Dynamic soft resource signaling in relay networks

1. In an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network including an IAB node, a method comprising:

determining, using by one or more processors of the IAB node, a time-domain soft resource configuration for a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node, wherein determining the time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

receiving a go-to-sleep (GTS) downlink control information (DCI); and

in response to receiving the GTS DCI, suspending mobile termination (MT) control channel (CCH) monitoring for a number of slots indicated by the GTS DCI; and

allocating, using the one or more processors, the time-domain soft resource configuration for the DU, wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration comprises available soft resources for an MT GTS duration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration is a first time-domain soft resource configuration, and the method further comprising:

configuring, by the one or more processors, control channel (CCH) allocations for the MT and the DU such that a DU CCH is allocated in a symbol after a resource allocated for an MT CCH.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, a second time-domain soft resource configuration for the DU, wherein determining the second time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

determining that the resource allocated for the MT CCH does not include the MT CCH;

in response to the determination, determining that a data resource corresponding to the resource allocated for the MT CCH is not used by the MT; and

generating the second soft resource configuration to indicate a second available soft resource for use by the DU, wherein the second available soft resource includes the data resource that is not used by the MT.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the DU is configured to initiate a child link using the DU CCH allocated in a DU CCH region indicated by the second time-domain soft resource configuration.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

scheduling a gap time between an end of the MT CCH and a start of the DU CCH, wherein the gap time is a time period to accommodate at least one of an MT CCH decoding delay or a DU data channel preparation time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspending comprises the one or more processors not scheduling transmissions in a parent link of the IAB node in slots that correspond to the number of slots indicated by the GTS DCI.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration is a first time-domain soft resource configuration, and wherein determining a second time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

determining one or more rate matching (RM) patterns, the one or more RM patterns comprising an RM resource allocation for MT data transmissions.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, a DCI scheduling an MT data transmission, wherein the DCI is used to dynamically select one of the one or more RM patterns to be rate matched around for the data transmission.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining, in response to receipt of the DCI and by the one or more processors, a corresponding second available soft resource for the DU, wherein the corresponding second available soft resource is a rate matched resource according to the selected RM pattern.

10. In an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network including an IAB node, a non-transitory computer-readable storage device having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining a time-domain soft resource configuration for a distributed unit (DU) of the IAB node, wherein determining the time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

determining one or more rate matching (RM) patterns, the one or more RM patterns comprising an RM resource allocation for mobile termination (MT) data transmissions; and

receiving a downlink control information (DCI) scheduling an MT data transmission, wherein the DCI is used to dynamically select one of the one or more RM patterns to be rate matched around for the data transmission; and

allocating the time-domain soft resource configuration to the DU.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10 , wherein control channel (CCH) allocations for the MT and the DU are configured such that a DU CCH is allocated in a symbol after a resource allocated for an MT CCH.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11 , wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration is a first time-domain soft resource configuration, and wherein determining a second time-domain soft resource configuration for the DU of the IAB node comprises:

determining that the resource allocated for the MT CCH does not include the MT CCH;

in response to the determination, determining that a data resource corresponding to the resource allocated for the MT CCH is not used by the MT; and

generating the second time-domain soft resource configuration to indicate an available soft resource for use by the DU, wherein the available soft resource includes the data resource that is not used by the MT.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , wherein, upon receipt of the second time-domain soft resource configuration, the DU is configured to initiate a child link using the DU CCH allocated in a DU CCH region indicated by the second time-domain soft resource configuration.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

scheduling a gap time between an end of the MT CCH and a start of the DU CCH, wherein the gap time is a time period to accommodate at least one of an MT CCH decoding delay or a DU data channel preparation time.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 10 , wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration is a first time-domain soft resource configuration, and wherein determining a second time-domain soft resource configuration for the DU of the IAB node comprises:

receiving a go-to-sleep (GTS) downlink control information (DCI);

in response to receiving the GTS DCI, suspending MT control channel (CCH) monitoring for a number of slots indicated by the GTS DCI; and

indicating available soft resources for a MT GTS duration to the DU.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15 , wherein the suspending comprises not scheduling transmissions in a parent link of the IAB node in slots that correspond to the number of slots indicated by the GTS DCI.

17. One or more processors configured to perform operations comprising:

determining a time-domain soft resource configuration for a distributed unit (DU) of an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, wherein determining the time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

receiving a go-to-sleep (GTS) downlink control information (DCI); and

in response to receiving the GTS DCI, suspending mobile termination (MT) control channel (CCH) monitoring for a number of slots indicated by the GTS DCI; and

allocating the soft resource configuration to the DU.

18. The one or more processors of claim 17 , wherein the time-domain soft resource configuration is a first time-domain soft resource configuration, and the operations further comprising:

configuring, by the one or more processors, control channel (CCH) allocations for the MT and the DU such that a DU CCH is allocated in a symbol after a resource allocated for an MT CCH.

19. The one or more processors of claim 18 , the operations further comprising determining, by the one or more processors, a second time-domain soft resource configuration for the DU, wherein determining the second time-domain soft resource configuration comprises:

determining that the resource allocated for the MT CCH does not include the MT CCH;

in response to the determination, determining that a data resource corresponding to the resource allocated for the MT CCH is not used by the MT; and

generating the second soft resource configuration to indicate a second available soft resource for use by the DU, wherein the second available soft resource includes the data resource that is not used by the MT.

20. The one or more processors of claim 19 , wherein the DU is configured to initiate a child link using the DU CCH allocated in a DU CCH region indicated by the second time-domain soft resource configuration.