Method performed by device in wireless communication system, and device therefor

Abstract

Disclosed are a method for performing communication and a device therefor in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments. This user equipment (UE) may receive time division duplexing (TDD) configuration information for a first time interval, receive configuration information for configuring a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length related to the first time interval, and transmit and receive a signal on the basis of the TDD configuration information and the configuration information.

Description

Method performed by a device in a wireless communication system and device therefor

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more specifically, to a method and device for performing wireless communication between terminals or base stations in a wireless communication system.

[0002] OFDM-based wireless communication systems include a cyclic prefix at the beginning of OFDM symbols as a method to cope with delay spread due to multipath. Specifically, in the LTE / LTE-Advanced system, OFDM-based resource elements having the same subcarrier spacing and symbol duration are configured, and the cyclic prefix length is set by the base station, etc. according to the cell size and the resulting delay spread characteristics. Then, the terminal detects the cyclic prefix length configured in the corresponding cell by matching the time / frequency to an arbitrary cell through the process of receiving a synchronization signal.

[0003] The 3GPP NR system supports a flexible frame structure compared to LTE / LTE-Advanced to meet the needs of various usage scenarios such as eMBB (enhancement Mobile BroadBand), mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), and URLLC (Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications). Specifically, it supports multiple numerologies within a cell, and supports different numbers of slots within a subframe and different Cyclic Prefix lengths per OFDM symbol depending on each numerology.

[0004] 6G mobile communication systems are being developed based on the underlying technologies of 5G mobile communication. 6G mobile communication systems require approximately tenfold improvement in all key performance indicators (KPIs), including data transmission speed, spectrum efficiency, latency, and available user density, compared to 5G.

[0005] The technical task of this disclosure is to provide a method and device for efficiently performing wireless signal transmission and reception processes. For example, the introduction of a new empty guard period, which can be used in next-generation mobile communication systems, and a signal transmission and reception method based on this are proposed to increase the utilization of time resources compared to guard intervals on a symbol-by-symbol basis.

[0006] The technical challenges are not limited to the technical challenges mentioned above, and other technical challenges not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.

[0007] A method performed by a UE (User Equipment) according to one aspect includes the steps of: receiving TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; receiving configuration information for setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length related to the first time interval; and transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information; wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0008] Alternatively, the specific CP length is characterized in that it is set independently of the subcarrier spacing (SCS).

[0009] Alternatively, the specific CP length is characterized in that it is independently set for each of the downlink signal and the uplink signal.

[0010] Alternatively, the end point of the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval is characterized in that it is aligned with the end point of the downlink time interval.

[0011] Alternatively, the starting point of the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval is characterized in that it is aligned with the starting point of the uplink time interval.

[0012] Alternatively, the first time interval is characterized in that it further includes a flexible time interval determined based on the TDD setting information.

[0013] Alternatively, based on what is indicated in the downlink for the flexible time interval, the end point of the empty time interval included in the flexible time interval is characterized in that it is aligned to the end of the flexible time interval.

[0014] Alternatively, based on what is indicated as uplink for the flexible time interval, the starting point of the empty time interval included in the flexible time interval is characterized in that it is aligned with the starting point of the flexible time interval.

[0015] Alternatively, the UE is characterized in that it does not expect to receive the downlink signal in the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval, or does not transmit the uplink signal in the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval.

[0016] Alternatively, the empty time interval is characterized in that it is defined in units of FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) samples.

[0017] According to another aspect, at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon instructions for performing the method described above may be provided.

[0018] According to another aspect, a UE includes: a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver; a processor connected to the RF transceiver; and at least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to perform operations, the operations including: receiving TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; receiving configuration information for setting a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length; and transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0019] According to another aspect, a processing device may be provided for controlling a UE performing the above-described communication.

[0020] According to another aspect, a method by a base station includes the steps of: transmitting TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; transmitting configuration information for setting a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length; and receiving an uplink signal or transmitting a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information; wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0021] According to another aspect, a base station includes: a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver; and at least one processor connected to the RF transceiver; and at least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the base station to perform operations, the operations including: transmitting TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; transmitting configuration information for setting a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length; and receiving an uplink signal or transmitting a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0022] According to the present disclosure, signal transmission and reception can be efficiently performed in a wireless communication system. For example, the introduction of a new empty guard period and signal transmission and reception based on this can increase the utilization of time resources relative to the guard period on a symbol-by-symbol basis in next-generation mobile communication systems.

[0023] The effects that can be obtained in various embodiments are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.

[0024] The drawings attached to this specification are intended to provide an understanding of the present invention, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description of the specification serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1 illustrates a flexible network topology to which some examples of this specification may be applied.

[0026] Figure 2 shows the structure of the LTE system.

[0027] Figure 3 shows the structure of the NR system.

[0028] Figure 4 shows the structure of a radio frame of NR.

[0029] Figure 5 shows the slot structure of an NR frame.

[0030] Figure 6 shows a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G system.

[0031] Figure 7 shows the electromagnetic spectrum in a communication system.

[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a procedure for transmitting system information for THz communication to which the present disclosure applies.

[0033] Figure 9 illustrates a beam management procedure applicable to the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sensing operation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 11 illustrates time / frequency resources for sensing operations according to one embodiment of the present specification.

[0036] FIG. 12 illustrates a procedure related to a sensing operation according to one embodiment of the present specification.

[0037] Figure 13 illustrates a general functional architecture for an AI / ML model.

[0038] Figure 14 illustrates a communication procedure between a first node (e.g., terminal) and a second node (e.g., base station) to which an AI / ML model is applied.

[0039] FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are diagrams for explaining a method of setting an empty guard interval in a DL / UL continuous time interval.

[0040] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a method for a UE to determine an empty time interval within a first time interval.

[0041] Figure 18 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting an empty time interval within a first time interval at a base station.

[0042] Figure 19 illustrates a communication system applied to the present invention.

[0043] Figure 20 illustrates a wireless device applicable to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 21 illustrates another example of a wireless device applicable to the present invention. The wireless device may be implemented in various forms depending on the use case / service.

[0045] Figure 22 illustrates a vehicle or autonomous vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

[0046] As used herein, "A or B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." In other words, as used herein, "A or B" can be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, as used herein, "A, B or C" can mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0047] As used herein, a slash ( / ) or a comma can mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" can mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C."

[0048] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A", "only B" or "both A and B". Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted identically to "at least one of A and B".

[0049] Additionally, in this specification, “at least one of A, B and C” can mean “only A,” “only B,” “only C,” or “any combination of A, B and C.” Additionally, “at least one of A, B or C” or “at least one of A, B and / or C” can mean “at least one of A, B and C.”

[0050] Additionally, parentheses used herein may mean "for example." Specifically, when "control information (ABC)" is indicated, "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." For example, "control information" may include DEF as another example. In other words, "control information" in this specification is not limited to "ABC," and "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." Furthermore, even when indicated as "control information (i.e., ABC)," "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information."

[0051] Additionally, in this specification, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component and are not used to limit the components, and do not limit the order or importance between the components unless specifically limited. Accordingly, a first component in one embodiment of this specification may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and similarly, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0052] In the following explanation, ‘when, if, in case of’ can be replaced with ‘based on’.

[0053] Technical features individually described in a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0054] In this specification, a terminal is a user equipment (UE) or a consumer-side device, and may also be referred to as a base station / second node / IAB node / first node that receives / transmits signals from / to a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A terminal may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A terminal may correspond to an endpoint on the user side, or may correspond to an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points that are not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a terminal may correspond to a served node. A terminal may be a node with a fixed location, or a node with an unfixed location (or mobile).

[0055] In this specification, a base station (BS) is a device on the network side, and may also be called a second node / IAB node / x-NodeB (x-NodeB, x may be an abbreviation related to radio access technology (RAT)) / Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A BS may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A BS may correspond to an endpoint on the network side, or may correspond to an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points that are not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a BS may correspond to a serving node. A BS may be a node with a fixed location, or a node with an unfixed location.

[0056] In this specification, higher layer parameters may be set for the terminal, preset, or predefined. For example, the base station may transmit higher layer parameters to the terminal. For example, the terminal may transmit parameters such as capabilities to the base station as higher layer parameters. For example, the higher layer parameters may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) signaling.

[0057] In this specification, the information / state / parameter being “configured or pre-configured” can be interpreted as the information / state / parameter being provided / pre-provided to the terminal through pre-defined signaling (e.g., SIB, MAC, RRC) from the base station. In this specification, the information / state / parameter being “defined or pre-defined” can be interpreted as the information / state / parameter being known in advance or pre-stored at the base station and the terminal without signaling between the base station and the terminal.

[0058] The technology described in this specification can be used in various wireless communication systems such as CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), and SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access). CDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as UTRA (universal terrestrial radio access) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as GSM (global system for mobile communications) / GPRS (general packet radio service) / EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). OFDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, E-UTRA (evolved UTRA), LTE (long term evolution), and 5G NR.

[0059] The technology described in this specification can be implemented with 6G wireless technology and applied to various 6G systems. For example, the 6G system can have key factors such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), artificial intelligence (AI) integrated communication, tactile internet, high throughput, high network capacity, high energy efficiency, low backhaul and access network congestion, and enhanced data security.

[0060] <Symbols, Abbreviations, Terms>

[0061] - 5GC: 5G Core Network

[0062] - 5GS: 5G System

[0063] - AoA: Angle of Arrival

[0064] - AP: Access Point

[0065] - CID: Cell ID

[0066] - E-CID: Enhanced Cell ID

[0067] - GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System

[0068] - GPS: Global Positioning System

[0069] - IE: Information Element

[0070] - LCS: LoCation Service

[0071] - LMF: Location Management Function

[0072] - LPP: LTE Positioning Protocol

[0073] - MO-LR: Mobile Originated Location Request

[0074] - MT-LR: Mobile Terminated Location Request

[0075] - NRPPa: NR Positioning Protocol A

[0076] - OTDOA: Observed Time Difference Of Arrival

[0077] - PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0078] - PRS: Positioning Reference Signal

[0079] - RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0080] - RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0081] - RSTD: Reference Signal Time Difference

[0082] - ToA: Time of Arrival

[0083] - TP: Transmission Point

[0084] - TRP: Transmission and Reception Point

[0085] - UE: User Equipment

[0086] - SCS: Sub-Carrier Spacing

[0087] - SS: Search Space

[0088] - CSS: Common Search Space

[0089] - USS: UE-specific Search Space

[0090] - PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0091] - PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel;

[0092] - PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel;

[0093] - PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel;

[0094] - DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0095] - UCI: Uplink Control Information

[0096] - SI: System Information

[0097] - SIB: System Information Block

[0098] - MIB: Master Information Block

[0099] - RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0100] - DRX: Discontinuous Reception

[0101] - RNTI: Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0102] - CSI: Channel state information

[0103] - PCell: Primary Cell

[0104] - SCell: Secondary Cell

[0105] - PSCell: Primary SCG (Secondary Cell Group) Cell

[0106] - CA: Carrier Aggregation

[0107] - WUS: Wake up Signal

[0108] - TX: Transmitter

[0109] - RX: Receiver

[0110] - RE: Resource Element

[0111] - RB: Resource Block

[0112] - RSTD: Reference Signal Time Difference

[0113] - RS: Reference Signal

[0114] - PRS: Positioning Reference Signal

[0115] - SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0116] Figure 1 illustrates a flexible network topology to which some examples of this specification may be applied.

[0117] To compensate for incomplete network coverage areas, a network topology that allows for more flexible and resilient split radio access networks (RANs) may be considered. For this purpose, various nodes, such as IAB nodes, relays, and RF repeaters, as illustrated in the example in Figure 1, may be applied, or NTNs may be integrated. For example, an IAB node may correspond to a node that provides wireless backhaul. For example, a relay may refer to any intermediate point, or in the case of a sidelink relay where a terminal functions as a relay, it may collectively refer to a terminal-to-network (U2N) relay and a terminal-to-terminal (U2U) relay. For example, an RF repeater may correspond to a node that simply performs the function of signal amplification and forwarding, while a network-controlled repeater may not only amplify and forward signals but also adjust transmission and reception settings based on information provided by the network. For example, an NTN node may correspond to a satellite or aircraft that provides NTN coverage that is difficult for terrestrial networks to provide. In addition to these examples, various intermediate points can be introduced to improve the network topology.

[0118] Referring to Figure 1, a split RAN can support the division of a base station into a centralized unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs). The CU and DU can correspond to logical units. The CU can be further divided into a control plane (CP) portion and one or more user plane (UP) portions. Since a failure in the CU-CP affects not only the CU-UP but also the DUs, various intermediate points can be introduced to compensate for this.

[0119] An intermediate point may correspond to a terminal or a base station, depending on its relationship to other nodes. For example, an IAB node may include a mobile-termination (MT) portion and a unit (DU). The MT may connect the IAB node to a donor node. The unit (DU) of an IAB node may serve other terminals or connect to other IAB nodes to provide multi-hop wireless backhaul to the terminal. In other words, an IAB node may correspond to a base station in its relationship to a user-side node, and to a terminal in its relationship to a network-side node.

[0120] In some examples of this specification, the description of a terminal can be equally applied not only to a user-side endpoint, but also to an intermediate point corresponding to a terminal in a relative relationship with a network-side endpoint. Similarly, in some examples of this specification, the description of a base station can be equally applied not only to a network-side endpoint, but also to an intermediate point corresponding to a base station in a relative relationship with a user-side endpoint. However, in most cases where there is no additional description of the operations of three or more entities, the communicating entities in this specification are briefly described as terminals and / or base stations (or first nodes and / or second nodes), and the terms terminal and / or base stations (or first nodes and / or second nodes) are interpreted to include / replace any endpoint or any intermediate point in relation to other nodes.

[0121] That is, in some examples of this specification, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the subjects of the operation may be referred to as a base station and / or a terminal (or a first node and / or a second node). In addition, the terms base station and / or terminal (or a first node and / or a second node) may also be interpreted / replaced as in the following examples: For example, the base station (or a first node) and the terminal (or a second node) may respectively correspond to the first endpoint and the second endpoint; may respectively correspond to the endpoint and the intermediate point; may respectively correspond to the intermediate point and the endpoint; or may respectively correspond to the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point.

[0122] In this specification, there may be zero or more intermediate points between the base station and the terminal. If intermediate points exist, they may be IAB nodes, relays, RF repeaters, NTN (non-terrestrial network) nodes, or nodes supporting other functions. An intermediate point may be a node with a fixed location or a node with an unfixed location.

[0123] Figure 2 illustrates the architecture of an applicable LTE system. This may be referred to as an Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) or a Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-A system.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 2, the E-UTRAN includes a base station (20; BS) that provides a control plane and a user plane to a terminal (10). The terminal (10) may be fixed or mobile, and may be referred to by other terms such as a mobile station (MS), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile terminal (MT), a wireless device, etc. The base station (20) refers to a fixed station that communicates with the terminal (10), and may be referred to by other terms such as an evolved-NodeB (eNB), a base transceiver system (BTS), an access point, etc.

[0125] Base stations (20) can be connected to each other via the X2 interface. The base station (20) is connected to an EPC (Evolved Packet Core, 30) via the S1 interface, more specifically, to an MME (Mobility Management Entity) via the S1-MME, and to an S-GW (Serving Gateway) via the S1-U.

[0126] The EPC (30) consists of an MME, an S-GW, and a P-GW (Packet Data Network-Gateway). The MME holds information about terminal access and capabilities, and this information is primarily used for terminal mobility management. The S-GW is a gateway with the E-UTRAN as its endpoint, and the P-GW is a gateway with the PDN as its endpoint.

[0127] The layers of the radio interface protocol between the terminal and the network can be divided into L1 (Layer 1), L2 (Layer 2), and L3 (Layer 3) based on the three lower layers of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standard model, which is widely known in communication systems. Among these, the physical layer belonging to Layer 1 provides an information transfer service using a physical channel, and the RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer located in Layer 3 controls radio resources between the terminal and the network. To this end, the RRC layer exchanges RRC messages between the terminal and the base station.

[0128] Figure 3 shows the structure of the NR system.

[0129] Referring to FIG. 3, the NG-RAN may include a gNB and / or an eNB that provides user plane and control plane protocol termination to the UE. FIG. 7 illustrates a case where only a gNB is included. The gNB and eNB are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNB and eNB are connected to the 5th generation core network (5G Core Network: 5GC) via the NG interface. More specifically, the gNB is connected to the access and mobility management function (AMF) via the NG-C interface, and the gNB is connected to the user plane function (UPF) via the NG-U interface.

[0130] Figure 4 shows the structure of a radio frame of NR.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 4, radio frames can be used for uplink and downlink transmission in NR. A radio frame has a length of 10 ms and can be defined as two 5 ms half-frames (Half-Frames, HF). A half-frame can include five 1 ms sub-frames (Subframes, SF). A sub-frame can be divided into one or more slots, and the number of slots within a sub-frame can be determined by the Subcarrier Spacing (SCS). Each slot can include 12 or 14 OFDM (A) symbols depending on the cyclic prefix (CP).

[0132] When normal CP is used, each slot can contain 14 symbols. When extended CP is used, each slot can contain 12 symbols. Here, the symbols can include OFDM symbols (or CP-OFDM symbols), SC-FDMA (Single Carrier - FDMA) symbols (or DFT-s-OFDM (Discrete Fourier Transform-spread-OFDM) symbols).

[0133] Table 1 below shows the number of symbols per slot ((N)) depending on the SCS setting (u) when normal CP is used. slot symb ), number of slots per frame ((N frame,u slot ) and the number of slots per subframe ((N subframe,u slot ) is an example.

[0134] SCS (15*2 u )N slot symb N frame,u slot N subframe,u slot 15KHz (u=0)1410130KHz (u=1)1420260KHz (u=2)14404120KHz (u=3)14808240KHz (u=4)1416016

[0135] Table 2 illustrates the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per frame, and the number of slots per subframe according to SCS when extended CP is used.

[0136] SCS (15*2 u )N slot symb N frame,u slot N subframe,u slot 60KHz (u=2)12404

[0137] In an NR system, OFDM(A) numerology (e.g., SCS, CP length, etc.) may be set differently between multiple cells that are merged into a single terminal. Accordingly, the (absolute time) interval of a time resource (e.g., subframe, slot, or TTI) (conveniently referred to as TU (Time Unit)) consisting of the same number of symbols may be set differently between the merged cells.

[0138] In NR, multiple numerologies, or SCSs, can be supported to support various 5G services. For example, a 15 kHz SCS can support wide areas in traditional cellular bands, while a 30 kHz / 60 kHz SCS can support dense urban areas, lower latency, and wider carrier bandwidth. A 60 kHz or higher SCS can support bandwidths greater than 24.25 GHz to overcome phase noise.

[0139] The NR frequency band can be defined by two types of frequency ranges. The two types of frequency ranges can be FR1 and FR2. The numerical values ​​of the frequency ranges can be changed, and for example, the two types of frequency ranges can be as shown in Table 3 below. Among the frequency ranges used in the NR system, FR1 can mean the "sub 6 GHz range", and FR2 can mean the "above 6 GHz range" and can be called millimeter wave (mmW).

[0140] Frequency Range designationCorresponding frequency rangeSubcarrier Spacing (SCS)FR1450MHz - 6000MHz15, 30, 60kHzFR224250MHz - 52600MHz60, 120, 240kHz

[0141] As described above, the numerical value of the frequency range of the NR system can be changed. For example, FR1 may include a band from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz, as shown in Table 4 below. That is, FR1 may include a frequency band above 6 GHz (or 5850, 5900, 5925 MHz, etc.). For example, the frequency band above 6 GHz (or 5850, 5900, 5925 MHz, etc.) included within FR1 may include an unlicensed band. The unlicensed band may be used for various purposes, such as for vehicular communications (e.g., autonomous driving).

[0142] Frequency Range designationCorresponding frequency rangeSubcarrier Spacing (SCS)FR1410MHz - 7125MHz15, 30, 60kHzFR224250MHz - 52600MHz60, 120, 240kHz

[0143] Figure 5 shows the slot structure of an NR frame.

[0144] Referring to Figure 5, a slot includes multiple symbols in the time domain. For example, in the case of a normal CP, one slot may include 14 symbols, but in the case of an extended CP, one slot may include 12 symbols. Alternatively, in the case of a normal CP, one slot may include 7 symbols, but in the case of an extended CP, one slot may include 6 symbols.

[0145] A carrier includes multiple subcarriers in the frequency domain. An RB (Resource Block) can be defined as multiple (e.g., 12) consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. A BWP (Bandwidth Part) can be defined as multiple consecutive (P)RBs ((Physical) Resource Blocks) in the frequency domain, and can correspond to one numerology (e.g., SCS, CP length, etc.). A carrier can include up to N (e.g., 5) BWPs. Data communication can be performed through activated BWPs. Each element can be referred to as a Resource Element (RE) in the resource grid, and one complex symbol can be mapped to it.

[0146] Meanwhile, the wireless interface between terminals or between terminals and a network may be composed of an L1 layer, an L2 layer, and an L3 layer. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, the L1 layer may refer to a physical layer. Furthermore, for example, the L2 layer may refer to at least one of a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an SDAP layer. Furthermore, for example, the L3 layer may refer to an RRC layer.

[0147] FIG. 6 illustrates a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 6 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0148] New network characteristics in 6G may include:

[0149] - Satellite integrated network

[0150] - Connected Intelligence: Unlike previous generations of wireless communication systems, 6G is revolutionary, upgrading the wireless evolution from "connected objects" to "connected intelligence." AI can be applied at every stage of the communication process (or at every signal processing step, as described below).

[0151] - Seamless integration of wireless information and energy transfer

[0152] - Ubiquitous super 3D connectivity: Access to networks and core network functions of drones and very low Earth orbit satellites will create super 3D connectivity in 6G ubiquitous.

[0153] Some general requirements for the new network characteristics of 6G, such as the above, may be as follows:

[0154] - small cell networks

[0155] - Ultra-dense heterogeneous network

[0156] - High-capacity backhaul

[0157] - Radar technology integrated with mobile technology: High-precision localization (or location-based services) through communications is a key feature of 6G wireless communication systems. Therefore, radar systems will be integrated with 6G networks.

[0158] - Softwarization and virtualization

[0159] Below, the core implementation technologies of the 6G system are described.

[0160] - Artificial Intelligence: Incorporating AI into communications can streamline and improve real-time data transmission. AI can use numerous analytics to determine how complex target tasks should be performed. This means AI can increase efficiency and reduce processing delays. Time-consuming tasks such as handovers, network selection, and resource scheduling can be performed instantly using AI. AI can also play a key role in machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-to-human, and human-to-machine communications. Furthermore, AI can facilitate rapid communication in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). AI-based communication systems can be supported by metamaterials, intelligent structures, intelligent networks, intelligent devices, intelligent cognitive radios, self-sustaining wireless networks, and machine learning.

[0161] - THz communication (terahertz communication): Data rates can be increased by increasing the bandwidth. This can be achieved by using sub-THz communication with wide bandwidths and applying advanced massive MIMO technology. THz waves, also known as sub-millimeter waves, typically refer to the frequency range between 0.1 THz and 10 THz, with corresponding wavelengths ranging from 0.03 mm to 3 mm. The 100 GHz to 300 GHz band (sub-THz band) is considered a key part of the THz spectrum for cellular communications. Adding the sub-THz band to the mmWave band will increase the capacity of 6G cellular communications. Among the defined THz bands, 300 GHz to 3 THz lies in the far infrared (IR) frequency band. While part of the optical band, the 300 GHz to 3 THz band lies at the boundary of the optical band, immediately following the RF band. Therefore, this 300 GHz to 3 THz band exhibits similarities to RF.

[0162] THz communication (terahertz communication)

[0163] Figure 7 illustrates the electromagnetic spectrum according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of Figure 7 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Key characteristics of THz communications include (i) a widely available bandwidth to support very high data rates, and (ii) high path loss at high frequencies (highly directional antennas are essential). The narrow beamwidth generated by the highly directional antenna reduces interference. The small wavelength of THz signals allows for a much larger number of antenna elements to be integrated into devices and base stations operating in this band. This enables the use of advanced adaptive array techniques to overcome range limitations.

[0164] Transmitting system information (i.e., information related to the properties, characteristics, and / or capabilities of a BS required to use a service, such as MIB, SIB, etc.) in the THz frequency band may be inefficient because, as the beam width becomes narrower in high frequency bands, more beam sweeps must be performed to cover the entire area of ​​the cell. In particular, transmitting system information in this manner is even more inefficient when there are not many users in the cell. Accordingly, a system information transmission procedure such as that illustrated in FIG. 8 may be used.

[0165] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a procedure for transmitting system information for THz communication to which the present disclosure applies. While this example was developed with THz in mind, it is also applicable to 6G communication environments where THz is not applicable. Furthermore, the procedure illustrated in Figure 8 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure described below. For example, the embodiments described below can be performed based on system information acquired through the procedure illustrated in Figure 8.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 8, the base station can transmit system information of cell #1 through cell #2 (801). That is, the base station provides at least two cells, cell #1 uses a THz frequency band, and cell #2 uses a non-THz frequency band. Here, the system information can include at least one information / state / parameter / setting generated in each of a higher layer and a physical layer. For example, the at least one information / state / parameter / setting generated in the higher layer can include at least one of an SFN, control information setting for SIB1 (e.g., PDCCH configuration for SIB1, etc.), information related to cell selection / entry (e.g., cell barring, cell re-selection, etc.), and subcarrier spacing, and the at least one information / state / parameter / setting generated in the physical layer can include at least one of an SFN, a half frame indicator, and an SSB index. However, this is merely an example, and system information may include information / status / parameters / settings related to Cell #1 / Cell #2 generated from various types of physical layers / upper layers. For this purpose, as an example, Cell #1 and Cell #2 may have a relationship as a secondary cell and a primary cell.

[0167] The UE can acquire synchronization for cell #1 (803). Synchronization can be acquired by detecting a synchronization signal. Typically, synchronization is acquired before receiving system information. However, since the system information for cell #1 is received from cell #2, synchronization acquisition for cell #1 can be performed after receiving the system information. For example, the UE can acquire synchronization based on the system information. However, unlike FIG. 8, in another example, synchronization acquisition can be performed before step 801.

[0168] The UE may transmit a signal for accessing cell #1 (805). For example, the signal may include information for accessing cell #1 (e.g., a random access preamble). The structure of the signal and the resources for transmitting the signal (e.g., a channel) may be identified through system information. Thereafter, the UE and the base station may perform an access procedure for cell #1 and communicate (807). During this process, operations according to various embodiments described below may be performed.

[0169] The procedure described with reference to FIG. 8 may be performed when UE (810) first accesses cell #1 of the base station. Alternatively, a similar procedure may be performed when UE (810) hands over to cell #1 of the base station. However, in the case of handover, system information of cell #1 may be received from a cell of a base station other than cell #2 of the base station.

[0170] Communications in the THz band are expected to experience extremely severe path loss, and to overcome this, terminals and base stations must use extremely sharp beams. The use of sharp beams means that terminals and base stations must perform beam control in addition to beamforming, and the number of beams used increases significantly. Consequently, it takes a very long time to align the transmit and receive beams between the base station and terminals. Furthermore, if the beam alignment between the base station and terminals is misaligned due to the movement or movement of the terminals, frequent re-alignment of the beams is required, which can lead to link instability. Accordingly, a beam management procedure, as illustrated in FIG. 9 below, may be employed.

[0171] FIG. 9 illustrates a beam management procedure applicable to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a procedure for searching and / or selecting beams for THz communication, but is not limited to a THz environment, and the present disclosure is applicable to a 6G communication environment. In addition, the procedure illustrated in FIG. 9 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure described below. Here, a beam may be interpreted as 'spatial (setting) information', 'spatial domain filter', 'spatial domain transmission filter', 'spatial domain reception filter', or / and a term having an equivalent technical meaning that can distinguish the beam (e.g., Reference signal, SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) Index, TRP (transmission reception point), panel, cell, TP (transmission point), base station, control resource related information (e.g., CORESET (control resource set) related information, etc.).

[0172] Referring to FIG. 9, a base station can configure resources for beam management (901). Here, the resources can include at least one of time-frequency resources, channels, and spatial resources (e.g., antenna ports). For example, the base station can utilize a beam search signal (BSS) that is transmitted spatially separated from existing downlink signals / channels for beam search. Here, the BSS can be transmitted based on a dedicated port for beam search. The dedicated port can be a different port from a port for transmitting existing downlink signals / channels (e.g., synchronization signals (e.g., SSB, etc.), data channels (e.g., PDSCH, etc.)). BSS is a term defined for convenience of explanation, and the technical concept according to the present embodiment is not limited to the term BSS itself. That is, a signal transmitted based on a dedicated port defined / configured for beam search can be included in the technical concept according to the present embodiment.

[0173] The base station can transmit measurement signals using multiple transmission beams (903). For example, the measurement signals can include at least one of a reference signal and a synchronization signal. At this time, the measurement signals can be transmitted as many times as the number of beams that require measurement, and can be transmitted using a multi-beam transmission method that forms multiple beams simultaneously to reduce sweeping time. Here, the multi-beam transmission can be performed based on at least one of a multi-panel, a sub-array, and a true time delay (TTD).

[0174] The UE may transmit a feedback signal to the base station (905). The feedback signal indicates at least one beam selected by the UE. The UE may select at least one preferred beam based on the received measurement signals. The UE and the base station may communicate (907). At this time, the UE and the base station may communicate using the previously selected beam. If channel reciprocity is established, the transmission beam of the UE may also be determined through operations 903 and 905, and thus the transmission of the UE may also be performed using the beam selected in operation 905. If channel reciprocity is not established, a procedure including transmission of measurement signals by the UE and transmission of a feedback signal by the base station may be performed first to determine the transmission beam of the UE. In operation 907, operations according to various embodiments described below may be performed.

[0175] Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC)

[0176] Wireless sensing is a technology that uses radio frequencies to determine the instantaneous linear velocity, angle, distance (range), etc. of an object, thereby obtaining information about the characteristics of the environment and / or objects within the environment. Because radio frequency sensing does not require a networked device to connect to the object, it can provide a service for object positioning without a device. The ability to obtain range, velocity, and angle information from radio frequency signals can enable a wide range of new capabilities, such as various object detection, object recognition (e.g., vehicles, humans, animals, UAVs), and high-precision localization, tracking, and activity recognition. Wireless sensing services can provide information to a variety of industries (e.g., drones, smart homes, V2X, factories, railways, public safety, etc.), enabling applications such as intruder detection, assisted vehicle steering and navigation, trajectory tracking, collision avoidance, traffic management, and health and traffic management. In some cases, wireless sensing can utilize non-3GPP type sensors (e.g., radar, cameras) to further support 3GPP-based sensing. For example, the operation of wireless sensing services, i.e., sensing operations, may depend on the transmission, reflection, and scattering of wireless sensing signals. Therefore, wireless sensing offers an opportunity to enhance existing communication systems from a communication network to a wireless communication and sensing network.

[0177] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sensing operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 10 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 10(a) illustrates an example of sensing using a sensing receiver and a sensing transmitter located at the same location (e.g., monostatic sensing), and FIG. 10(b) illustrates an example of sensing using a separated sensing receiver and sensing transmitter (e.g., bistatic sensing).

[0178] For example, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, referring to FIG. 10(a), the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver may be configured to be included in a single base station (i.e., the same base station) or a single terminal (i.e., the same terminal). Alternatively, referring to FIG. 10(b), the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver may be configured to be included in different base stations, different terminals, or each terminal and base station.

[0179] In this regard, the following six types of sensing modes can be defined based on whether the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are included in the base station or the terminal, respectively.

[0180] - Mode 1: A mode in which the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are contained in a single base station (e.g., base station-based sensing mode in monostatic mode).

[0181] - Second mode: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in a first base station and the sensing receiver is included in a second base station different from the first base station (e.g., base station-based sensing mode in bistatic mode).

[0182] - Mode 3: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in the base station and the sensing receiver is included in the terminal (e.g., base station-terminal sensing mode).

[0183] - Mode 4: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in the terminal and the sensing receiver is included in the base station (e.g., terminal-base station sensing mode).

[0184] - Mode 5: A mode in which the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are contained in a single terminal (e.g., terminal-based sensing mode in monostatic mode).

[0185] - 6th mode: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in a first terminal and the sensing receiver is included in a second terminal different from the first terminal (e.g., terminal-based sensing mode in bistatic mode).

[0186] In a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, one or more of the six types of sensing modes described above may be utilized independently / in combination.

[0187] In relation to the sensing operation in FIG. 10, the sensing transmitter may transmit a sensing signal for sensing one or more objects (and / or an environment around the objects). For example, the sensing signal may correspond to a radio (frequency) signal defined to be transmittable by a base station / terminal in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification. The sensing receiver may receive a signal scattered / reflected by one or more objects (and / or an environment around the objects) from a sensing signal transmitted from the sensing transmitter. In the sensing receiver, sensing data may be derived from the scattered / reflected signals, and sensing results may be generated / obtained through processing of the sensing data. Here, the sensing results may include characteristic information (e.g., location, distance, speed, angle, etc.) about one or more objects (and / or the environment around the objects). The sensing results generated / obtained in this way may be utilized for wireless sensing services (e.g., detection, tracking, etc. of objects and / or environments) provided in the wireless communication system based on the 6G network of the present specification, or may be provided / disclosed to a trusted third party.

[0188] Additionally, the sensing operation in FIG. 10 is described as a representative example of the operation in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network, but can be extended and applied to cases where terminals / base stations / signals based on networks of previous generations (e.g., 4G, 5G, etc.) are utilized.

[0189] Additionally, with respect to the wireless sensing described herein, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, time / frequency resources for sensing operations and time / frequency resources for general communications (e.g., UL / DL / sidelink-based communications, etc.) may be scheduled / configured separately.

[0190] FIG. 11 illustrates time / frequency resources for sensing operations according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 11 may be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0191] Referring to FIG. 11, time / frequency resources (hereinafter, sensing resources) for the aforementioned sensing operation (e.g., sensing operation based on FIG. 10) can be set / allocated separately from time / frequency resources (hereinafter, communication resources) for general communication.

[0192] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, sensing resources can be set / allocated in units of symbols in the time domain and / or resource blocks in the frequency domain. Resources other than those for which the sensing resources are set / allocated can be utilized as resources for general communication. That is, sensing resources and communication resources can be set / allocated based on a time-division multiplexing (TDM) scheme and / or a frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) scheme in terms of the operation of the base station / terminal. Additionally or alternatively, unlike what is illustrated in FIG. 10, sensing resources can also be set / allocated based on other units in the time domain (e.g., slots, frames, absolute time (ms, us), etc.) and / or other units in the frequency domain (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, absolute frequencies (MHz, GHz), etc.).

[0193] Additionally or alternatively, in connection with the setting / allocation / scheduling of resources for general communication as described herein, the relationship between the resources and the aforementioned sensing resources may need to be considered. For example, when setting / allocating resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, the resources may be set / allocated to rate-match or puncture the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource. For example, when scheduling resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, the resources may be scheduled so as not to overlap with the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource. If the resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure and the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource are set / allocated / scheduled to overlap, one or both operations may be dropped, skipped, or postponed based on priorities, predefined rules, etc. That is, in the embodiment(s) of the present specification, it may be desirable that resources related to general communication (e.g., resources for signals / channels related to UL / DL / Sidelink-based data / control, etc.) are set / allocated / scheduled so as not to overlap with the sensing resources described above.

[0194] Additionally, various channel modeling methods may be applied in connection with the wireless sensing described herein. Channel modeling related to sensing may refer to configuring a path for transmitting and receiving sensing signals and / or scattered / reflected signals, taking into account the object being sensed and / or the environment in which the object resides. Channel modeling may be related to the performance / requirements of sensing in wireless communication systems, and thus may be an important factor in validating the sensing function.

[0195] Channels related to sensing can be divided into channels between objects (e.g., targets of interest) and sensing transmitters / receivers, and channels between the environment to which the object belongs and sensing transmitters / receivers. In this regard, channel modeling related to sensing can be divided based on sensing mode (e.g., the six types of modes described above), whether there is an object / environment, and / or sensing scenarios. For example, channel modeling for a target in a base station / terminal-based monostatic sensing mode, channel modeling for a target in a base station / terminal-based bistatic sensing mode, channel modeling for the environment in a base station / terminal-based monostatic sensing mode, and channel modeling for the environment in a base station / terminal-based bistatic sensing mode can be configured and optimized differently. For example, when various sensing scenarios are classified, channel modeling for detection, location, and tracking scenarios, channel modeling for motion recognition, and channel modeling for imaging / environment reconstruction scenarios can be divided, etc. Additionally, channel modeling related to sensing may be based on statistical channel modeling techniques and / or deterministic channel modeling techniques. For example, modeling for sensing in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present disclosure may be based on stochastic geometric channel modeling techniques and / or hybrid with ray tracing channel modeling techniques. Here, the stochastic geometric channel model may be based on various statistical characteristics of the channel state. Furthermore, the hybrid channel model may be based on both ray tracing techniques and stochastic techniques.In a hybrid approach, channels for objects requiring high accuracy and consistency (e.g., targets of interest) can be modeled using ray tracing techniques, while channels for the environment can be modeled using probabilistic techniques.

[0196] FIG. 12 illustrates a procedure related to a sensing operation according to one embodiment. The embodiment of FIG. 12 may be combined with various embodiments.

[0197] For example, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, in the case of a sensing operation in which a terminal participates, the base station may need to confirm (1205) the capability of the terminal for the sensing operation. In this regard, the terminal may be configured to report capability information on whether it supports the sensing operation to the base station. Additionally or alternatively, if the terminal is defined in advance in the standard as supporting the sensing operation, the procedure may be omitted. In addition, in the case of a sensing operation in which only the base station participates, the base station may be configured to report capability information on whether it supports the sensing operation to an entity that configures / controls its sensing operation (e.g., a network entity at an upper level / layer of the base station).

[0198] For example, the base station can perform signaling with the terminal to exchange configuration information related to the sensing operation. For example, the base station can set / instruct the terminal about the mode of the sensing operation (e.g., based on the six types of modes described above), the subject of the sensing operation (e.g., sensing transmitter, sensing receiver), the resource of the sensing operation (e.g., sensing resource as in FIG. 11), the target of utilizing the sensing result (e.g., type of wireless sensing service based on 6G network, trusted third party), channel modeling for sensing (e.g., channel between the base station / terminal and object / environment), etc. (1210). For example, the base station can also set / instruct such information from a network entity at an upper level / layer of the base station.

[0199] For example, the base station and / or the terminal may perform a sensing operation based on the set / instructed information (1215). For example, the base station and / or the terminal may, as a sensing transmitter and / or a sensing receiver, perform procedures such as transmitting a sensing signal, receiving a scattered / reflected signal, deriving sensing data, obtaining a sensing result through processing the sensing data, and providing the sensing result, as in FIG. 9 described above. As an example, in the operation of the base station / terminal described herein, the sensing result provided through the sensing operation may be utilized.

[0200] artificial intelligence

[0201] Incorporating AI into communications can streamline and improve real-time data transmission. AI can use numerous analytics to determine how complex target tasks should be performed. This means AI can increase efficiency and reduce processing delays. Time-consuming tasks such as handovers, network selection, and resource scheduling can be performed instantly using AI. AI can also play a crucial role in machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-to-human, and human-to-machine communications. Furthermore, AI can facilitate rapid communication in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). AI-based communication systems can be supported by metamaterials, intelligent structures, intelligent networks, intelligent devices, intelligent cognitive radios, self-sustaining wireless networks, and machine learning.

[0202] The following describes a functional framework for AI / ML operations.

[0203] Below, to explain AI (or AI / ML) more specifically, the terms can be defined as follows.

[0204] - Data collection: Data collected from network nodes, management entities, or terminals as a basis for AI model training, data analysis, and inference.

[0205] - AI Model: A data-driven algorithm that applies AI technology to generate a set of outputs containing predictive information and / or decision parameters based on a set of inputs.

[0206] - AI / ML Training: An online or offline process of training an AI model by learning features and patterns that best represent the data and obtain a trained AI / ML model for inference.

[0207] - AI / ML Inference: The process of making predictions or inducing decisions based on collected data and the AI ​​model using a trained AI model.

[0208] Life Cycle Management (LCM) procedures for AI / ML models (i.e., model training, model deployment, model inference, model monitoring, model updates, etc.) can be divided into functionality-based LCM and model-based LCM. In functionality-based LCM, AI / ML models may not be identified by the network, and the network can direct the activation / deactivation / fallback / switching of AI / ML functionality. In model-ID (identifier)-based LCM, AI / ML models can be identified by the network, and the network / terminal can activate / deactivate / select / switch AI / ML models based on the model ID.

[0209] Figure 13 illustrates a general functional architecture for an AI / ML model.

[0210] In particular, Figure 13 illustrates a general functional architecture relevant to both Functionality-based LCM and Model-based LCM. Some of the functions or some of the data / information / command flows (i.e., arrows) illustrated in Figure 13 may be omitted.

[0211] Referring to FIG. 13, a general functional framework can be configured to include a data collection function (10), a model training function (20), a management function (30), an inference function (40), and a model storage function (50).

[0212] The Data Collection function (10) is a function that provides input data to the Model Training function (20), Management function (30), and Inference function (40). The Data Collection function (10) can perform data preparation based on raw data and provide input data processed through data preparation. Examples of raw data may include received data / measurement data from terminals or other network entities, inference / output of AI / ML models, etc. The Data Collection function (10) may be performed by a single entity (e.g., a terminal, a network node, etc.) or may be performed by multiple entities.

[0213] Here, training data (11) refers to data required as input for the AI / ML Model Training function (20). Monitoring data (12) refers to data required as input for the Management (30) of the AI / ML model or AI / ML function. Inference data (13) refers to data required as input for the AI / ML Inference function (30).

[0214] The Model Training function (20) is a function that performs AI / ML model training, validation, and testing, which can generate model performance metrics that can be used as part of the AI / ML model testing procedure. The Model Training function (20) can perform data preparation (e.g., data pre-processing and cleaning, forming, and transformation) based on the Training Data (11) transferred from the Data Collection function (10), if necessary.

[0215] Trained / Updated Model (21): If there is a Model Storage function (50), it is used to pass a trained, validated and tested AI / ML model to the Model Storage function (50) or to pass an updated version of the model to the Model Storage function (50).

[0216] The Management function (30) is a function that supervises the operation of the AI / ML model or AI / ML function. In addition, the Management function (30) may perform decisions to ensure appropriate inference operations based on data received from the Data Collection function (10) (i.e., Monitoring Data (12)) and / or data received from the Inference function (40) (i.e., Inference Output (41)).

[0217] Management Instruction (32) is information required as input to manage the Inference function (40). The relevant information may include selection / (de)activation / switching of an AI / ML model or AI / ML-based function, and may also include fallback to non-AI / ML operations (i.e., not relying on the inference process).

[0218] A Model Transfer / Delivery Request (33) can be used to request model(s) from Model Storage (50).

[0219] A Performance Feedback / Retraining Request (31) refers to information required as input to the Model Training function (20) (e.g., for the purpose of (re)training or updating the model).

[0220] The Inference function (40) is a function that provides output from the process of applying an AI / ML model or AI / ML function using data (i.e., Inference Data (13)) provided by Data Collection (10) as input. Data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, formatting, and transformation) may also be performed based on the Inference Data (13) delivered by Data Collection (10). If necessary, the Inference function (40) may also perform data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, forming, and transformation) based on the Inference Data (13) provided by Data Collection function (10).

[0221] Inference Output (41) is data used in the Management function (30) to monitor the performance of an AI / ML model or AI / ML function. Inference Output (41) may include the inference output of the AI / ML model generated by the Inference function (30), and the details of the inference output may vary depending on the use case.

[0222] The Model Storage function (50) stores a learned / updated model that can be used to perform the Inference function (40). The Model Storage function (50) illustrated in FIG. 5 can be used as a reference point (if any) when applicable to protocol termination, model transmission / delivery, and related processes. Furthermore, the Model Storage function (50) is merely an example and is not intended to limit the storage location of actual AI / ML models, and may be omitted.

[0223] Model Transfer / Delivery (51) is used to transfer AI / ML models to inference functions.

[0224] The level of cooperation can be defined as follows depending on the capability of AI / ML functions between multiple nodes, and variations due to combination of multiple levels or separation of any one level are also possible.

[0225] Cat 0a) No collaboration framework: AI / ML algorithms are purely implementation-based and do not require any changes to the wireless interface.

[0226] Cat 0b) This level corresponds to a framework with a modified wireless interface tailored to efficient implementation-based AI / ML algorithms, but without collaboration.

[0227] Category 1) involves inter-node support to improve the AI / ML algorithms of each node. For example, this applies when a specific node receives support from another node (for training, adaptation, etc.) and vice versa. At this level, model exchange between network nodes is not required.

[0228] Category 2) Joint AI / ML tasks can be performed across multiple nodes. This level requires the exchange of AI / ML model commands or network nodes.

[0229] AI / ML models can be divided into one-side models and two-side models depending on whether training and / or inference are performed on a single node or jointly / sequentially on multiple nodes.

[0230] A one-side model can refer to an AI / ML model in which inference is performed entirely by a single node (e.g., a terminal or network). Here, AI / ML model training can also be performed entirely by a single node. AI / ML model training and inference can be performed by the same node, or they can be performed by separate nodes.

[0231] A two-side model can refer to an AI / ML model in which joint inference is performed across multiple nodes (e.g., terminals and networks). Joint inference refers to inference being performed jointly across multiple nodes. For example, the first part of the inference may be performed by a first node, and the remaining part by a second node. Two-side models can be categorized into several types depending on the training method of the AI / ML model, as follows:

[0232] - First type: AI / ML models can be trained on a single node. In this case, joint training can be performed. The trained model can then be distributed to other nodes / objects.

[0233] - Second type: Joint training of AI / ML models can be performed on multiple nodes / entities (e.g., networks and terminals). Joint training can mean that model generation (e.g., CSI generation part) and model reconstruction (CSI compression by sub-use case) are trained in the same loop for forward activation and backward gradient. In this type, joint training can include both simultaneous training (i.e., model generation training and model reconstruction training are performed simultaneously) and sequential training (i.e., model reconstruction training is performed after model generation training).

[0234] - Third type: Separate training of AI / ML models can be performed on multiple nodes (e.g., networks and terminals). Separate training may mean that training begins sequentially on one node and continues on other nodes. In this case, the first node first performs the AI / ML model and shares the training data with the second node. The second node can then use the shared training data to perform the AI / ML model. For example, training for the CSI generation part may be performed by the terminal, while CSI reconstruction may be performed by the network.

[0235] Figure 14 illustrates a communication procedure between a first node (e.g., terminal) and a second node (e.g., base station) to which an AI / ML model is applied.

[0236] The operations described below can be described / interpreted based on the AI / ML model proposed in this specification, as shown in Figure 14 below, even without separate mention (i.e., without explicit mention of being by / based on / for the AI / ML model). In addition, unless specifically limited, the AI / ML model can correspond to a one-side model in which inference is entirely performed by a single node, or a two-side model in which joint inference is performed by multiple nodes.

[0237] First signaling (601): In the description below, the signaling (e.g., information / data / channel / signal, etc.) or set of signaling between a specific node (e.g., terminal, network, etc.) and another node may be interpreted as the signaling or set of signaling of the first signaling (601) used to perform an operation based on an AI / ML model, even if not otherwise mentioned. For example, it may correspond to training data for training (i.e., generation and / or reconstruction) the AI / ML model of FIG. 13, or correspond to inference data used for inference of the AI / ML model, or correspond to feedback for the AI / ML model, etc. If signaling between nodes is not required prior to an operation based on an AI / ML model in the present specification, the first signaling (601) may be omitted. If a one-side model is used in the present specification, the one-way / two-way signaling (set) in the present specification may correspond to the signaling of the first signaling (601). In addition, when a two-side model is used in this specification, the one-way / two-way signaling in this specification may correspond to the first signaling (601), and also, a repetitive signaling operation may correspond to the first signaling (601).

[0238] For example, in AI / ML model-based beam management (BM), if a base station predicts (i.e., infers) beam(s) with good quality based on an AI / ML model, the base station can receive quality / intensity information for multiple beams from a terminal. Furthermore, if a terminal predicts (i.e., infers) beam(s) with good quality based on an AI / ML model, the terminal can receive multiple beams from the base station.

[0239] AI / ML model-based operation (602): In the description below, an operation (e.g., calculation, selection, prediction, etc.) in a specific node (e.g., terminal, network, etc.) or a joint operation (e.g., calculation, selection, prediction, etc.) in multiple nodes (e.g., terminal, network, etc.) may correspond to an AI / ML model-based operation (602) based on one or more functions in the functional framework of the 17I / ML model, even if not mentioned separately. For example, it may correspond to training (i.e., generation and / or reconstruction) of the AI / ML model of FIG. 13 or inference of the AI / ML model, etc. When a one-side model is used, an operation performed by a single node in the present specification may correspond to an AI / ML model-based operation (602), and also, when a two-side model is used, a joint operation performed by multiple nodes in the present specification may correspond to an AI / ML model-based operation (602).

[0240] For example, in an AI / ML model-based BM, the base station can use quality / intensity information for multiple beams received from the terminal as inference data to predict (i.e., infer) beam(s) with good quality based on the AI / ML model. Furthermore, the terminal can measure multiple beams received from the base station and use the measurement results as inference data to predict (i.e., infer) beam(s) with good quality based on the AI / ML model.

[0241] Second signaling (603): In the description below, signaling (e.g., information / data / channel / signal, etc.) or a set of signaling between a specific node (e.g., terminal, network, etc.) and another node may be interpreted as a second signaling (603) or a set of signaling generated due to (as a result of) an operation based on an AI / ML model, even if not otherwise mentioned. For example, it may correspond to an output resulting from inference of the AI / ML model in FIG. 13. If signaling between nodes is not required as a result of an operation based on an AI / ML model in this specification, the second signaling (603) may be omitted. If a one-side model is used in this specification, a one-way / two-way signaling (set) in this specification may correspond to the second signaling (603). In addition, when a two-side model is used in this specification, the one-way / two-way signaling in this specification may correspond to the second signaling (603), and also, a repetitive signaling operation may correspond to the second signaling (603).

[0242] For example, in an AI / ML model-based BM, the base station can transmit to the terminal the beam(s) predicted based on the AI / ML model as candidates so that the terminal can determine the optimal beam. Furthermore, the terminal can report to the base station the beam(s) predicted based on the AI / ML model to request the base station to transmit the candidate beams as candidates for determining the optimal beam.

[0243] CP (Cyclic Prefix)

[0244] A cyclic prefix (CP) may be a portion of the end of a symbol copied and prepended to the beginning of a symbol in an OFDM wireless system. Receivers can typically be configured to remove this portion of the cyclic prefix. CP can be used to mitigate the effects of multipath propagation.

[0245] In multipath signal transmission, the wireless channel between the base station (BS) and the terminal (UE) can experience delay spread in the time domain. This occurs when the transmitted signal reaches the receiver through different distances. The delay spread of the received signal pulse due to multipath can be defined as the difference between the transmission delay time of the longest path and the transmission delay time of the shortest path. This delay time is not absolutely correlated with the cell radius and can vary depending on the environment. This multipath delay spread can cause the following problems.

[0246] - Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI): Can have a serious impact on the quality of digital signal transmission.

[0247] - Inter-Carrier Interference (ICI): In an OFDM system, orthogonality between subcarriers is damaged, which can affect demodulation at the receiving end.

[0248] To address this issue, CP can be applied to OFDM symbols. For example, by copying the end of each OFDM symbol and prepending it, the receiver can ensure that a complete integer number of waveform periods are included within an FFT period. This maintains orthogonality between subcarriers. Configuring CP by copying and prepending the end of the transmit payload can create a circular convolution between the transmit signal and the channel response. This allows the receiver to perform a simple frequency-domain multiplication to extract energy from all delayed components. If this circular convolution is not performed, ICI can occur at the receiver.

[0249] In 5G NR, CP is similar to LTE, and the same overhead can be maintained. CP can ensure symbol alignment between different subcarrier spacings (SCS) based on the reference subcarrier spacing (15 kHz). For example, when μ = 15 kHz, one slot can contain approximately 7 symbols, including the CP, within approximately 0.5 milliseconds. On the other hand, when μ = 30 kHz, approximately 14 symbols, including the CP, can exist within the same 0.5 milliseconds. Thus, the length of the CP can be adjusted depending on the subcarrier spacing (fsc).

[0250] Specifically, a brief look at the CP length setting in the existing NR standard is as shown in mathematical equation 1.

[0251] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0252]

[0253] In Equation 1, μ represents the numerology (or SCS), l is the OFDM symbol index, and the first OFDM symbol is l=0. κ is defined as Ts / Tc, where Ts is a constant defined as 1 / reference SCS*reference FFT size, and Tc is a constant defined as 1 / (maximum) SCS 480 kHz*4096 FFT size of NR, so as a result, κ has a fixed value as the constant 64. Meanwhile, the actual length (second) of the CP in the time domain is calculated by multiplying Equation 1 by Tc. For example, the time length of the normal CP of the second symbol for μ = 0 can be calculated as 144κ*Tc= 144 Ts. 144Ts can correspond to 144 (reference) samples.

[0254] Referring to Mathematical Expression 1, in the case of Normal CP in the current NR system, within a certain transmission time interval (e.g., slot), which is a unit in which the same numerology (subcarrier spacing, SCS) is set, the CP lengths for all symbols except the first symbol are set to be the same. Specifically, in the case of Normal CP, only the first OFDM symbol is set to have a CP length that is longer by +16 samples.

[0255] Meanwhile, the 16 samples corresponding to 16k added to the first symbol of the normal CP cannot be divided and distributed to other symbols and must be set to only one OFDM symbol. This is because the 16 samples cannot be divided and distributed to other symbols in order to follow the constraint that the CP length must be set to a multiple of 16. The reason why the CP length must be set to a multiple of 16 is to support 20MHz (100RB, 2048-FFT), 10MHz (50RB, 1024-FFT), 5MHz (25RB, 512-FFT), 2.5MHz (12RB, 256-FFT) and a minimum bandwidth of 1.25MHz (6RB, 128-FFT) with 15KHz SCS. Similarly, one of the reasons why the CP length is determined to be 144 or 512 is because it is a multiple of 16.

[0256] Therefore, after the samples for CP are first distributed evenly to the OFDM symbols within the slot, the remaining 16 samples cannot be distributed and are allocated exclusively to only one OFDM symbol (the first OFDM symbol).

[0257] OFDM with Cyclic Prefix and guard period

[0258] Wireless communication systems based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) include a cyclic prefix at the beginning of OFDM symbols as a way to cope with delay spread due to multipath. Specifically, in the LTE / LTE-Advanced system, OFDM-based resource elements having the same subcarrier spacing and symbol duration are configured, and the cyclic prefix length is set by the base station, etc. according to the cell size and the resulting delay spread characteristics. Then, the terminal detects the cyclic prefix (CP) length configured in the corresponding cell by receiving a synchronization signal and matching the time / frequency to the cell.

[0259] The 3GPP NR system supports a flexible frame structure compared to LTE / LTE-Advanced to meet the needs of various usage scenarios such as eMBB (enhancement Mobile BroadBand), mMTC (massive Machine Type Communication), and URLLC (Ultra Reliable and Low Latency Communications). Specifically, it supports multiple numerologies within a cell, and supports different numbers of slots within a subframe and different cyclic prefix lengths (hereinafter, CP lengths) per OFDM symbol depending on each numerology.

[0260] As previously mentioned, 6th generation mobile communication systems require approximately 10x performance improvements over 5G in all key performance indicators (KPIs), including data transmission speed, spectral efficiency, latency, and available user density. However, the 6G KPIs that can be achieved simply by increasing bandwidth are limited. To overcome these technological barriers, Beyond 5G or 6G mobile communication systems are considering a paradigm shift from the existing cell-based system paradigm, where a single base station controls all users, to a cell-free system, where multiple base stations collaborate to provide user services.

[0261] Cell-free systems provide communication services using distributed antennas, making them robust against large-scale fading, such as shadowing fading. Furthermore, the use of large-scale multiple antennas provides high spatial multiplexing gains, and high energy efficiency is achieved through energy concentration. Furthermore, because network multiple antenna systems, in which all base stations cooperate to provide services to all users without forming cells, enable the provision of uniform communication services (UoS) without outage areas. However, this system can suffer from the problem of increased delay spread between identical signals transmitted from different base stations. To address this, either a cyclic prefix length greater than that supported by existing systems or a new type of time interval may be required.

[0262] Considering these characteristics and problems, the following proposes a method for setting an empty guard period and CP length within a certain transmission time interval for generating an ODFM signal during transmission and reception between a base station and a terminal, and a signaling and reporting method therefor.

[0263] The proposed methods described below may be applied through a combination of at least one method. Each proposed method may be applied / operated independently without separate combinations, or at least one method may be applied / operated in combination / linkage with another. Meanwhile, some of the terms / symbols / orders described below may be replaced with other terms / symbols / orders as long as the meaning of the invention is maintained.

[0264] 1. Method 1

[0265] Method 1 is about setting an empty guard interval and CP length for transmitting OFDM symbol(s) within a certain transmission time interval.

[0266] In method 1, for setting the empty guard interval and CP length within the above-mentioned scheduled transmission time interval, L within the above-mentioned scheduled transmission time interval cp L with CP applied with duration symb OFDM symbol of duration N symb A dog may be allocated, and an empty guard interval may be allocated for the remaining length or time interval. For example, the above-mentioned transmission time interval may be L cp L with CP applied with duration symb The OFDM symbol of duration is N symb A dog is allocated / set, and an empty guard interval can be allocated / set for the remaining time intervals. At this time, the CP duration (L cp) can be applied to each OFDM symbol with the same value. For example, unlike the existing scenario where a longer CP is applied to the first OFDM symbol than to the remaining OFDM symbols, the proposed invention allows a CP of the same length to be applied to all OFDM symbols. This may have the advantage of reducing the implementation complexity of the terminal.

[0267] Alternatively, the positions at which the empty guard interval is allocated within a given transmission time interval may be different, and the allocation positions may be shared between the base station and the terminal. If the given transmission time interval becomes a scheduling unit interval, and the empty guard interval is located in the middle, it may disrupt the continuity of signal transmission and reception. To prevent this, the empty guard interval may be allocated / set at the beginning and / or the end within the given transmission time interval. For example, empty guard intervals may be allocated at various positions within the given transmission time interval and shared between the base station and the terminal, but if the given transmission time interval becomes a scheduling unit interval, the empty guard interval may be set from the beginning of the given transmission time interval, or may be set / allocated at the end of the empty guard interval.

[0268] Alternatively, the CP duration applied to an OFDM symbol within a given transmission time interval may vary for each configured subcarrier spacing (SCS). For example, the CP duration or CP length applied to an OFDM symbol within a given transmission time interval may vary depending on the configured SCS with respect to the given transmission time interval. Alternatively, the CP duration may vary for each OFDM symbol within a given transmission time interval.

[0269] In the proposed method, the allocated empty guard intervals can be allocated to all supported SCSs at the same position and / or with the same length within a given transmission time interval. This is advantageous in that when a receiver receives signals with different numerologies, the FFT windows (Fast Fourier Transform windows) can be aligned, thereby reducing inter-numerology interference. For example, when the empty guard intervals are allocated to all SCSs at the same position and / or with the same length within a given transmission time interval, even when signals with different numerologies, such as SCSs, are received, the FFT windows between the two signals can be aligned, thereby minimizing interference due to different numerologies.

[0270] Meanwhile, the proposed empty guard interval allocation method may be a concept distinct from the guard time / interval (or gap symbol) supported to prevent DL-UL overlap due to propagation delay between the base station and the terminal when switching from the DL transmission interval to the UL transmission interval of the existing NR TDD system. For example, the guard time / interval is configured to be set in units of symbols, whereas the proposed empty guard interval is configured to be set in units of FFT samples, so the guard time / interval and the empty guard interval may be distinct configurations / concepts. In particular, the empty guard interval may have a greater advantage in that it can be allocated with a higher resolution than the guard time / interval because it is set in units of more precise FFT samples.

[0271] For example, as a specific example of the proposed method, 400*2 for 6 OFDM symbols within a 0.5 ms transmission time interval for a signal with SCS of 15 kHz 0 T s Apply CP with duration of , and the remaining 672T s A method of applying an empty guard interval to a time interval can be considered. For example, for a signal with an SCS of 15 kHz, 0.5 ms (approximately 15,360 T s ) 400*2 within the transmission time interval 0 T s When 6 OFDM symbols with CP having a duration of 2048T are allocated / set, the length of each OFDM symbol is 2048T. s Therefore, the length of the OFDM symbol with CP applied is 2448T. s (=2048T s +400T s ) and the length of 6 OFDM symbols with allocated / set CP applied within 0.5ms transmission time interval is 14,688T. s (=2448Ts*6). In this case, the length of the remaining section where OFDM symbols with CP applied are not allocated / set in the above 0.5ms transmission time interval is 672T. s (=15,360T s -14,688T s ) and 672T s The remaining time interval can be defined / set as an empty guard interval.

[0272] Or, for a signal with SCS of 15 kHz, 288*2 for 13 OFDM symbols within a 1 ms transmission time interval. 0 T s Apply CP with duration of , and the remaining 352T s A method of applying an empty guard interval to a time interval can be considered. For example, 288*2 0 T sThe length of 13 OFDM symbols with CP applied is 30,368Ts (=(2048T s +288T s )*13), and 1ms is approximately 30,720Ts, so the time interval set / allocated as an empty guard interval within a 1ms transmission time interval is 352T. s (=30,720Ts - 30,368Ts) can be achieved.

[0273] For example, the length of the empty guard interval can be determined within a given transmission time interval based on the CP length and / or the number of OFDM symbols set / allocated within a given transmission time interval.

[0274] For example, when the proposed method is applied, the base station can set / instruct the terminal to select one CP length from among at least one CP length candidate for a given transmission time interval. The base station can define the remaining time interval excluding the OFDM symbol duration and CP duration within the given transmission time interval as an empty guard interval in which no signal is transmitted or no signal reception from the terminal is expected. For example, the base station can define / configure the remaining time interval excluding the duration of OFDM symbols and CP duration allocated / configured within the given transmission time interval as an empty guard interval in which no signal transmission or reception is expected. The empty guard interval can be allocated at the very beginning or the very end of the given transmission time interval. The position at which the empty guard interval is defined / allocated in the given transmission time interval can be defined in advance. Alternatively, the base station can directly / indirectly set / instruct the terminal to select the starting position of an uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within the given transmission time interval. For example, the base station can indirectly inform the terminal of the location allocated to the empty guard interval by setting / instructing the terminal of the starting location of the uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within the predetermined transmission time interval.

[0275] Alternatively, when the above proposed method is applied, the terminal can set / receive an instruction for a CP length of at least one CP length candidate from the base station for a certain transmission time interval. In this case, the terminal can treat the remaining time interval excluding the OFDM symbol duration and CP duration within the corresponding transmission time interval as an empty guard interval in which no signal is transmitted or received. The empty guard interval can be allocated at the very beginning or the very end of the certain transmission time interval, and the setting / instruction for this can be predefined or can be directly / indirectly set / instructed by the base station to set / receive the starting position of the uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within the certain transmission time interval. For example, the terminal can indirectly identify / specify the position to which the empty guard interval is allocated within the certain transmission time interval through the starting position of the uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within the certain transmission time interval indicated by the base station.

[0276] Alternatively, when the above proposed method is applied, the downlink frame and uplink frame defined as a certain time interval (e.g., 10 ms or the first time interval) for transmission and reception between the base station and the terminal may be composed of the proposed empty guard interval, OFDM symbols, and / or CP.

[0277] At this time, the base station may set / instruct the terminal to perform a timing advance operation for the uplink in order to adjust the time difference between the downlink frame and the uplink frame caused by the propagation delay during transmission and reception between the terminals. In this case, the terminal may, in the timing advance operation, preferentially apply the timing advance operation to the empty guard interval if there is an empty guard interval within the uplink frame.

[0278] Alternatively, when the proposed method is applied, there is no need to precisely align the sum of the OFDM symbol duration and the CP length transmitted within a specific transmission time interval to the specific transmission time interval. Therefore, the proposed method may have an advantage in terms of flexibility in setting the CP length. In addition, since the CP length of the downlink signal and the CP length of the uplink signal can be set independently of each other, the CP length of the uplink signal can be set longer than the CP length of the downlink signal. In this case, the uplink signal can be allocated so as to be robust against the latency caused by the application of the TA command, and at the same time, there is an advantage in that efficient resource allocation is possible for the downlink signal.

[0279] 2. Method 2

[0280] Method 2 may be a method of applying an empty guard interval to the end / beginning of a certain DL / UL transmission time interval in a TDD environment.

[0281] In the proposed TDD environment, a method of setting an empty guard interval within a certain time interval may be considered, wherein the empty guard interval is set at the end of a certain downlink transmission time interval and / or at the beginning of a certain uplink transmission time interval. In this case, there may be an advantage in that the empty guard interval can be utilized as a substitute for all or part of the time gap required when switching from a downlink transmission time interval to an uplink transmission time interval. For example, the empty guard interval may be used / applied as a time gap required when switching from a downlink transmission time interval to an uplink transmission time interval. The setting of the empty guard interval may be set by the base station indicating to the terminal the position of the first downlink / uplink OFDM symbol within a certain transmission time interval. For example, within a predetermined transmission time interval set / defined from the beginning of a downlink transmission time interval to the end of an uplink transmission time interval, the position of the first downlink OFDM symbol is automatically set to the beginning of the predetermined transmission time interval, and a method may be considered in which the base station sets / instructs only the first uplink OFDM symbol to the terminal. For example, within a predetermined transmission time interval, the position of the first downlink OFDM symbol corresponds to the position of the predetermined transmission time interval, but the position of the first uplink OFDM symbol may be set / instructed by the base station.

[0282] Alternatively, a method may be considered in which an empty guard interval is set at the end of a given uplink transmission time interval and / or at the beginning of a given downlink transmission time interval by setting an empty guard interval within a given time interval.

[0283] Alternatively, a method of setting an empty guard interval within a certain time interval may be considered, in which the empty guard interval is set at the end of a certain downlink transmission time interval and / or at the beginning of a certain full-duplex (FD) interval. In this case, for a terminal that supports simultaneous transmission and reception in a certain slot interval, the empty guard interval may advantageously be utilized as a replacement for all or part of the time gap required for switching from a downlink transmission time interval to a simultaneous transmission and reception interval.

[0284] At this time, the proposed scheduled downlink / uplink transmission time interval can be set to the entirety of the consecutive DL / UL slot(s) interval set by the RRC configuration and / or the dynamic slot format indication. In this case, the time resource saving benefit can be maximized in that the guard time (gap symbol) can be replaced with an empty guard interval. Alternatively, the proposed scheduled downlink / uplink transmission time interval can be set to a part of the consecutive DL / UL slot(s) interval set by the RRC configuration and / or the dynamic slot format indication. In this case, the base station can share information about the scheduled downlink / uplink transmission time interval (or, the scheduled transmission slot time interval) between the base station and the terminal by indicating the maximum number of slots or the number of divided intervals to the terminal. By establishing a proposed constant downlink / uplink transmission time interval as part of a contiguous DL / UL slot(s) interval established by RRC configuration and / or dynamic slot format indication, a constant empty guard interval can be established, which may have the advantage of enabling alignment between different numerologies.

[0285] For example, for a continuous DL interval consisting of the number of continuous DL slots and the number of continuous DL symbols indicated by the 'first UE-common TDD configuration parameter' and / or the 'first UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameter', a CP of a specific duration (indicated by the base station) may be applied to each symbol for symbols within the interval, and a portion corresponding to the remaining time duration at the end of the interval may be set as an empty guard interval. For example, a DL interval consisting of continuous DL slots and continuous DL symbols TDDed by the 'first UE-common TDD configuration parameter' and / or the 'first UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameter' may be set. In this case, the UE may apply a specific CP indicated / set by the base station to each symbol to be allocated / set within the DL interval, allocate / place symbols to which the specific CP is applied from the start time resource of the DL interval, and set the remaining time interval in which symbols to which the specific CP is applied in the DL interval are not allocated / placed as an empty guard interval.

[0286] Alternatively, for a continuous UL interval consisting of the number of continuous UL slots and the number of continuous UL symbols indicated by the 'first UE-common TDD configuration parameter' and / or the 'first UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameter', a CP of a specific duration (indicated from the base station) may be applied to each symbol for the symbols within the interval, and an empty guard interval may be set for the remaining time duration at the beginning of the interval. For example, a UL interval consisting of continuous UL slots and continuous UL symbols TDDed by the 'first UE-common TDD configuration parameter' and / or the 'first UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameter' may be set. In this case, the UE may apply a specific CP indicated / set by the base station to each symbol to be allocated / set within the UL interval, allocate / place symbols to which the specific CP is applied from the last time resource of the UL interval toward the start time resource of the UL interval, and set / determine / define the remaining time interval in which symbols to which the specific CP is applied in the UL interval are not allocated / placed as an empty guard interval. In this case, the empty guard interval may be set / placed at the start part / start time resource side of the UL interval.

[0287] At this time, the two examples proposed above can be combined and applied simultaneously. For example, the DL section and the UL section can be configured by the 'first UE-common TDD configuration parameter' and / or the 'first UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameter', and the empty guard section for the DL section can be configured / specified according to the above-described method, and the empty section for the UL section can be configured / specified.

[0288] And / or, the above proposed method can be considered as a method of applying to a DL / UL continuous section by cell-specific slot configuration and a method of applying to a DL / UL continuous section by cell-specific and UE-specific slot configuration.

[0289] FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are diagrams for explaining a method of setting an empty guard interval in a DL / UL continuous time interval.

[0290] Referring to FIG. 15, according to the proposed method described above, OFDM symbols (FC105 / FC109 in FIG. 15) and empty guard intervals (FC106 / FC107 in FIG. 15) including / applying CP (FC104 / FC108 in FIG. 15) can be allocated in the time domain within a continuous DL interval (FC102 in FIG. 15) and a continuous UL interval (FC103 in FIG. 15) set by cell-specific and / or UE-specific slot configuration for a given slot configuration interval (FC101 in FIG. 15). For example, a continuous DL time interval and a continuous UL time interval can be set within a given time interval by cell-specific and / or UE-specific slot configuration. In this case, a plurality of (consecutive) OFDM symbols and an empty guard interval to which a specific CP (e.g., a CP of a CP length indicated by the base station) is applied may be set / allocated within the above-described continuous DL time interval. In addition, a plurality of (consecutive) OFDM symbols and an empty guard interval to which a specific CP (e.g., a CP of a CP length indicated by the base station) is applied may also be set / allocated within the above-described continuous UL time interval.

[0291] And / or, the above proposed method(s) can be applied in the same manner to flexible slots (e.g., F slots). The flexible slots can be treated as a continuous DL / UL interval containing slot(s) and / or symbol(s) dynamically indicated as DL / UL.

[0292] For example, referring to FIG. 16, the proposed methods can be equally applied to a flexible slot (or F slot). For example, slots within a certain slot setting section (FC201 in FIG. 16) can be configured as 3, 4, and 3 consecutive DL slot sections (FC202 in FIG. 16), F slot sections (FC203 in FIG. 16), and UL slot sections (FC204 in FIG. 16), respectively. When a dynamic indication to set the DL slot format for the 4th slot set as an F slot is received, the UE can include up to the 4th slot for the consecutive DL slot sections, and an empty guard section can be allocated to the last part of the 4th slot, which is the last part of the consecutive DL slot sections. For example, when a DL slot format is indicated / configured for the 4th slot set as an F slot, the slot for which the empty guard section set for the DL slot section is configured can be changed from the 3rd slot to the 4th slot.

[0293] When the above proposed method is applied, the base station can set a continuous DL interval and a continuous UL interval for the UE using cell-specific and / or UE-specific slot interval setting parameters for the UE. In addition, the base station can set a reference SCS and a CP length for determining a boundary of the time domain within the DL-UL interval pattern for the UE. The base station can directly / indirectly set / indicate a start position of an uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within a certain transmission time interval to the UE. In this case, the base station can expect a signal to be transmitted / received from the set / indicated start position of the OFDM symbol determined according to the set / indicated CP length and reference SCS within the DL / UL continuous interval set for the UE. The base station can expect a time interval other than the interval in which an OFDM symbol is expected to be transmitted / received within a certain transmission time interval as an empty guard interval. The base station may expect no signal to be transmitted / received during the empty guard interval within the contiguous DL / UL interval set to cell-specific parameters, and may expect no signal to be transmitted / received to the UE during the empty guard interval within the contiguous DL / UL interval set to UE-specific parameters.

[0294] When the above proposed method is applied, the terminal can be configured with a continuous DL interval and a continuous UL interval using cell-specific and / or UE-specific slot interval configuration parameters from the base station. In addition, the terminal can be configured with a reference SCS and a CP length for determining the boundary of the time domain within the DL-UL interval pattern. The terminal can directly / indirectly configure / indicate the starting position of an uplink / downlink OFDM symbol within a certain transmission time interval from the base station. In this case, the terminal can expect to receive / transmit an OFDM symbol determined according to the configured CP length and reference SCS within the configured DL / UL interval from the configured / indicated starting position. A time interval other than the interval in which the terminal is expected to receive / transmit OFDM symbols within the certain transmission time interval can be expected to be an empty guard interval. The terminal can expect not to receive / transmit any signal during the empty guard interval within the DL / UL interval configured with the cell-specific / UE-specific parameters.

[0295] When the above proposed method is applied, the downlink frame and uplink frame defined as a certain time period (e.g., 10 ms) for transmission and reception between the base station and the terminal can be composed of the above proposed empty guard period, OFDM symbol(s), and CP(s).

[0296] At this time, the base station may set / instruct the terminal to perform a timing advance operation for the uplink in order to adjust the time difference between the downlink frame and the uplink frame caused by the propagation delay during signal transmission and reception with the terminal. At this time, if an empty guard interval exists within the uplink frame during the timing advance operation, the timing advance operation may be applied preferentially to the empty guard interval.

[0297] When the proposed method is applied, the guard timing required for switching from a DL section to an UL section (e.g., a symbol gap for DL-to-UL switching) can be reduced, which may have the advantage of saving time-domain resources. In addition, there may be an advantage in terms of flexibility in setting the CP length, since there is no need to precisely align the sum of the OFDM symbol duration and the CP length transmitted within a specific transmission time interval with respect to the specific transmission time interval. In addition, the CP length of the DL signal and the CP length of the UL signal can be set independently, so that the CP length of the UL signal can be set longer than the CP length of the DL signal. In this case, the UL signal can be allocated robustly from the latency caused by the application of the TA command, while at the same time, there may be the advantage of enabling efficient resource allocation for the DL signal.

[0298] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a method for a UE to determine an empty time interval within a first time interval.

[0299] As described above, the UE can specify / determine an empty time interval within the first time interval to which OFDM symbols are not allocated by applying a CP of a specific length to OFDM symbols. Here, the empty time interval is an empty time interval to which OFDM symbols themselves are not allocated, and may be a time interval defined in units of FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) samples.

[0300] Specifically, referring to FIG. 17, a UE may receive TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval (S171). The TDD configuration information may include configuration information for TDDing at least two or more time intervals among a downlink time interval, an uplink time interval, and a flexible time interval within the first time interval. For example, the TDD configuration information may include (pattern) information that designates / indicates slots used for downlink, slots used for uplink, and / or slots used flexibly among a plurality of slots included in the first time interval. For example, the UE may determine / specify a downlink time interval for downlink and an uplink time interval for uplink in the first time interval based on pattern information included in the TDD configuration information. For example, the TDD configuration information may be provided through 'UE-common TDD configuration parameters' and / or 'UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameters.' Here, the length of the downlink time interval and the length of the uplink time interval can be determined based on an SCS set in relation to the UE or the first time interval. For example, the UE can determine a downlink time interval including consecutive slots and an uplink time interval including consecutive slots within the first time interval based on the TDD configuration information, and the length of the downlink time interval and the length of the uplink time interval can be determined based on an SCS associated with the first time interval.

[0301] Next, the UE may receive configuration information for setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length (S173). The specific CP length may be a CP length that is indicated / set separately from a CP length determined based on a BWP or an SCS set for a cell associated with the UE. For example, the configuration information may include a value for the specific CP length that is different from the CP length determined based on the SCS. Alternatively, the specific CP length may be independently set for each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval. For example, the configuration information may include information on a first CP length for a downlink time interval and a second CP length (different from the first CP length) for an uplink time interval.

[0302] Meanwhile, the length of the downlink time interval and the length of the uplink time interval are determined based on the SCS associated with the first time interval, and may not be affected by the specific CP length. For example, the downlink time interval including consecutive slots set / indicated in the TDD configuration information and the uplink time interval including consecutive slots may not have their lengths changed according to the specific CP length, but may have their lengths determined by the SCS. For example, the slot length may be determined / defined as 1 ms in 15 kHz SCS (μ=0), 0.5 ms in 30 kHz SCS (μ=1), 0.25 ms in 60 kHz SCS (μ=2), and 0.125 ms in 120 kHz SCS (μ=3). In this respect, the time interval to which OFDM symbols are allocated within the downlink time interval can be adjusted through a specific CP length, and the empty time interval can be allocated / included in the downlink time interval by adjusting the time interval to which OFDM symbols are allocated within the downlink time interval.

[0303] Next, the UE can transmit an uplink signal or receive a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information (S175). For example, the first time interval may include a time interval in which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated according to the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, and an empty time interval (or empty guard interval) in which the OFDM symbols are not allocated. For example, since the specific CP length is separately set regardless of the SCS, the time interval in which the OFDM symbols to which the CP is applied are allocated may not be exactly aligned with the first time interval. For example, when the specific CP length is shorter than the existing CP length determined based on the SCS, the first time interval may include a time interval in which the OFDM symbols are not allocated. In this way, the first time interval may be allocated / set / included an empty time interval or an empty guard interval (hereinafter, referred to as an empty time interval) in which OFDM symbols are not allocated by the specific CP length.

[0304] Alternatively, the first time interval may include a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and the empty time interval may be included in each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval. For example, the downlink time interval may be set / allocated with the empty time interval, which is an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated due to the specific CP length. Similarly, the uplink time interval may also be set / allocated with the empty time interval, which is an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated due to the specific CP length.

[0305] The location at which the empty time interval is allocated / set / determined between the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may be different. For example, the empty time interval set / allocated / determined in the downlink time interval may be located at the end of the downlink time interval, and the empty time interval set / allocated / determined in the uplink time interval may be located at the beginning of the uplink time interval. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the empty time interval of the downlink time interval may start after OFDM symbols are allocated from the start time of the downlink time interval and end at the end of the downlink time interval, and the empty time interval of the uplink time interval may start from the start time of the uplink time interval.

[0306] For example, the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval may be aligned with the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the downlink time interval or may coincide with the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the downlink time interval. For example, the start point (or, start time) of the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval may be aligned with the start point (or, start time) of the uplink time interval or may coincide with the start point (or, start time) of the uplink time interval.

[0307] Alternatively, the TDD configuration information may further include information for setting / indicating a flexible time interval within the first time interval. In this case, the first time interval may include a downlink time interval, a flexible time interval, and an uplink time interval. In this case, an empty time interval for the flexible time interval may be allocated / set differently according to a usage indication for the flexible time interval. For example, the UE may receive indication information for indicating the flexible time interval as a time interval for uplink or downlink via DCI (e.g., DCI format 2.0, etc.) or RRC signaling. For example, if the flexible time interval is indicated as a time interval for downlink, the flexible time interval may include an empty time interval whose end point is aligned / matched with the end of the flexible time interval. In this case, the empty time interval may not be allocated within the downlink time interval. Alternatively, if the flexible time interval is designated as a time interval for uplink, the flexible time interval may include an empty time interval whose starting point is aligned / matched with the starting point of the flexible time interval. In this case, the empty time interval may not be allocated within the uplink time interval.

[0308] In this way, based on the TDD configuration information, an empty time interval, which is a time interval in which OFDM symbols are not determined / allocated, may be allocated / configured for each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval (and / or the flexible time interval) determined for the first time interval. In this case, the UE may expect that no downlink signal will be received in the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval, and may expect that no uplink signal will be transmitted in the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval.

[0309] Figure 18 is a diagram for explaining a method for setting an empty time interval within a first time interval at a base station.

[0310] As described above, the base station can specify / set / apply an empty time interval in which OFDM symbols are not allocated within the first time interval by instructing the UE to use a CP of a specific length to be applied within the first time interval. Here, the empty time interval is an empty time interval in which OFDM symbols themselves are not allocated, and may be a time interval defined in units of FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) samples.

[0311] Specifically, referring to FIG. 18, a base station may receive TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval (S181). The TDD configuration information may include configuration information for performing TDD on at least two or more time intervals among a downlink time interval, an uplink time interval, and a flexible time interval within the first time interval. For example, the TDD configuration information may include (pattern) information that designates / indicates slots used for downlink, slots used for uplink, and / or slots used flexibly among a plurality of slots included in the first time interval. For example, the TDD configuration information may be provided through 'UE-common TDD configuration parameters' and / or 'UE-dedicated TDD configuration parameters.

[0312] Next, the base station can transmit configuration information for setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length for the first time interval (S183). The specific CP length may be a CP length that is separately set for setting / allocating the empty time interval, separate from the CP length determined based on the BWP associated with the UE or the SCS set for the cell. For example, the base station can set a separate CP length for the first time interval, different from the CP length determined based on the SCS, through the configuration information. For example, the base station can include an empty time interval, to which OFDM symbols are not allocated / included, in the first time interval by setting / indicating the separate CP length for the first time interval. Alternatively, the specific CP length may be independently set for each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval. For example, the configuration information may include information on a first CP length for the downlink time interval and a second CP length (different from the first CP length) for the uplink time interval.

[0313] Next, the base station can receive an uplink signal or transmit a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information (S185). For example, the first time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM symbols with a CP of the specific CP length are allocated according to the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated. For example, since the base station sets a separate specific CP length independent of the SCS for the first time interval, the time interval to which OFDM symbols with the CP are allocated within the first time interval may not be exactly aligned with the first time interval. For example, if the specific CP length is shorter than the existing CP length determined based on the SCS, the first time interval may include a time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated. In this way, the base station can allocate / set / include an empty time interval in the first time interval through an indication of a specific CP length for the first time interval.

[0314] Alternatively, the first time interval may include a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and the empty time interval may be included in each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval. For example, the downlink time interval may be configured / allocated with the empty time interval in which the OFDM symbols to which the CP of the specific CP length is applied are not allocated. Similarly, the uplink time interval may also be configured / allocated with the empty time interval in which the OFDM symbols to which the CP of the specific CP length is applied are not allocated. For example, the base station may configure / allocate / apply two or more empty time intervals to the first time interval.

[0315] The above empty time interval may be allocated / set / applied at different locations between the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval. For example, the empty time interval set / allocated / determined for the downlink time interval may be located at the end of the downlink time interval, and the empty time interval set / allocated / determined for the uplink time interval may be located at the beginning of the uplink time interval. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the empty time interval of the downlink time interval may start after OFDM symbols are allocated from the start time of the downlink time interval and end at the end of the downlink time interval, and the empty time interval of the uplink time interval may start from the start time of the uplink time interval.

[0316] For example, the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval may be aligned with the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the downlink time interval or may coincide with the end (or, endpoint, end time) of the downlink time interval. For example, the start point (or, start time) of the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval may be aligned with the start point (or, start time) of the uplink time interval or may coincide with the start point (or, start time) of the uplink time interval.

[0317] Alternatively, the TDD configuration information may further include information for setting / indicating a flexible time interval within the first time interval. In this case, the first time interval may include a downlink time interval, a flexible time interval, and an uplink time interval. In this case, an empty time interval for the flexible time interval may be allocated / set differently according to a usage indication for the flexible time interval. For example, the UE may receive indication information indicating the flexible time interval as a time interval for uplink or downlink via DCI (e.g., DCI format 2.0, etc.) or RRC signaling. For example, if the flexible time interval is indicated as a time interval for downlink, the flexible time interval may include an empty time interval whose end point is aligned / matched with the end of the flexible time interval. Alternatively, if the flexible time interval is designated as a time interval for uplink, the flexible time interval may include an empty time interval in which the starting point of the empty time interval is aligned / matched with the starting point of the flexible time interval.

[0318] In this way, the proposed invention can minimize the waste of OFDM symbols unnecessarily allocated for the switching time gap between the downlink signal section and the uplink signal section by setting / allocating the empty time interval. Alternatively, the proposed invention can flexibly set / indicate the CP length to be applied to the downlink signal and the uplink signal by setting / allocating the empty time interval. Alternatively, the proposed invention can independently set the CP length for the downlink signal and the CP length for the uplink signal by setting / allocating the empty time interval. Alternatively, the proposed invention can make the CP length for the uplink signal relatively longer than the CP length for the downlink to ensure robustness against delay due to the application of TA.

[0319] Examples of communication systems to which the invention applies

[0320] Although not limited thereto, the various descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts of the present invention disclosed in this document may be applied to various fields requiring wireless communication / connection (e.g., 5G) between devices.

[0321] Hereinafter, more specific examples will be provided with reference to the drawings. In the drawings / descriptions below, the same drawing reference numerals may represent identical or corresponding hardware blocks, software blocks, or functional blocks, unless otherwise described.

[0322] Figure 19 illustrates a communication system applied to the present invention.

[0323] Referring to FIG. 19, a communication system (1) applied to the present invention includes a wireless device, a base station, and a network. Here, the wireless device refers to a device that performs communication using a wireless access technology (e.g., 5G NR (New RAT), LTE (Long Term Evolution)) and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may include a robot (100a), a vehicle (100b-1, 100b-2), an XR (eXtended Reality) device (100c), a hand-held device (100d), a home appliance (100e), an IoT (Internet of Things) device (100f), and an AI device / server (400). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with a wireless communication function, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle may include an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). XR devices include AR (Augmented Reality) / VR (Virtual Reality) / MR (Mixed Reality) devices, and can be implemented in the form of HMD (Head-Mounted Device), HUD (Head-Up Display) installed in a vehicle, television, smartphone, computer, wearable device, home appliance, digital signage, vehicle, robot, etc. Mobile devices can include smartphone, smart pad, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, smart glass), computer (e.g., laptop, etc.), etc. Home appliances can include TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. IoT devices can include sensors, smart meters, etc. For example, base stations and networks can also be implemented as wireless devices, and a specific wireless device (200a) can act as a base station / network node to other wireless devices.

[0324] Wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to a network (300) via a base station (200). Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can be applied to the wireless devices (100a to 100f), and the wireless devices (100a to 100f) can be connected to an AI server (400) via the network (300). The network (300) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR) network, etc. The wireless devices (100a to 100f) can communicate with each other via the base station (200) / network (300), but can also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the base station / network. For example, vehicles (100b-1, 100b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) / V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication). In addition, IoT devices (e.g., sensors) can communicate directly with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices (100a to 100f).

[0325] Wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can be established between wireless devices (100a~100f) / base stations (200), and base stations (200) / base stations (200). Here, wireless communication / connection can be achieved through various wireless access technologies (e.g., 5G NR) such as uplink / downlink communication (150a), sidelink communication (150b) (or D2D communication), and communication between base stations (150c) (e.g., relay, IAB (Integrated Access Backhaul). Through wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c), wireless devices and base stations / wireless devices, and base stations and base stations can transmit / receive wireless signals to each other. For example, wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can transmit / receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, at least some of various configuration information setting processes for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), and resource allocation processes can be performed based on various proposals of the present invention.

[0326] Examples of wireless devices to which the present invention is applied

[0327] Figure 20 illustrates a wireless device applicable to the present invention.

[0328] Referring to FIG. 20, the first wireless device (100) and the second wireless device (200) can transmit and receive wireless signals through various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, NR). Here, {the first wireless device (100), the second wireless device (200)} can correspond to {the wireless device (100x), the base station (200)} and / or {the wireless device (100x), the wireless device (100x)} of FIG. 19.

[0329] A first wireless device (100) includes one or more processors (102) and one or more memories (104), and may further include one or more transceivers (106) and / or one or more antennas (108). The processor (102) controls the memories (104) and / or the transceivers (106), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (102) may process information in the memory (104) to generate first information / signal, and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signal via the transceiver (106). In addition, the processor (102) may receive a wireless signal including second information / signal via the transceiver (106), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory (104). The memory (104) may be connected to the processor (102) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (102). For example, the memory (104) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (102), or may store software code including commands for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. Here, the processor (102) and the memory (104) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chipset designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (106) may be connected to the processor (102) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (108). The transceiver (106) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (106) may be used interchangeably with an RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In the present invention, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chipset.

[0330] Specifically, the first wireless device or UE (100) may include at least one processor (102) connected to a transceiver (106) and at least one memory (104). The at least one memory (104) may include at least one program capable of performing operations related to the embodiments described in FIGS. 15 to 18. The operations include receiving TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; receiving configuration information for setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0331] Alternatively, a processing device may be configured including at least one processor and at least one memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations when executed by the at least one processor. The operations include receiving TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval; receiving configuration information for setting a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length; and transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0332] The second wireless device (200) includes one or more processors (202), one or more memories (204), and may further include one or more transceivers (206) and / or one or more antennas (208). The processor (202) controls the memories (204) and / or the transceivers (206), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (202) may process information in the memory (204) to generate third information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceivers (206). Furthermore, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal including fourth information / signals via the transceivers (206), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, the memory (204) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202), or may store software code including commands for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. Here, the processor (202) and the memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (e.g., LTE, NR). The transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (206) may be used interchangeably with an RF unit. In the present invention, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0333] Specifically, the second wireless device or base station (200) may include at least one processor (202) connected to a transceiver (206) and at least one memory (204). The at least one memory (204) may include at least one program capable of performing operations related to the embodiments described in FIGS. 15 to 18. The operations include transmitting TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for a first time interval, transmitting configuration information for setting a specific cyclic prefix (CP) length, and receiving an uplink signal or transmitting a downlink signal based on the TDD configuration information and the configuration information, wherein the first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD configuration information, and each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval may include a time interval to which OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplex) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

[0334] Hereinafter, the hardware elements of the wireless device (100, 200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors (102, 202). For example, one or more processors (102, 202) may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, SDAP). One or more processors (102, 202) may generate one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and / or one or more Service Data Units (SDUs) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. One or more processors (102, 202) may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. One or more processors (102, 202) can generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed herein, and provide the signals to one or more transceivers (106, 206). One or more processors (102, 202) can receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers (106, 206) and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts disclosed herein.

[0335] One or more processors (102, 202) may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. One or more processors (102, 202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), one or more Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) may be included in one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software configured to perform one or more processors (102, 202) or stored in one or more memories (104, 204) and executed by one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of codes, instructions and / or sets of instructions.

[0336] One or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be configured as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be located internally and / or externally to the one or more processors (102, 202). Additionally, the one or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to the one or more processors (102, 202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

[0337] One or more transceivers (106, 206) can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or flowcharts of this document, to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers (106, 206) can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or flowcharts of this document, from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers (106, 206) can be connected to one or more processors (102, 202) and can transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors (102, 202) can control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors (102, 202) may control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be coupled to one or more antennas (108, 208), and one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, or the like, as referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed herein, via one or more antennas (108, 208). In this document, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers (106, 206) can convert received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. using one or more processors (102, 202).One or more transceivers (106, 206) may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed by one or more processors (102, 202) from baseband signals to RF band signals. For this purpose, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0338] Examples of wireless devices to which the present invention is applied

[0339] Figure 21 illustrates another example of a wireless device applicable to the present invention. The wireless device may be implemented in various forms depending on the use case / service (see Figure 19).

[0340] Referring to FIG. 21, the wireless device (100, 200) corresponds to the wireless device (100, 200) of FIG. 20 and may be composed of various elements, components, units / units, and / or modules. For example, the wireless device (100, 200) may include a communication unit (110), a control unit (120), a memory unit (130), and additional elements (140). The communication unit may include a communication circuit (112) and a transceiver(s) (114). For example, the communication circuit (112) may include one or more processors (102, 202) and / or one or more memories (104, 204) of FIG. 21. For example, the transceiver(s) (114) may include one or more transceivers (106, 206) and / or one or more antennas (108, 208) of FIG. 20. The control unit (120) is electrically connected to the communication unit (110), the memory unit (130), and the additional elements (140) and controls the overall operation of the wireless device. For example, the control unit (120) may control the electrical / mechanical operation of the wireless device based on the program / code / command / information stored in the memory unit (130). In addition, the control unit (120) may transmit information stored in the memory unit (130) to an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface through the communication unit (110), or store information received from an external device (e.g., another communication device) via a wireless / wired interface in the memory unit (130).

[0341] The additional element (140) may be configured in various ways depending on the type of the wireless device. For example, the additional element (140) may include at least one of a power unit / battery, an input / output unit (I / O unit), a driving unit, and a computing unit. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device may be implemented in the form of a robot (Fig. 19, 100a), a vehicle (Fig. 19, 100b-1, 100b-2), an XR device (Fig. 19, 100c), a portable device (Fig. 19, 100d), a home appliance (Fig. 19, 100e), an IoT device (Fig. 19, 100f), a digital broadcasting terminal, a hologram device, a public safety device, an MTC device, a medical device, a fintech device (or a financial device), a security device, a climate / environmental device, an AI server / device (Fig. 19, 400), a base station (Fig. 19, 200), a network node, etc. Wireless devices may be mobile or stationary depending on the use / service.

[0342] In FIG. 21, various elements, components, units / parts, and / or modules within the wireless device (100, 200) may be entirely interconnected via a wired interface, or at least some may be wirelessly connected via a communication unit (110). For example, within the wireless device (100, 200), the control unit (120) and the communication unit (110) may be wired, and the control unit (120) and a first unit (e.g., 130, 140) may be wirelessly connected via the communication unit (110). In addition, each element, component, unit / part, and / or module within the wireless device (100, 200) may further include one or more elements. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of a set of one or more processors. For example, the control unit (120) may be composed of a set of a communication control processor, an application processor, an electronic control unit (ECU), a graphics processing processor, a memory control processor, etc. As another example, the memory unit (130) may be composed of RAM (Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic RAM), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and / or a combination thereof.

[0343] Examples of vehicles or autonomous vehicles to which the present invention is applied

[0344] Figure 22 illustrates a vehicle or autonomous vehicle applicable to the present invention. The vehicle or autonomous vehicle may be implemented as a mobile robot, car, train, manned / unmanned aerial vehicle (AV), ship, etc.

[0345] Referring to FIG. 22, a vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) may include an antenna unit (108), a communication unit (110), a control unit (120), a driving unit (140a), a power supply unit (140b), a sensor unit (140c), and an autonomous driving unit (140d). The antenna unit (108) may be configured as a part of the communication unit (110). Blocks 110 / 130 / 140a to 140d correspond to blocks 110 / 130 / 140 of FIG. 21, respectively.

[0346] The communication unit (110) can transmit and receive signals (e.g., data, control signals, etc.) with external devices such as other vehicles, base stations (e.g., base stations, road side units, etc.), and servers. The control unit (120) can control elements of the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) to perform various operations. The control unit (120) can include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The drive unit (140a) can drive the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) on the ground. The drive unit (140a) can include an engine, a motor, a power train, wheels, brakes, a steering device, etc. The power supply unit (140b) supplies power to the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) and can include a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc. The sensor unit (140c) can obtain vehicle status, surrounding environment information, user information, etc. The sensor unit (140c) may include an IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor, a collision sensor, a wheel sensor, a speed sensor, an incline sensor, a weight detection sensor, a heading sensor, a position module, a vehicle forward / backward sensor, a battery sensor, a fuel sensor, a tire sensor, a steering sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an illuminance sensor, a pedal position sensor, etc. The autonomous driving unit (140d) may implement a technology for maintaining a driving lane, a technology for automatically controlling speed such as adaptive cruise control, a technology for automatically driving along a set path, a technology for automatically setting a path and driving when a destination is set, etc.

[0347] For example, the communication unit (110) can receive map data, traffic information data, etc. from an external server. The autonomous driving unit (140d) can generate an autonomous driving route and driving plan based on the acquired data. The control unit (120) can control the drive unit (140a) so that the vehicle or autonomous vehicle (100) moves along the autonomous driving route according to the driving plan (e.g., speed / direction control). During autonomous driving, the communication unit (110) can irregularly / periodically acquire the latest traffic information data from an external server and can acquire surrounding traffic information data from surrounding vehicles. In addition, during autonomous driving, the sensor unit (140c) can acquire vehicle status and surrounding environment information. The autonomous driving unit (140d) can update the autonomous driving route and driving plan based on newly acquired data / information. The communication unit (110) can transmit information regarding the vehicle location, autonomous driving route, driving plan, etc. to the external server. External servers can predict traffic information data in advance using AI technology or other technologies based on information collected from vehicles or autonomous vehicles, and provide the predicted traffic information data to the vehicles or autonomous vehicles.

[0348] Here, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification may include not only LTE, NR, and 6G, but also Narrowband Internet of Things for low-power communication. At this time, for example, NB-IoT technology may be an example of LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technology, and may be implemented with standards such as LTE Cat NB1 and / or LTE Cat NB2, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification may perform communication based on LTE-M technology. At this time, for example, LTE-M technology may be an example of LPWAN technology, and may be called by various names such as eMTC (enhanced Machine Type Communication). For example, LTE-M technology can be implemented by at least one of various standards such as 1) LTE CAT 0, 2) LTE Cat M1, 3) LTE Cat M2, 4) LTE non-BL (non-Bandwidth Limited), 5) LTE-MTC, 6) LTE Machine Type Communication, and / or 7) LTE M, and is not limited to the above-described names. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication technology implemented in the wireless device (XXX, YYY) of the present specification can include at least one of ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) considering low-power communication, and is not limited to the above-described names. For example, ZigBee technology can create PAN (personal area networks) related to small / low-power digital communication based on various standards such as IEEE 802.15.4, and can be called by various names.

[0349] The embodiments described above are combinations of components and features of the present invention in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented without being combined with other components or features. Furthermore, it is also possible to form an embodiment of the present invention by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is self-evident that claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the patent claims may be combined to form an embodiment or may be incorporated as a new claim through a post-application amendment.

[0350] In this document, embodiments of the present invention have been described primarily focusing on the signal transmission and reception relationship between a terminal and a base station. This transmission and reception relationship is equally / similarly extended to signal transmission and reception between a terminal and a relay or a base station and a relay. Certain operations described as being performed by a base station in this document may, in some cases, be performed by its upper node. That is, it is obvious that various operations performed for communication with a terminal in a network composed of multiple network nodes including a base station may be performed by the base station or other network nodes other than the base station. The base station may be replaced by terms such as fixed station, Node B, eNode B (eNB), and access point. In addition, the terminal may be replaced by terms such as UE (User Equipment), MS (Mobile Station), MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station).

[0351] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by various means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of hardware implementation, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.

[0352] When implemented via firmware or software, an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of modules, procedures, functions, etc. that perform the functions or operations described above. The software code may be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit may be located within or outside the processor and may exchange data with the processor via various known means.

[0353] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in any respect, but rather as illustrative. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of equivalents of the present disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0354] The embodiments of the present invention as described above can be applied to various mobile communication systems.

Claims

1. In a method performed by UE (User Equipment), A step of receiving TDD (Time Division Duplexing) setting information for a first time interval; A step of receiving configuration information for setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length related to the first time interval; and A step of transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information; The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, A method wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency divisional multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

2. In paragraph 1, A method characterized in that the specific CP length is set independently of the subcarrier spacing (SCS).

3. In paragraph 1, A method, characterized in that the specific CP length is independently set for each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval.

4. In paragraph 1, A method, characterized in that the end point of the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval is aligned with the end point of the downlink time interval.

5. In paragraph 1, A method, characterized in that the starting point of the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval is aligned with the starting point of the uplink time interval.

6. In paragraph 1, A method, characterized in that the first time interval further includes a flexible time interval determined based on the TDD setting information.

7. In paragraph 6, A method, characterized in that, based on what is indicated in the downlink for the flexible time interval, the end point of the empty time interval included in the flexible time interval is aligned with the end of the flexible time interval.

8. In paragraph 6, A method, characterized in that, based on what is indicated as uplink for the flexible time interval, the starting point of the empty time interval included in the flexible time interval is aligned with the starting point of the flexible time interval.

9. In paragraph 1, A method characterized in that the UE does not expect to receive the downlink signal in the empty time interval included in the downlink time interval or does not transmit the uplink signal in the empty time interval included in the uplink time interval.

10. In paragraph 1, A method characterized in that the above empty time interval is defined in terms of FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) sample units.

11. In at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, Contains instructions that perform operations when executed by at least one processor, The above actions are, Receive TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for the first time interval; Receive configuration information that sets a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and Including transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information, The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium recording medium, wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

12. In UE (User Equipment), RF(Radio Frequency) transmitter and receiver; a processor connected to the RF transceiver; and At least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by said at least one processor, cause said UE to perform operations; The above actions are, Receive TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for the first time interval; Receive configuration information that sets a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and Including transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information, The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, The UE, wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency divisional multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

13. In a processing device that controls UE (User Equipment), at least one processor; and At least one memory connected to said at least one processor and storing instructions that perform operations when executed by said at least one processor, The above actions are, Receive TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for the first time interval; Receive configuration information that sets a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and Including transmitting an uplink signal or receiving a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information, The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, A processing device, wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency divisional multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

14. In the method by the base station, A step of transmitting TDD (Time Division Duplexing) setting information for the first time interval; A step of transmitting configuration information setting a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and A step of receiving an uplink signal or transmitting a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information; The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, A base station, wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency divisional multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

15. At the base station, RF(Radio Frequency) transmitter and receiver; a processor connected to the RF transceiver; and At least one memory configured to store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the base station to perform operations; The above actions are, Transmit TDD (Time Division Duplexing) configuration information for the first time interval; Transmit configuration information that sets a specific CP (cyclic prefix) length; and Including receiving an uplink signal or transmitting a downlink signal based on the TDD setting information and the setting information, The above first time interval includes a downlink time interval and an uplink time interval determined based on the TDD setting information, A base station, wherein each of the downlink time interval and the uplink time interval includes a time interval to which orthogonal frequency divisional multiplex (OFDM) symbols to which a CP of the specific CP length is applied are allocated and an empty time interval to which the OFDM symbols are not allocated.

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