Signal forwarding method and repeater

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a signal forwarding method, a repeater, and a network device. The repeater comprises: a mobile terminal, which receives a timing advance command, the timing advance command indicating an index value TA used for controlling a first timing; and a forwarding unit, which (only) uses the first timing to send signals on a backhaul link.

Description

Signal forwarding method and repeater Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology. Background Art

[0002] Compared with traditional 3G (third generation mobile communication technology) and 4G (fourth generation mobile communication technology) systems, 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) systems can provide larger bandwidth and higher data rates, and can support more types of terminals and vertical services.

[0003] To this end, in addition to traditional telecom spectrum, 5G systems are also being deployed on new spectrum with significantly higher frequencies than the traditional telecom spectrum used by 3G and 4G systems. For example, 5G systems can be deployed in millimeter wave bands (28 GHz, 38 GHz, 60 GHz, and above).

[0004] According to the propagation laws of wireless signals, the higher the carrier frequency, the more severe the signal fading during propagation. Therefore, in actual deployment, 5G systems require cell coverage enhancement methods even more than previous 3G and 4G systems, especially 5G systems deployed in the millimeter wave frequency band. How to better enhance 5G system cell coverage has become a pressing issue.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely intended to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Simply because these solutions are described in the background technology section of this application, it should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] To better address coverage issues in actual cellular mobile communication system deployments, RF relays (RF repeaters) are commonly used to amplify and forward communication signals between terminal devices and network equipment. RF repeaters are widely used in the deployment of 3G and 4G systems. Generally speaking, an RF repeater is a device that amplifies and forwards signals between devices in the RF domain. In other words, an RF repeater is a non-regenerative relay node that simply amplifies and forwards all received signals.

[0008] The inventors have found that using traditional RF repeaters to enhance coverage is one of the feasible solutions to the coverage problems encountered in the deployment of 5G systems. However, since the forwarding behavior of traditional RF repeaters is not controlled by network devices, on the one hand, the effect of amplifying and forwarding the target signal may not be ideal, and on the other hand, it may cause significant interference to other devices in the network, increase the noise and interference level of the system, and thus reduce network throughput. Specifically, taking the antenna direction as an example, compared with 2G, 3G and 4G systems, the 5G system adopts a more advanced and complex MIMO (multiple input and multiple output) technology. In the 5G system, especially for higher carrier frequencies, directional antennas become basic components of network equipment and terminal equipment, and sending and receiving signals based on beamforming technology is the basic signal transmission method in the 5G system. The (analog) beam direction, width, etc. of network equipment and terminal equipment may change dynamically due to factors such as position changes (that is, beam switching). However, the antennas of traditional RF repeaters cannot dynamically adjust their direction and have relatively wide beams. The beam direction and beam width of their transceiver antennas cannot flexibly match the locations of base stations and terminal devices, as well as the dynamic changes in the beam direction and width of the transceiver antennas. When such RF repeaters are deployed in 5G systems, on the one hand, they may not significantly amplify or enhance the target signal due to the mismatch between the beam direction and beam width of their transceiver antennas and the dynamic changes in the beam direction and width of the transceiver antennas of network devices and terminal devices. On the other hand, the use of a wider transmit beam may also cause significant interference to other devices within a larger range (e.g., network devices or terminal devices), increasing the noise and interference level of the entire system, thereby reducing network throughput.

[0009] To enhance NR coverage, 3GPP Release 18 proposes a network-controlled repeater (NCR) solution to forward signals between network devices and end devices. NCRs communicate directly with network devices via control links to assist with NCR forwarding operations. However, controlling NCR forwarding operations remains a challenge. For example, controlling the timing and timing of NCR forwarding, as well as the beams used for forwarding, remains a pressing issue.

[0010] To address at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a signal forwarding method and a forwarder.

[0011] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal forwarding device is provided, which is applied to a repeater and includes:

[0012] A mobile terminal receives a timing advance command, wherein the timing advance command indicates an index value T for controlling a first timingA ,

[0013] A forwarding unit that sends a signal on a backhaul link using (only) the first timing.

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal forwarding device is provided, which is applied to a repeater and includes:

[0015] A mobile terminal, used for communicating with network equipment;

[0016] a forwarding unit, configured to forward signals;

[0017] When the time alignment timer expires,

[0018] The forwarding unit forwards or does not forward or stops forwarding, and / or,

[0019] The mobile terminal determines that a radio link failure (RLF) is detected, and / or,

[0020] The mobile terminal initiates a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment, and / or,

[0021] The mobile terminal initiates a random access process, and / or,

[0022] The lower layer of the mobile terminal sends an indication of the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF and / or time alignment problem to the upper layer, and / or,

[0023] The mobile terminal enters the RRC idle state.

[0024] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, including: a repeater, which includes the aforementioned signal forwarding device.

[0025] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that the NCR can forward or not forward, thereby causing the forwarding unit to not forward under certain circumstances, and the corresponding time domain resources / beams when forwarding are matched with the time domain resources / beams of data transmission between the network device and the terminal device, thereby saving the power consumption of the forwarder, reducing interference, and improving network throughput.

[0026] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0027] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0028] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0030] The included drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, which constitute a part of the specification, are used to illustrate the implementation methods of the present application, and together with the text description, explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive work. In the drawings:

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an information sending device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] 11 to 13 are schematic diagrams of the application time of the timing advance command according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0046] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and future 5G, New Radio (NR), etc., and / or other currently known or future communication protocols to be developed.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0048] Base stations may include, but are not limited to, NodeB (NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), 5G base stations (gNB), IAB hosts, and the like. They may also include remote radio heads (RRHs), remote radio units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" may include some or all of their functions, and each base station may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. The term "cell" may refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0049] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services, and may also be referred to as "terminal equipment" (TE). Terminal equipment may be fixed or mobile, and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), terminal, user, subscriber station (SS), access terminal (AT), station, etc.

[0050] Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smartphones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0051] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminal, vehicle-mounted communication terminal, device-to-device (D2D) terminal, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal, and so on.

[0052] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an NCR according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , NCR 102 is configured between network device 101 and terminal device 103. NCR 102 may include the following two modules / components: a mobile terminal (NCR-MT) of the transponder and a forwarding unit (NCR-Fwd) of the transponder; NCR-Fwd may also be referred to as a routing unit (NCR-RU) of the NCR. NCR-MT is used to communicate with network devices (exchange information), and NCR-Fwd is used to forward signals between network devices and terminal devices. NCR-MT and NCR-Fwd are functional entities, and their functions may be implemented by the same or different hardware modules.

[0053] As shown in Figure 1, the NCR of an embodiment of the present application may have three links: a control link (C-link), a backhaul link (or backhaul link, BH link) for forwarding, and an access link (AC link, also known as NCR-UE link). Among them, the C-link is used for communication between the NCR and the network device. The BH link is used for the forwarder to receive a signal to be forwarded from the network device, or to forward a signal from the terminal device to the network device. The AC link is used for the forwarder to forward a signal from the network device to the terminal device, or to receive a signal to be forwarded from the terminal device. Specifically, the NCR-MT communicates with the network device through the C-link; the NCR-Fwd forwards signals through the BH link and the AC link.

[0054] In the embodiments of the present application, the repeater can also be expressed as a network controlled repeater (NCR), a repeater, a radio frequency repeater, a repeater, a radio frequency repeater; or it can also be expressed as a repeater node, a repeater node, a repeater node; or it can also be expressed as an intelligent repeater, an intelligent repeater, an intelligent repeater, an intelligent repeater node, an intelligent repeater node, an intelligent repeater node, etc., but the present application is not limited to this.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can be a device of the service cell of the terminal device, a device of the cell where the repeater is located, a device of the service cell of the repeater, or a parent node of the repeater. The present application does not impose any restrictions on the name of the repeater. As long as the device can realize the above functions, it is included in the scope of the repeater of the present application.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the high-layer signaling may be, for example, radio resource control (RRC) signaling; RRC signaling may include, for example, an RRC message, such as a master information block (MIB), system information, or a dedicated RRC message; or an RRC information element (RRC information element, RRC IE); or an information field included in an RRC message or an RRC information element (or an information field included in an information field). The high-layer signaling may also be, for example, medium access control (MAC) signaling; or a MAC control element (MAC control element, MAC CE). However, the present application is not limited thereto.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, a plurality refers to at least two, or two or more.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, predefined refers to information specified in the protocol or determined according to rules specified in the protocol, without the need for additional configuration. Configuration / indication refers to information directly or indirectly configured / indicated by a network device through high-layer signaling and / or physical layer signaling. Configuration / indication can be achieved by introducing high-layer parameters in high-layer signaling. High-layer parameters refer to information fields and / or information elements (IEs) in high-layer signaling. Physical layer signaling refers to, for example, but is not limited to, control information carried by a physical control channel (DCI) or control information carried by a sequence.

[0059] The following describes various implementations of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These implementations are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0060] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0061] The inventors found that, similar to traditional UEs, NCR-MTs also have different uplink transmission timings, but it has not yet been determined what timing NCR-Fwd should use for forwarding. For example, if NCR-Fwd uses one or more uplink transmission timings of NCR-MT to send signals on the BH-link, when should it forward the signals using which uplink transmission timing of NCR-MT?

[0062] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal forwarding method, which is described from the perspective of a forwarder.

[0063] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the method includes:

[0064] 201, the mobile terminal (NCR-MT) receives a timing advance command, wherein the timing advance command indicates an index value T for controlling a first timing A ;

[0065] 202. The forwarding unit (NCR-Fwd) sends a signal on the backhaul link using (only) the first timing.

[0066] It is worth noting that FIG2 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG2 above.

[0067] In some embodiments, the mobile terminal of the repeater (hereinafter referred to as NCR-MT) and the forwarding unit of the repeater (NCR-Fwd) are both functional entities in the repeater, and the mobile terminal of the repeater and the forwarding unit of the repeater can both be referred to as repeaters.

[0068] In some embodiments, the NCR-MT has two (uplink) timings, including a first timing and a second timing. The NCR-MT uses the first timing to send a first signal on the control link. The first signal includes a PUCCH and / or a PUSCH and / or an SRS. The PUSCH does not include an MSGA PUSCH. The NCR-MT uses the second timing to send a second signal on the control link. The second signal includes a PRACH and / or an MSGA PUSCH. In other words, the second signal includes a PRACH and / or an MSGA.

[0069] The following describes how to determine the first timing and the second timing.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first timing and / or the second timing are / is advanced relative to the downlink timing (N TA +N TA offset )×T c , where the timing advance offset N of the serving cell TA,offset Provided by the first configuration information (egn-TimingAdvanceOffset) of the serving cell, if the NCR-MT is not provided with the first configuration information, the NCR-MT considers that the N TA,offsetIt is the default value (such as shown in Table 1). If NCR-MT is configured with two uplink carriers for a serving cell, the same N TA,offset For the first timing, the N TA By the index value T A Determine, for the second timing, the N TA is a default value (for example, the default value is 0); the T c =1 / (Δf max ·N f ), wherein the Δf max =480·10 3 Hz, N f =4096.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first timing and / or the second timing are advanced relative to the downlink timing. Among them, the timing advance offset N of the serving cell TA,offset Provided by the first configuration information (egn-TimingAdvanceOffset) of the serving cell, if the NCR-MT is not provided with the first configuration information, the NCR-MT considers that the N TA,offset It is the default value (such as shown in Table 1). If NCR-MT is configured with two uplink carriers for a serving cell, the same N TA,offset ; For the first timing, the N TA By the index value T A Determine, for the second timing, the N TA is a default value (for example, the default value is 0). Provided by the second configuration information (ta-Common, ta-CommonDrift, ta-CommonDriftVariant) or is a default value; Provided by the third configuration information (high-level parameters related to the service satellite ephemeris) or is a default value; the T c =1 / (Δf max ·N f ), wherein the Δf max =480·10 3 Hz, N f =4096.

[0072] In some embodiments, for the first timing and / or the second timing, the and / or is a default value (for example, the default value is 0). That is, for NCR, it should not (should) be provided with the second configuration information and / or the third configuration information, and thus, its corresponding and / or It is a default value (for example, the default value is 0), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0073] In the above example, N TA,offset The default value of depends on the duplex mode and frequency range of the cell performing uplink transmission, as shown in Table 1 below. In addition, for FR1, when the NCR-MT is not provided with the first configuration information, N TA,offset In the case of multiple carriers, NCR-MT expects the first configuration information to provide the same value for all carriers, N TA,offset The value 39936 can also be used for FDD serving cells.

[0074] Table 1:

[0075] In some embodiments, the timing advance command indicates an index value T used to control the timing adjustment amount applied by the MAC entity. A .

[0076] In some embodiments, the timing advance command indicates a change in uplink timing relative to a current uplink timing.

[0077] In some embodiments, the timing advance command includes a first timing advance command and / or a second timing advance command, and the number of bits included in the first timing advance command (e.g., 12 bits) is greater than the number of bits included in the second timing advance command (e.g., 6 bits). The first timing advance command can be sent through an RAR (e.g., (MAC) RAR included in MSG2 (in 4-step RA) or fallbackRAR or successRAR included in MSGB (in 2-step RA)) or a first MAC CE (e.g., Absolute Timing Advance Command MAC CE), occupying 12 bits, and the corresponding index value T A The value range is 0 to 3846; the second timing advance command can be issued through the second MAC CE (such as Timing Advance Command MAC CE), occupying 6 bits, and the corresponding index value T A The value range is 0 to 63.

[0078] For example, in the NCR-MT random access process, the index value T is indicated by the TAC (first timing advance command 12 bits) in the RAR or the first MAC CE. A , for / based on subcarrier spacing 2 μ 15kHz, N TA =T A ·16·64 / 2μ The subcarrier spacing is, for example, the SCS used by the first uplink transmission (e.g., PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS) after the NCR-MT receives the first timing advance command and / or the reference SCS of the first forwarding resource (time domain resource). TA Related to this SCS.

[0079] In random access, NCR-MT obtains the initial first timing or N (for the first timing) TA However, the location or channel conditions of the NCR-MT may change over time, and the network device needs to maintain the TA, that is, the TAC (second timing advance command 6 bit) of the second MAC CE indicates the T A , to indicate the current N TA Adjustment of the value, e.g. for / based on subcarrier spacing 2 μ 15kHz, N TA_new =N TA_old +(T A -31)·16·64 / 2 μ , N TA_old It is used before receiving the second timing advance command, N TA_new It is updated after receiving the first timing advance command. The subcarrier spacing is, for example, one of the SCSs in the activated UL BWP(s) (for example, the largest SCS), or one of the SCSs in the activated UL BWP(s) and / or the reference SCS of the forwarding resource (time domain resource) (for example, the largest SCS). The above-mentioned activated UL BWPs and / or forwarding resources are, for example, the activated UL BWPs and / or forwarding resources (the NCR-Fwd sends in the backhaul link or performs uplink forwarding or forwards the signal from the terminal device to the network device) corresponding to the moment when the NCR-MT applies the second timing advance command. For example, when the NCR-Fwd does not / is not sending in the backhaul link or performing uplink forwarding or forwarding the signal from the terminal device to the network device at this moment, the subcarrier spacing is one of the SCSs in the activated UL BWP(s), otherwise it is one of the SCSs in the activated UL BWP(s) and the reference SCS of the forwarding resource (time domain resource).

[0080] As previously mentioned, the NCR-MT has two (uplink) timings, including a first timing and a second timing. The inventors discovered that, assuming that the NCR-Fwd uses one timing (e.g., the second timing) when a UE served by the NCR-Fwd transmits a PRACH / MsgA, and the gNB provides a timing advance command to the UE to control the UE's uplink timing, or timing advance, then if the NCR-Fwd uses another timing (e.g., the first timing) when the UE applies the TA command to transmit another UL transmission, from the gNB's perspective, the arrival timing of the UL transmission will be different from the arrival timing expected by the gNB when the TA command was provided. For example, it may arrive before the arrival timing expected by the gNB.

[0081] In some implementations, to address the aforementioned issue, the forwarding unit (NCR-Fwd) uses (only) the first timing to send signals on the backhaul link. Alternatively, the forwarding unit does not use the second timing to send signals on the backhaul link. Alternatively, the NCR-Fwd uses only the timing (=first timing) determined by the NCR-MT using a TA command to send signals on the backhaul link. That is, the NCR-Fwd should always use the same timing when transmitting on the BH link, thereby avoiding UL timing issues that may arise from using different timings for the UE served by the NCR-Fwd.

[0082] In some implementations, to solve the above problem, NCR-Fwd should not use different UL timings (first timing and second timing) to transmit at different time positions in the BH link.

[0083] In some embodiments, as mentioned above, the network device needs to maintain TA, which may be TA To update, N TA_new and N TA_old Get / correspond to two (uplink) timings respectively, for the forwarding unit, if two adjacent (uplink) time slots overlap due to the timing advance command (for example, the previous time slot still uses N TA_old The corresponding timing, the next time slot uses N TA_new The corresponding timing, and the latter timing is advanced relative to the previous timing), that is, due to the T in the timing advance command A Determine N TA_newIf two adjacent slots overlap due to a TA command, the latter slot is reduced in duration relative to the former slot. That is, the forwarding unit forwards the signal corresponding to the former (uplink) time slot on the former (uplink) time slot, and does not forward the signal corresponding to the latter (uplink) time slot when the latter (uplink) time slot overlaps with the former (uplink) time slot, or drops the signal in the latter (uplink) time slot when it overlaps with the former (uplink) time slot, and still forwards the signal corresponding to the latter time slot when it does not overlap with the former (uplink) time slot. The (uplink) time slot is based on the reference SCS of the forwarding resource (time domain resource).

[0084] In some embodiments, the repeater (forwarding unit / mobile terminal) does not expect to change N within one (uplink) time slot. TA , the transponder uses the same N in this uplink timeslot TA The (uplink) time slot is based on a reference SCS of the forwarding resource (time domain resource), and the reference SCS can be determined based on the first parameter and / or the second parameter and / or the third parameter described later, which will be described in detail later. In the following examples, a time slot based on a certain SCS can also be said to be for (for) the time slot of the SCS, or with respect to (relative to) the time slot of the SCS.

[0085] In some embodiments, the repeater does not expect to change N within the third time domain resource. TA The time domain resources included in the third time domain resources are continuous (or discontinuous). The time domain resources included in the third time domain resources are associated with the same (or different) beam index. The beam index refers to the beam index for the access link. For example, for uplink forwarding, the forwarder does not expect to change N in a continuous time domain resource. TA , the repeater uses the same N in continuous time domain resources TA ; or the repeater does not expect to change N within the time domain resource associated with the same beam index TA , the repeater uses the same N in the time domain resources associated with the same beam index TA Or, the repeater does not expect to change N in the time domain resources that are continuous and associated with the same beam index TA , the repeater uses the same N in the time domain resources that are continuous and associated with the same beam indexTA ; In the third time domain resource, the forwarding unit sends a signal in the backhaul link.

[0086] In some embodiments, for the timing advance command received in the first (uplink) time slot, the timing advance command is applied from the beginning of the second (uplink) time slot, for example, (in the case other than random access) after the NCR-MT receives a timing advance command in slot n (first time slot), the timing advance command is applied in slot n+N offset (Second time slot) Start to implement new timing advance.

[0087] In some embodiments, the second (uplink) time slot is determined based on a reference SCS of the forwarding resource, including: the first (uplink) time slot is determined based on a first SCS associated with the reference SCS, and / or the second (uplink) time slot is offset N relative to the first (uplink) time slot. offset It is determined based on a second SCS related to the reference SCS, where the first SCS and the second SCS are the same or different.

[0088] For example, the first SCS and / or the second SCS are (for the mobile terminal) (all uplink carriers in the TAG associated with the timing advance command) (all) configured UL BWPs SCSs and (for the repeater / forwarding unit) one of the reference SCSs (for all or part of the periodic forwarding resources and / or semi-persistent forwarding resources and / or aperiodic forwarding resources) configured. The first (uplink) time slot is the last time slot in the uplink time slot based on the first SCS that overlaps with the downlink time slot of the PDSCH (received), and the PDSCH provides the timing advance command. The offset N offset Including the first offset k, for example, N offset =k+1+2 μ ·K offset , or N offset =k+1, not limited thereto, wherein the first offset N T,1 It is the time for PDSCH to receive N1 symbols, N T,2 is the time to receive N2 symbols corresponding to the PUSCH transmission preparation, N TA,max is the maximum TA that the timing advance command can provide, T sf is the time of a subframe, in which a time slot and / or 2 μ is determined according to the second SCS, where μ is the parameter set numberology. offset =Kcell,offset -K UE,offset , K cell,offset Provided by the parameter cellSpecificKoffset, K UE,offset By the different K offset MAC CE (Differential Koffset MAC CE) command is provided. If not provided, all are set to 0.

[0089] In some embodiments, for NCR, it is not (should not) provided with the parameter cellSpecificKoffset and the MAC CE command, and thus, its corresponding K offset is 0, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0090] Taking Figure 11 as an example, assume that the first SCS and the second SCS are the same, both are 15kHz, and the SCS of the PDSCH providing the TA command is 30kHz. Assume that T TA =0, the first time slot is an uplink time slot based on the first SCS that overlaps with the downlink time slot of PDSCH, and the offset of the second time slot to which the TA command is applied is also determined based on the second SCS.

[0091] In some embodiments, the second (uplink) time slot is determined based on a reference SCS of the forwarding resource, including: if the start of the third (uplink) time slot (based on the fourth SCS) is within a time slot based on a third SCS associated with the reference SCS, the second (uplink) time slot is after the third (uplink) time slot. The third (uplink) time slot can be determined based on the first (uplink) time slot. The second (uplink) time slot is the first (fourth SCS-based) time slot after the third (uplink) time slot that starts and is aligned with the time slot based on the third SCS related to the reference SCS and / or the first (fourth SCS-based) time slot that starts and is not within the time slot based on the third SCS related to the reference SCS, or the second (uplink) time slot is the first (third SCS-based) time slot after the (third SCS-based) time slot that overlaps with the third (uplink) time slot and / or the first (third SCS-based) time slot after the third (uplink) time slot (not overlapping with the third (uplink) time slot).

[0092] For example, the third SCS is one of the configured reference SCSs (for all or part of the periodic forwarding resources and / or semi-continuous forwarding resources and / or non-periodic forwarding resources) (for example, the minimum SCS), and the fourth SCS is the minimum SCS among the SCSs of (all) configured UL BWPs (for the mobile terminal) (all uplink carriers in the TAG associated with the timing advance command).

[0093] Taking Figure 12 as an example, the fourth SCS is 30 kHz, the third SCS is 15 kHz, the SCS of the PDSCH providing the TA command is 30 kHz, the third time slot is based on the fourth SCS and is determined according to the first time slot, and the second time slot is the first time slot based on the fourth SCS after the third time slot. Taking Figure 13 as an example, the fourth SCS is 30 kHz, the third SCS is 15 kHz, the SCS of the PDSCH providing the TA command is 30 kHz, the third time slot is based on the fourth SCS and is determined according to the first time slot, and the second time slot is the first time slot based on the third SCS after the third time slot.

[0094] In some embodiments, the DL reception timing of the NCR-Fwd (on the BH-link) is aligned with the DL reception timing of the NCR-MT (on the C-link).

[0095] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission timing of NCR-Fwd (on AC-link) is delayed by a certain time (eg, internal delay) relative to the downlink reception timing of NCR-Fwd (on BH-link) or NCR-MT (on C-link).

[0096] In some embodiments, the uplink reception timing of NCR-Fwd (on AC-link) is advanced by a certain time (eg, internal delay) relative to the uplink transmission timing of NCR-Fwd (on BH-link) or NCR-MT (on C-link).

[0097] In some embodiments, the NCR-MT further receives a first DCI format, which indicates a time domain resource of an access link and a corresponding beam index. For example, the first DCI format may be DCI format 2_8, wherein the starting time slot position of the time domain resource is a position offset by a first predetermined number of time slots from a reference time slot, the starting symbol position is a position offset by a second predetermined number of symbols within the starting time slot position, the reference time slot is the first time slot after slot n+k (based on a reference subcarrier spacing, the reference subcarrier spacing is provided / indicated / configured, for example, by a third parameter referenceSCS-r18, which will be described later), and slot n is a time slot for receiving a PDCCH carrying the first DCI format. For example, it is expressed as:

[0098] In some embodiments, the forwarding resource includes a beam index and a time domain resource. The time domain resource of the forwarding resource may also be referred to as a forwarding time domain resource.

[0099] In some embodiments, the forwarder may receive a first indication indicating a time domain resource (forwarding resource), which may be a periodic beam indication, a semi-persistent beam indication, or a dynamic (or non-periodic) beam indication.

[0100] For periodic beam indication: A list of periodic forwarding resource configurations / sets is configured (including addition or modification) through RRC signaling (e.g., periodicFwdRsrcSetToAddModList in NCR-FwdConfig). A periodic forwarding resource configuration / set (e.g., configured / provided / indicated by an NCR-PeriodicFwdResourceSet in periodicFwdRsrcSetToAddModList) includes / provides / configures / indicates a list of forwarding resources (through periodicFwdRsrcToAdddModList and / or periodicFwdRsrcToReleaseList in NCR-PeriodicFwdResourceSet), and a forwarding resource in the list (provided / indicated / configured by an NCR-PeriodicFwdRsrcToAdddModList) may include forwarding resource identification information periodicFwdRsrcId-r18. and / or a beam index information beamIndex-r18 and / or a period and offset information periodicityAndOffset-r18, and / or a symbol offset information symbolOffset-r18 and / or a time period information durationInSymbols-r18; in addition, a periodic forwarding resource configuration may also include a priority information priorityFlag (optional), and / or a first parameter referenceSCS-r18 (required) for indicating a reference subcarrier spacing, the indicated reference subcarrier spacing is the reference subcarrier spacing of all forwarding resources or forwarding time domain resources indicated by the periodic forwarding resource configuration, and / or a periodic forwarding resource set identification information periodicFwdRsrcSetId-r18, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. That is, the network device can send one or more periodic forwarding resource configurations to the NCR, and each periodic forwarding resource configuration can include the above information respectively. For example, one configuration includes a priority flag, and the other configuration does not. For another example, each configuration includes a first parameter, and the corresponding reference subcarrier spacings are the same or different.

[0101] In some embodiments, a periodic forwarding resource configuration may be referred to as a periodic beam indication, which may be interchangeable.

[0102] For semi-persistent beam indication, the method of configuring the forwarding resource list through RRC signaling is similar to that of periodic beam indication, except that it includes MAC CE activation or deactivation of the forwarding resource list. For example, a first MAC CE (e.g., NCR Access Link Beam Indication MAC CE) activates or deactivates a semi-persistent forwarding resource list. A semi-persistent forwarding resource configuration / set (e.g., through ncr-SemiPersistentFwdResourceToAdddModList-r18 and / or ncr-SemiPersistentFwdResourceToReleaseList-r18 in NCR-SemiPersistentFwdResourceSet) includes / provides / configures / indicates a list of forwarding resources, and a forwarding resource in the list may include a priority information priorityFlag (optional), and / or a second parameter referenceSCS-r18 (required) for indicating a reference subcarrier spacing, and the indicated reference subcarrier spacing is the reference subcarrier spacing for the semi-persistent forwarding resource. That is, the network device may send one or more semi-persistent forwarding resource configurations to the NCR, each of which may include the aforementioned information. For example, one configuration may include a priority flag, while another may not. For another example, each configuration may include a second parameter, and the corresponding reference subcarrier spacings may be the same or different.

[0103] For non-periodic beam indication, the following can also be replaced by DCI, which may include one or more first information fields for indicating the beam and one or more second information fields for indicating the time domain resources. DCI (may) have / adopt the aforementioned first DCI format, which is only used for the repeater. The first DCI format is, for example, DCI format 2_8, but is not limited thereto. The second information field indicates the time domain resources through a time domain resource list. The time domain resource list includes one or more time domain resource configurations, and the time domain resource list includes the configuration of at least one time domain resource. A time domain resource is defined, for example, by one or more of the following parameters: slot offset (slotOffsetAperiodic-r18 for determining the starting time slot), symbol offset (symbolOffset-r18, for determining the starting symbol in the time slot), and number of symbols (durationInSymbols-r18, for determining the length (duration) of the time domain resource). For example, the time domain resource list can be configured by RRC signaling NCR-AperiodicFwdConfig, for example, including:

[0104] That is, the information ncr-AperiodicFwdTimeResourceToAddModList-r18 for adding and / or modifying time domain resources and ncr-AperiodicFwdTimeResourceToReleaseList-r18 (for releasing / removing time domain resources) can configure the time domain resource list. In addition, NCR-AperiodicFwdConfig can also include a third parameter referenceSCS-r18, which is used to indicate the reference subcarrier spacing of the aperiodic time domain resources. In other words, all aperiodic time domain resources apply this reference subcarrier spacing.

[0105] The first parameter, the second parameter and the third parameter are described above, which are respectively used to indicate the reference subcarrier spacing of different types of time domain resources. The above first parameter, the second parameter and the third parameter can indicate multiple identical or different reference subcarrier spacings, and the aforementioned second SCS can be determined based on at least the first parameter, the second parameter and / or the third parameter.

[0106] In the embodiment of the present application, “downlink control information in the first DCI format” or “downlink control information using the first DCI format” or “DCI in the first DCI format” may also be directly referred to as “first DCI format”.

[0107] The priority order of various types of beam indications is as follows: semi-persistent beam indication configured with a priority flag > periodic beam indication configured with a priority flag > aperiodic beam indication > semi-persistent beam indication not configured with a priority flag > periodic beam indication not configured with a priority flag. For a set of symbols (i.e., one or more symbols), when multiple beam indications conflict, the NCR applies the beam index provided by the beam indication with the highest priority (for transmitting and receiving signals in the symbols of the set (forwarding, or in the access link)). For example, it is expressed as:

[0108] For example, if the first time domain resource provided by the NCR semi-persistent forwarding resource set Semi-PersistentFWdResourceSet is indicated by a MAC CE command and is associated with a first beam index, the second time domain resource is provided by the NCR periodic forwarding resource set PeriodicFwdResourceSet and is associated with a second beam index, and in a symbol set, the first time domain resource overlaps with the second time domain resource, if the NCR PeriodicFwdResourceSet includes a priorityFlag and the NCR Semi-PersistentFWdResourceSet does not include a priorityFlag, then the NCR applies the second beam index to the transceiver signals on the access link in the symbol set, otherwise the NCR applies the first beam index to the transmission or reception on the access link in the symbol set. For example, it is expressed as:

[0109] In some embodiments, the NCR does not want overlapping time resources provided by the NCR PeriodicFwdResourceSet or NCR Semi-PersistentFwdResourceset to be associated with different beam indices. The NCR does not expect overlapping time resources provided by a single first DCI format to be associated with different beam indices (for example, if different second information fields in the first DCI format indicate overlapping time domain resources, then (the NCR expects) that the corresponding first information fields (should) indicate the same beam index). For example, it is expressed as:

[0110] In some embodiments, if the NCR receives in a MAC CE command an indication of a TCI state for reception on the backhaul link or an indication of a unified TCI state or SRI for determining a spatial filter for transmission on the backhaul link, the NCR selects the time slot from the time slot. The first time slot after which the MAC CE command is applied is k, where k is the time slot in which the NCR-MT will send the PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information associated with the PDSCH providing the MAC CE command. For example, it can be expressed as:

[0111] or,

[0112] The inventors have discovered that for common UEs, the first timing may be "invalidated" in some cases (the UE cannot use the first timing to send uplink signals). For NCRs, if NCR-Fwd needs to use the first timing for forwarding, the impact of this possibility on the NCR needs to be considered to ensure NCR forwarding performance.

[0113] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal forwarding method, which is described from the perspective of a forwarder.

[0114] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0115] 301, the mobile terminal communicates with the network device;

[0116] 302, the forwarding unit forwards the signal;

[0117] In some embodiments, when the time alignment timer expires,

[0118] The forwarding unit forwards or does not forward or stops forwarding, and / or,

[0119] The mobile terminal determines that a radio link failure (RLF) is detected, and / or,

[0120] The mobile terminal initiates a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment, and / or,

[0121] The mobile terminal initiates a random access process, and / or,

[0122] The lower layer of the mobile terminal sends an indication of the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF and / or time alignment problem to the upper layer, and / or,

[0123] The mobile terminal enters the RRC idle state.

[0124] In some embodiments, for NCR / NCR-MT, the network device can configure a fourth parameter / timer for the NCR (through RRC signaling) to maintain uplink time alignment / calibration / matching (UL time alignment). For example, the fourth parameter / timer includes an alignment timer timeAlignmentTimer (per TAG), which controls how long the NCR-MT (MAC entity) considers that the uplink time of the service cell in the TAG associated with the alignment timer is aligned / calibrated / matched. The alignment timer corresponds to the NCR-MT, and when the alignment timer expires / times out, (the MAC entity considers) that the uplink time of the service cell in the TAG associated with the alignment timer is not / not aligned / calibrated / matched. The fourth parameter can be carried by SIB1 and / or dedicated RRC signaling.

[0125] In addition, the network device can also configure the fifth parameter / timer for NCR (through RRC signaling), which includes inactivePosSRS-TimeAlignmentTimer, which controls how long the MAC entity of NCT-MT considers that the uplink time of the positioning SRS transmission in the RRC inactive state is aligned / calibrated / matched.

[0126] In addition, the network device can also configure a sixth parameter for the NCR (through RRC signaling), which includes cg-SDT-TimeAlignmentTimer, which controls how long the MAC entity of the NCT-MT considers the uplink transmission of CG-SDT (small data transmission) to be aligned / calibrated / matched. When this timer expires, the CG resources are released, but the CG resource configuration is maintained.

[0127] In some embodiments, for TAG, it is a group of service cells configured by RRC or includes a group of service cells configured by RRC, and for cells configured with UL (carrier), the same timing reference cell and the same timing advance value are used. The timing advance group of the SpCell containing the MAC entity is called the primary timing advance group (PTAG, Primary TAG), and STAG (Secondary TAG) refers to other TAGs. The service cell of NCR-MT is only Pcell, and at this time there is only PTAG, and PTAG only includes Pcell. The TAG has a TAG identifier of 0. Alternatively, the service cell of NCR-MT includes Pcell and Scell(s), wherein Scell(s) includes PScell ​​and / or other Scell(s), and there may be one or more TAG(s) at this time. For example, one PTAG, one STAG, but not limited to this.

[0128] In some embodiments, the serving cell of the NCR-MT is only the Pcell, and the RRC configures a timeAlignmentTimer for / associated with the PTAG.

[0129] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-Fwd stops forwarding / does not forward.

[0130] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT determines (assumes / assumes) that RLF is detected.

[0131] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT initiates RRC connection reestablishment. For example, initiated by the MAC entity itself or by the RRC

[0132] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT initiates a random access procedure on the SpCell, including non-contention random access (CFRA RACH) or contention random access (CBRA RACH).

[0133] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT initiates a random access procedure on the SpCell, including non-contention random access (CFRA RACH) or contention random access (CBRA RACH).

[0134] The random access procedure can be either a 4-step RA type or a 2-step RA type. The two RA types include CBRA and CFRA. In some cases, the 2-step RA type can fall back or switch to the 4-step RA type.

[0135] Among them, 4-step RA type contention-based random access (CBRA with 4-step RA type, or 4-step CBRA) requires at least 4 steps, and can also be called 4-step random access (4-step RA or 4-step RACH). 4-step random access includes two information exchanges between the network device and the terminal device. In Msg1 (or MSG1), the terminal device sends a random access preamble (preamble) or PRACH. After sending Msg1, the terminal device listens for the response (random access response, RAR) from the network device in a window (e.g., RAR window). In Msg2 (or MSG2), the network device sends a random access response. In Msg3 (or MSG3), the terminal device sends an uplink message on the allocated uplink resources (or uses the uplink grant scheduled in the random access response, UL grant) to send Msg3) or MSG3PUSCH. In Msg4 (or MSG4), the network device returns a contention resolution message to the terminal device that has successfully accessed. If the terminal device does not receive Msg2 or the corresponding RAR after sending Msg1, or if contention resolution is unsuccessful after Msg3 transmission or retransmission, the UE returns to Msg1 transmission.

[0136] CFRA with 4-step RA type requires at least two or three steps (depending on whether Msg0 is included). In Msg0 (MSG0), the network device allocates a dedicated random access preamble and / or PRACH resources to the terminal device. In Msg1 (or MSG1), the terminal device sends a random access preamble or PRACH. After sending Msg1, the terminal device listens for a response (Random Access Response, RAR) from the network device within a window (e.g., RAR window). In Msg2 (or MSG2), the network device sends a Random Access Response. Once the terminal device receives the Random Access Response, the random access process ends.

[0137] For the 2-step RA type, in MsgA (or MSGA), the terminal device sends a random access preamble (PRACH) and MSGA PUSCH, and in MSGB, the network device sends a random access response.

[0138] For example, the NCR-MT initiates random access for at least one of the following:

[0139] Initial access from RRC_IDLE state;

[0140] RRC connection reestablishment process;

[0141] DL / UL data arrives in RRC_CONNECTED state or RRC_INACTIVE state (SDT in progress), and the uplink synchronization state is "non-synchronized";

[0142] UL data arrives in the RRC_CONNECTED state or RRC_INACTIVE state (SDT in progress), but there are no available PUCCH resources for SR;

[0143] SR failed;

[0144] RRC-triggered / requested synchronous reconfiguration (e.g. handover);

[0145] Procedure for recovering an RRC connection from the RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0146] Request Other SI;

[0147] Beam failure recovery;

[0148] Sustained UL LBT failure on SpCell

[0149] SDT in RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0150] Positioning in RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g. when TA is needed for positioning);

[0151] NCR-MT time alignment timer expired / timed out.

[0152] For example, it is expressed as:

[0153] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT lower layer (e.g., the MAC layer (MAC entity)) sends an indication of the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF and / or time alignment problem to the upper layer (e.g., the RRC layer). (If) the NCR-MT upper layer (e.g., the RRC layer) receives an indication of the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF from the lower layer (e.g., the MAC layer (MAC entity), the NCR-MT upper layer considers that an RLF is detected, and / or initiates RRC connection reestablishment, and / or triggers the lower layer to initiate a random access procedure, and / or initiates a random access procedure.

[0154] For example, when the time alignment timer expires (and the NCR-MT is in the RRC_CONNECTED state), the NCR-MT enters the RRC_IDLE state.

[0155] In some embodiments, the uplink synchronization state being "non-synchronised" means that the time alignment timer has expired or timed out, but is not limited thereto.

[0156] The above examples may be implemented individually or in combination, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0157] In some embodiments, the mobile terminal sends an RRC connection reestablishment cause and / or a radio link failure cause, the cause including time alignment timer expiration or time alignment problem or other failure cause. For example, if the NCR-MT declares RLF due to a random access problem indication from a lower layer and / or the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF and / or time alignment problem indication, and / or if the random access procedure is initiated for time alignment timer expiration and / or time alignment problem, the NCR-MT sets the RRC connection reestablishment cause reestablishmentCause or the radio link failure cause rlf-Cause to time alignment timer expiration or time alignment problem or otherFailure, and sends it to the network device by, for example, carrying in an RRCReestablishmentRequest message (in Msg3).

[0158] In some embodiments, when the time alignment timer expires, the mobile terminal is in the RRC connected state or the RRC inactive state, and the forwarding unit forwards. To support NCR-Fwd forwarding when the NCR-MT is in the RRC_INACTIVE state: when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state and the time alignment timer is considered to have expired, the forwarding unit forwards according to the configured periodic forwarding resources. For example, (if) the timeAlignmentTimer is considered to have expired due to the NCR-MT entering the RRC_INACTIVE state, and if the NCR forwarding configuration includes periodic forwarding resources, the NCR-Fwd (when the NCR-MT is in the RRC_INACTIVE state) continues to forward ((only) according to the configured periodic forwarding resources, even if there is a semi-continuous and / or non-periodic resource configuration, it also forwards ((only) according to the configured periodic forwarding resources). Alternatively, when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state, the time alignment timer is not considered to have expired and / or the time alignment timer is stopped. For example, if the NCR-MT enters RRC_INACTIVE and the NCR forwarding configuration includes periodic forwarding resources, the timeAlignmentTimer is not considered to have expired and / or the time alignment timer is stopped. How to configure the periodic forwarding resources is as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0159] In some embodiments, when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state and the time alignment timer is not considered to have expired and / or the time alignment timer is stopped, the forwarding unit forwards according to the configured periodic forwarding resources.

[0160] In some embodiments, the NCR / NCR-MT / NCR-Fwd expects the time alignment timer (configured for the PTAG in SIB1 and / or dedicated RRC signaling) to be configured as "infinity" (i.e., never expire). That is, for the NCR / NCR-MT / NCR-Fwd, RRC always configures the time alignment timer to be "infinity".

[0161] In some embodiments, NCR / NCR-MT / NCR-Fwd ignores the value of the time alignment timer configured (in SIB1 and / or in dedicated RRC signaling), and / or (if the value of the time alignment timer configured in SIB1 is not "infinity" and / or the dedicated RRC signaling does not configure the value of the time alignment timer) the default time alignment timer value is "infinity".

[0162] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal forwarding method, which is described from the perspective of a forwarder.

[0163] FIG4 and FIG5 are schematic diagrams of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 and FIG5 , the method includes:

[0164] 401, the mobile terminal receives an indication of loss of uplink synchronization;

[0165] 402, the forwarding unit does not forward or stops forwarding; and / or

[0166] 501, the mobile terminal receives an uplink synchronization instruction;

[0167] 502. The forwarding unit resumes forwarding.

[0168] In some embodiments, receiving an indication of loss of uplink synchronization includes the lower layer of the mobile terminal receiving an indication of loss of uplink synchronization sent by the upper layer; for example, when T430 times out / expires, the upper layer (RRC layer) indicates to the lower layer (MAC layer) that uplink synchronization has been lost, but is not limited to this.

[0169] Receiving the uplink synchronization indication includes that a lower layer of the mobile terminal receives the uplink synchronization indication sent by a higher layer, and receiving the uplink synchronization indication indicates obtaining / restoring uplink synchronization.

[0170] For example, it can be expressed as:

[0171] Currently, for NCR, NCR Fwd forwards to the same gNB cell as the cell to which the NCR-MT is connected. Whether NCR Fwd can forward to other cells is implementation-dependent. In the cell to which the NCR-MT is connected, the NCR-MT will share at least the same PRACH and MsgA-PUSCH opportunities configured in SIB1 with the UE served by the NCR-Fwd. To support random access by UEs, the gNB will configure / indicate that the NCR-Fwd is forwardable (ON) on PRACH / MsgA-PUSCH occasions by configuring / indicating the corresponding beams of the NCR Fwd. In addition, for Msg3-PUSCH in 4-step CBRA, since the gNB cannot distinguish whether the random access is performed by the NCR-MT or a normal UE, the gNB can indicate that the NCR-Fwd is forwardable (ON) on the time resources that schedule the Msg3-PUSCH. To support random access of UEs served by NCR Fwd, the gNB may configure / instruct NCR Fwd to be forwarded on the configured PRACH / MsgA timing and the scheduled Msg3 PUSCH.

[0172] The inventors found that when NCR-MT is sending PRACH / MsgA PUSCH, it uses the second timing. However, as described in the aforementioned embodiment, NCR Fwd uses the first timing for transmission in the BH link. Therefore, due to the time inconsistency of NCR-MT, NCR Fwd should stop forwarding / not forwarding (turn off). Note that the random access of NCR-MT should have a higher priority than the forwarding of NCR-Fwd. In addition, depending on the capabilities, NCR may not support simultaneous UL transmission of the control link and BH link. For NCRs that cannot perform UL transmission of the control link and BH link at the same time, when NCR-MT is transmitting PRACH, PUSCH MsgA or Msg3, NCR Fwd should stop forwarding / not forwarding (turn off).

[0173] Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a signal forwarding method, which is described from the perspective of a forwarder.

[0174] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0175] 601, the mobile terminal sends PRACH and / or MSG A PUSCH and / or Msg3 PUSCH;

[0176] 602: The forwarding unit does not forward or stops forwarding.

[0177] In some embodiments, when the mobile terminal sends PRACH and / or MSG A PUSCH and / or Msg3 PUSCH, the forwarding unit does not forward or stops forwarding.

[0178] The inventors also discovered that the NCR-MT random access procedure is triggered due to the necessity of (re)configuration of the NCR. The specific triggering scenarios are described above and will not be repeated here. In some scenarios (for example, when the uplink synchronization state is "non-synchronized"), the performance of NCR Fwd forwarding (if any) is problematic. Therefore, NCR Fwd should not be forwarded during the duration of the random access procedure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a signal forwarding method, which is described from the perspective of the forwarder.

[0179] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0180] 701, the mobile terminal initiates a random access process;

[0181] 702. The forwarding unit does not forward or stops forwarding before the random access process is successfully completed.

[0182] That is, if the random access is initiated by the NCR-MT, the NCR-Fwd is instructed to stop forwarding / not forwarding, for example, as shown:

[0183] In the above embodiment, the NCR-Fwd does not forward / stops forwarding, that is, the NCR-Fwd is in a closed state (the transmitter is closed and cannot perform forwarding behavior).

[0184] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0185] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal forwarding device, which can be a repeater, or applied to a repeater, for example, it can be the aforementioned NCR, or it can be a network device or terminal device with forwarding function, or it can be one or some parts or components configured in the NCR, network device or terminal device.

[0186] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a signal forwarding device according to an embodiment of the present application. Since the principle of solving the problem by the signal forwarding device is the same as the method of the embodiment of the first aspect, its specific implementation can refer to the embodiment of the first aspect, and the same contents will not be repeated.

[0187] As shown in FIG8 , a signal forwarding device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application includes a mobile terminal 801 and a forwarding unit 802 . The mobile terminal 801 and the forwarding unit 802 are functional entities, and their functions may be implemented by the same or different hardware modules.

[0188] The implementation of the mobile terminal 801 and the forwarding unit 802 can refer to the embodiment of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0189] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG8 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0190] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0191] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0192] An embodiment of the present application provides an information sending method, which is explained from the perspective of a network device, and the contents that are the same as those in the embodiment of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0193] The embodiment of the present application further provides an information sending method, comprising: sending a timing advance command to an NCR, wherein the timing advance command indicates an index value T for controlling a first timing A , receiving a signal sent by the NCR on the backhaul link using the first timing. Regarding the above-mentioned various feature implementations, reference can be made to the embodiment of the first aspect, which will not be described in detail here.

[0194] The above only describes the steps or processes related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The method of the embodiment of the present application may also include other steps or processes. For the specific content of these steps or processes, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0195] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0196] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0197] An embodiment of the present application provides an information sending device.

[0198] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the information sending device of an embodiment of the present application. Since the principle of solving the problem by the information sending device is the same as the method of the embodiment of the third aspect, its specific implementation can refer to the embodiment of the third aspect, and the same content will not be repeated.

[0199] As shown in FIG10 , the information sending device 1000 of the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0200] Transmitter 1001 sends a timing advance command to NCR, where the timing advance command indicates an index value T used to control the first timing A ;

[0201] The receiver 1002 receives a signal sent by the NCR on the backhaul link using the first timing.

[0202] For the implementation of the above-mentioned features, please refer to the embodiment of the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0203] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to this application, but this application is not limited thereto. The information sending device 1000 of the embodiment of this application may also include other components or modules. For the specific contents of these components or modules, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0204] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG10 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0205] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0206] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0207] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system of the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a network device 101, a repeater 102 and a terminal device 103. For simplicity, Figure 1 only uses a network device, a repeater and a terminal device as an example for illustration, but the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be transmitted between the network device 101 and the terminal device 103. For example, these services may include but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The repeater 102 is configured to execute the signal forwarding method described in the embodiment of the first aspect, and the network device 101 is configured to execute the information sending method described in the embodiment of the third aspect, the contents of which are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0209] An embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, which may be, for example, a repeater or a network device.

[0210] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, electronic device 900 may include a processor 910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 920 coupled to processor 910. Memory 920 may store various data and may also store an information processing program 930, which is executed under the control of processor 910.

[0211] For example, the processor 910 may be configured to execute a program to implement the method described in the embodiments of the first or third aspect.

[0212] In addition, as shown in FIG9 , the electronic device 900 may further include: a transceiver 940 and an antenna 950; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not further described here. It is worth noting that the electronic device 900 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG9 ; in addition, the electronic device 900 may also include components not shown in FIG9 , and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0213] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a repeater or a network device, the program causes a computer to execute the method described in the embodiment of the first or third aspect in the repeater or the network device.

[0214] An embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the method described in the embodiment of the first or third aspect in a repeater or a network device.

[0215] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The logic component is, for example, a field programmable logic component, a microprocessor, a processor used in a computer, etc. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0216] The method / device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can respectively correspond to the various steps shown in the figure. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0217] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0218] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0219] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0220] The present application includes the following notes:

[0221] 1. A signal forwarding device, applied to a repeater, comprising:

[0222] A mobile terminal, used for communicating with network equipment;

[0223] a forwarding unit, configured to forward signals;

[0224] When the time alignment timer expires,

[0225] The forwarding unit forwards or does not forward or stops forwarding, and / or,

[0226] The mobile terminal determines that a radio link failure (RLF) is detected, and / or,

[0227] The mobile terminal initiates a radio resource control (RRC) connection reestablishment, and / or,

[0228] The mobile terminal initiates a random access process, and / or,

[0229] The lower layer of the mobile terminal sends an indication of the time alignment timer expiration and / or RLF and / or time alignment problem to the upper layer, and / or,

[0230] The mobile terminal enters the RRC idle state.

[0231] 2. The device according to Note 1, wherein, when the time alignment timer expires, the mobile terminal is in the RRC connected state; or, when the time alignment timer expires, the mobile terminal is in the RRC connected state or the RRC inactive state, and the forwarding unit performs forwarding.

[0232] 3. The device according to Note 1, wherein, when the upper layer (RRC layer) of the mobile terminal receives the indication from the MAC layer, the upper layer (RRC layer) determines that RLF is detected, and / or initiates RRC connection reconstruction, and / or triggers a lower layer (the MAC layer) to initiate a random access process, and / or initiates a random access process.

[0233] 4. An apparatus according to Note 1 or 3, wherein the mobile terminal sends an RRC connection reestablishment reason and / or a radio link failure reason, the reasons including expiration of a time alignment timer or a time alignment problem or other failure reasons.

[0234] 5. The device according to Note 1, wherein, when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state and the time alignment timer is considered to have expired, the forwarding unit forwards according to the configured periodic forwarding resources; or, when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state and the time alignment timer is not considered to have expired and / or the time alignment timer is stopped, the forwarding unit forwards according to the configured periodic forwarding resources.

[0235] 6. The apparatus according to Note 1, wherein, when the mobile terminal is transferred to the RRC inactive state, the time alignment timer is not considered to have expired and / or the time alignment timer is stopped.

[0236] 7. A signal forwarding device, applied to a repeater, comprising:

[0237] A mobile terminal receiving an indication of loss of uplink synchronization;

[0238] a forwarding unit that does not forward or stops forwarding; and / or

[0239] A mobile terminal receiving an indication of uplink synchronization;

[0240] A forwarding unit that resumes forwarding.

[0241] 8. The apparatus according to supplementary note 7, wherein receiving the indication of loss of uplink synchronization comprises a lower layer of the mobile terminal receiving the indication of loss of uplink synchronization sent by a higher layer;

[0242] Receiving the uplink synchronization indication includes that a lower layer of the mobile terminal receives the uplink synchronization indication sent by a higher layer.

[0243] 9. A signal forwarding device, applied to a repeater, comprising:

[0244] A mobile terminal that sends PRACH and / or MSG A PUSCH and / or Msg3 PUSCH;

[0245] a forwarding unit that does not forward or stops forwarding, and / or

[0246] A mobile terminal that initiates a random access procedure;

[0247] A forwarding unit does not forward or stops forwarding before the random access procedure is successfully completed.

[0248] 10. A signal sending device, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0249] A first sending unit is configured to send a timing advance command to the NCR, wherein the timing advance command indicates an index value T for controlling the first timing A ,

[0250] The first receiving unit receives a signal sent by the NCR on a backhaul link using the first timing.

Claims

1. A signal forwarding device, applied to a repeater, comprising: A mobile terminal receives a timing advance command, wherein the timing advance command indicates an index value T for controlling a first timing A , A forwarding unit sends a signal on a backhaul link using the first timing.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile terminal sends a first signal on a control link using the first timing, where the first signal includes a PUCCH and / or a PUSCH and / or an SRS.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile terminal sends a second signal on the control link using a second timing, where the second signal includes a PRACH and / or an MSGA PUSCH.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The forwarding unit does not use the second timing to send a signal on the backhaul link.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The timing advance command includes a first timing advance command and / or a second timing advance command, and the number of bits included in the first timing advance command is greater than the number of bits included in the second timing advance command.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: For the forwarding unit, if two adjacent time slots overlap due to the timing advance command, the duration of the latter time slot is reduced relative to the former time slot.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The repeater is not expected to change N within a time slot TA .

8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The time slot is based on a reference SCS of the forwarding resource.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The repeater does not expect to change N within the third time domain resource TA .

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The time domain resources included in the third time domain resources are continuous.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The time domain resources included in the third time domain resources are associated with the same beam index.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein: In the third time domain resource, the forwarding unit sends a signal in the backhaul link.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein: For the timing advance command received in the first time slot, the timing advance command is applied from the beginning of the second time slot, and the second time slot is determined according to the reference SCS of the forwarding resource.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The second time slot is determined according to a reference SCS of the forwarding resource, including: The first time slot is determined based on a first SCS associated with the reference SCS, and / or, The offset N of the second time slot relative to the first time slot offset is determined based on a second SCS associated with the reference SCS, The first SCS and the second SCS are the same or different.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein: The first time slot is the last time slot in the uplink time slot based on the first SCS that overlaps with the time slot of the PDSCH, and the PDSCH provides the timing advance command.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein: The offset N offset Including the first offset k, in, and / or 2 μ is determined based on the second SCS.

17. The device according to claim 15, wherein: The first SCS and / or the second SCS is, The minimum SCS among the SCSs of the configured UL BWPs and the configured reference SCS.

18. The device according to claim 13, wherein: The second time slot is determined according to a reference SCS of the forwarding resource, including: If the start of the third time slot is within the time slot based on the third SCS related to the reference SCS, the second time slot is after the third time slot.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The second time slot is the first time slot after the third time slot that starts and is aligned with the time slot based on the third SCS and / or the first time slot that starts and is not within the time slot based on the third SCS, or, The second time slot is the first time slot after the time slot overlapping with the third time slot and / or the first time slot after the third time slot.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein The third SCS is the minimum SCS among the configured reference SCSs.

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