Terminal, base station, reception method, and transmission method

Abstract

This terminal comprises: a reception unit that receives a symbol; and a control circuit that, on the basis of the temporal position of a control signal, determines whether to set the symbol as a symbol for which the transmission / reception direction is configured in units of sub-bands.

Description

Terminal, base station, receiving method and transmitting method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal, a base station, a receiving method, and a transmitting method.

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has completed the physical layer specifications for Release 18 NR (New Radio access technology) as a functional extension of 5th Generation mobile communication systems (5G). NR supports enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to meet the requirements of high speed and large capacity, as well as ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) (see, for example, Non-Patent Documents 1-6).

[0003] 3GPP TS 38.211 V18.3.0, "Physical channels and modulation (Release 18) ", Jun. 20243GPP TS 38.212 V18.3.0, "Multiplexing and channel coding (Release 18)", Jun. 20243GPP TS 38.213 V18.3.0, "Physical layer procedure for control (Release 18)", Jun. 20243GPP TS 38.214 V18.3.0, "Physical layer procedures for data (Release 18)", Jun. 20243GPP TS 38.215 V18.3.0, "Physical layer measurements (Release 18)", Jun. 20243GPP TS 38.331 V18.2.0, "Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 18)", Jun. 2024

[0004] However, there is room for further study on the method of determining which of the conventional symbols should be used as the SBFD symbol.

[0005] Non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure contribute to providing a terminal and a communication method that can improve the efficiency of SBFD symbols.

[0006] A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives a symbol, and a control circuit that determines whether the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband basis based on the time position of a control signal.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, resource configuration can be performed appropriately, and in particular, SBFD symbol configuration can be performed appropriately.

[0009] Further advantages and benefits of one embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0010] Figure showing an example of half duplex TDDFigure showing an example of SBFDFigure showing slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing an example of transition between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbolsFigure showing an example of collision between SBFD symbols and SSB symbolsBlock diagram showing an example configuration of a base stationBlock diagram showing a detailed example configuration of a base stationBlock diagram showing an example configuration of a terminalBlock diagram showing a detailed example configuration of a terminalSequence diagram showing an example operation of a base station and a terminalFigure showing slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration when this method is not applied in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration when determination method 1 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration when neither determination method 1 nor determination method 2 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration when determination method 1 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration when determination method 2 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminalFigure showing slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminal Figure showing the slot configuration when no judgment method is applied.Figure showing the slot configuration when judgment method 2 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when judgment method 3 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when neither judgment method is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when matching method 1 of judgment method 3 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when matching method 2 of judgment method 3 is applied.Figure showing the slot configuration in a non-SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when judgment method 2 is not applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.Figure showing the slot configuration when matching method 2 of judgment method 3 is applied in an SBFD-compatible terminal.3 shows an example of the architecture of a 3GPP NR system; and 5G O-RAN functional division diagram.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [Regarding Subband Non-Overlapping Full Duplex (SBFD)] "Study on the Evolution of NR Duplex Operation" was discussed as a study item in Release 18. One of the main topics of this study item was support for subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD, also known as Cross Division Duplex (XDD)). Based on the results of the feasibility study in Release 18, it was decided that SBFD will be specified in Release 19.

[0013] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing an example of the duplex method. In Fig. 1A and 1B, the vertical axis represents frequency and the horizontal axis represents time. Also, in Fig. 1A and 1B, "U" represents uplink transmission and "D" represents downlink transmission.

[0014] 1A shows an example of half-duplex Time Division Duplex (TDD). In FIG. 1A, a terminal (UE: User Equipment) is a terminal connected to a base station (e.g., gNB). In the half-duplex shown in FIG. 1A, the transmission direction (e.g., downlink or uplink) in a certain time resource may be common between the base station and the terminal. For example, the transmission direction in a certain time resource does not differ between terminals.

[0015] Figure 1B shows an example of SBFD. In SBFD, a frequency resource (or frequency band) is divided into multiple bands (e.g., subbands, RB sets, subbands, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth Parts)), and transmission in different directions (e.g., downlink or uplink) is supported for each subband. In SBFD, a terminal transmits and receives data on either the uplink or downlink in a certain time resource, but not the other (i.e., half duplex). On the other hand, in SBFD, a base station can transmit and receive data on the uplink and downlink simultaneously (i.e., full duplex). In addition, there may be cases where a terminal does not use resources in the transmission direction in a certain time resource (e.g., resources indicated by a dotted frame and a white background in Figure 1B).

[0016] 1A and 1B, a guard band may be arranged between an uplink subband (UL subband: U) and a downlink subband (DL subband: D). The guard band may be used to reduce cross link interference (CLI) between different transmission directions (links).

[0017] In the following description, a symbol on which SBFD operation or control is performed is called an "SBFD symbol." A symbol on which SBFD operation or control is not performed (for example, a symbol different from an SBFD symbol) may also be called a "non-SBFD symbol." For example, a slot configured with SBFD symbols may also be called an "SBFD slot," and a slot configured with non-SBFD symbols may also be called a "non-SBFD slot."

[0018] The subband configuration is expressed as {X...X}, where X represents the UL subband (U) or DL ​​subband (D). The order of notation corresponds to the order in which the subbands are arranged. For example, the subband configuration in Figure 1B is expressed as {DUD}.

[0019] [SBFD Symbol and SBFD-Compatible Terminal] The SBFD symbol may be configured using (for example, by changing) a legacy symbol (existing symbol) such as a DL symbol, a UL symbol, or a Flexible symbol. For example, the SBFD symbol may be configured using a DL symbol. The legacy symbol is configured by, for example, RRC signaling (for example, TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon). Here, the non-SBFD symbol is, for example, a symbol that is not an SBFD symbol (for example, a legacy symbol and a symbol not used as an SBFD symbol).

[0020] An SBFD-capable terminal (e.g., SBFD-aware UE) is a terminal that supports SBFD operation and control. An SBFD-capable terminal can acquire SBFD-related configurations, such as the frequency and time domain locations of subbands. An SBFD-incapable terminal is a terminal that does not support SBFD operation and control. An SBFD-incapable terminal (e.g., non-SBFD-aware UE), for example, does not recognize SBFD symbols, and therefore operates by recognizing the symbols as legacy symbols even when legacy symbols are set (or changed) to SBFD symbols.

[0021] 2A and 2B show examples of slot configurations.

[0022] Figure 2A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period (the period during which the TDD slot configuration pattern is repeated) is 5 slots, where "D" indicates a DL slot consisting of DL symbols, "F" indicates a Flexible slot consisting of Flexible symbols, and "U" indicates a UL slot consisting of UL symbols.

[0023] Figure 2B shows the slot configuration for an SBFD-compatible terminal. Slots #1, #2, #3, and #6 represent SBFD slots consisting of SBFD symbols. The subband configuration is {DUD}. The SBFD time period (the period during which the SBFD slot configuration pattern is repeated) is five slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period. Non-SBFD-compatible terminals and SBFD-compatible terminals may share symbols. For example, non-SBFD-compatible terminals may recognize Slot #1 as a DL slot, and SBFD-compatible terminals may recognize it as an SBFD slot, and transmission and reception may be performed based on this. Note that for simplicity, the example shows the same symbol type included in each slot, but different symbol types may be mixed within a slot (for example, SBFD symbols and UL symbols may be mixed within the same slot).

[0024] [Number of Symbol Type Transitions] In Release 18, the limit on the number of transitions between SBFD and non-SBFD symbols was discussed. Gap symbols may be required when transitioning between symbol types to accommodate changes in base station transmit / receive settings (e.g., changing transmit / receive antenna settings) or to avoid interference between UL and DL symbols. Because gap symbols reduce resource utilization efficiency, limiting frequent symbol type transitions aims to improve resource utilization efficiency and reduce control complexity. As a starting point for discussions, Release 18 agreed on a maximum of two transitions within a TDD UL-DL pattern period. Symbol type transitions may occur at slot boundaries or within a slot.

[0025] Figure 3 shows an example of transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols. The slot structure is the same as in Figure 2B. The example in Figure 3 shows two transitions within a TDD UL-DL pattern period. There is one transition from Slot #0 to Slot #1, and one transition from Slot #3 to Slot #4.

[0026] [About collisions between SBFD symbols and SSB] It was agreed in Release 19 that if the timing of an SBFD symbol overlaps with the timing of an SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) symbol (the symbol on which SSB is transmitted), a terminal (operating in half duplex) will prioritize SSB reception over UL transmission. When SSB reception is prioritized, an SBFD-compatible terminal cannot use frequency resources other than the DL subband, resulting in inefficient resource utilization.

[0027] One possible solution is to regard slots containing SSB symbols as Full DL slots, but currently, if a slot contains a UL symbol, it is not considered a Full DL slot, so if some symbols in a slot are SBFD symbols and some symbols are UL symbols, that slot is not considered a Full DL slot.Another possible solution is to receive only DL signals in symbols containing SSB symbols, and use the UL subband only for non-SBFD-compatible terminals, but this limits the number of terminals that can use this method, making it difficult to use resources efficiently.

[0028] Figure 4 shows an example of a collision between an SBFD symbol and an SSB symbol. Slots #0 and #1 contain SSB symbols. The SBFD symbol and SSB symbol collide in slot #1, and since SBFD-compatible terminals prioritize SSB reception, UL transmission is not possible with the SSB symbol. Note that to avoid inter-symbol interference, there may also be cases where the symbols before and after the SSB cannot be transmitted.

[0029] A communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include, for example, a base station 500 (e.g., gNB) shown in Fig. 5 and a terminal 600 (e.g., UE) shown in Fig. 6. A plurality of base stations 500 and a plurality of terminals 600 may exist in the communication system.

[0030] [Overview of Communication System] A communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes, for example, at least one base station and at least one terminal.

[0031] FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a portion of a base station 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a portion of a terminal 600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] 5A, a communication unit (e.g., a receiver) receives an uplink control signal, and a control unit (e.g., a control circuit) determines a resource for receiving the uplink control signal in consideration of an uplink muting resource.

[0033] 6A , a communication unit (e.g., a transmitter) transmits the uplink control signal using resources determined by a control unit. The control unit (e.g., a control circuit) determines resources for transmitting the uplink control signal in consideration of uplink muting resources.

[0034] [Configuration of Base Station] A detailed configuration of a base station will be described. Fig. 5B is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a base station 500 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The base station 500 includes a receiving unit 501, a demapping unit 502, a demodulation and decoding unit 503, a scheduling unit 504, a control information holding unit 505, an SBFD resource control unit 506, a data and control information generation unit 507, an encoding and modulation unit 508, a mapping unit 509, and a transmission unit 510. At least one of the demapping unit 502, the demodulation and decoding unit 503, the scheduling unit 504, the control information holding unit 505, the SBFD resource control unit 506, the data and control information generation unit 507, the encoding and modulation unit 508, and the mapping unit 509 may be configured as a control circuit 511. The receiving unit 501 may be configured as a receiving circuit, and the transmitting unit 510 may be configured as a transmitting circuit.

[0035] The receiving unit 501 performs reception processing such as down-conversion or A / D (Analog / Digital) conversion on a received signal received via an antenna, and outputs the processed received signal to the demapping unit 502 .

[0036] The demapping unit 502 performs resource demapping on the received signal (for example, an uplink signal) input from the receiving unit 501 and outputs the modulated signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 503 .

[0037] The demodulation / decoding unit 503 demodulates and decodes the modulated signal input from the demapping unit 502 , for example, and outputs the decoding result to the scheduling unit 504 .

[0038] The scheduling unit 504 may perform scheduling for the terminals 600, for example. The scheduling unit 504 schedules transmission and reception for each terminal 600 based on, for example, at least one of the decoding result input from the demodulation and decoding unit 503, SBFD resource information (e.g., SBFD slot configuration) input from the SBFD resource control unit 506, and control information input from the control information holding unit 505, and instructs the data and control information generation unit 507 to generate at least one of data and control information. Furthermore, the scheduling unit 504 instructs the data and control information generation unit 507 to transmit the SBFD resource information input from the SBFD resource control unit 506 to the terminals 600 as signaling information. Furthermore, the scheduling unit 504 outputs control information related to the terminals 600 to the control information holding unit 505.

[0039] The control information storage unit 505 stores, for example, control information set in each terminal 600. The stored control information may include, for example, information related to the TDD slot configuration and information such as the SSB symbol position. The control information storage unit 505 may output the stored information to each component of the base station 500 (for example, the scheduling unit 504 and the SBFD resource control unit 506) as needed.

[0040] The SBFD resource control unit 506 determines the position of the SBFD symbol based on the control information (e.g., information on the TDD slot configuration, information on the SBFD slot configuration, information on the SSB symbols, etc.) input from the control information holding unit 505. The SBFD resource control unit 506 outputs the determined SBFD resource information to the scheduling unit 504.

[0041] The data and control information generating unit 507 generates at least one of data and control information, for example, in accordance with an instruction from the scheduling unit 504, and outputs a signal including the generated data or control information to the coding and modulation unit 508. The generated data may include, for example, signaling information of higher layers (for example, SBFD resource information).

[0042] The coding / modulation section 508 codes and modulates, for example, the signal (for example, data, control information) input from the data / control information generation section 507 and outputs the modulated signal to the mapping section 509 .

[0043] The mapping unit 509 performs resource mapping on the modulated signal input from the encoding and modulation unit 508 , for example, and outputs the transmission signal to the transmission unit 510 .

[0044] The transmitting unit 510 performs transmission processing such as D / A (Digital / Analog) conversion, up-conversion, or amplification on the signal input from the mapping unit 509, and transmits the radio signal obtained by the transmission processing from the antenna to the terminal 600.

[0045] [Configuration of Terminal] A detailed configuration of the terminal will be described. Fig. 6B is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a terminal 600 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 600 includes a receiving unit 601, a demapping unit 602, a demodulation and decoding unit 603, a control unit 604, a control information holding unit 605, an SBFD resource determination unit 606, a data and control information generation unit 607, an encoding and modulation unit 608, a mapping unit 609, and a transmission unit 610. At least one of the demapping unit 602, the demodulation and decoding unit 603, the control unit 604, the control information holding unit 605, the SBFD resource determination unit 606, the data and control information generation unit 607, the encoding and modulation unit 608, and the mapping unit 609 may be configured as a control circuit 611. The receiving unit 601 may be configured as a receiving circuit, and the transmission unit 610 may be configured as a transmitting circuit.

[0046] The receiving unit 601 performs reception processing such as down-conversion or A / D conversion on a signal received via an antenna, and outputs the processed received signal to the demapping unit 602 .

[0047] The demapping unit 602 performs resource demapping on the received signal input from the receiving unit 601 , for example, and outputs the modulated signal to the demodulation and decoding unit 603 .

[0048] The demodulation and decoding unit 603 demodulates and decodes the modulated signal input from the demapping unit 602, for example, and outputs the result to the control unit 604. The decoding result may include, for example, signaling information of an upper layer.

[0049] The control unit 604 may instruct the data and control information generation unit 607 to generate at least one of data and control information, based on, for example, the decoding result (for example, data or control information) input from the demodulation and decoding unit 603, the SBFD resource information input from the SBFD resource determination unit 606, and the control information input from the control information holding unit 605. Furthermore, the control unit 604 outputs, for example, control information for the terminal 600 to the control information holding unit 605.

[0050] The control information holding unit 605 holds, for example, control information input from the control unit 604, and outputs the held information to each component (for example, the SBFD resource determination unit 606 and the control unit 604) as necessary.

[0051] The SBFD resource determination unit 606 determines the SBFD symbol position based on, for example, control information input from the control information storage unit 605 (e.g., information regarding the TDD slot configuration, information regarding the SBFD slot configuration, information regarding the SSB symbol), and outputs SBFD resource information to the control unit 604.

[0052] The data and control information generating unit 607 generates data or control information according to instructions from the control unit 604 , for example, and outputs a signal including the generated data or control information to the encoding and modulation unit 608 .

[0053] The coding and modulation section 608 codes and modulates, for example, the signal input from the data and control information generation section 607 and outputs the modulated signal to the mapping section 609 .

[0054] The mapping section 609 performs resource mapping on the modulated signal input from the coding and modulation section 608 and outputs the transmission signal to the transmission section 610 .

[0055] The transmitter 610 performs transmission processing such as D / A conversion, up-conversion, or amplification on the signal input from the mapping unit 609, and transmits the radio signal obtained by the transmission processing from the antenna to the base station 500.

[0056] [Operations of Base Station and Terminal] An example of operations in the base station and terminal having the above configuration will be described below. Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operations of base station 500 and terminal 600.

[0057] In FIG. 7, the base station 500 determines, for example, settings (configurations) related to SBFD and SSB (step S701).

[0058] The base station 500 transmits, for example, upper layer signaling information including the determined settings to the terminal 600 (step S702). The signaling information may be broadcast by, for example, an SIB (System Information Block), or may be notified as terminal-specific signaling information. The signaling information may include information about which determination method and matching method have been selected from the determination methods and matching methods described below.

[0059] The terminal 600 determines the SBFD symbol position based on the received signaling information (step S703). The terminal 600 may transmit and receive control information, data, and the like according to the determined SBFD symbol position.

[0060] [SBFD Symbol Determination Method] The SBFD symbol determination method in the terminal 600 (for example, the SBFD resource determination unit 606) will be described. The base station 500 (for example, the SBFD resource control unit 506) may configure the SBFD symbol for the terminal, assuming, for example, the SBFD symbol determination method implemented by the terminal. A specific determination method is shown below.

[0061] <Determination Method 1> In this method, a slot containing an SSB symbol is considered to be a non-SBFD slot (a slot consisting of non-SBFD symbols). If an SSB symbol is included in a slot, all symbols in that slot are considered to be non-SBFD symbols. Non-SBFD symbols may be the symbol type set by tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon before being replaced with SBFD symbols. For example, even if an SBFD symbol is configured as an SBFD symbol by the SBFD time domain resource configuration, if an SSB symbol is included in the slot, it may be treated as a DL symbol, UL symbol, or Flexible symbol. By making all symbols in a slot non-SBFD symbols, the occurrence of transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols can be reduced. It is also possible to consider a slot containing an SSB symbol as a DL slot, but in that case, a slot configuration in which a UL symbol is included in a slot containing an SSB symbol cannot be supported. This method is also applicable when a UL symbol is included in a slot containing an SSB symbol, and can support UL transmission in slots containing SSB symbols.

[0062] 8A to 8C are diagrams showing an example of determination method 1. FIG.

[0063] Figure 8A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. D, F, and U represent DL slots, Flexible slots, and UL slots, respectively. SSBs are transmitted in slots #0 to #3.

[0064] Figure 8B shows the slot configuration when this method is not applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is five slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "DXXXU" pattern is repeated. Here, X represents the SBFD slot. In slots #1 to #3, SSB and SBFD symbols collide.

[0065] 8C shows the slot configuration when determination method 1 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. Since Slots #1 to #3 contain SSB symbols, collisions between SSB symbols and SBFD symbols can be avoided by making them non-SBFD slots.

[0066] In this way, according to this method, when the positions of an SBFD symbol and an SSB symbol collide, they are operated as non-SBFD symbols, allowing an SBFD-compatible terminal to use frequency resources located in the UL subband for DL ​​reception, thereby enabling efficient use of resources.

[0067] <Determination Method 2> In this method, slots within an SSB burst are considered non-SBFD slots. NR supports the transmission of multiple SSBs using different beams, and this series of SSBs is called an SSB burst (also called an SS burst or discovery burst). The slots in which an SSB burst is transmitted are not necessarily consecutive (the slot in which the first SSB is transmitted is not necessarily consecutive from the slot in which the last SSB is transmitted). In other words, the period from the first SSB transmitted to the last SSB transmitted is an SSB burst.

[0068] For example, among the SSB transmission patterns, Case D and Case E allow SSBs to be placed in non-contiguous slots (see Section 4.1 of Non-Patent Document 3, TS38.213). Also, non-contiguous slots can be placed by RRC signaling. The ServingCellConfigCommon IE (Information Element) indicates which of the time domain resources available for SSB transmission will be used to transmit the SSB (see Section 6.3.2 of Non-Patent Document 6, TS38.331). The ServingCellConfigCommon IE sets the SSB transmission position using a bitmap (4 bits, 8 bits, or 64 bits) as shown below, making SSB transmission in non-contiguous slots possible. ssb-PositionsInBurst CHOICE { shortBitmap BIT STRING (SIZE (4)), mediumBitmap BIT STRING (SIZE (8)), longBitmap BIT STRING (SIZE (64))}

[0069] When SSB is transmitted in non-consecutive slots, operating in slot units as a non-SBFD slot as in determination method 1 may result in frequent transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, making it impossible to use resources efficiently. Therefore, this method reduces the transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols by designating not only the slots in which SSB is transmitted but also the slots within the SSB burst as non-SBFD slots. The period in which a slot is a non-SBFD slot is referred to as the non-SBFD period.

[0070] 9A to 9D are diagrams showing an example of determination method 2.

[0071] Figure 9A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. SSB is transmitted in slots #0 and #2.

[0072] 9B shows the slot configuration when neither determination method 1 nor determination method 2 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is five slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "DXXXU" pattern is repeated. In slot #2, an SBFD symbol and an SSB symbol collide.

[0073] 9C shows the slot configuration when determination method 1 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. Because slot #2 is a non-SBFD slot, the slot configuration of slots #0 to #4 becomes "DXFXU." A total of four transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols occur per period: between slots #0 and #1, between slots #1 and #2, between slots #2 and #3, and between slots #3 and #4.

[0074] Figure 9D shows the slot configuration when determination method 2 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. Since slots #0 to #2 correspond to the SSB burst (from the first SSB transmission to the last SSB transmission), these slots are non-SBFD slots. The slot configuration of slots #0 to #4 is "DDFXU." The transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols per period can be reduced to a total of two, between slots #2 and #3, and between slots #3 and #4.

[0075] Thus, according to this method, by designating slots containing SSB symbols in an SSB burst as non-SBFD slots, the number of transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols per period can be reduced, and the overhead associated with the transitions can be reduced, allowing for efficient use of resources.

[0076] <Determination Method 3> In this method, non-SBFD slots are defined as slots surrounding an SSB burst that contain SSB symbols. When an SSB burst is placed among consecutive SBFD slots, frequent transitions between SBFD and non-SBFD symbols may occur in the slots surrounding the SSB burst. Therefore, the start or end slot of the non-SBFD period is aligned with the start or end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period). One side of the non-SBFD period (start or end slot) may be aligned with one side of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) (start or end slot), while the other side of the non-SBFD period (end or start slot) may be aligned with the end or start slot of the SSB burst (i.e., the same as Determination Method 2).

[0077] 10A to 10D are diagrams showing an example of determination method 3.

[0078] Figure 10A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. SSB is transmitted in slots #1 and #2.

[0079] Figure 10B shows the slot configuration when neither determination method is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is five slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "XXXXU" pattern is repeated. In slots #1 and #2, SBFD symbols and SSB symbols collide.

[0080] Figure 10C shows the slot configuration when determination method 2 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. Because the SSB burst period spans slots #1 to #2, the non-SBFD period also spans slots #1 to #2. The slot configuration for slots #0 to #4 is "XDFXU." Transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols per period occur a total of four times: before slot #0 (between slot #4 and slot #0 of the previous period), between slots #0 and #1, between slots #2 and #3, and between slots #3 and #4. Because the slot before slot #0 is a UL slot, a transition also occurs at the beginning of slot #0.

[0081] Figure 10D shows the slot configuration when determination method 3 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. In this example, the start slot of the non-SBFD period is set to coincide with the start slot of the SBFD time period, and the end slot of the non-SBFD period is set to coincide with the end slot of the SSB burst. Since the start slot of the SBFD time period is Slot #0 and the end slot of the SSB burst is Slot #2, the non-SBFD period consists of Slots #0 to #2. The slot configuration of Slots #0 to #4 is "DDFXU." The number of transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols per period can be reduced to a total of two, between Slots #2 and #3, and between Slots #3 and #4.

[0082] Thus, according to this method, by making the SSB burst and its surrounding slots containing SSB symbols non-SBFD slots, when an SSB burst is placed in consecutive SBFD slots, the transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols can be reduced, and the overhead associated with the transitions can be reduced, thereby allowing for efficient use of resources.

[0083] In determination method 3, the following method may be applied to determine which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period should be matched with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period).

[0084] (Matching Method 1) In this method, which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period are matched with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) is defined in advance or set by signaling. When set by signaling, the SBFD slot configuration setting and the SSB setting may be notified by signaling together (for example, by SIB) so that the SBFD-compatible terminal can determine the position of the SBFD symbol. The SBFD slot configuration may include the configuration of the symbols that make up the SBFD slot.

[0085] In this way, the method reduces the complexity for an SBFD-enabled terminal to determine the location of the SBFD slot / symbol by explicitly defining or configuring it.

[0086] (Matching Method 2) In this method, which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period should be matched with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) is determined by comparing the number of SBFD slots (or the number of symbols) before and after the SSB burst. For example, if the start or end slot of the non-SBFD period is fixedly matched with the start or end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) in Matching Method 1, many slots before and after the SSB burst will be non-SBFD slots, which may reduce the opportunities to use SBFD symbols. Fewer opportunities to use SBFD symbols makes it difficult to obtain the benefits of SBFD (e.g., reduced UL delay and increased UL coverage). To increase the number of SBFD symbols in the TDD UL-DL pattern period, the side with the fewer SBFD slots (number of symbols) before and after the SSB burst is made to match the start or end slot of the non-SBFD period with the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period), and the side with the larger number of SBFD slots (number of symbols) is made to match the start or end slot of the non-SBFD period with the SSB burst.

[0087] That is, the number of slots from the start slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period to the start slot of the SSB burst (hereinafter referred to as "previous slots") is compared with the number of slots from the end slot of the SSB burst to the end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (hereinafter referred to as "next slots"), and the smaller number is designated as the non-SBFD period.

[0088] 11A to 11D are diagrams showing an example of Matching Method 2.

[0089] Figure 11A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. SSB is transmitted in slots #2 and #3.

[0090] Figure 11B shows the slot configuration when neither determination method is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is 5 slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "XXXXU" pattern is repeated. In slots #2 and #3, SBFD symbols and SSB symbols collide.

[0091] Figure 11C shows the slot configuration when matching method 1 of determination method 3 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The start slot of the non-SBFD period is set to match the start slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. The start slot of the non-SBFD period is slot #0, which is the start slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the end slot of the non-SBFD period is slot #3, which is the end slot of the SSB burst. Therefore, slots #0 to #3 are non-SBFD slots. Since slot #4 is a UL slot, there is no SBFD slot.

[0092] Figure 11D shows the slot configuration when matching method 2 of determination method 3 is applied. Since the SSB burst is #2 to #3, the number of preceding slots (number of symbols) is 2 slots (14 symbols). On the other hand, the number of following slots (number of symbols) is 0 slots (0 symbols) (because Slot #4 is a UL slot). Therefore, because there are fewer following slots / symbols, the start slot of the non-SBFD period is matched with the start slot of the SSB burst, which is Slot #2. On the other hand, the end slot of the non-SBFD period is matched with the end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period, which is Slot #4. Therefore, since the non-SBFD period is Slot #2 to #3, Slot #0 and #1 become SBFD slots, improving the utilization of SBFD symbols.

[0093] In this way, according to this method, which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period should be aligned with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) is determined by comparing the number of SBFD slots / symbols before and after the SSB burst, thereby increasing the opportunities to use SBFD symbols and making it easier to achieve the improvement effects of SBFD.

[0094] (Matching Method 3) In this method, which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period should be matched with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) is determined by the number of SBFD slots (or symbols) before and after the SSB burst and a threshold. If the number of available SBFD slots (or symbols) is small, SBFD symbols may not be used effectively (e.g., resources may not be used efficiently due to the overhead caused by the transition between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols). Therefore, a threshold is introduced to determine whether to match the start or end slot of the non-SBFD period with the start or end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. If the number of SBFD slots (or symbols) before the SSB burst is less than the threshold, the start slot of the non-SBFD period is matched with the start slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. If the number of SBFD slots (or symbols) after the SSB burst is less than the threshold, the end slot of the non-SBFD period is matched with the end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period.

[0095] 12A to 12D are diagrams showing examples of Matching Method 3.

[0096] Figure 12A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. SSB is transmitted in slots #1 to #3.

[0097] Figure 12B shows the slot configuration when neither determination method is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is 5 slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "XXXXU" pattern is repeated. In slots #1 to #3, SBFD symbols and SSB symbols collide.

[0098] 12C shows the slot configuration when matching method 2 of determination method 3 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The start slot of the non-SBFD period is Slot #1, which is the start slot of the SSB burst, and the end slot of the non-SBFD period is Slot #4, which is the end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. Therefore, while Slot #1 to #3 are non-SBFD slots, Slot #0 is an SBFD slot.

[0099] Figure 12D shows the slot configuration when matching method 3 of determination method 3 is applied. The threshold is 2 slots. Since slots #1 to #3 correspond to the SSB burst, the number of SBFD slots before the SSB burst is 1 slot. Since this is less than the threshold of 2 slots, the start slot of the non-SBFD period is slot #0, which is the start slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. On the other hand, the number of SBFD slots after the SSB burst is 0 slot. Since this is less than the threshold, the end slot of the non-SBFD period is slot #4, which is the end slot of the TDD UL-DL pattern period. Since the non-SBFD period consists of slots #0 to #4, it is possible to avoid SBFD slots / symbols with a short number of slots / symbols being allocated.

[0100] In this way, according to the present method, by using a threshold value to determine which (or both) of the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period should coincide with the start and end slots of the TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period), it is possible to avoid short SBFD symbol periods, reduce transitions between SBFD symbols and non-SBFD symbols, and reduce the overhead associated with the transitions, thereby enabling efficient use of resources.

[0101] The threshold may be determined in association with other parameters. The threshold setting value may be determined, for example, based on the number of slots (number of symbols) in a TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period). That is, for example, the threshold may be large if the number of slots in a TDD UL-DL pattern period is large, and the threshold may be small if the number of slots in a TDD UL-DL pattern period is small. By determining the threshold in association with parameters related to time domain resources, it is possible to set the threshold in accordance with the time domain resources, thereby enabling efficient resource utilization.

[0102] An example of determining the threshold is given below.

[0103] Example 1: The threshold is determined based on the total number of symbols in a TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period). For example, the threshold may be determined based on the following formula: threshold = floor(α × "total number of symbols in a TDD UL-DL pattern period"), where α is a coefficient for adjusting the threshold.

[0104] Example 2: The threshold is determined based on the number of consecutive SBFD symbols in a TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period). For example, the threshold may be determined based on the following formula: threshold = floor(α × "number of consecutive SBFD symbols in a TDD UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period)"), where α is a coefficient for adjusting the threshold.

[0105] <Variation 1> In each determination method, determination may be made on a symbol-by-symbol basis rather than on a slot-by-slot basis. For example, in determination method 1, instead of determining non-SBFD slots on a slot-by-slot basis, SSB symbols may be determined to be non-SBFD symbols. Also, for example, in determination methods 2 and 3, the start and end slots of the non-SBFD period may be used as the start and end symbols. By using a symbol-by-symbol basis, the number of symbols that can be used as SBFD symbols increases, thereby improving the opportunities to use the SBFD function.

[0106] <Variation 2> In each determination method, when the SBFD slot configuration is notified, rather than determining which slots and symbols are not to be non-SBFD symbols based on each determination method, a procedure may be adopted in which the conventional symbols (DL, UL, Flexible symbols) are first changed to SBFD symbols, and then the symbols are again set to non-SBFD symbols (returned to non-SBFD symbols) based on each determination method.

[0107] <Modification 3> Each determination method may be applied to a channel signal (e.g., a control signal) other than SSB. For example, it may be applied to a reference signal such as CSI-RS. The channel signal may be UL instead of DL. For example, it may be determined that an SBFD symbol with a RACH resource is a non-SBFD symbol.

[0108] <Variation 4> The maximum number of SSBs in an SSB burst is 64, which corresponds to 5 ms in 120 / 240 kHz SCS. Since the TDD-UL-DL pattern period can be set from 0.5 ms to 10 ms, depending on the lengths of the SSB burst and the TDD-UL-DL pattern period, the SSB burst may be transmitted across the TDD-UL-DL pattern period (in other words, the SSB burst may be transmitted for a longer time than the TDD-UL-DL pattern period).

[0109] In determination methods 2 and 3, when an SSB burst is transmitted across a TDD-UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period), the determination may be made by using "an SSB burst within a TDD-UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period)" instead of the SSB burst. In other words, determination methods 2 and 3 are used to determine the transmission start slot and end slot of the SSB burst, which are obtained by dividing the SSB burst into TDD-UL-DL pattern periods (or SBFD time periods).

[0110] When an SSB burst is transmitted across a TDD-UL-DL pattern period, the opportunities to use SBFD symbols may be reduced in determination methods 2 and 3. Therefore, determination methods 2 and 3 may be applied by treating the period between the SSB transmission start slot and end slot within the TDD-UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period) as the "SSB burst within the TDD-UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period)."

[0111] 13A to 13D are diagrams showing examples of SSB bursts spanning the TDD-UL-DL pattern period. 13A to 13D show examples of determination method 2.

[0112] Figure 13A shows the slot configuration for a non-SBFD-compatible terminal. The TDD UL-DL pattern period is 5 slots, with the "DDFFU" pattern repeated. SSB is transmitted in slots #2, #3, #7, and #8.

[0113] Figure 13B shows the slot configuration when determination method 2 is not applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The SBFD time period is five slots, the same as the TDD UL-DL pattern period, and the "XXXXU" pattern is repeated. In slots #2, #3, #7, and #8, SBFD symbols and SSB symbols collide.

[0114] 13C shows the slot configuration when matching method 2 is applied to an SBFD-compatible terminal. The start slot of the SSB burst is slot #2 and the end slot is slot #8, so the non-SBFD period is slots #2 to #8.

[0115] FIG. 13D shows a slot configuration in which the SSB bursts in determination method 2 are replaced with "SSB bursts within a TDD-UL-DL pattern period." Since the SSB bursts in the first TDD-UL-DL pattern period (Slots #0 to #4) are Slots #2 to #3, the non-SBFD period is Slots #2 to #3. Since the SSB bursts in the second TDD-UL-DL pattern period (Slots #5 to #9) are Slots #7 to #8, the non-SBFD period is Slots #7 to #8. Compared to FIG. 13C, Slots #5 and #6 are SBFD slots, which improves the utilization of SBFD symbols. Thus, by applying the determination method to "SSB bursts within a TDD-UL-DL pattern period (or SBFD time period)" instead of SSB bursts, the utilization of SBFD symbols can be improved.

[0116] In determination method 3, when two TDD UL-DL patterns are set, determination may be made for the sum of the two TDD UL-DL pattern periods instead of for each TDD UL-DL pattern period. For example, in the case of matching method 2 of determination method 3, in Fig. 13C, the number of slots before the SSB burst is two slots, Slots #0 and #1, and the number of slots after the SSB burst is one slot, Slot #9, so the start slot of the non-SBFD period may be Slot #2 and the end slot of the non-SBFD period may be Slot #9.

[0117] <Modification 5> The base station 500 may determine whether or not the symbol is an SBFD symbol based on SSB, and notify the terminal 600 of the time position of the SBFD symbol as signaling information.

[0118] (Supplementary Note) Information indicating whether the terminal 600 supports the functions, operations, or processes described in each of the above-described embodiments and each supplementary note may be transmitted (or notified) from the terminal 600 to the base station 500, for example, as capability information or capability parameters of the terminal 600.

[0119] The capability information may include an information element (IE) that individually indicates whether or not the terminal 600 supports at least one of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments, modifications, and supplements. Alternatively, the capability information may include an information element that indicates whether or not the terminal 600 supports a combination of any two or more of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments, modifications, and supplements.

[0120] For example, the base station 500 may determine (or decide or assume) the functions, operations, or processes that the terminal 600 that transmitted the capability information supports (or does not support) based on the capability information received from the terminal 600. The base station 500 may perform operations, processes, or control according to the determination result based on the capability information. For example, the base station 500 may control the semi-static information based on the capability information received from the terminal 600.

[0121] Note that the fact that terminal 600 does not support some of the functions, operations, or processes described in the above-described embodiments, modifications, and supplementary notes may be interpreted as meaning that such some of the functions, operations, or processes are restricted in terminal 600. For example, information or a request regarding such restrictions may be notified to base station 500.

[0122] Information regarding the capabilities or limitations of terminal 600 may, for example, be defined in a standard, or may be implicitly notified to base station 500 in association with information known at base station 500 or information transmitted to base station 500.

[0123] (Control Signal) In the present disclosure, a downlink control signal (or downlink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by a downlink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal.

[0124] In the present disclosure, an uplink control signal (or uplink control information) related to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be, for example, a signal (or information) transmitted in a PUCCH of a physical layer, or a signal (or information) transmitted in a MAC CE or RRC of a higher layer. Furthermore, the signal (or information) is not limited to being notified by an uplink control signal, but may be predefined in a specification (or standard) or preconfigured in a base station and a terminal. Furthermore, the uplink control signal may be replaced with, for example, uplink control information (UCI), 1st stage sidelink control information (SCI), or 2nd stage SCI.

[0125] (Base Station) In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the base station may be a Transmission Reception Point (TRP), a cluster head, an access point, a Remote Radio Head (RRH), an eNodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a Base Station (BS), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a parent device, a gateway, or the like. In sidelink communication, a terminal may play the role of a base station. Instead of a base station, a relay device that relays communication between an upper node and a terminal may be used. Alternatively, a roadside unit may be used.

[0126] (Uplink / Downlink / Sidelink) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, any of the uplink, downlink, and sidelink. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), or a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) in the uplink, a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a PDCCH, or a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) in the downlink, or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), or a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH) in the sidelink.

[0127] The PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, and PUCCH are examples of a downlink control channel, a downlink data channel, an uplink data channel, and an uplink control channel, respectively. The PSCCH and PSSCH are examples of a sidelink control channel and a sidelink data channel. The PBCH and PSBCH are examples of a broadcast channel, and the PRACH is an example of a random access channel.

[0128] (Data Channel / Control Channel) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to, for example, either a data channel or a control channel. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of the data channels PDSCH, PUSCH, and PSSCH, or the control channels PDCCH, PUCCH, PBCH, PSCCH, and PSBCH.

[0129] (Reference Signal) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a reference signal is, for example, a signal known by both a base station and a mobile station, and may also be called a Reference Signal (RS) or a pilot signal. The reference signal may be any of a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), a Channel State Information - Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), a Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), or a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS).

[0130] (Time Interval) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit of time resource is not limited to one or a combination of slots and symbols, but may be, for example, a time resource unit such as a frame, a superframe, a subframe, a slot, a time slot, a subslot, a minislot, a symbol, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (SC-FDMA) symbol, or another time resource unit. Furthermore, the number of symbols included in one slot is not limited to the number of symbols exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be another number of symbols.

[0131] (Frequency Band) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to either a licensed band or an unlicensed band.

[0132] (Communication) An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to communication between a base station and a terminal (Uu link communication), communication between terminals (Sidelink communication), Vehicle to Everything (V2X) communication, or communication between an Ambient IoT Reader and an Ambient IoT Device. For example, the channel in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of PSCCH, PSSCH, Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), PSBCH, PRDCH (Physical Reader-to-Device Channel), PDRCH (Physical Device-to-Reader Channel), PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, or PBCH. For example, the control information in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with any of DCI, UCI, SCI (Sidelink Control Information), R2D Control Information, and D2R Control Information. For example, the terminal and base station in an embodiment of the present disclosure may be replaced with an Ambient IoT Device or an Ambient IoT Reader.

[0133] The Ambient IoT Device may be a wireless communication device with a backscattering function or a transmission / reception bandwidth of several resource blocks or less. The Ambient IoT Reader may be a wireless communication device with a communication function with the Ambient IoT Device. The Ambient IoT Device may also be called an Ambient IoT terminal, IoT terminal, LPWA terminal, or tag.

[0134] An embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to a terrestrial network, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) using a satellite or a high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS), or a terrestrial network in which transmission delay is large compared to the symbol length or slot length, such as a network with a large cell size or an ultra-wideband transmission network.

[0135] (SBFD) In ​​one embodiment of the present disclosure, operations on uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., SBFD symbols) on which SBFD (Subband Non-Overlapping Full Duplex, Subband Full Duplex) operations or controls are performed. In SBFD symbols, a frequency domain (or frequency resource, frequency band) is divided into multiple frequency domains (e.g., subbands, RB sets, subbands, or sub-BWPs (Bandwidth Parts)). A terminal transmits and receives in different directions (e.g., downlink or uplink) in units of subbands, which are the divided domains. In SBFD symbols, a terminal may transmit and receive in one direction, either uplink or downlink, but not in the other direction. On the other hand, a base station may be capable of transmitting and receiving on both the uplink and downlink simultaneously. SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for downlink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only downlink transmission. Also, SBFD symbols may have a smaller frequency domain available for uplink transmission than symbols that transmit and receive only uplink transmission.

[0136] In addition, in the SBFD symbol, a terminal may transmit and receive uplink and downlink simultaneously. In this case, the frequency domain in which the terminal transmits and the frequency domain in which the terminal receives may not be adjacent, but may be separated by a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap).

[0137] In addition, different transmission and reception directions in subband units, which are divided areas, may include transmission and reception of side links.

[0138] (XDD: Cross Division Duplex) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation for uplink, downlink, and sidelink symbols may be applied to symbols (e.g., full duplex symbols) where full duplex operation or control is performed. In a full duplex symbol, both the terminal and the base station can simultaneously transmit and receive on the uplink and downlink. In a full duplex symbol, the terminal and the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive in an available frequency region (or frequency resource, frequency band), or may simultaneously transmit and receive in a partial frequency region (i.e., transmission or reception may be performed in other frequency regions). In this case, the frequency region in which the base station or terminal transmits and receives may not be adjacent, but may have a frequency interval (also called a frequency gap). Furthermore, for the purpose of, for example, reducing interference, either the terminal or the base station may simultaneously transmit and receive (i.e., the other may transmit or receive).

[0139] In addition, full duplex operation may be applied to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks, or to an operation in which a terminal can simultaneously transmit and receive sidelinks and uplinks or downlinks.

[0140] (Antenna Port) In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an antenna port refers to a logical antenna (antenna group) consisting of one or more physical antennas. For example, an antenna port does not necessarily refer to a single physical antenna, but may refer to an array antenna consisting of multiple antennas. For example, the number of physical antennas that an antenna port is composed of is not specified, and the antenna port may be specified as the smallest unit by which a terminal station can transmit a reference signal. Furthermore, an antenna port may also be specified as the smallest unit by which a weighting of a precoding vector is multiplied.

[0141] <5G NR System Architecture and Protocol Stack> The 5G NR system architecture generally assumes an NG-RAN (Next Generation - Radio Access Network) including gNBs. The gNBs provide UE-side termination of the NG radio access user plane (SDAP / PDCP / RLC / MAC / PHY) and control plane (RRC) protocols. The gNBs are connected to each other via an Xn interface. The gNBs are also connected to a Next Generation Core (NGC) via a Next Generation (NG) interface, more specifically to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs AMF) via an NG-C interface, and to a User Plane Function (UPF) (e.g., a specific core entity that performs UPF) via an NG-U interface. The NG-RAN architecture is shown in Figure 14 (see, for example, 3GPP TS 38.300 v15.6.0, section 4).

[0142] <RRC connection setup and reconfiguration procedure> This shows the NAS part of the interaction between the UE, gNB, and AMF (5GC entity) when the UE transitions from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED (see TS 38.300 v15.6.0).

[0143] RRC is a higher layer signaling protocol used to configure the UE and gNB. The AMF prepares UE context data (including, for example, PDU session context, security keys, UE radio capabilities, UE security capabilities, etc.) and sends it to the gNB along with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST. The gNB then activates AS security together with the UE. This is done by the gNB sending a SecurityModeCommand message to the UE, and the UE responding with a SecurityModeComplete message to the gNB. The gNB then sends an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE, and upon receiving an RRCReconfigurationComplete from the UE, the gNB performs reconfiguration to set up Signaling Radio Bearer 2 (SRB2) and Data Radio Bearer (DRB). For signaling-only connections, the steps related to RRCReconfiguration are omitted because SRB2 and DRB are not set up. Finally, the gNB notifies the AMF that the setup procedure is complete with an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE.

[0144] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a 5th Generation Core (5GC) entity (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) that includes: a control circuit that, upon operation, establishes a Next Generation (NG) connection with a gNodeB; and a transmitter that, upon operation, transmits an initial context setup message to the gNodeB via the NG connection so that a signaling radio bearer between the gNodeB and a user equipment (UE) is set up. Specifically, the gNodeB transmits Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, including a resource allocation configuration information element (IE), to the UE via the signaling radio bearer. The UE then transmits in uplink or receives in downlink based on the resource allocation configuration.

[0145] <QoS Control> The 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model is based on QoS flows and supports both QoS flows that require a guaranteed flow bit rate (Guaranteed Bit Rate QoS flows (GBR)) and QoS flows that do not require a guaranteed flow bit rate (non-GBR QoS flows). Thus, at the NAS level, a QoS flow is the finest granularity of QoS classification in a PDU session. A QoS flow is identified within a PDU session by a QoS Flow ID (QFI) carried in an encapsulation header over the NG-U interface.

[0146] For each UE, 5GC establishes one or more PDU sessions. For each UE, the NG-RAN establishes, for example, at least one Data Radio Bearer (DRB) for each PDU session. Additional DRBs for the QoS flows of that PDU session can be configured later (when this is up to the NG-RAN). The NG-RAN maps packets belonging to different PDU sessions to different DRBs. NAS-level packet filters in the UE and 5GC associate UL and DL packets with QoS flows, while AS-level mapping rules in the UE and NG-RAN associate UL and DL QoS flows with DRBs.

[0147] (Open-RAN) The base station described in each embodiment (for example, a 5G NR base station called a gNB) may be configured with three functional modules: a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Radio Unit (RU).

[0148] A CU may be referred to as a centralized node, aggregation node, central station, aggregation station, or centralized unit. A DU may be referred to as an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), distributed node, distributed station, or distributed unit. An RU may be referred to as an O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RU), radio equipment, radio node, radio station, antenna unit, or radio unit.

[0149] There are several split options for the functional split configuration (or functional split point) between CU, DU, and RU. The term "functional split point" is sometimes referred to as "split," "option," or "split option."

[0150] Examples of "division options" include the following division options 1 to 8. The functions of the base station described in each embodiment may be divided into a CU, a DU, and an RU by any of the following division options 1 to 8. For example, the CU, DU, and RU may be functionally divided, or the functions may be divided only between the CU and DU or only between the DU and RU. (1) Segmentation option 1: Between RRC (radio resource control) and PDCP (2) Segmentation option 2: Between PDCP and RLC (High-RLC) (3) Segmentation option 3: Between High-RLC and Low-RLC (4) Segmentation option 4: Between RLC (Low-RLC) and MAC (High-MAC) (5) Segmentation option 5: Between High-MAC and Low-MAC (6) Segmentation option 6: Between MAC (Low-MAC) and PHY (High-PHY) (7) Segmentation option 7: Between High-PHY and Low-PHY (8) Segmentation option 8: Between PHY (Low-PHY) and RF

[0151] The functional split point between the CU and O-DU may be split option 2. The section between the CU and O-DU is called midhaul, and the F1 interface is specified by 3GPP. The section between the O-DU and O-RU is called fronthaul, and the functional split point may be split option 7-2x, which is adopted as the O-RAN fronthaul specification.

[0152] Figure 15 shows an example of functional division of the gNB base station functions into CU, O-DU, and O-RU using Split Option 2 and Split Option 7-2x.

[0153] The CU may have, for example, a radio resource control (RRC) function, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) function, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) function.

[0154] The O-DU may include, for example, a radio link control (RLC) function, a MAC function, and a higher physical layer (HIGH-PHY) function. The HIGH-PHY function may include an encoding function, a scrambling function, a modulation function, a layer mapping function, a precoding function, and a resource element (RE) mapping function for downlink (DL) transmission. The HIGH-PHY function may also include a decoding function, a descrambling function, a demodulation function, a layer demapping function, and a resource element (RE) demapping function for uplink (UL) reception.

[0155] The O-RU may have, for example, a LOW-PHY function and an RF function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for downlink transmission, a beamforming function, an IFFT (Inverse First Fourier Transform) + CP (Cyclic Prefix) assignment function, and a D / A (Digital to Analog) conversion function. The LOW-PHY function may also have, for uplink reception, an A / D (Analog to Digital) conversion function, a CP removal + FFT (First Fourier Transform) function, and a beamforming function.

[0156] In addition, if the O-DU does not have a precoding function, the O-RU may have a precoding function.

[0157] The O-RU may have a function related to LBT (listen before talk). The evolving common public radio interface (eCPRI) is specified as the communication method between the O-DU and the O-RU in Split Option 7-2x. In Split Option 7-2x, eCPRI transmits and receives sampling sequences of the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the OFDM signal in the frequency domain, as well as information used for beamforming in the antenna and time synchronization signals.

[0158] Information transmitted by the signals described in each embodiment (PDCCH, PUCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, MAC CE, RRC, etc.) may be transmitted between the O-DU and the O-RU via the eCPRI User Plane (U-Plane) or Control Plane (C-Plane).

[0159] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-RU by functional division, the O-DU may control the O-RU by transmitting information for controlling the functions via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) between the O-DU and the O-RU.

[0160] When the functions described in each embodiment are performed in the O-DU by functional division, the O-RU may receive the results of the functions performed in the O-DU via a control signal (e.g., eCPRI) and control the O-RU based on the received results.

[0161] The CU, O-DU, and O-RU may be deployed in physically different devices with their respective functions connected by optical fiber or the like, or some or all of their functions may be deployed in the same physical device.

[0162] The CU and O-DU may be logical entities implemented as software running on a server in the cloud or the like as a virtualized RAN (virtual Radio Access Network: vRAN). Also, some or all of the functions of the CU and O-DU may be provided as a virtualized network function (Network Functions Virtualization: NFV) service.

[0163] The transceiver does not have to be a radio transceiver, but may be, for example, a network transceiver, an optical transceiver, etc. The radio resources allocated by the O-DU may be resources for wireless communication between the O-RU and the UE.

[0164] The present disclosure can be realized in software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware.

[0165] Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0166] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0167] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0168] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0169] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0170] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0171] A communications device also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications device.

[0172] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0173] (1) A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a receiving unit that receives a symbol and a control circuit that determines, based on the time position of a control signal, whether the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband basis.

[0174] (2) In a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (1), the control signal is an SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) symbol.

[0175] (3) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (2), the control circuit designates a slot including the SSB symbol as a non-SBFD slot, and designates a symbol included in the non-SBFD slot as a non-SBFD symbol.

[0176] (4) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (2), the control circuit designates slots in an SSB burst as non-SBFD slots and symbols included in the non-SBFD slots as non-SBFD symbols.

[0177] (5) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (2), the control circuit designates slots within an SSB burst and surrounding slots as non-SBFD slots, and designates symbols included in the non-SBFD slots as non-SBFD symbols.

[0178] (6) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (5), the neighboring slots are the slots preceding the start slot of the SSB burst and the start slot of the TDD-UL-DL pattern period, and / or the slots following the end slot of the SSB burst and the end slot of the TDD-UL-DL pattern period.

[0179] (7) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (6), the control circuit determines whether the front slot and the rear slot are the peripheral slots based on predefined information or signaling.

[0180] (8) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (6), the control circuit determines whether the front slot and the rear slot are to be the peripheral slots by comparing the number of front slots with the number of rear slots.

[0181] (9) In a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the terminal of (6), the control circuit determines whether the preceding slot is to be the peripheral slot by comparing the number of preceding slots with a threshold value, and determines whether the subsequent slot is to be the peripheral slot by comparing the number of subsequent slots with a threshold value.

[0182] (10) A base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a control circuit that determines, based on a time position of a control signal, whether or not the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband basis; and a transmitter that transmits the symbol based on the determination of the control circuit.

[0183] (11) A reception method for a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure receives a symbol, and determines whether the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set in subband units based on a time position of a control signal.

[0184] (12) A transmission method of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure determines, based on a time position of a control signal, whether or not the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband-by-subband basis, and transmits the symbol based on the determination.

[0185] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-132042, filed on August 8, 2024, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0186] One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful in wireless communication systems.

[0187] 500 Base station 501, 601 Receiving unit 502, 602 Demapping unit 503, 603 Demodulation and decoding unit 504 Scheduling unit 505, 605 Control information holding unit 506 SBFD resource control unit 507, 607 Data and control information generation unit 508, 608 Encoding and modulation unit 509, 609 Mapping unit 510, 610 Transmitting unit 511, 611 Control circuit 600 Terminal 604 Control unit 606 SBFD resource determination unit

Claims

1. A terminal comprising: a receiving unit that receives a symbol; and a control circuit that determines whether or not the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband basis, based on the time position of a control signal.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a synchronization signal block (SSB) symbol, and the determination determines whether the symbol is a subband non-overlapping full duplex (SBFD) symbol.

3. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit designates a slot including the SSB symbol as a non-SBFD slot, and designates a symbol included in the non-SBFD slot as a non-SBFD symbol.

4. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the control circuit designates slots within an SSB burst as non-SBFD slots and symbols included in the non-SBFD slots as non-SBFD symbols.

5. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit designates slots within an SSB burst and surrounding slots as non-SBFD slots, and designates symbols included in non-SBFD slots as non-SBFD symbols.

6. The terminal according to claim 5, wherein the peripheral slots are slots preceding the start slot of an SSB burst and the start slot of a TDD-UL-DL pattern period, and / or slots following the end slot of an SSB burst and the end slot of a TDD-UL-DL pattern period.

7. The terminal according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit determines whether the front slot and the rear slot are the peripheral slots based on predefined information or signaling.

8. The terminal according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit determines whether the preceding slots and the following slots are to be the peripheral slots by comparing the number of the preceding slots with the number of the following slots.

9. The terminal according to claim 6, wherein the control circuit determines whether the preceding slot is to be the peripheral slot by comparing the number of preceding slots with a threshold value, and determines whether the following slot is to be the peripheral slot by comparing the number of following slots with a threshold value.

10. A base station comprising: a control circuit that determines whether a symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set on a subband basis based on the time position of a control signal; and a transmission unit that transmits the symbol based on the determination of the control circuit.

11. A reception method for a terminal, comprising: receiving a symbol; and determining whether or not the symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set in subband units based on the time position of a control signal.

12. A transmission method for a base station, comprising determining whether or not a symbol is a symbol for which a transmission / reception direction is set in subband units based on the time position of a control signal, and transmitting the symbol based on said determination.

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