Mapping information for integrated access and backhaul

Abstract

Embodiments of mapping information for integrated access and backhaul described herein relate to methods and apparatus for providing IAB mapping information. A method performed by a CU‑CP of a base station configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes comprises: sending a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU‑UP of the base station, wherein the first message comprises an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and devices in a network, and in particular, to a base station, a communication system, and a method for providing mapping information in the base station and the communication system. Background Art

[0002] Generally, all terms used in this article will be interpreted according to their common meaning in the relevant technical field, unless different meanings are clearly given and / or different meanings are implied in the context of using it. Unless otherwise clearly stated, all references to elements, devices, components, methods, steps, etc. will be openly interpreted as referring to at least one example in elements, devices, components, methods, steps, etc. The steps of any method disclosed herein are not necessarily performed in the disclosed exact order, unless the steps are clearly described as after or before another step and / or imply that the steps must be after or before another step. As long as it is appropriate, any feature of any embodiment disclosed herein may be applicable to any other embodiment. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applicable to any other embodiment, and vice versa. From the following description, other goals, features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent.

[0003] Integrated access and backhaul

[0004] Densification via the deployment of more and more base stations (whether macro or micro) is one of the mechanisms that can be adopted to meet the growing demand for more and more bandwidth and / or capacity in mobile networks. Due to the availability of more spectrum in the millimeter wave (mmw) band, deploying small cells operating in this band can be an attractive deployment option for these purposes. However, deploying optical fiber to small cells (which is a common way to deploy small cells) may ultimately be very expensive and impractical. Therefore, adopting wireless links for connecting small cells to the operator's network may be a cheaper and more practical alternative. One such solution is an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, where operators can use a portion of the radio resources for the backhaul link.

[0005] Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) has been studied early in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) within the scope of Long Term Evolution (LTE) Rel-10. In this work, an architecture is adopted in which a relay node (RN) has the functionality of an LTE eNB and a user equipment (UE) modem. The RN is connected to a donor eNB with an S1 / X2 proxy function that hides the RN from the rest of the network. This architecture enables the donor eNB to be aware of the UEs behind the RN and enables the donor eNB to hide any UE mobility between the donor eNB and the RN on the donor eNB from the core network (CN).

[0006] During Rel-10, other architectures were also considered, for example, one in which the RN is more transparent to the donor gNB and can be assigned a separate standalone P / S-GW node.

[0007] Similar architectural options can also be considered for New Radio (NR). One potential difference compared to LTE (besides the low-level differences) is that a gNB-CU / DU (centralized unit / distributed unit) split is defined for NR, which allows the separation of the time-critical RLC / MAC / PHY protocols from the less time-critical RRC / PDCP protocols. This separation can also apply to the IAB case. Other differences expected in NR compared to LTE in terms of IAB are support for multi-hop and support for redundant paths.

[0008] exist Figure 1A , an IAB deployment is shown, where an IAB donor node (abbreviated as IAB donor) has a wired connection to the core network, and an IAB relay node (abbreviated as IAB node) is wirelessly connected to the IAB donor directly or indirectly via another IAB node using NR. The connection between the IAB donor / node and the UE is called an access link, while the connection between two IAB nodes or between an IAB donor and an IAB node is called a backhaul link.

[0009] In addition, if Figure 1B As shown, the adjacent upstream IAB node of the IAB node (which is closer to the IAB donor node) is called the parent node of the IAB node. The adjacent downstream node of the IAB node (which is farther from the IAB donor node) is called the child node of the IAB node. The backhaul link between the parent node and the IAB node is called the parent (backhaul) link, and the backhaul link between the IAB node and the child node is called the child (backhaul) link.

[0010] Integrated access backhaul architecture

[0011] As discussed in Technical Report TR 38.874 v 16.0.0 [1], a solution has been agreed to leverage NR’s Central Unit (CU) / Distributed Unit (DU) split architecture, where the IAB nodes will host the DU portion controlled by the Central Unit (CU). The IAB nodes may also have a Mobile Terminal (MT) portion that they use to communicate with their parent node.

[0012] The specifications for IAB seek to reuse existing functions and interfaces defined in NR. In particular, the mobile terminal (MT), gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), gNB central unit (gNB-CU), user plane function (UPF), access and mobility management function (AMF) and session management function (SMF) and the corresponding interfaces NR Uu (between MT and gNB), F1 (between gNB-DU and gNB-CU), NG, X2 and N4 are used as the baseline for the IAB architecture. Modifications or enhancements to these functions and interfaces for supporting IAB will be explained in the context of the architecture discussion. Additional functions, such as multi-hop forwarding, may be included in the architecture discussion to help understand the IAB operation; certain aspects may also require standardization.

[0013] A Mobile Terminal (MT) function has been defined as a component of an IAB Node. MT is referred to herein as a function residing on an IAB Node that terminates the radio interface layer of the backhaul Uu interface towards an IAB Donor or other IAB nodes.

[0014] From TR 38.874[1] Figure 2A A reference diagram of the IAB in standalone mode is shown, in which example the system includes one IAB Donor and multiple IAB nodes. The IAB Donor in this example is considered as a single logical node that includes a set of functions such as gNB-DU, gNB-CU-Control Plane (CP), gNB-CU-User Plane (UP), and potentially other functions. In a deployment, the IAB Donor may be separated according to these functions, which may all be collocated or non-collocated as allowed by the 3GPP NG-RAN architecture. When such a separation is made, IAB-related aspects may arise. Moreover, some functions currently associated with the IAB Donor may eventually be moved outside the donor in case it becomes apparent that they do not perform IAB specific tasks.

[0015] exist Figure 2B and Figure 2C The reference user plane and control plane protocol stacks for IAB are shown in FIG.

[0016] like Figure 2B and Figure 2C As shown, the selected protocol stack reuses the CU-DU separation specification currently in Rel-15, where the full user plane F1-U (GTP-U / UDP / IP) is terminated at the IAB node (like for normal DU), and the full control plane F1-C (F1-AP / SCTP / IP) is also terminated at the IAB node (like for normal DU). Figure 2B and Figure 2CIn the example shown, Network Domain Security (NDS) has been employed to protect both UP and CP traffic (IPsec in the case of UP and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) in the case of CP). IPsec can also be used for CP protection instead of DTLS (in which case the DTLS layer will not be used).

[0017] A new protocol layer called Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) is introduced in IAB nodes and IAB donors. BAP is used to route packets to appropriate downstream / upstream nodes and also to map UE bearer data to the correct backhaul RLC channels (and also between ingress and egress backhaul RLC channels in intermediate IAB nodes) to meet the end-to-end QoS requirements of the bearers.

[0018] At the 3GPP RAN2#105 meeting, the modeling of the adaptation (i.e. BAP) layer was discussed and the following was agreed upon:

[0019]

[0020] It may be preferred to include a BAP entity in both the MT and DU parts of the IAB node protocol stack.Emulating the BAP layer in this way facilitates implementation of the routing and mapping functions of the BAP layer.

[0021] Before discussing the operation of these two BAP entities, it may be considered whether the radio bearers carrying CP / UP traffic for the MT function of the IAB node should be handled separately from the BH RLC channels. Note that the BH RLC channels are used to carry traffic to / from the IAB DU function, which may be intended for UEs served by the IAB node or for serving child IAB nodes. It may be preferable to handle the radio bearers carrying CP / UP traffic for the MT function of the IAB node separately from the BH RLC channels by adopting different logical channel IDs.

[0022] Figure 3A and Figure 3B shows the packet flow in the DL direction, while Figure 4A and Figure 4B The packet flow in the UL direction is shown.

[0023] exist Figure 3A and Figure 3B In the configuration shown, when a packet arrives at the IAB donor DU (from the donor CU), it is first processed by upper layers (since the MT BAP layer is not present at the donor DU).

[0024] If the packet is destined for a UE directly connected to the IAB Donor DU, or it is F1-AP traffic destined for the IAB Donor DU, it is forwarded to higher layers (IP / UDP / GTP-U for UP and IP / SCTP / F1-AP for CP).

[0025] Otherwise (eg, the packet is to be forwarded further downstream), it is forwarded to the DU BAP layer.

[0026] When a packet arrives at an IAB node (eg, from an IAB donor DU to IAB 1, or from IAB 1 to IAB 2 or 3) via a backhaul RLC channel, it may be first processed by the MT BAP layer.

[0027] If the packet is destined for a UE directly connected to the IAB node or is F1-AP traffic destined for a DU of the IAB node, it is forwarded to higher layers (IP / UDP / GTP-U for UP and IP / SCTP / F1-AP for CP).

[0028] Otherwise (eg, the packet is to be forwarded further downstream), it is forwarded to the DU BAP layer.

[0029] In the example discussed above, the DU BAP may determine to which route (ie, to which sub-node) the packet should be forwarded and which BH RLC channel within that route will be used to forward the packet downstream.

[0030] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the configuration shown, when a packet arrives at the IAB donor DU via the backhaul RLC channel (from the child IAB node), it may first be processed by the DU BAP layer and may be forwarded to the donor CU (routing functionality may not be required since the donor DU may be connected to at most one donor CU).

[0031] When a packet arrives at an IAB node in the UL direction (e.g., from IAB2 or IAB3 to IAB1): If the packet comes from a child IAB node via a backhaul RLC channel, it may be first processed by the DU BAP layer, and since every UL packet is destined to be forwarded to the donor CU, the packet is passed to the MT BAP layer.

[0032] If the packet comes from a UE directly connected to the IAB node, or the packet is F1-AP traffic originating from the IAB node, it may first be processed by higher layers (IP / UDP / GTP-U for UP and IP / SCTP / F1-AP for CP) and then may be forwarded to the MT BAP layer.

[0033] The MT BAP may determine to which route (ie, to which parent node) the packet should be forwarded and which BH RLC channel within that route is to be used to forward the packet upstream.

[0034] Quality of Service and UE bearer mapping to backhaul RLC channels

[0035] 3GPP has agreed that the standard should support two options for mapping UE bearers on the backhaul RLC channel: many-to-one (N:1) and one-to-one (1:1) UE bearer mapping, e.g. Figure 5 a) and Figure 5 b) are shown respectively.

[0036] For N:1 mapping, UE bearers with similar QoS may be mapped to the same BH RLC channel, whereas for 1:1 mapping, a single UE bearer may be mapped to a dedicated BH RLC channel at each hop on the path towards the UE.

[0037] For 1:1 bearer mapping, the IPv6 Flow Label field may be used, where the donor DU is configured to map IP packets tagged with a given flow label to a specific logical channel ID (LCID) on the first backhaul link between the donor DU and the first downstream IAB node. For the case of N:1 mapping, the DSCP field in the IP header may be used for mapping purposes (so as to also support IPv4 networks). However, it is not determined whether there is a uniform behavior in the case where IPv6 flow labels may also be used for N:1 mapping. It is also contemplated to use a combination of flow label and DSCP fields for 1:1 mapping.

[0038] There are certain challenges at the moment.

[0039] As discussed above, the routing and bearer mapping functions may be performed by the BAP layer, intermediate IAB nodes, and access IAB nodes of the donor DU in a multi-hop IAB network. When the CU is separated into user plane (UP) and control plane (CP) entities via the E1 interface (see TS 38.463), it may be a function of the CU-CP to determine which IAB node the UE or another IAB node is connected to, which path a given bearer should take (if there are multiple paths toward a given IAB node), which bearer mapping (1:1 or N:1) to use, etc. On the other hand, it may be that the CU-UP will forward DL data to the donor DU and receive UL data from the donor DU.

[0040] Currently, it is not specified how the CU-UP becomes aware of the bearer mapping configuration for UE bearers.

[0041] [1] TR 38.874v 16.0.0,

[0042] https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / Specification Available

[0043] Details.aspx?specificationId=3232 of April 6, 2020 describes the architecture, radio protocols, and physical layer aspects related to relaying access traffic by sharing radio resources between access links and backhaul links.

[0044] [2] TS 38.463v 15.3.0,

[0045] https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / Specification Available

[0046] The 5G radio network layer signaling protocol for the E1 interface is specified at Details.aspx? specificationId=3431 on April 6, 2020. The E1 interface provides a means for interconnecting the gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP of a gNB within a NG-RAN or for interconnecting the gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP of an en-gNB within an E-UTRAN. Summary of the invention

[0047] An object of the present disclosure is to provide signaling for mapping information transfer, thereby supporting the use of a split architecture.

[0048] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing apparatus and methods that mitigate some or all of the problems identified.

[0049] One aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit control plane CU-CP of a base station, wherein the base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, and the method includes: sending a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel.

[0050] Another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station, wherein the base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, and the method includes: receiving a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in the central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station; obtaining mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel; and determining a field value for the first bearer based on the mapping information, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC.

[0051] Another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station being configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, comprising: a processing circuit configured to enable a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to: send a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel; and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station.

[0052] Another aspect of the embodiment provides a base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station being configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, comprising: a processing circuit configured to enable a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station to: receive a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in the central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station; obtain mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel; and based on the mapping information, determine a field value for the first bearer, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC; and a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] For a better understanding of the present disclosure and to show how the same may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0054] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of multi-hop deployment in an IAB network;

[0055] Figure 1B is a graph indicating the IAB terms in adjacent hops;

[0056] Figure 2A is a reference diagram for the IAB architecture from TR 38.874 [1];

[0057] Figure 2B is a diagram of a reference user plane (UP) protocol stack for IAB in Rel-16;

[0058] Figure 2C is a diagram of a reference control plane (CP) protocol stack for IAB in Rel-16;

[0059] Figure 3A is a flow chart of an example of bearer mapping for downstream transmission in an IAB node;

[0060] Figure 3B is a flow chart of an example of functions performed by a BAP entity for downstream transmission;

[0061] Figure 4A is a flow chart of an example of bearer mapping for upstream transmission in an IAB node;

[0062] Figure 4B is a flow chart of an example of functions performed by a BAP entity for upstream transmission;

[0063] Figure 5 a) is a diagram of an example of N:1 bearer mapping between UE bearers and backhaul RLC channels in an IAB network;

[0064] Figure 5 b) is a diagram of an example of 1:1 bearer mapping between UE bearers and backhaul RLC channels in an IAB network;

[0065] Fig. 6A is a flow chart of a method according to some embodiments;

[0066] Figure 6B is a flow chart of a method according to some embodiments;

[0067] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless network according to some embodiments;

[0068] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0069] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a virtualization environment according to some embodiments;

[0070] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a telecommunications network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network according to some embodiments;

[0071] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a host computer communicating with a user device via a base station over a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments;

[0072] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0073] Fig.13 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0074] Fig.14is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0075] Fig.15 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and a user equipment according to some embodiments;

[0076] Fig.16A is a schematic diagram of a virtualization device according to some embodiments;

[0077] Fig. 16B is a schematic diagram of a virtualization device according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] Certain aspects of the present disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. The embodiments described herein propose signaling that enables the IAB donor gNB-CU-UP to allocate appropriate mapping information over the F1-U interface (with the gNB-DU) that is required to map the UE DL user plane data to the correct backhaul RLC channel.

[0079] Various embodiments are presented herein that address one or more of the problems disclosed herein.

[0080] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages: The proposed embodiments may be necessary for IAB operation because they enable configuration of CU-UP or CU-CP, which may be necessary for assigning appropriate DSCP and / or IP flow labels to F1-U packets carrying UE bearers. DSCP and / or IP flow labels (or other field values) may be used to map UE bearers to IAB backhaul RLC channels for 1:1 or N:1 bearer mapping between UE bearers and IAB backhaul RLC channels in the case of a CP / UP split architecture.

[0081] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided only as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0082] The embodiments described herein are presented using a non-limiting example of E1 signaling between a gNB-CU-CP of a donor gNB and a gNB CU-DU. For example, the donor gNB-CU-CP may configure the donor gNB-CU-UP with appropriate configuration information for mapping UE data radio bearers (DRBs) to backhaul RLC channels.

[0083] Fig. 6A Methods according to certain embodiments are described. In particular, Fig. 6A A method for providing integrated access and backhaul (IAB) mapping information performed by a central unit control plane (CU-CP) of a base station (e.g., a gNB) is shown. The base station (e.g., a gNB) is configured as a donor base station (e.g., an IAB donor as described above) for one or more IAB nodes. The method starts at step 6A1, sending a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel.

[0084] The first message may include an E1 application protocol (AP) bearer context setup request or a bearer context modification request message.

[0085] In some examples, the method may further include updating mapping information sent by a used signal for each DRB to be modified at (one or more) gNB-CU-UPs serving the UE (e.g., by sending an E1AP bearer context modification request message including the updated mapping information).

[0086] In some examples, the mapping information sent in step 6A1 may include a field value. The field value may map the first bearer to the BH RLC. The mapping may be as follows: Figure 5 b) as shown in one-to-one or as Figure 5 a) shown in N to one.

[0087] In some examples, the field value includes a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value. For example, where an N-to-one mapping is used, the field value may include a DSCP value. In some examples, the field value includes a flow label value (e.g., in an IPv6 header). For example, where a one-to-one mapping is used, the field value may include a flow label value.

[0088] In particular, the CU-CP may allocate field values ​​to each different bearer that is destined for a specific IP address of an access IAB node (i.e., the last hop IAB node that provides access to the UE). At the first backhaul link (or hop), bearers may be allocated to different BH RLCs by associating them with field values ​​for BH RLC. Field values ​​may be reused for different IP addresses, for example, for bearers that go to different access IAB nodes or the same IAB node via different paths, where each path is assigned a different IP address (i.e., the access IAB node is assigned multiple IP addresses).

[0089] In the case where the CU-CP assigns field values ​​to different bearers, the CU-CP may need to keep track of the field values ​​used to maintain the correct mapping (e.g., one-to-one or N-to-one mapping). In particular, the CU-CP may be required to ensure that the field value is only assigned to one BH RLC per link between two IAB nodes.

[0090] In the example where the CU-CP assigns the field value, the CU-CP may track the field value assigned to the bearer being served via a given IAB node to ensure that the flow label is unique for each access IAB node. In the case where the IAB node is accessible via multiple paths and has multiple IP addresses associated with each path, the uniqueness of the field value may be maintained only within one IP address (i.e., the uniqueness is per given path to the IAB node).

[0091] In some examples, the mapping information sent by the CU-CP in step VV02 may not include the field value itself. For example, the mapping information may include an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC. In this example, the CU-UP may assign the field value to the first bearer, as described below.

[0092] In some examples, the mapping information sent by the CU-CP in step VV02 may include an indication of whether the first bearer is served by the IAB node. Again, in these examples, the CU-UP may assign a field value to the first bearer, as will be described below.

[0093] It should be noted that in examples where all bearers of the UE are served via (one or more) IAB nodes (e.g., the UE is not dual-connected with the IAB node and the non-IAB node), it may not be necessary to convey whether each bearer is an IAB bearer, and instead it may be indicated whether the UE is an IAB served UE.

[0094] Figure 6B Methods according to certain embodiments are described. In particular, Figure 6B A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station is shown, wherein the base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes (e.g., a donor IAB as described above). The base station (e.g., gNB) may also include a device configured to perform the above reference Fig. 6A CU-CP of the described method.

[0095] The method starts at step 6B1 , receiving a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of a base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station.

[0096] In step 6B2, the method includes obtaining mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control, BHRLC, channel.

[0097] In step 6B3, the method includes: determining a field value for the first bearer based on the mapping information, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC.

[0098] The method may further comprise: sending the field value to the transport layer for inclusion in a header of a user plane packet for the first bearer. Thus, the field value may be used to map the first bearer to the BH RLC. The mapping may be as follows Figure 5 b) as shown in one-to-one or as Figure 5 a) shown in N to one.

[0099] In some examples, the step of obtaining includes obtaining mapping information from an information element in the first message. Fig. 6A As described, the CU-CP may send mapping information to the CU-UP in an information element of the first message.

[0100] In some examples, the mapping information received from the CU-CP may include a field value. The field value may map the first bearer to the BH RLC. The mapping may be as follows: Figure 5 b) as shown in one-to-one or as Figure 5 In the case where the mapping is N-to-one, the CU-UP may receive a second message from the CU-CP to set or modify a second bearer context for the second bearer in the CU-UP, wherein the second message includes an information element indicating mapping information for mapping the second bearer to the BH RLC channel. In other words, the field values ​​for the first bearer and the second bearer may be the same, thereby providing an N-to-one mapping to the same BH RLC.

[0101] In some examples, the field value includes a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value, and in particular, in the case of using N-to-one mapping, the field value may include a DSCP value. In some examples, the field value includes a flow label value, and in particular, in the case of using one-to-one mapping, the field value may include a flow label value.

[0102] As mentioned above Fig. 6AAs described, in some examples, the mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC link. In these examples, the CU-UP may assign a field value associated with the BH RLC channel to the first bearer based on the indication. For example, if the mapping information indicates that the mapping should be one-to-one, the CU-UP may determine a field value for the first bearer, ensuring that there is a one-to-one mapping between the first bearer and the BH RLC associated with the field value. Similarly, if the mapping information indicates that the mapping does not need to be one-to-one, the CU-UP may determine a field value for the first bearer having an N-to-one mapping with the associated BH RLC (although it will be understood that in some examples, a one-to-one mapping may also be used in this case).

[0103] In some examples, in response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one, the field value includes a flow label value. In some examples, in response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped N-to-one, the field value includes a DSCP value.

[0104] In some examples, no mapping information is received in the first message. For example, the mapping information may include an indication of whether the first bearer is served by the IAB node. In some examples, the indication may be sent as part of the first message, but in other examples, the CU-UP may obtain whether the first bearer is served by the IAB node by determining whether the IP address of the F1-U tunnel used for the first bearer has been configured as the IAB node IP address. In other words, before the bearer context is established, the IP address of the F1-UGTP tunnel may have been configured as the IAB node IP address in the CU-UP.

[0105] In an embodiment where the mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node, the CU-UP may be configured such that certain bearers are to be mapped 1:1 (e.g., based on a CQI value for an E-UTRA bearer, or a 5QI value for an NG-RAN bearer corresponding to, for example, a VoIP service). In some examples, bearers with higher quality of service requirements may be mapped one-to-one, while bearers with less high quality of service requirements may be mapped N-to-one. When the CU-UP receives a bearer setup / modification request from the CU-CP, the CU-UP may check whether the bearer is served by an IAB node and whether the bearer matches the criteria for mandatory 1:1 mapping. If that is the case, the CU-UP may assign a field value to the bearer with a one-to-one mapping, and may include the field value in a bearer context setup response message or a bearer context modification response message. Similarly, if the bearer does not match the criteria for mandatory 1:1 mapping, the CU-UP may assign a field value to the bearer with an N-to-one mapping, and may include the field value in a bearer context setup response message or a bearer context modification response message. In some examples, certain channel quality indication (CQI) values ​​for E-UTRA bearers and / or 5QI values ​​for NR bearers (or any other quality of service indicator) may be used to determine the N-to-one mapping. For example, CQI values ​​a, b, c may be mapped to a single DSCP value x. DRB quality of service (QoS) values ​​may also be used.

[0106] There are several possibilities as to how the CU-UP may be configured to know which QCI or / and NG 5QI (or other QoS indicator) values ​​may require a 1:1 mapping, or which QCI and / or NG 5QI values ​​map to specific field values ​​in an N-to-one mapping, for example:

[0107] - information can be hardcoded in CU-UP,

[0108] - information can be transmitted from the Operation and Administration Management (OAM) node,

[0109] - Information can be obtained from CU-

[0110] CP is provided.

[0111] For example, in response to the first bearer being served by the IAB node, the CU-UP may determine whether the first bearer satisfies a criterion for one-to-one mapping. Then, in response to the first bearer satisfying the criterion, the CU-UP may allocate a field value associated with the RH RLC channel to the first bearer with a one-to-one mapping, and in response to the first bearer not satisfying the criterion, the CU-UP may allocate a field value associated with the RH RLC channel to the first bearer with an N-to-one mapping. The criterion may include a quality of service criterion.

[0112] Similar to what is described above, in an embodiment where the CU-UP assigns field values ​​to bearers, the CU-UP may track the flow labels assigned to bearers being served via a given IAB node. From the perspective of the CU-UP, how many paths the IAB node is accessible via may be irrelevant, and the CU-UP may only ensure that for a given IP address with which it has an F1-U tunnel, the same field value is not used more than once for UE bearers associated with the IP address accessing the IAB node.

[0113] In some embodiments, a combination of the above examples may be used. For example, for those bearers that always require 1:1 mapping (such as those configured in CU-UP via E-UTRA QCI or NG 5QI), the CU-CP may not provide any additional mapping information in the first message, while for other bearers, the CU-CP may indicate a 1:1 mapping requirement in the first message. In addition, for some bearers, the CU-UP may perform field value selection, while for other bearers, the CU-CP may perform field value selection.

[0114] A selection of non-limiting examples are shown below with particular reference to sections 9.2.2 and 9.3.1 of 3GPP TS 38.463, which illustrate how some of the embodiments discussed above may be implemented in the context of a system implemented as discussed in 3GPP TS 38.463 [2].

[0115] Example 1a

[0116] In embodiment 1a, the CU-CP provides the information element “IAB QoS Mapping Information” in the message “Bearer Context Setup Request” or “Bearer Context Modification Request.” In this embodiment, the information element includes a flow label.

[0117] 9.2.2.1 Bearer Context Setup Request

[0118] This message is sent by the gNB-CU-CP to request the gNB-CU-UP to set up the bearer context.

[0119] Direction: gNB-CU-CP to gNB-CU-UP

[0120]

[0121]

[0122]

[0123]

[0124]

[0125] 9.3.1.x IAB QoS Mapping Information

[0126] After receiving the above message "Bearer Context Setup Request", the gNB-CU-UP may send the following information to the transport layer for inclusion in the IPv6 header of the DL user plane packets for a given DRB.

[0127]

[0128] Example 1b

[0129] In embodiment 1b, the CU-CP provides an information element "IAB bearer mapping" in the message "Bearer context setup request" or "Bearer context modification request" message. In this embodiment, the information element in the IAB network indicates whether the bearers are to be mapped one-to-one.

[0130] 9.2.2.1 Bearer Context Setup Request

[0131] This message is sent by the gNB-CU-CP to request the gNB-CU-UP to set up the bearer context.

[0132] Direction: gNB-CU-CP → gNB-CU-UP

[0133]

[0134]

[0135]

[0136]

[0137]

[0138] 9.2.2.2 Bearer Context Setup Response

[0139] This message may be sent by the gNB-CU-UP to the gNB CU-CP to confirm the setup of the requested bearer context.

[0140] The message may include an information element "IAB QoS Mapping Information" indicating field values ​​that the CU-UP has allocated to the bearer in response to the above-mentioned message "Bearer Context Setup Request".

[0141] Direction: gNB-CU-UP->gNB-CU-CP

[0142]

[0143]

[0144]

[0145]

[0146] 9.3.1.x IAB QoS Mapping Information

[0147] The gNB-CU-UP may send this information to the transport layer for inclusion in the IPv6 header of DL user plane packets for a given DRB.

[0148]

[0149] Example 1c

[0150] In embodiment 1c, the CU-CP provides the information element “IAB bearer” in the message “Bearer context setup request.” In this embodiment, the information element in the IAB network indicates whether the bearer is served by an IAB node.

[0151] 9.2.2.1 Bearer Context Setup Request

[0152] This message is sent by the gNB-CU-CP to request the gNB-CU-UP to set up the bearer context.

[0153] Direction: gNB-CU-CP → gNB-CU-UP

[0154]

[0155]

[0156]

[0157]

[0158]

[0159]

[0160]

[0161] 9.2.2.2 Bearer Context Setup Response

[0162] This message may be sent by the gNB-CU-UP to the gNB-CU-CP to confirm the setup of the requested bearer context in response to the "Bearer Context Setup Request" described above. The message may include an information element "IAB QoS Mapping Information" indicating the field values ​​assigned to the bearer by the gNB-CU-UP.

[0163] Direction: gNB-CU-UP->gNB-CU-CP

[0164]

[0165]

[0166]

[0167]

[0168] 9.3.1.x IAB QoS Mapping Information

[0169] The gNB-CU-UP may send this information to the transport layer for inclusion in the IPv6 header of DL user plane packets for a given DRB.

[0170]

[0171] Example 2a

[0172] In embodiment 2a, the CU-CP provides the information element “IAB QoS Mapping Information” in the message “Bearer Context Setup Request.” In this embodiment, the information element indicates the DSCP value associated with the bearer to be used in the N-to-one mapping.

[0173] 9.2.2.1 Bearer Context Setup Request

[0174] This message is sent by the gNB-CU-CP to request the gNB-CU-UP to set up the bearer context.

[0175] Direction: gNB-CU-CP → gNB-CU-UP

[0176]

[0177]

[0178]

[0179]

[0180]

[0181] 9.3.1.y IAB QoS Mapping Information

[0182] The gNB-CU-UP may send this information to the transport layer for inclusion in the IP header of DL user plane packets for a given DRB.

[0183]

[0184] Example 3

[0185] A combined signaling mechanism as discussed in embodiment 3 may be used to indicate the DSCP or flow label for a given bearer (ie, covering both embodiments 1a and 2a simultaneously).

[0186] 9.2.2.1 Bearer Context Setup Request

[0187] This message is sent by the gNB-CU-CP to request the gNB-CU-UP to set up the bearer context.

[0188] Direction: gNB-CU-CP → gNB-CU-UP

[0189]

[0190]

[0191]

[0192]

[0193]

[0194] 9.3.1.z IAB QoS Mapping Information

[0195] The gNB-CU-UP may send this information to the transport layer for inclusion in the IP header of DL user plane packets for a given DRB.

[0196]

[0197] In the case where both IP flow label and DSCP must be used to map a certain bearer N-to-1, the IAB QoS Mapping Information IE can be reconstructed as follows:

[0198]

[0199]

[0200] Although the subject matter described herein can be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with respect to wireless networks, such as Figure 7 An example wireless network is shown. For simplicity, Figure 7 The wireless network depicts only network 706, network nodes 760 and 760b, and WDs 710a, 710b, and 710c. In practice, the wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communications between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device (such as a landline phone, a service provider, or any other network node or terminal device). In the components shown, network node 760 and wireless device (WD) 710 are shown with additional details. The wireless network can provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate the wireless devices to access the wireless network and / or use of services provided by or via the wireless network. Network nodes 760 and 760b may include gNBsa, which includes CU-CP and CU-UP as described above. In particular, the network nodes may be connected to the gNBsa as described above. Figure 1A and Figure 1B IAB nodes in the chain shown.

[0201] A wireless network may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and / or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a particular standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of a wireless network may implement communication standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as IEEE 802.11 standards; and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0202] Network 706 may include one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0203] The network node 760 and WD 710 include various components described in more detail below. These components work together to provide network node and / or wireless device functions, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0204] As used herein, a network node refers to a device that is capable of, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and / or with other network nodes or devices in a wireless network to enable and / or provide wireless access to a wireless device and / or perform other functions (e.g., management) in a wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), and NR node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations can be classified based on the amount of coverage provided by the base stations (or, in other words, their transmit power levels), and base stations may also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS). Further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment (such as an MSR BS), a network controller (such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC)), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmission node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a core network node (e.g., MSC, MME), an O&M node, an OSS node, a SON node, a positioning node (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or an MDT. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below. However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) that is capable of, configured, arranged and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network to a wireless device or to provide a certain service to a wireless device that has accessed a wireless network.

[0205] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment, the network node 760 includes a processing circuit 770, a device readable medium 780, an interface 790, an auxiliary device 784, a power supply 786, a power supply circuit 787, and an antenna 762. Figure 7 The network node 760 shown in the example wireless network of can represent a device including a combination of the hardware components shown, however, other embodiments can include network nodes having a combination of different components. It should be understood that the network node includes any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, although the components of the network node 760 are depicted as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality, the network node can include multiple different physical components that make up the single shown component (for example, the device readable medium 780 can include multiple separate hard drives and multiple RAM modules).

[0206] Similarly, the network node 760 may include multiple physically separated components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In certain scenarios where the network node 760 includes multiple separated components (e.g., BTS components and BSC components), one or more of these separated components may be shared between multiple network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple Node Bs. In such scenarios, in some instances, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered as a single separated network node. In some embodiments, the network node 760 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be replicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 780 for different RATs), and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 762 may be shared by multiple RATs). The network node 760 may also include multiple sets of various illustrated components for different wireless technologies (such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies) integrated in the network node 760. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 760 .

[0207] The processing circuit 770 is configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as provided by the network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 770 may include, for example, processing information obtained by the processing circuit 770 by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information with information stored in the network node and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0208] The processing circuit 770 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide network node 760 functions alone or in conjunction with other network node 760 components (such as device readable medium 780). For example, the processing circuit 770 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 780 or in a memory within the processing circuit 770. Such functions may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 770 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0209] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 770 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 772 and a baseband processing circuit 774. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 772 and the baseband processing circuit 774 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units (such as a radio unit and a digital unit). In other alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 772 and the baseband processing circuit 774 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0210] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by a processing circuit 770 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 780 or a memory within the processing circuit 770. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 770, such as in a hardwired manner, without the need to execute instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable medium. In any of those embodiments, whether or not instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed, the processing circuit 770 may be configured to perform the described functions. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit or other components of the network node 760 alone, but are enjoyed by the network node 760 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0211] The device-readable medium 780 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable memory device and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data and / or instructions that can be used by the processing circuit 770. The device-readable medium 780 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including computer programs, software, applications including one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, etc., and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 770 and utilized by the network node 760. The device-readable medium 780 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuit 770 and / or any data received via the interface 790. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 770 and the device-readable medium 780 may be considered integrated.

[0212] Interface 790 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network node 760, network 706, and / or WD 710. As shown, interface 790 includes (one or more) ports / terminals 794, to send data to network 706 and receive data from network 706 by wired connection, for example. Interface 790 also includes radio front-end circuit 792, which can be coupled to antenna 762 or be a part of antenna 762 in some embodiments. Radio front-end circuit 792 includes filter 798 and amplifier 796. Radio front-end circuit 792 can be connected to antenna 762 and processing circuit 770. Radio front-end circuit can be configured to adjust the signal transmitted between antenna 762 and processing circuit 770. Radio front-end circuit 792 can receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or WD via wireless connection. Radio front-end circuit 792 can use the combination of filter 798 and / or amplifier 796 to convert digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 762. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 762 may collect the radio signal, which may then be converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 792. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 770. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0213] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 760 may not include a separate radio front end circuit 792, and instead the processing circuit 770 may include the radio front end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 762 without a separate radio front end circuit 792. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the RF transceiver circuit 772 may be considered part of the interface 790. In other embodiments, the interface 790 may include one or more ports or terminals 794, the radio front end circuit 792, and the RF transceiver circuit 772 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 790 may communicate with a baseband processing circuit 774 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0214] Antenna 762 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 762 may be coupled to radio front-end circuit 790 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may include one or more omnidirectional, sector or flat panel antennas operable to, for example, send / receive radio signals between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. Omnidirectional antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals in any direction, sector antennas may be used to send / receive radio signals from devices within a specific area, and flat panel antennas may be line of sight antennas for sending / receiving radio signals on relatively straight lines. In some instances, using more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In some embodiments, antenna 762 may be separated from network node 760 and may be connected to network node 760 via an interface or port.

[0215] Antenna 762, interface 790 and / or processing circuit 770 can be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or some obtaining operation described as being performed by a network node in this article. Any information, data and / or signal can be received from a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 762, interface 790 and / or processing circuit 770 can be configured to perform any sending operation described as being performed by a network node in this article. Any information, data and / or signal can be sent to a wireless device, another network node and / or any other network device.

[0216] The power circuit 787 may include or be coupled to a power management circuit and is configured to supply power to the components of the network node 760 for performing the functions described herein. The power circuit 787 may receive power from the power supply 786. The power supply 786 and / or the power circuit 787 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 760 in a form suitable for the corresponding components (e.g., at the voltage and current level required by each corresponding component). The power supply 786 may be included in the power circuit 787 and / or the network node 760, or may be external to the power circuit 787 and / or the network node 760. For example, the network node 760 may be connected to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a cable), whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuit 787. As another example, the power supply 786 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, which is connected to or integrated in the power circuit 787. If the external power source fails, the battery can provide backup power. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.

[0217] Alternative embodiments of network node 760 may include, in addition to Figure 7 Additional components other than those shown may be responsible for providing certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any of the functions described herein and / or any functionality required to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 760 may include a user interface device that allows information to be input into the network node 760 and allows information to be output from the network node 760. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on the network node 760.

[0218] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a device that can, is configured, is arranged and / or is operable to communicate wirelessly with a network node and / or other WDs. Unless otherwise specified, the term WD may be used interchangeably with a user equipment (UE) in this article. Wireless communication may involve sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to send and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to send information to the network according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WD include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablet computers, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. WDs can support device-to-device (D2D) communications, such as by implementing 3GPP standards for secondary link communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and in this case can be referred to as D2D communication devices. As another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and sends the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another WD and / or network node. In this case, a WD can be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which can be referred to as an MTC device in a 3GPP context. As a specific example, a WD may be a UE that implements the 3GPP narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices (such as electric meters), industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), personal wearable devices (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, a WD may represent a vehicle or other device that can monitor and / or report its operating status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD as described above may represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. In addition, a WD as described above may be mobile, in which case the WD may also be referred to as a mobile device or a mobile terminal.

[0219] As shown, wireless device 710 includes antenna 711, interface 714, processing circuit 720, device-readable medium 730, user interface device 732, auxiliary device 734, power supply 736, and power supply circuit 737. WD 710 may include multiple sets of one or more of the components shown for different wireless technologies supported by WD 710, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets within WD 710.

[0220] Antenna 711 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to send and / or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 714. In some alternative embodiments, antenna 711 can be separated from WD 710 and can be connected to WD 710 via an interface or port. Antenna 711, interface 714, and / or processing circuit 720 may be configured to perform any receiving or sending operation described as being performed by WD in this article. Any information, data, and / or signal can be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, radio front end circuit and / or antenna 711 can be considered as an interface.

[0221] As shown, the interface 714 includes a radio front-end circuit 712 and an antenna 711. The radio front-end circuit 712 includes one or more filters 718 and an amplifier 716. The radio front-end circuit 714 is connected to the antenna 711 and the processing circuit 720, and is configured to adjust the signal transmitted between the antenna 711 and the processing circuit 720. The radio front-end circuit 712 may be coupled to the antenna 711 or may be part of the antenna 311. In some embodiments, the WD 710 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 712; on the contrary, the processing circuit 720 may include a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 711. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be considered as part of the interface 714. The radio front-end circuit 712 may receive digital data to be sent to other network nodes or WDs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuit 712 may use a combination of filters 718 and / or amplifiers 716 to convert the digital data into a radio signal with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. Then, the radio signal may be sent via the antenna 711. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 711 may collect radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuit 712. The digital data may be passed to processing circuit 720. In other embodiments, the interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0222] The processing circuit 720 may include a combination of one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide WD 710 functionality alone or in combination with other WD 710 components (such as device readable medium 730). Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuit 720 may execute instructions stored in the device readable medium 730 or in a memory within the processing circuit 720 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0223] As shown, the processing circuit 720 includes one or more of the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may include different components and / or different combinations of components. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 720 of the WD 710 may include a SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In an alternative embodiment, a part or all of the baseband processing circuit 724 and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined into one chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 722 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722 and the baseband processing circuit 724 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 726 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In other alternative embodiments, a part or all of the RF transceiver circuit 722, the baseband processing circuit 724, and the application processing circuit 726 may be combined in a single chip or chipset. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 722 may be part of interface 714. RF transceiver circuitry 722 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 720.

[0224] In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by a processing circuit 720 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 730, which may be a computer-readable storage medium in some embodiments. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functions may be provided by the processing circuit 720, such as in a hardwired manner, without executing instructions stored on a separate or independent device-readable storage medium. In any of those specific embodiments, the processing circuit 720 may be configured to perform the described functions, regardless of whether instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functions are not limited to the processing circuit 720 or other components of the WD 710 alone, but are enjoyed by the WD 710 as a whole and / or generally by end users and wireless networks.

[0225] Processing circuit 720 may be configured to perform any determination, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being performed by WD. Such operations performed by processing circuit 720 may include, for example, processing information obtained by processing circuit 720 by converting the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained information or the converted information to information stored by WD 710 and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or the converted information, and making a determination as a result of the processing.

[0226] The device-readable medium 730 may be operable to store a computer program, software, application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc., and / or other instructions executable by the processing circuit 720. The device-readable medium 730 may include a computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), a mass storage medium (e.g., a hard disk), a removable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 720. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 720 and the device-readable medium 730 may be considered integrated.

[0227] The user interface device 732 can provide a component that allows a human user to interact with the WD 710. Such interaction can have many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 732 can be operable to generate output to the user and allow the user to provide input to the WD 710. The type of interaction can vary depending on the type of user interface device 732 installed in the WD 710. For example, if the WD 710 is a smart phone, the interaction can be via a touch screen; if the WD 710 is a smart meter, the interaction can be through a screen that provides the usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alarm (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 732 may include an input interface, device and circuit, and an output interface, device and circuit. The user interface device 732 is configured to allow information to be input into the WD 710, and is connected to the processing circuit 720 to allow the processing circuit 720 to process the input information. The user interface device 732 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity or other sensor, key / button, touch display, one or more cameras, USB port, or other input circuit. The user interface device 732 is also configured to allow information to be output from the WD 710, and to allow the processing circuit 720 to output information from the WD 710. The user interface device 732 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a vibration circuit, a USB port, a headphone jack, or other output circuits. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface device 732, the WD 710 can communicate with end users and / or wireless networks and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0228] Auxiliary device 734 is operable to provide more specific functions that may not be typically performed by a WD. This may include specialized sensors for measuring for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communications (such as wired communications), etc. The inclusion and types of components of auxiliary device 734 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0229] In some embodiments, the power supply 736 may be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power supplies may also be used, such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The WD 710 may further include a power supply circuit 737 for delivering power from the power supply 736 to various parts of the WD 710, which require power from the power supply 736 to perform any function described or indicated herein. In some embodiments, the power supply circuit 737 may include a power management circuit. The power supply circuit 737 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power supply; in this case, the WD 710 may be connected to an external power supply (such as an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface (such as a power cable). In some embodiments, the power supply circuit 737 may also be operable to deliver power from an external power supply to the power supply 736. This may be used, for example, for charging the power supply 736. The power supply circuit 737 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications to the power from the power supply 736 to make the power suitable for the components of the WD 710 being powered.

[0230] Figure 8 One embodiment of a UE in accordance with the various aspects described herein is shown. As used herein, a user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user owning and / or operating the associated device. Rather, a UE may represent a device that is intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but may not or may not initially be associated with a particular human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart meter). UE 800 may be a UE identified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including an NB-loT UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. As Figure 8 As shown, UE 800 is an example of a WD configured to communicate in accordance with one or more communication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As previously mentioned, the terms WD and UE may be used interchangeably. Thus, although Figure 8 It is UE, but the components discussed in this article are also applicable to WD and vice versa.

[0231] exist Figure 8In the embodiment, UE 800 includes a processing circuit 801, which is operably coupled to an input / output interface 805, a radio frequency (RF) interface 809, a network connection interface 811, a memory 815 (including a random access memory (RAM) 817, a read-only memory (ROM) 819, and a storage medium 821, etc.), a communication subsystem 831, a power supply 833, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 821 includes an operating system 823, an application 825, and data 827. In other embodiments, the storage medium 821 may include other similar types of information. Some UEs may utilize Figure 8 All components shown or only a subset of the components. The degree of integration between components may vary depending on the UE. Further, some UEs may include multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0232] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 801 can be configured to process computer instructions and data. The processing circuit 801 can be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored as a machine-readable computer program in a memory, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored programs, general-purpose processors (such as microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs)) together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 801 may include two central processing units (CPUs). The data may be information in a form suitable for use by a computer.

[0233] In the depicted embodiment, the input / output interface 805 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, an output device, or an input / output device. The UE 800 may be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 805. The output device may use an interface port of the same type as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from the UE 800. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 800 may be configured to use an input device via the input / output interface 805 to allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. The input device may include a contact-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a roller, a smart card, etc. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor that senses input from a user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device can be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.

[0234] exist Figure 8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the RF interface 809 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the RF components (such as a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna). The network connection interface 811 can be configured to provide a communication interface to the network 843a. The network 843a can cover a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 843a may include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 811 can be configured to include a receiver and a transmitter interface for communicating with one or more other devices through a communication network according to one or more communication protocols (such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc.). The network connection interface 811 can implement receiver and transmitter functions suitable for communication network links (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functions can share circuit components, software or firmware, or can alternatively be implemented separately.

[0235] RAM 817 can be configured to be connected to processing circuit 801 via bus 802 to provide storage or cache of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs (such as operating systems, applications, and device drivers). ROM 819 can be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuit 801. For example, ROM 819 can be configured to store unchanged low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input and output (I / O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from keyboard stored in non-volatile memory. Storage medium 821 can be configured to include memory, such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable disk, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 821 can be configured to include operating system 823, application 825 (such as web browser application, widget or gadget engine, or another application) and data file 827. The storage medium 821 may store any one of a variety of different operating systems or a combination of operating systems for use by the UE 800 .

[0236] The storage medium 821 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical drive, an internal hard drive, a Blu-ray disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory (such as a user identity module or a removable user identity (SIM / RUIM) module), other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 821 may allow the UE 800 to access computer executable instructions, applications, etc. stored on a transient or non-transitory memory medium to unload data or upload data. An article (such as an article utilizing a communication system) may be tangibly implemented in the storage medium 821, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0237] exist Figure 8In the embodiment of the present invention, the processing circuit 801 can be configured to communicate with the network 843b using the communication subsystem 831. The network 843a and the network 843b can be the same one or more networks or different one or more networks. The communication subsystem 831 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with the network 843b. For example, the communication subsystem 831 can be configured to include one or more transceivers for communicating with another device (such as another WD, UE, or a base station of a radio access network (RAN)) capable of wireless communication according to one or more communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc.) One or more remote transceivers communicate. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 833 and / or a receiver 835 that respectively implements a transmitter or receiver function (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.) suitable for a RAN link. Further, the transmitter 833 and the receiver 835 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software or firmware, or may alternatively be implemented separately.

[0238] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of the communication subsystem 831 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication (such as Bluetooth, near field communication), location-based communication (such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location), another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 831 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 843b may cover wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 843b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near field network. The power supply 813 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 800.

[0239] The features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 800 or divided across multiple components of UE 800. Further, the features, benefits and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 831 may be configured to include any component described herein. Further, the processing circuit 801 may be configured to communicate with any such component via bus 802. In another example, any such component may be represented by a program instruction stored in a memory, which performs the corresponding function described herein when executed by the processing circuit 801. In another example, the function of any such component may be divided between the processing circuit 801 and the communication subsystem 831. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0240] Fig. 9 It is a schematic block diagram of a virtualized environment 900 that illustrates the functions implemented by some embodiments that can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage device, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or a component thereof, and at least a portion of the functions involved are implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executed on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0241] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 900 hosted by one or more hardware nodes 930. Further, in embodiments where the virtual nodes are not radio access nodes or do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes), the network nodes may be fully virtualized.

[0242] Functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 920 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.), which are operable to implement some features, functions, and / or benefits of some embodiments disclosed herein. The applications 920 run in a virtualized environment 900, which provides hardware 930 including processing circuitry 960 and memory 990. The memory 990 contains instructions 995 executable by the processing circuitry 960, wherein the applications 920 are operable to provide one or more features, benefits, and / or functionality disclosed herein.

[0243] The virtualization environment 900 includes a general or dedicated network hardware device 930, which includes a set of one or more processors or processing circuits 960, which can be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuit including digital or analog hardware components or dedicated processors. Each hardware device may include a memory 990-1, which may be a non-permanent memory for temporarily storing instructions 995 or software executed by the processing circuit 960. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 970 (also known as network interface cards), which include a physical network interface 980. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory permanent machine-readable storage medium 990-2 in which software 995 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuit 960 are stored. The software 995 may include any type of software, including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 950 (also known as hypervisors), software for executing virtual machines 940, and software that allows the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some embodiments described herein to be performed.

[0244] The virtual machine 940 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 950 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of instances of the virtual device 920 can be implemented on one or more virtual machines 940, and these implementations can be performed in different ways.

[0245] During operation, processing circuitry 960 executes software 995 that instantiates a hypervisor or virtualization layer 950, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 950 may present to virtual machines 940 a virtual operating platform that appears to be network hardware.

[0246] like Fig. 9 As shown, hardware 930 can be an independent network node with common or specific components. Hardware 930 can include antenna 9225 and can implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 930 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or customer premise equipment (CPE)), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration (MANO) 9100, which particularly oversees the life cycle management of application 920.

[0247] Virtualization of hardware is referred to in some contexts as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many network device types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices, which can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0248] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 940 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executed on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 940 and the portion of the hardware 930 that executes the virtual machine (i.e., hardware dedicated to the virtual machine and / or hardware shared by the virtual machine with other virtual machines 940) form a separate virtual network element (VNE).

[0249] Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more virtual machines 940 on top of the hardware network infrastructure 930 and corresponds to Fig. 9 Application 920.

[0250] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 9200, each including one or more transmitters 9220 and one or more receivers 9210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 9225. The radio unit 9200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 930 via one or more appropriate network interfaces, and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or base station.

[0251] In some embodiments, some signaling may be implemented using the control system 9230 , which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 930 and the radio unit 9200 .

[0252] refer to Fig.10According to an embodiment, a communication system includes a telecommunication network 1010, such as a 3GPP type cellular network, which includes an access network 1011 (such as a radio access network) and a core network 1014. The access network 1011 includes a plurality of base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c, such as NBs, eNBs, GNBs or other types of wireless access points, each base station 1012a, 1012b, 1012c defining a corresponding coverage area 1013a, 1013b, 1013c. Each base station 1012a, 1012b, 1012c may be connected to the core network 1014 via a wired or wireless connection 1015. A first UE 1091 located in the coverage area 1013c is configured to be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 1012c or to be paged by the corresponding base station 1012c. A second UE 1092 in the coverage area 1013a may be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 1012a. Although multiple UEs 1091 , 1092 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only a UE is in the coverage area or only a UE is connected to the corresponding base station 1012 .

[0253] The telecommunications network 1010 itself is connected to a host computer 1030, which may be implemented in hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 1030 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of a service provider. Connections 1021 and 1022 between the telecommunications network 1010 and the host computer 1030 may extend directly from the core network 1014 to the host computer 1030 or may be made via an optional intermediate network 1020. The intermediate network 1020 may be one or a combination of more than one of a public, private, or host network; if present, the intermediate network 1020 may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 1020 may include two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0254] Fig.10The communication system as a whole enables connectivity between the connected UEs 1091, 1092 and the host computer 1030. The connectivity can be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1050. The host computer 1030 and the connected UEs 1091, 1092 are configured to pass data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 1050 using the access network 1010, the core network 1014, any intermediate networks 1020, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 1050 can be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 1012 may not or need not be informed of the past routing of incoming downlink communications with data originating from the host computer 1030 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 1091. Similarly, base station 1012 need not be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from UE 1091 toward host computer 1030 .

[0255] Now refer to Fig.11 Describe the example implementations according to the embodiments of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs. In the communication system 1100, the host computer 1110 includes hardware 1115, which includes a communication interface 1116 configured to establish and maintain a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 1100. The host computer 1110 also includes a processing circuit 1118, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuit 1118 may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The host computer 1110 also includes software 1111, which is stored in the host computer 1110 or can be accessed by the host computer 1110 and can be executed by the processing circuit 1118. The software 1111 includes a host application 1112. The host application 1112 may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1130 connected via an OTT connection 1150 terminated at the UE 1130 and the host computer 1110. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 1112 may provide user data sent using the OTT connection 1150.

[0256] The communication system 1100 also includes a base station 1120, which is provided in the telecommunication system and includes hardware 1125 that enables the base station 1120 to communicate with the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130. The hardware 1125 may include a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with different communication devices of the communication system 1100, and a communication interface 1126 for establishing and maintaining a connection with at least a network located in a coverage area (not shown) served by the base station 1120. Fig.11 The communication interface 1126 may be configured to facilitate a connection 1160 to the host computer 1110. The connection 1160 may be direct, or it may pass through a core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in FIG. 1 ). Fig.11 The base station 1120 may also include one or more intermediate networks (inside) and / or outside the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 1125 of the base station 1120 also includes processing circuitry 1128, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The base station 1120 also includes software 1121 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0257] The communication system 1100 also includes the UE 1130 already mentioned. Its hardware 1135 may include a radio interface 1137, which is configured to establish and maintain a wireless connection 1170 with a base station serving the coverage area where the UE 1130 is currently located. The hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 also includes a processing circuit 1138, which may include one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or a combination of these (not shown) suitable for executing instructions. The UE 1130 also includes software 1131, which is stored in the UE 1130 or can be accessed by the UE 1130 and can be executed by the processing circuit 1138. The software 1131 includes a client application 1132. The client application 1132 may be operable to provide services to human or non-human users via the UE 1130 under the support of the host computer 1110. In the host computer 1110, the executed host application 1112 can communicate with the executed client application 1132 via the OTT connection 1150 terminated at the UE 1130 and the host computer 1110. When providing services to users, the client application 1132 can receive request data from the host application 1112 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1150 can transmit both the request data and the user data. The client application 1132 can interact with the user to generate the user data it provides.

[0258] It should be noted that Fig.11The host computer 1110, base station 1120 and UE 1130 shown can be respectively Fig.10 The host computer 1030, one of the base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c and one of the UEs 1091, 1092 may be similar or identical. That is, the internal workings of these entities may be similar to or identical to those of the host computer 1030, one of the base stations 1012a, 1012b, 1012c and one of the UEs 1091, 10 Fig.11 shown, and independently, the surrounding network topology can be Fig.10 network topology.

[0259] exist Fig.11 , OTT connection 1150 has been abstractly drawn to illustrate communications between host computer 1110 and UE 1130 via base station 1120, without explicitly referencing any intermediate devices and the precise routing of messages via those devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, which may be configured to hide the routing from UE 1130 or a service provider operating host computer 1110, or both. While OTT connection 1150 is active, the network infrastructure may further make decisions by which it dynamically changes the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0260] The wireless connection 1170 between the UE 1130 and the base station 1120 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improves the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1130 using the OTT connection 1150, wherein the wireless connection 1170 forms the last leg of the OTT connection.

[0261] The measurement process may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, delays, and other factors improved by one or more embodiments. There may further be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between the host computer 1110 and the UE 1130 in response to changes in the measurement results. The measurement process and / or the network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 may be implemented in the software 1111 and hardware 1115 of the host computer 1110 or in the software 1131 and hardware 1135 of the UE 1130 or in both. In an embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be deployed in a communication device through which the OTT connection 1150 passes or is associated with a communication device through which the OTT device 1150 passes; the sensor may participate in the measurement process by supplying the values ​​of the monitoring quantities exemplified above or supplying the values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 1111, 1131 can calculate or estimate the monitoring quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1150 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routes, etc.; the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 1120, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 1120. Such processes and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurement results may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host computer 1110 to measure throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurements may be implemented because the software 1111 and 1131 causes messages (particularly, empty or "dummy" messages) to be sent using the OTT connection 1150 while it monitors propagation time, errors, etc.

[0262] Fig.12 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For the sake of simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE described are included in this section. Fig.12 . In step 1210, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 1211 of step 1210 (which may be optional), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1220, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In step 1230 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the base station sends the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer to the UE. In step 1240 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0263] Fig.13 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For the sake of simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE described are included in this section. Fig.13 . In step 1310 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 1320, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. According to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the transmission may be delivered via a base station. In step 1330 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0264] Fig.14 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For the sake of simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computer, base station and UE described are included in this section. Fig.14 . In step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 1420, the UE provides user data. In sub-step 1421 of step 1420 (which may be optional), the UE provides user data by executing a client application. In sub-step 1411 of step 1410 (which may be optional), the UE executes a client application that provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. When providing user data, the executed client application may further consider user input received from the user. Regardless of the specific manner of providing user data, in sub-step 1430 (which may be optional), the UE initiates transmission of user data to the host computer. In step 1440 of the method, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout the present disclosure, the host computer receives user data sent from the UE.

[0265] Fig.15 is a flow chart showing a method implemented in a communication system according to an embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station and a UE, which may be a reference Fig.10 and Fig.11 For simplicity of this disclosure, only the host computers, base stations and UEs described are included in this section. Fig.15In step 1510 (which may be optional), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the base station receives user data from the UE. In step 1520 (which may be optional), the base station initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 1530 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0266] Any suitable steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed by one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may include many of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, which may include a digital signal processor (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program codes stored in a memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a cache memory, a flash memory device, an optical storage device, etc. The program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit may be used to cause the corresponding functional unit to perform the corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0267] Fig.16A A wireless network (e.g., Figure 7 The schematic block diagram of the device 16A in the wireless network shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the device 16A in the wireless network shown in FIG. Figure 7 In particular, the device 16A1 may include a CU-CP of the network node 760. The device 16A1 may be operable to perform the reference Fig. 6A The example methods described and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Fig. 6A The method does not have to be performed solely by the apparatus 16A1. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0268] The virtual device 16A1 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit may be used to cause any suitable unit of the sending unit 16A2 and the device 16A1 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0269] like Fig.16A As shown, the device 16A1 includes a sending unit 16A2, which is configured to send a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel.

[0270] Fig. 16B A wireless network (e.g., Figure 7 The schematic block diagram of the device 16B1 in the wireless network shown in FIG. 16B1 is shown in FIG. 16B1. The device can be implemented in a network node (for example, Figure 7 In particular, the device 16B1 may include a CU-UP of the network node 760. The device 16B1 may be operable to perform the reference Figure 6B The example methods described and possibly any other processes or methods disclosed herein. It should also be understood that Figure 6B The method does not have to be performed solely by the device 16B1. At least some operations of the method may be performed by one or more other entities.

[0271] The virtual device 16B1 may include a processing circuit, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers and other digital hardware, which may include (DSP), dedicated digital logic, etc. The processing circuit may be configured to execute program code stored in a memory, which may include one or more types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory, cache memory, flash memory device, optical storage device, etc. In multiple embodiments, the program code stored in the memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communication protocols and instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit can be used to cause the receiving unit 16B2, the obtaining unit 16B3 and the determining unit 16B4 and any other suitable unit of the device 16B1 to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0272] like Fig. 16B As shown, the device 16B1 includes a receiving unit 16B2, which is configured to receive a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station. The device 16B1 also includes an obtaining unit 16B3, which is configured to obtain mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel. The device 16B1 also includes a determining unit 16B4, which is configured to determine a field value for the first bearer based on the mapping information, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC.

[0273] The term "unit" may have the conventional meaning in the field of electronic devices, electrical equipment, and / or electronic equipment, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solid-state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for performing corresponding tasks, processes, calculations, outputs, and / or display functions, etc., such as described herein.

[0274] The following numbered statements provide additional information about aspects of the embodiments:

[0275] 1. A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit control plane CU-CP of a base station, wherein the base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, the method comprising:

[0276] a. Sending a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control BHRLC channel.

[0277] 2. The method of statement 1, wherein the mapping information includes a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value.

[0278] 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping information includes a flow label value.

[0279] 4. A method according to any one of statements 1 or 3, wherein the mapping information is associated with a BH RLC channel.

[0280] 5. The method of clause 3 or 4, wherein the mapping information maps the first bearer to the BH RLC one-to-one.

[0281] 6. The method according to clause 1 or 2, wherein the method further comprises:

[0282] a. Sending a second message to set or modify a second bearer context for a second bearer in the CU-UP, wherein the second message includes an information element indicating mapping information for mapping the second bearer to a BH RLC channel.

[0283] 7. The method of statement 1, wherein the mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC link.

[0284] 8. The method of statement 1, wherein the mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node.

[0285] 9. A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station, wherein the base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, the method comprising:

[0286] a. receiving a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of a base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station;

[0287] b. Obtaining mapping information for use in determining the mapping of the first bearer to the backhaul radio link control BH RLC channel;

[0288] c. Based on the mapping information, determine a field value for the first bearer, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC.

[0289] 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the obtaining step comprises obtaining mapping information from an information element in the first message.

[0290] 11. The method of statement 10, wherein the mapping information includes the field value as a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value.

[0291] 12. The method of statement 10, wherein the mapping information includes a field value as a flow label value.

[0292] 13. The method of any one of statements 10 or 12, wherein the mapping information is associated with a BH RLC channel.

[0293] 14. The method of clause 12 or 13, wherein the mapping information maps the first bearer to the BHRLC one-to-one.

[0294] 15. The method according to clause 10 or 11, wherein the method further comprises:

[0295] a. Receiving a second message from the CU-CP to set or modify a second bearer context for a second bearer in the CU-UP, wherein the second message includes an information element indicating mapping information for mapping the second bearer to a BH RLC channel.

[0296] 16. The method of clause 10, wherein the mapping information comprises an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC link, and wherein the method further comprises:

[0297] a. Based on the indication, assigning a field value associated with the BH RLC channel to the first bearer.

[0298] 17. The method of statement 16, wherein, in response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one, the field value includes a flow label value.

[0299] 18. The method of clause 16 or 17, wherein, in response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped N-to-one, the field value comprises a DSCP value.

[0300] 19. The method of clause 10, wherein the mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node.

[0301] 20. The method of clause 9, wherein the mapping information includes whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node.

[0302] 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the mapping information is obtained by determining whether an IP address of the F1-U tunnel for the first bearer has been configured as an IAB node IP address.

[0303] 22. The method according to any one of clauses 19 to 21, further comprising:

[0304] a. In response to the first bearer being served by the IAB node, determining whether the first bearer satisfies the criteria for one-to-one mapping;

[0305] b. In response to the first bearer satisfying the criteria, assigning a field value associated with the BH RLC channel to the first bearer using a one-to-one mapping; and

[0306] c. In response to the first bearer not meeting the criteria, assigning a field value associated with the BH RLC channel to the first bearer using an N-to-one mapping.

[0307] 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the criteria include quality of service criteria.

[0308] 24. The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 23, further comprising:

[0309] a. Send the field value to the transport layer for inclusion in the header of a user plane packet for the first bearer.

[0310] 25. A method according to any one of statements 9 to 23, wherein the mapping information includes a DSCP value and a flow label value.

[0311] 26. The method according to any of the preceding sentences, further comprising:

[0312] - obtain user data; and

[0313] -Forward user data to a host computer or wireless device.

[0314] 27. A base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station comprising:

[0315] - a processing circuit configured to perform any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 26;

[0316] - A power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station.

[0317] 28. A communication system, comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising:

[0318] - processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and

[0319] - a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE),

[0320] - wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the base station being configured to perform any of the steps described in any of statements 1 to 26.

[0321] 29. A communication system according to the preceding statement, further comprising a base station.

[0322] 30. The communication system according to any one of statements 28 and 29 further includes a UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0323] 31. A communication system according to any one of clauses 28 to 30, wherein:

[0324] - the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application to provide user data; and

[0325] - The UE comprises a processing circuit configured to execute a client application associated with a host application.

[0326] 32. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

[0327] - at the host computer, providing user data; and

[0328] - At a host computer, initiating a transmission carrying user data to a UE via a cellular network including a base station, wherein the base station performs any of the steps described in any of statements 1 to 26.

[0329] 33. The method according to statement 32 also includes: sending user data at the base station.

[0330] 34. The method of any one of clauses 32 and 33, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising: executing, at the UE, a client application associated with the host application.

[0331] 35. A user equipment (UE) configured to communicate with a base station, the UE comprising a radio interface and a processing circuit configured to perform any of statements 32 to 34.

[0332] 36. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer including a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, wherein the base station comprises a radio interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the base station being configured to perform any of the steps described in any one of statements 1 to 26.

[0333] 37. The communication system according to statement 36 also includes a base station.

[0334] 38. The communication system according to any one of statements 36 and 37 further includes a UE, wherein the UE is configured to communicate with the base station.

[0335] 39. A communication system according to any one of clauses 36 to 38, wherein:

[0336] - the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application;

[0337] - The UE is configured to execute a client application associated with a host application, thereby providing user data to be received by the host computer.

[0338] abbreviation

[0339] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in the present disclosure. If there is inconsistency between abbreviations, preference should be given based on their use above. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should take precedence over any subsequent (one or more) listings.

[0340] CN Core Network

[0341] CU Centralized Unit

[0342] CU-CP CU control plane

[0343] CU-UP CU user plane

[0344] DFTS-OFDM Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) Spread OFDM

[0345] DL Downlink

[0346] DU Distributed Unit

[0347] eNB Evolved Node B (a base station supporting the LTE air interface for communicating with UEs)

[0348] EN-DC E-UTRAN-NR Dual Connectivity

[0349] EPC Evolved Packet Core

[0350] F1 Interface between gNB-CU and gNB-DU

[0351] F1-AP F1 Application Protocol

[0352] F1* A modified form of F1 (within the IAB context; details of F1* to be specified; protocol conversion between F1* and F1 is studied in the case where the IAB donor is separate)

[0353] F1*-U F1 interface - modified form of user plane

[0354] gNB is a base station supporting the NR air interface used to communicate with UEs

[0355] GTP-U GPRS Tunneling Protocol - User Plane

[0356] IAB Integrated Access and Backhaul

[0357] IP Internet Protocol

[0358] L1 Layer 1

[0359] L2 Layer 2

[0360] L-GW LIPA Gateway (LIPA: Local IP Access)

[0361] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0362] MAC Media Access Control

[0363] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0364] N4 Interface between SMF (Session Management Function) and UPF (User Plane Function) in 5GC

[0365] NAS Non-Access Stratum

[0366] The (logical) interface between NG gNB and 5GC (i.e. NG-RAN and 5G core network)

[0367] NGC NG-C; NG interface control plane

[0368] NR New Radio

[0369] NSA Non-Independent

[0370] OAM Operation and Maintenance

[0371] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0372] PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0373] PDN Packet Data Network

[0374] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0375] PHY Physical Layer

[0376] S-GW: Service Gateway (user plane node connecting EPC and LTE RAN)

[0377] P-GW (PDN-GW): Packet Data Network Gateway (connects the EPC to the Internet)

[0378] RLC Radio Link Control

[0379] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0380] Rx Receiver

[0381] S1 Interface between eNB and EPC (i.e. RAN and core network)

[0382] S5 Interface between P-GW and S-GW

[0383] SDAP Service Data BAP Protocol

[0384] SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

[0385] Tx Transmitter

[0386] UDP User Datagram Protocol

[0387] UE User Equipment

[0388] UL Uplink

[0389] UPF User Plane Function

[0390] Uu Radio interface from eNodeB to UE (also called LTE-Uu interface)

[0391] X2 interface between two eNBs

[0392] Xn Interface between two gNBs or between eNB and gNB in ​​non-EN-DC case

[0393] 1x RTT CDMA2000 1x Radio Transmission Technology

[0394] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0395] 5G Fifth Generation

[0396] ABS Almost Blank Subframe

[0397] ARQ Automatic Repeat Request

[0398] AWGN Additive White Gaussian Noise

[0399] BCCH Broadcast Control Channel

[0400] BCH Broadcast Channel

[0401] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0402] CC Carrier Component

[0403] CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU

[0404] CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

[0405] CGI Cell Global Identifier

[0406] CIR Channel Impulse Response

[0407] CP Cyclic Prefix

[0408] CPICH Common Pilot Channel

[0409] CPICH Ec / No The ratio of the received energy per CPICH chip to the power density within the frequency band

[0410] CQI Channel Quality Information

[0411] C-RNTI Cell RNTI

[0412] CSI Channel State Information

[0413] DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

[0414] DL Downlink

[0415] DM Demodulation

[0416] DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

[0417] DRX Discontinuous Reception

[0418] DTX Discontinuous Transmission

[0419] DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel

[0420] DUT Device Under Test

[0421] E-CID Enhanced Cell ID (positioning method)

[0422] E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

[0423] ECGI Evolved CGI

[0424] eNB E-UTRAN Node B

[0425] ePDCCH Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0426] E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center

[0427] E-UTRA Evolved UTRA

[0428] E-UTRAN Evolved UTRAN

[0429] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0430] FFS Further Research

[0431] GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network

[0432] Base stations in gNB NR

[0433] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0434] GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

[0435] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request

[0436] HO Switchover

[0437] HSPA High Speed ​​Packet Access

[0438] HRPD High Rate Packet Data

[0439] LOS Line of Sight

[0440] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0441] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0442] MAC Media Access Control

[0443] MBMS Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service

[0444] MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency Network

[0445] MBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe

[0446] MDT Minimized Drive Test

[0447] MIB Master Information Block

[0448] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0449] MSC Mobile Switching Center

[0450] NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0451] NR New Radio

[0452] OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator

[0453] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0454] OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access

[0455] OSS Operation Support System

[0456] OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

[0457] O&M Operation and Maintenance

[0458] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0459] P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel

[0460] PCell Primary Cell

[0461] PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel

[0462] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0463] PDP Power Delay Profile

[0464] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel PGW Packet Gateway PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel PLMN Public Land Mobile Network PMI precoder matrix indication PRACH Physical Random Access Channel PRS Positioning Reference Signal PSS Primary Synchronization Signal PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel RACH Random Access Channel QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation RAN Radio Access Network RAT Radio Access Technology RLM Radio Link Management RNC Radio Network Controller RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier RRC Radio Resource Control RRM Radio Resource Management RS reference signal RSCP Received Signal Code Power RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power or Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality or Reference Symbol Received Quality RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference SCH Synchronization Channel SCell Secondary Cell

[0465] SDU Service Data Unit

[0466] SFN System Frame Number

[0467] SGW Service Gateway

[0468] SI System Information

[0469] SIB System Information Block

[0470] SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

[0471] SON Self-Optimizing Network

[0472] SS Sync Signal

[0473] SSS Secondary synchronization signal

[0474] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0475] TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

[0476] TOA Time of Arrival

[0477] TSS Triple Synchronous Signal

[0478] TTI Transmission Time Interval

[0479] UE User Equipment

[0480] UL Uplink

[0481] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0482] USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module

[0483] UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

[0484] UTRA Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

[0485] UTRAN Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0486] WCDMA Wideband CDMA

[0487] WLAN Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

1. A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit control plane CU-CP of a base station, wherein: The base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, and the method comprises: A first message is sent to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane (CU-UP) of the base station, wherein the first message includes an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control (BH) RLC channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The mapping information includes a flow label value.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The mapping information includes a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The mapping information is associated with the BH RLC channel.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The mapping information maps the first bearer to the BH RLC channel one-to-one.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The method further comprises: A second message is sent to set or modify a second bearer context for a second bearer in the CU-UP, wherein the second message includes an information element indicating mapping information for mapping the second bearer to the BH RLC channel.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC channel.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The mapping information includes an indication of whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first message is an E1 application protocol AP bearer context setting request or a bearer context modification request.

10. A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a central unit user plane CU-UP of a base station, wherein: The base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, and the method comprises: receiving a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station; Obtaining mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control (BH) RLC channel, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the mapping information from an information element in the first message; and Based on the mapping information, a field value for the first bearer is determined, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC channel.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The mapping information includes the field value as a flow label value.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The mapping information includes the field value as a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The mapping information is associated with the BH RLC channel.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The mapping information maps the first bearer to the BH RLC channel one-to-one.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The method further comprises: A second message is received from the CU-CP to set or modify a second bearer context for a second bearer in the CU-UP, wherein the second message includes an information element indicating mapping information for mapping the second bearer to the BH RLC channel.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The mapping information comprises an indication of whether the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one to the BH RLC channel, and wherein the method further comprises: Based on the indication, the field value associated with the BH RLC channel is assigned to the first bearer.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: In response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped one-to-one, the field value includes a flow label value.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein: In response to the mapping information indicating that the first bearer is to be mapped N-to-one, the field value includes a DSCP value.

19. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The mapping information includes whether the first bearer is served by an IAB node.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The mapping information is obtained by determining whether the IP address of the F1-U tunnel used for the first bearer has been configured as the IAB node IP address.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, further comprising: In response to the first bearer being served by the IAB node, determining whether the first bearer meets criteria for one-to-one mapping; In response to the first bearer satisfying the criterion, assigning the field value associated with the BH RLC channel to the first bearer using a one-to-one mapping; and In response to the first bearer not satisfying the criterion, the field value associated with the BH RLC channel is assigned to the first bearer using an N-to-one mapping.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The standards include Quality of Service QoS standards.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The QoS standard includes a channel quality indication CQI value.

24. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising: The field value is sent to a transport layer for inclusion in a header of a user plane packet for the first bearer.

25. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The first message is an E1 application protocol AP bearer context setting request or a bearer context modification request.

26. A method for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information performed by a base station, wherein: The base station is configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, and the method comprises: - the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is performed by a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station; and - The method according to any one of claims 10 to 25 is performed by a Central Unit User Plane CU-UP of the base station.

27. A base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station being configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, comprising: - a processing circuit configured to cause a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to: sending a first message to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane (CU-UP) of the base station, wherein the first message comprises an information element indicating mapping information used in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control (BH) RLC channel; and - a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the base station.

28. The base station according to claim 27, further configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 9.

29. A base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station being configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, comprising: A processing circuit configured to enable a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station: receiving a first message from a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to set or modify a first bearer context for a first bearer in a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station; Obtaining mapping information for use in determining a mapping of the first bearer to a backhaul radio link control (BH) RLC channel, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the mapping information from an information element in the first message; and determining, based on the mapping information, a field value for the first bearer, wherein the field value maps the first bearer to the BH RLC channel; and A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the base station.

30. The base station according to claim 29, further configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 25.

31. A base station for providing integrated access and backhaul IAB mapping information, the base station being configured as a donor base station for one or more IAB nodes, comprising: A processing circuit configured to cause a central unit control plane CU-CP of the base station to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and to cause a central unit user plane CU-UP of the base station to perform a method according to any one of claims 10 to 25.

32. A communication system comprising a host computer, the host computer comprising: - a processing circuit configured to provide user data; as well as - a communication interface configured to forward said user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment UE, - wherein the cellular network comprises a base station having a radio interface and a processing circuit, the processing circuit of the base station being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 26.

33. The communication system of claim 32, further comprising the base station.

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