reception (for example, DL reception and UL transmission) is set to the same time domain resource (or when they collide) (S103). Note that the base station 100 may perform collision control of transmission and reception semi-statically set to the same time domain resource, similar to the collision determination in the terminal 200.
[0061] If it is determined that DL is to be prioritized, the base station 100 transmits the PDSCH, and the terminal 200 receives the PDSCH (S104a).
[0062] If it is determined that the UL is prioritized, the terminal 200 transmits the PUSCH, and the base station 100 receives the PUSCH (S104b).
[0063] [Collision Control Method] A collision control method in the base station 100 (e.g., collision control unit 105) will be described. Note that the terminal 200 (e.g., collision determination unit 204) may perform collision determination (determine which of DL and UL is to be prioritized) assuming the collision control method implemented by the base station 100, for example.
[0064] An example of a collision control method will now be described.
[0065] <Method 1> In method 1, the base station 100 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL (for example, prioritized communication) based on the symbol type.
[0066] An example of a collision control method based on symbol type will be described below.
[0067] <Method 1-1> In method 1-1, the base station 100 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL based on the type of legacy symbol used in the SBFD symbol.
[0068] When a legacy symbol is used as the SBFD symbol (e.g., when an existing symbol is modified (or converted) and used as the SBFD symbol), the usage of UL and DL resources may differ depending on the type of the original legacy symbol.
[0069] For example, if the SBFD symbol uses a DL symbol, a non-SBFD-compatible terminal (or a terminal that does not support SBFD control and functions, non-SBFD aware UE) recognizes the symbol as a DL symbol and is therefore unable to transmit at least one of a UL channel and signal (hereinafter referred to as a channel / signal). Similarly, for example, if the SBFD symbol uses a UL symbol, a non-SBFD-compatible terminal recognizes the symbol as a UL symbol and is therefore unable to receive a DL channel / signal. Furthermore, if the SBFD symbol uses a Flexible symbol, a non-SBFD-compatible terminal can transmit and receive either a UL or DL channel / signal.
[0070] For example, when the SBFD symbol uses a DL symbol (e.g., in a DL symbol-based SBFD symbol), the UL resource is available to SBFD-capable terminals (or terminals that support SBFD control and functionality, SBFD-aware UEs) and is unavailable to SBFD-non-capable terminals. Therefore, when the type of legacy symbol used in the SBFD symbol is a DL symbol, a UL channel / signal (or UL transmission) may be prioritized for SBFD-capable terminals. For example, when the SBFD symbol uses a DL symbol, reception of the DL channel / signal may be dropped. This can improve resource utilization efficiency between SBFD-capable terminals and SBFD-non-capable terminals in a DL symbol-based SBFD symbol.
[0071] Furthermore, for example, when the type of legacy symbol used in the SBFD symbol is a UL symbol (for example, in a UL symbol-based SBFD symbol), DL channels / signals (for example, DL reception) may be prioritized for SBFD-compatible terminals. For example, when the SBFD symbol uses a UL symbol, the transmission of the UL channel / signal may be dropped. This can improve the resource utilization efficiency between SBFD-compatible terminals and SBFD-incompatible terminals in a UL symbol-based SBFD symbol.
[0072] Furthermore, for example, when the type of legacy symbol used in the SBFD symbol is a Flexible symbol (for example, in a Flexible symbol-based SBFD symbol), it may be set or defined which of DL and UL is prioritized, depending on the legacy symbol type used by other SBFD symbols or the resource usage status. For example, when other SBFD symbols are DL symbol-based SBFD symbols and UL is prioritized, DL may be prioritized in the Flexible symbol-based SBFD symbol. This makes it possible to equalize the use of DL and UL. Note that the setting regarding the priority of DL and UL in the Flexible symbol-based SBFD symbol is not limited to the above example, and the opposite transmission direction (for example, UL) may be prioritized.
[0073] FIG. 9 shows an example of collision control according to Method 1-1.
[0074] In the example of Figure 9, Slot #0 is a DL slot (a slot consisting of DL symbols), Slot #1 and #2 are slots consisting of DL symbol-based SBFD symbols, Slot #3 is a slot consisting of Flexible symbol-based SBFD symbols, and Slot #4 is a UL slot (a slot consisting of UL symbols).
[0075] The upper part of Figure 9 shows the slot configuration as seen from an SBFD-incompatible terminal, and the lower part of Figure 9 shows the slot configuration as seen from an SBFD-compatible terminal.
[0076] In Fig. 9, for example, when a collision occurs between UL transmission and DL reception that are semi-statically configured in Slots #1 and #2 (slots configured with DL symbol-based SBFD symbols), UL transmission may be prioritized for SBFD-compatible terminals. This can improve resource utilization efficiency, for example, in Slots #1 and #2 shown in Fig. 9.
[0077] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9, when a collision occurs between quasi-statically configured UL transmission and DL reception in Slot #3 (a slot configured with Flexible symbol-based SBFD symbols), DL reception may be prioritized for SBFD-compatible terminals. This allows for equalization of DL and UL usage between, for example, Slots #1 and #2 (slots where UL transmission is prioritized) shown in Fig. 9.
[0078] In this way, in method 1-1, the base station 100 determines which communication is to be prioritized, DL reception or UL transmission, based on the type of symbol (for example, the type of legacy symbol used for the SBFD symbol). By determining which of DL and UL is to be prioritized based on the type of legacy symbol used for the SBFD symbol, it is possible to improve the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings, and also to improve resource utilization efficiency based on the difference in SBFD symbol usage between SBFD-compatible terminals and SBFD-incompatible terminals.
[0079] <Method 1-2> In method 1-2, the base station 100 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL (for example, prioritized communication) depending on whether the SBFD symbol is semi-static SBFD or dynamic SBFD.
[0080] For example, whether or not Dynamic SBFD is applied may be set (or defined) for each symbol (or for each slot). For example, Dynamic SBFD symbols (symbols to which Dynamic SBFD is applied) and Semi-static SBFD symbols (symbols to which Dynamic SBFD is not applied) are set (or defined). The base station 100 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL depending on whether the symbol is a Dynamic SBFD symbol or a Semi-static SBFD symbol.
[0081] For example, in semi-static SBFD symbols, UL may be prioritized, since the main purpose of introducing SBFD is to improve UL performance (e.g., extend UL coverage, reduce UL latency).
[0082] Furthermore, for example, in Dynamic SBFD symbols, when the SBFD symbols use legacy DL symbols, DL may be prioritized. This is because when the transmission direction is dynamically changed using Dynamic SBFD, if the SBFD symbol is changed back to the original DL symbol, it is expected that the transmission direction in the UL subband will change to DL (see, for example, Figure 2). In this case, since UL transmission in the UL subband cannot always be reliably performed, prioritizing DL reception, which can be reliably performed, improves transmission and reception opportunities and allows for efficient resource utilization.
[0083] Similarly, for example, in Dynamic SBFD symbols, when the SBFD symbols use legacy UL symbols, UL may be prioritized. This is because when the transmission direction is dynamically changed using Dynamic SBFD, if the direction is changed from the SBFD symbol back to the original UL symbol, it is expected that the transmission direction in the DL subband will change to UL. In this case, DL reception in the DL subband may not always be reliably performed. Therefore, prioritizing UL transmission, which can be reliably performed, improves transmission and reception opportunities and allows for efficient resource utilization.
[0084] In this way, in Method 1-2, the base station 100 determines whether to prioritize DL or UL depending on whether the SBFD symbol is Semi-static SBFD (or whether SBFD is set semi-statically) or Dynamic SBFD (or whether SBFD is set dynamically). This improves the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings, and also improves resource utilization efficiency by taking into account the characteristics of Semi-static SBFD and Dynamic SBFD.
[0085] In addition, in the semi-static SBFD symbol, priority is not limited to the UL, and there may be cases where priority is given to the DL.
[0086] <Method 2> In method 2, the base station 100 determines which of DL and UL to prioritize (for example, which communication is prioritized) based on information indicating a state that is dynamically notified to the terminal 200.
[0087] For example, a default state may be defined or set in the terminal 200. For example, "UL priority" may be set as the default state. When semi-statically set transmission and reception collide in the same time domain resource, the terminal 200 determines whether to prioritize UL transmission or DL reception according to the dynamically notified state.
[0088] The status may be dynamically reported by, for example, an N-bit field on the PDCCH. For example, a terminal-specific PDCCH or a Group common PDCCH may be used to report the status.
[0089] For example, when N=1 bit, one of two states, "DL priority" and "UL priority", may be notified. Also, for example, when N>1 bit, multiple states may be notified. For example, when N=2 bits, states may be assigned as follows. By notifying multiple states in this way, it becomes possible to control which of UL and DL is given priority in more detail depending on the communication situation. 0b00: Always give priority to DL 0b01: Only PDCCH takes priority over UL 0b10: Only PUCCH takes priority over DL 0b11: Always give priority to UL
[0090] For example, when the state is notified by the PDCCH, terminal 200 may switch the state after a set (or predefined) number of symbols has elapsed. Furthermore, a period (validity period) during which the notified state is valid may be defined or set. When the set or defined validity period has elapsed, the state returns to the default state.
[0091] FIG. 10 shows an example of collision control according to Method 2.
[0092] In the example of FIG. 10 , the state is notified by one bit, and the state of "DL priority" or "UL priority" is notified. Also in the example of FIG. 10 , Slots #1, #2, and #3 are SBFD slots (slots consisting of SBFD symbols). For example, in Slots #1 and #3, both the PDCCH and CG-PUSCH are set quasi-statically, and time domain resources collide in some symbols. Also in the example of FIG. 10 , the time from when the state is notified until switching is three slots. Also in the example of FIG. 10 , the state in Slot #0 is set to "DL priority", and terminal 200 receives notification of the state of "UL priority" via the PDCCH in Slot #0.
[0093] In this case, as shown in Fig. 10, in Slot #1, the state remains "DL Priority", and terminal 200 drops the transmission of the CG-PUSCH and receives the PDCCH. Also, as shown in Fig. 10, in Slot #3, three slots after receiving the notification of the state, the state switches to "UL Priority", so the reception of the PDCCH is dropped and terminal 200 transmits the CG-PUSCH.
[0094] In this way, in method 2, base station 100 determines which communication is prioritized based on status information indicating which of DL reception and UL transmission is to be prioritized, which is dynamically notified to terminal 200. This improves the flexibility of semi-static transmission / reception settings, and also makes it possible to dynamically control which of DL and UL is to be prioritized based on communication conditions (e.g., DL and UL traffic volumes), thereby improving resource utilization efficiency.
[0095] <Method 3> In method 3, the base station 100 determines which of DL and UL should be prioritized (prioritized communication) based on the priority used in URLLC.
[0096] Release 16 URLLC introduced UL channel / signal priority (e.g., two levels: High and Low).
[0097] For example, in semi-statically configured transmission and reception in SBFD, in addition to the priority of the UL channel / signal, a priority of the DL channel / signal, which is not introduced in Release 16 URLLC, may be introduced. For example, by setting the priority of the DL channel to "Medium" (or setting it to Low, and dropping the UL if both DL and UL are Low), base station 100 can control which of the DL and UL to drop.
[0098] FIG. 11 shows an example of collision control according to Method 3.
[0099] In the example of FIG. 11, both the PDCCH and the CG-PUSCH are semi-statically configured in Slot #2 and Slot #3, and time domain resources collide in some symbols.
[0100] 11(a) shows a case where the priority of the CG-PUSCH (e.g., UL transmission) is set to Low. In FIG. 11(a), the priority of the PDCCH (e.g., DL reception) is higher than that of the CG-PUSCH (because Medium > Low), so terminal 200 drops the transmission of the CG-PUSCH and receives the PDCCH.
[0101] 11(b) shows a case where the priority of the CG-PUSCH is set to High. In FIG. 11(b), because the priority of the CG-PUSCH is higher than that of the PDCCH (High > Medium), reception of the PDCCH is dropped and terminal 200 transmits the CG-PUSCH.
[0102] Thus, according to Method 3, by utilizing the priority of the UL channel / signal, it is possible to determine which of DL and UL should be prioritized without additional signaling, thereby improving the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings.
[0103] Note that the priority of a specific DL channel / signal may be defined as a priority different from Medium. For example, five priority levels may be defined, such as "Very high," "High," "Medium," "Low," and "Very low" ("Very high" being the highest priority and "Very low" being the lowest priority). For example, if the priority of a specific DL channel is defined as "Very high," DL is prioritized regardless of the UL priority (even if the UL priority is High). Also, for example, if the priority of a specific DL channel is defined as "Very low," UL is prioritized regardless of the UL priority (even if the UL priority is Low). In this way, by defining the priority of DL channels / signals in detail, it is possible to more flexibly determine whether DL or UL is prioritized.
[0104] Furthermore, the priority of a specific DL channel / signal may be explicitly set. For example, by making it possible to explicitly set the priority of the PDSCH, the priority is set according to the type of traffic (e.g., whether the traffic requires low latency, etc.), and terminal 200 can determine whether to prioritize DL or UL based on a comparison with the priority of UL. This improves the flexibility of determination according to the channel / signal.
[0105] Furthermore, when the priorities of both DL and UL channels / signals are defined or configured, a configuration or definition for adjusting the priorities between DL and UL may be introduced. For example, a configuration for determining which channel / signal has priority when DL and UL have the same priority may be introduced. For example, when the priorities of {DL channel, UL channel} are {High, High}, if "UL priority" is set as the configuration for adjustment, the UL channel will have priority (e.g., reception of the DL channel will be dropped).
[0106] For example, the adjustment setting may be set as a value (or a setting for adjusting multiple levels). For example, the priority and the adjustment value may be set as numerical values, and the adjustment value may be added to the DL priority. As an example, in a definition in which a smaller value indicates a higher priority, if the priorities of {DL channel, UL channel} are set as {3, 4} and the adjustment setting value is set to 2, the DL priority becomes 3+2=5, which is lower than the UL priority, and therefore the priority of the UL channel becomes higher than the DL channel. Note that the adjustment setting can be used to increase the priority of either the DL or UL channel in addition to or instead of the case where the priorities are the same, allowing for more flexible determination of which of the DL and UL channels to prioritize.
[0107] <Method 4> In method 4, the base station 100 determines which of the DL and UL to prioritize (for example, which communication to prioritize) based on the characteristics of the DL and UL channels / signals.
[0108] The collision control method according to Method 4 will be described below.
[0109] <Method 4-1> In method 4-1, transmission of SR and CG-PUSCH (UL transmission) is prioritized over semi-static DL reception.
[0110] Here, the SR and CG-PUSCH resources are not always used. For example, with regard to the SR resource, when UL data occurs and no PUSCH resource is allocated, SR transmission is triggered. With regard to the CG-PUSCH resource, for example, when terminal 200 has UL data, CG-PUSCH transmission is triggered.
[0111] Therefore, when SR or CG-PUSCH transmission is not triggered, terminal 200 performs DL reception (e.g., prioritizes DL reception), whereas when SR or CG-PUSCH transmission is triggered, terminal 200 drops DL reception and performs SR or CG-PUSCH transmission (e.g., prioritizes UL transmission).
[0112] FIG. 12 shows an example of collision control according to method 4-1.
[0113] In the example of FIG. 12, in Slots #2 and #3, both the PDCCH and the CG-PUSCH are semi-statically configured, and time domain resources collide in some symbols.
[0114] 12(a) shows a case where terminal 200 does not have UL data (for example, a case where CG-PUSCH transmission is not triggered). In this case, as shown in FIG. 12(a), terminal 200 receives PDCCH in slots #2 and #3 (prioritizing DL reception).
[0115] 12(b) shows a case where terminal 200 has UL data (e.g., a case where CG-PUSCH transmission is triggered). In this case, as shown in FIG. 12(b), terminal 200 transmits CG-PUSCH in slots #2 and #3 (e.g., prioritizes UL transmission and drops PDCCH reception).
[0116] Thus, according to Method 4-1, the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings is improved, and SR and CG-PUSCH resources can be set frequently, thereby reducing UL delay.
[0117] <Method 4-2> In method 4-2, the base station 100 determines (for example, changes) whether to prioritize PDCCH reception over semi-statically configured UL transmission based on the search space.
[0118] The use of the PDCCH differs depending on the search space. For example, it is expected that ETWS (Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System) information is received in terminal 200 with priority over UL transmission. For example, Type 0A-PDCCH Common Search Space (CSS) and Type 2-PDCCH CSS may be used to receive ETWS information. In this way, whether or not the PDCCH should be received with priority over UL transmission differs depending on the search space.
[0119] Therefore, whether to prioritize PDCCH reception over semi-statically configured UL transmission may be configured or defined for each search space. In the above example, when the search space is Type0A-PDCCH CSS or Type2-PDCCH CSS, terminal 200 may drop UL transmission and receive PDCCH (prioritize DL reception). On the other hand, when the search space is neither Type0A-PDCCH CSS nor Type2-PDCCH CSS, terminal 200 may drop DL reception and perform UL transmission (prioritize UL transmission).
[0120] According to method 4-2, it is possible to set / define for each search space whether to give priority to PDCCH reception over semi-statically set UL transmission, thereby preventing important information transmitted via PDCCH from being dropped.
[0121] The types of search spaces for controlling or determining which of DL and UL is to be prioritized are not limited to Type0A-PDCCH CSS and Type2-PDCCH CSS, and may be other types.
[0122] <Method 4-3> In method 4-3, the base station 100 determines whether to prioritize UL transmission or DL reception (for example, which communication to prioritize) based on the respective cycles of DL reception and UL transmission.
[0123] When the transmission or reception cycle is short, the next opportunity for transmission or reception comes earlier than when the transmission or reception cycle is long, thereby reducing the impact of dropping. Therefore, channels / signals with long transmission or reception cycles may be given priority over channels / signals with short transmission or reception cycles.
[0124] For example, if semi-statically set UL transmission and DL reception collide, the UL transmission period and DL reception period may be compared, and communication in the transmission direction with a longer period may be given priority, while communication in the transmission direction with a shorter period may be dropped.
[0125] Also, for example, the operation may be such that one transmission direction is prioritized by default (e.g., UL is prioritized), and if the period of the channel / signal of the prioritized transmission direction (e.g., UL) is shorter than a threshold, the channel / signal of the non-preferred transmission direction (e.g., DL) is prioritized. Alternatively, if the period of the channel / signal of the non-preferred transmission direction (e.g., DL) is longer than a threshold, the operation may be such that the channel / signal of the non-preferred transmission direction (e.g., DL) is prioritized.
[0126] Furthermore, for example, the collision control of method 4-3 does not have to be applied to all channels / signals, but may be applied to specific channels / signals, and the threshold may be set (or changed) individually for each channel / signal.
[0127] Thus, method 4-3 can improve the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings and reduce the impact of delays due to channel / signal drops.
[0128] <Method 4-4> In method 4-4, base station 100 determines which of UL transmission and DL reception to prioritize (e.g., which communication to prioritize) based on at least one of the resource size in the time domain (e.g., the number of symbols) and the resource size in the frequency domain (e.g., the number of RBs).
[0129] The priority of transmission and reception may vary depending on the number of symbols or the size of the resource. For example, in URLLC applications, transmission and reception may be performed using a small number of symbols to reduce latency. On the other hand, dropping a transmission and reception with a large resource size is expected to have a greater impact on performance (e.g., throughput) than dropping a transmission and reception with a small resource size.
[0130] Therefore, for example, the base station 100 determines whether to give priority to UL transmission or DL reception based on at least one of the number of symbols and the number of RBs.
[0131] For example, the default is to prioritize UL, but if the number of DL symbols is less than a threshold, DL reception may be prioritized. This allows DL reception, which requires low latency, to be prioritized.
[0132] Also, for example, while UL is prioritized by default, if the resource size (e.g., number of symbols × number of RBs) allocated in the DL channel / signal is larger than a threshold, DL reception may be prioritized. This can reduce the degradation of reception performance when DL reception of large resources is dropped.
[0133] The collision control of method 4-4 does not have to be applied to all channels / signals, but may be applied to specific channels / signals. Also, the threshold may be set (or changed) individually for each channel / signal.
[0134] Thus, according to Method 4-4, it is possible to improve the flexibility of semi-static transmission and reception settings, and to determine whether DL or UL should be prioritized so as to reduce the effects of increased delay or performance degradation.
[0135] An example of a collision control method has been described above.
[0136] As described above, in this embodiment, the base station 100 and the terminal 200 determine, in an SBFD symbol (or SBFD slot), which of the DL reception and UL transmission are to be prioritized, based on the relationship between the reception of the DL subband (DL reception) and the transmission of the UL subband (UL transmission) in the terminal 200 among a plurality of subbands, and perform the determined prioritized communication. This allows for collisions in the time domain between the quasi-static DL reception and the UL transmission, and then selects either the DL reception or the UL transmission, thereby maintaining the flexibility of the quasi-static transmission and reception settings while reducing the UL delay. Therefore, this embodiment can improve the transmission efficiency in wireless communication.
[0137] (Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, a slot consisting of multiple symbols has been described as an example, but the unit of time domain resources is not limited to symbols and slots, and may be other time domain resources or other combinations of time domain resources.
[0138] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case where SBFD is applied is described, but an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied in addition to SBFD as long as the transmission direction (e.g., DL or UL) is set in multiple bands (e.g., subbands) obtained by dividing the frequency band.
[0139] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the operation of dropping DL reception may be an operation of terminal 200 dropping reception of a DL channel / signal, or an operation of base station 100 dropping transmission of a DL channel / signal. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the operation of dropping UL transmission may be an operation of terminal 200 dropping transmission of a UL channel / signal, or an operation of base station 100 dropping reception of a UL channel / signal.
[0140] In the above-described embodiments, the values of the number of subbands, the number of DL subbands, the number of UL subbands, the number of slots, and the number of symbols are merely examples and are not limited to these. Also, the subband configurations used in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the number of subbands and the arrangement order of the DL subbands and the UL subbands are not limited to these.
[0141] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, collision control in semi-statically set transmission and reception has been described, but the target of collision control is not limited to semi-statically set transmission and reception, and may be applied to other transmission and reception operations. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, collision between PDCCH and CG-PUSCH has been described, but the target of collision control is not limited to PDCCH and CG-PUSCH, and may be other uplink channels / signals, other downlink channels / signals, or other link channels / signals.
[0142] (Supplementary Note) Information indicating whether the terminal 200 supports the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments may be transmitted (or notified) from the terminal 200 to the base station 100, for example, as capability information or capability parameters of the terminal 200.
[0143] The capability information may include an information element (IE) that individually indicates whether or not the terminal 200 supports at least one of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments. Alternatively, the capability information may include an information element that indicates whether or not the terminal 200 supports a combination of any two or more of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments.
[0144] For example, the base station 100 may determine (or decide or assume) the functions, operations, or processes that the terminal 200 that transmitted the capability information supports (or does not support) based on the capability information received from the terminal 200. The base station 100 may perform operations, processes, or control according to the determination result based on the capability information. For example, the base station 100 may control resource allocation for the terminal 200 based on the capability information received from the terminal 200.
[0145] Note that the fact that terminal 200 does not support some of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments may be interpreted as meaning that such some of the functions, operations, or processes are restricted in terminal 200. For example, information or a request regarding such restrictions may be notified to base station 100.
[0146] Information regarding the capabilities or limitations of terminal 200 may, for example, be defined in a standard, or may be implicitly notified to base station 100 in association with information known at base station 100 or information transmitted to base station 100.
[0147] (Control Signal) In the present disclosure, a downlink control signal (or downlink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by a downlink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal.
[0148] In the present disclosure, an uplink control signal (or uplink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a PUCCH of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a MAC CE or RRC of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by an uplink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal. Furthermore, the uplink control signal may be replaced with, for example, uplink control information (UCI), 1st stage sidelink control information (SCI), or 2nd stage SCI.
[0149] (Base Station) In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station may be a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a parent device, a gateway, or the like. In sidelink communication, a terminal may play the role of a base station. Instead of a base station, a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal may be used. Alternatively, a roadside unit may be used.
[0150] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) in the uplink, a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a PDCCH, or a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in the downlink, or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) in the sidelink.
[0151] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.
[0152] (Data Channel / Control Channel) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, either a data channel or a control channel. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of the data channels PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, or the control channels PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.
[0153] (Reference Signal) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a reference signal is, for example, a signal known by both a base station and a mobile station, and may also be called a Reference Signal (RS) or a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).
[0154] (Time Interval) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit of time resource is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may be, for example, a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a time slot, a subslot, a minislot, a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or another time resource unit. Furthermore, the number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be another number of symbols.
[0155] (Frequency Band) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to either a licensed band or an unlicensed band.
[0156] (Communication) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (Sidelink communication), or Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, or PBCH.
[0157] An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a terrestrial network, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), or a terrestrial network in which transmission delay is large compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as a network with a large cell size or an ultra-wideband transmission network.
[0158] (Antenna Port) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) consisting of one or more physical antennas. For example, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas that an antenna port is composed of is not specified, and the antenna port may be specified as the smallest unit by which a terminal station can transmit a reference signal. Furthermore, an antenna port may also be specified as the smallest unit by which a weighting of a precoding vector is multiplied.
[0159] 5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack 3GPP continues work on the next release of fifth-generation cellular technology (also referred to simply as "5G"), which includes the development of new radio access technology (NR) operating in the frequency range up to 100 GHz. The first version of the 5G standard was completed at the end of 2017, allowing for the prototyping and commercial deployment of 5G NR-compliant devices (e.g., smartphones).
[0160] For example, the system architecture generally assumes a Next Generation - Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) comprising gNBs. The gNBs provide UE-side termination of NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols. The gNBs are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity performing AMF) via an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity performing UPF) via an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 13 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).
[0161] The NR user plane protocol stack (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, section 4.4.1) includes a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.4)) sublayer, a RLC (Radio Link Control (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.3)) sublayer, and a MAC (Medium Access Control (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 6.2)) sublayer, which are terminated on the network side in the gNB. A new access stratum (AS) sublayer (SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol) has also been introduced above PDCP (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300, section 6.5). A control plane protocol stack has also been defined for the NR (see, for example, TS 38.300, section 4.4.2). An overview of Layer 2 functions is described in Section 6 of TS 38.300. The functions of the PDCP sublayer, RLC sublayer, and MAC sublayer are listed in clauses 6.4, 6.3, and 6.2 of TS 38.300, respectively. The functions of the RRC layer are listed in clause 7 of TS 38.300.
[0162] For example, the Medium-Access-Control layer handles logical channel multiplexing and scheduling and scheduling-related functions, including handling various numerologies.
[0163] For example, the physical layer (PHY) is responsible for coding, PHY HARQ processing, modulation, multi-antenna processing, and mapping of signals to appropriate physical time-frequency resources. The physical layer also handles mapping of transport channels to physical channels. The physical layer provides services to the MAC layer in the form of transport channels. A physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources used for transmitting a specific transport channel, and each transport channel is mapped to a corresponding physical channel. For example, physical channels include the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) as uplink physical channels, and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) as downlink physical channels.
[0164] NR use cases / deployment scenarios may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC), which have diverse requirements in terms of data rate, latency, and coverage. For example, eMBB is expected to support peak data rates (20 Gbps in the downlink and 10 Gbps in the uplink) and effective (user-experienced) data rates that are approximately three times higher than those offered by IMT-Advanced. On the other hand, for URLLC, stricter requirements are placed on ultra-low latency (0.5 ms for user plane latency in both UL and DL) and high reliability (1-10 ms within 1 ms). -5Finally, mMTC preferably requires high connection density (1,000,000 devices / km in urban environments). 2 ), wide coverage in adverse environments, and extremely long battery life (15 years) for a low-cost device may be desired.
[0165] Therefore, OFDM numerology (e.g., subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol length, cyclic prefix (CP) length, number of symbols per scheduling interval) suitable for one use case may not be valid for another use case. For example, low-latency services may preferably require a shorter symbol length (and therefore a larger subcarrier spacing) and / or fewer symbols per scheduling interval (also referred to as TTI) than mMTC services. Furthermore, deployment scenarios with large channel delay spreads may preferably require a longer CP length than scenarios with short delay spreads. The subcarrier spacing may be optimized accordingly to maintain similar CP overhead. NR may support one or more subcarrier spacing values. Correspondingly, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, etc. are currently considered. The symbol length Tu and subcarrier spacing Δf are directly related by the formula Δf = 1 / Tu. Similar to LTE systems, the term "resource element" can be used to mean the smallest resource unit consisting of one subcarrier for the length of one OFDM / SC-FDMA symbol.
[0166] In the new radio system 5G-NR, for each numerology and each carrier, a resource grid of subcarriers and OFDM symbols is defined for each uplink and downlink. Each element of the resource grid is called a resource element and is specified based on a frequency index in the frequency domain and a symbol position in the time domain (see 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.6.0).
[0167] <Functional Separation Between NG-RAN and 5GC in 5G NR> Figure 14 shows the functional separation between NG-RAN and 5GC. The logical node of NG-RAN is gNB or ng-eNB. 5GC has logical nodes AMF, UPF, and SMF.
[0168] For example, gNB and ng-eNB host the following main functions: - Radio Resource Management functions such as Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control, Connection Mobility Control, dynamic allocation (scheduling) of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink; - IP header compression, ciphering and integrity protection of data; - AMF selection at UE attach time if routing to the AMF cannot be determined from the information provided by the UE; - Routing of user plane data towards the UPF; - Routing of control plane information towards the AMF; - Connection setup and release; - Scheduling and transmission of paging messages; - Scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (sourced from the AMF or Operation, Admission, Maintenance (OAM)); - Configuration of measurements and measurement reports for mobility and scheduling; - Transport level packet marking in the uplink; - Session management; Support for network slicing; - QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; - Support for UEs in RRC_INACTIVE state; - NAS message delivery function; - Radio access network sharing; - Dual connectivity; - Close coordination between NR and E-UTRA.
[0169] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) hosts the following main functions: - Termination of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling; - Security of NAS signaling; - Security control of Access Stratum (AS); - Signaling between Core Network (CN) nodes for mobility between 3GPP access networks; - Reachability to idle mode UEs (including control and execution of paging retransmissions); - Registration area management; - Support for intra-system and inter-system mobility; - Access authentication; - Access authorization including checking of roaming rights; - Mobility management control (subscription and policy); - Support for network slicing; - Selection of Session Management Function (SMF).
[0170] Furthermore, the User Plane Function (UPF) hosts the following main functions: - anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (if applicable); - external PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session point for interconnection with data networks; - packet routing and forwarding; - packet inspection and policy rule enforcement for the user plane part; - traffic usage reporting; - uplink classifier to support routing of traffic flows to the data network; - branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions; - QoS processing for the user plane (e.g. packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement); - uplink traffic validation (mapping of SDF to QoS flows); - downlink packet buffering and triggering of downlink data notifications.
[0171] Finally, the Session Management Function (SMF) hosts the following main functions: session management; allocation and management of IP addresses for UEs; selection and control of UPF; configuration of traffic steering in the User Plane Function (UPF) to route traffic to the appropriate destination; policy enforcement and QoS of the control part; downlink data notification.
[0172] <RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedure> Figure 15 shows some of the interactions between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entities) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED in the NAS part (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).
[0173] RRC is a higher layer signaling (protocol) used to configure the UE and gNB. With this transition, the AMF prepares UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB along with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, the gNB performs reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted because SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.
[0174] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) that includes: a control circuit that, upon operation, establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that, upon operation, transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a resource allocation configuration information element (IE), to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits in uplink or receives in downlink based on the resource allocation configuration.
[0175] <IMT Usage Scenarios Beyond 2020> Figure 16 shows some use cases for 5G NR. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project New Radio (3GPP NR) is considering three use cases envisioned by IMT-2020 to support a wide variety of services and applications. The first phase of specifications for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) has been completed. Current and future work includes standardization for ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC), in addition to expanding support for eMBB. Figure 16 shows some examples of envisioned usage scenarios for IMT beyond 2020 (see, for example, ITU-R M.2083 Figure 2).
[0176] The URLLC use case has stringent performance requirements for throughput, latency, and availability. It is envisioned as one of the enabling technologies for future applications such as wireless control of industrial production or manufacturing processes, remote medical surgery, automated power transmission and distribution in smart grids, and road safety. URLLC's ultra-high reliability is supported by identifying technologies that meet the requirements set by TR 38.913. Key requirements for NR URLLC in Release 15 include a target user plane latency of 0.5 ms on the uplink (UL) and 0.5 ms on the downlink (DL). The overall URLLC requirement for a single packet transmission is a block error rate (BLER) of 1E-5 for a 32-byte packet size with a user plane latency of 1 ms.
[0177] From a physical layer perspective, reliability can be improved in many possible ways. Current room for reliability improvement includes defining a separate CQI table for URLLC, more compact DCI formats, PDCCH repetition, etc. However, this room can be expanded to achieve ultra-high reliability as NR (with respect to the key requirements of NR URLLC) becomes more stable and developed. Specific use cases for NR URLLC in Release 15 include Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR / VR), e-health, e-safety, and mission-critical applications.
[0178] Additionally, the technology enhancements targeted by NR URLLC aim to improve latency and reliability. Technology enhancements for latency improvement include configurable numerology, non-slot-based scheduling with flexible mapping, grant-free (configured grant) uplink, slot-level repetition in the data channel, and preemption in the downlink. Preemption means that a transmission with already allocated resources is stopped and the already allocated resources are used for another transmission with a later requested lower latency / higher priority. Therefore, a previously allowed transmission is preempted by a later transmission. Preemption is applicable regardless of the specific service type. For example, a transmission of service type A (URLLC) may be preempted by a transmission of service type B (eMBB, etc.). Technology enhancements for reliability improvement include a dedicated CQI / MCS table for a target BLER of 1E-5.
[0179] The use case of mMTC (massive machine type communication) is characterized by a very large number of connected devices that typically transmit relatively small amounts of data that are not sensitive to delays. These devices are required to be low-cost and have very long battery life. From the NR perspective, utilizing very narrow bandwidth portions is one solution that saves power and extends battery life from the UE's perspective.
[0180] As mentioned above, the scope of reliability improvement in NR is expected to be broader. One of the key requirements for all cases, for example, URLLC and mMTC, is high or ultra-high reliability. Several mechanisms can improve reliability from a radio perspective and a network perspective. Generally, there are two to three key areas that can help improve reliability. These areas include compact control channel information, repetition of data channels / control channels, and diversity in the frequency, time, and / or spatial domains. These areas are generally applicable to reliability improvement regardless of the specific communication scenario.
[0181] For NR URLLC, further use cases with more stringent requirements are envisioned, such as factory automation, transportation, and power distribution. -6 level reliability), high availability, packet size up to 256 bytes, time synchronization down to a few μs (depending on the use case, the value can be 1 μs or a few μs depending on the frequency range and low latency in the order of 0.5 ms to 1 ms (e.g., targeted user plane latency of 0.5 ms)).
[0182] Furthermore, for NR URLLC, there may be several technical enhancements from the physical layer perspective. These technical enhancements include PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) enhancements for compact DCI, PDCCH repetition, and increased PDCCH monitoring. Also, UCI (Uplink Control Information) enhancements relate to enhanced Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) and CSI feedback enhancements. There may also be PUSCH enhancements related to minislot-level hopping and retransmission / repetition enhancements. The term "minislot" refers to a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) that contains fewer symbols than a slot (a slot comprises 14 symbols).
[0183] <QoS Control> The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (Guaranteed Bit Rate QoS flows (GBR)) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.
[0184] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each PDU session, e.g., as shown above with reference to Figure 15. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.
[0185] Figure 17 shows the non-roaming reference architecture for 5G NR (see TS 23.501 v16.1.0, section 4.23). An Application Function (AF) (e.g., an external application server hosting 5G services, as illustrated in Figure 16) interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services. For example, it may access a Network Exposure Function (NEF) to support applications that affect traffic routing, or interact with a policy framework for policy control (e.g., QoS control) (see Policy Control Function (PCF)). Based on operator deployment, Application Functions considered trusted by the operator can interact directly with associated Network Functions. Application Functions not permitted by the operator to directly access Network Functions interact with associated Network Functions using an external exposure framework via the NEF.
[0186] Figure 17 further illustrates further functional units of the 5G architecture, namely, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Repository Function (NRF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), and Data Network (DN, e.g., operator-provided services, Internet access, or third-party services). All or part of the core network functions and application services may be deployed and run in a cloud computing environment.
[0187] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an application server (e.g., an AF in a 5G architecture) comprising: a transmitter that, in operation, sends a request including QoS requirements for at least one of a URLLC service, an eMMB service, and an mMTC service to at least one of 5GC functions (e.g., an NEF, an AMF, an SMF, a PCF, an UPF, etc.) to establish a PDU session including a radio bearer between a gNodeB and a UE according to the QoS requirements; and a control circuit that, in operation, performs a service using the established PDU session.
[0188] The present disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.
[0189] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.
[0190] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.
[0191] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.
[0192] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.
[0193] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.
[0194] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.
[0195] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.
[0196] A base station according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that determines, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into a plurality of bands, which of the plurality of bands is prioritized among reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band, which are semi-statically set based on a relationship between reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band at a terminal, and a communication circuit that performs the prioritized communication.
[0197] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the time domain resource is a symbol, and the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on the type of the symbol.
[0198] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on the type of legacy symbol used for the symbol.
[0199] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the prioritized communications based on whether communications in the multiple bands are semi-statically or dynamically configured in the symbol.
[0200] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on status information that is dynamically notified to the terminal and indicates whether reception of the downlink band or transmission of the uplink band is prioritized.
[0201] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on a priority used in reliable, low-latency communication.
[0202] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the prioritized communications based on characteristics of channels or signals in the down-band and the up-band.
[0203] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit prioritizes transmission of the uplink band in response to a scheduling request or a configured grant over reception of the downlink band.
[0204] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines whether to prioritize reception of the downlink band over transmission of the uplink band based on a search space.
[0205] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the communication to be prioritized based on the respective periods of reception in the downlink band and transmission in the uplink band.
[0206] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit determines the communication to be prioritized based on resource sizes in the time domain and the frequency domain of each of the downlink band and the uplink band.
[0207] A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control circuit that determines, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into a plurality of bands, which of the plurality of bands is prioritized among reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band, which is set quasi-statically based on a relationship between reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band, and a communication circuit that performs the prioritized communication.
[0208] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a base station determines, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands, a communication to be prioritized from among the multiple bands, which are quasi-statically set for receiving the downlink band and transmitting the uplink band, based on a relationship between receiving the downlink band and transmitting the uplink band at a terminal, and performs the prioritized communication.
[0209] In a communication method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands, a terminal determines a prioritized communication from among the reception of the downlink band and the transmission of the uplink band, which are set quasi-statically based on the relationship between the reception of the downlink band and the transmission of the uplink band among the multiple bands, and performs the prioritized communication.
[0210] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-129371, filed on August 8, 2023, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
[0211] One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.
[0212] 100 Base station 101, 201 Receiving unit 102, 202 Demapping unit 103, 203 Demodulation and decoding unit 104 Scheduling unit 105 Collision control unit 106, 206 Control information holding unit 107, 207 Data and control information generating unit 108, 208 Encoding and modulation unit 109, 209 Mapping unit 110, 210 Transmitting unit 200 Terminal 204 Collision determination unit 205 Control unit
Claims
1. A base station comprising: a control circuit which determines, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into a plurality of bands, which of the plurality of bands is to be prioritized among reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band, which are semi-statically set based on a relationship between reception of the downlink band and transmission of the uplink band at a terminal; and a communication circuit which performs the prioritized communication.
2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the time domain resource is a symbol, and the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on a type of the symbol.
3. The base station according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on a type of legacy symbol used for the symbol.
4. The base station according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on whether the communication in the plurality of bands is semi-statically or dynamically configured in the symbol.
5. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on status information that is dynamically notified to the terminal and indicates whether reception of the downlink band or transmission of the uplink band is to be prioritized.
6. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines the prioritized communication based on a priority used in highly reliable, low-latency communication.
7. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines which communications to prioritize based on characteristics of channels or signals in the downlink band and the uplink band.
8. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit prioritizes transmission of the uplink band in response to a scheduling request or a configured grant over reception of the downlink band.
9. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit determines whether or not to prioritize reception in the downlink band over transmission in the uplink band based on a search space.
10. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit determines the communication to be prioritized based on the respective periods of reception in the downlink band and transmission in the uplink band.
11. The base station according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit determines the communication to be prioritized based on at least one of resource sizes in the time domain and the frequency domain of each of the downlink band and the uplink band.
12. A terminal comprising: a control circuit that determines which communication is prioritized among reception of a downlink band and transmission of an uplink band, which are semi-statically set based on the relationship between reception of a downlink band and transmission of an uplink band among the multiple bands in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands; and a communication circuit that performs the prioritized communication.
13. A communication method in which a base station determines a prioritized communication from among the downlink band reception and the uplink band transmission, which are quasi-statically set, based on a relationship between the downlink band reception and the uplink band transmission at a terminal, in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands, and performs the prioritized communication.
14. A communication method in which a terminal determines a prioritized communication from among reception of a downlink band and transmission of an uplink band that are quasi-statically set based on a relationship between reception of a downlink band and transmission of an uplink band among the multiple bands in a time domain resource in which a frequency band is divided into multiple bands, and performs the prioritized communication.
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