Remote ue control information establishment at core network

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system is described. The UE communicates with the wireless communication system via at least one relay UE, the UE and the relay UE communicating over a direct link interface. When communicating with the wireless communication system via the relay UE, the UE establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, the network control layer providing some control information, e.g. at initiation of the communication and / or during the communication.

Description

[0001] manual

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication systems or networks, and more specifically, to communication between a user equipment or user terminal (UE) and the core network of a wireless communication system or network via one or more relay user equipments (relay UEs). Embodiments relate to methods for allowing the establishment of certain control contexts at the core network (CN) for a remote UE that does not exist at the CN when the remote UE connects to the wireless communication network via a relay UE. Other embodiments relate to methods for allowing UEs outside coverage to access the wireless communication network via relays, although certain provisioning parameters that allow the UE to perform direct link operations may be unavailable or may no longer be valid at the UE.

[0003] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a terrestrial wireless network 100, including a core network 102 as shown in Figure 1(a) and one or more radio access networks RAN1, RAN2, ... RAN N Figure 1(b) shows the Radio Access Network (RAN). n The example diagram illustrates that RAN N This may include one or more base stations gNB1 to gNB5, each serving a specific area around the base station schematically shown by corresponding cells 1061 to 1065. The base stations are provided to serve users within the cell. One or more base stations may serve users in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency bands. The term base station (BS) refers to gNB in ​​a 5G network, eNB in ​​UMTS / LTE / LTE-A / LTE-A Pro, or simply BS in other mobile communication standards. Users may be fixed or mobile devices. The wireless communication system may be accessed by mobile or fixed IoT devices connected to the base station or the user. Mobile devices or IoT devices may include physical devices, such as robots or automobiles, ground vehicles, aircraft (such as manned or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the latter also known as drones), buildings, and other items or devices (with embedded electronics, software, sensors, actuators, etc., and network connections enabling these devices to collect and exchange data on existing network infrastructure). Figure 1(b) shows an exemplary view with only five cells; however, RAN n It can include more or fewer such cells, RAN nAlternatively, only one base station may be included. Figure 1(b) shows two user UEs, UE1 and UE2, located in cell 1062 and served by base station gNB2, also referred to as user equipment UEs. Another user UE3 is shown in cell 1064 served by base station gNB4. Arrows 1081, 1082, and 1083 schematically represent uplink / downlink connections used for transmitting data from users UE1, UE2, and UE3 to base stations gNB2 and gNB4, or for transmitting data from base stations gNB2 and gNB4 to users UE1, UE2, and UE3. This can be implemented on licensed frequency bands or unlicensed frequency bands. In addition, Figure 1(b) shows two IoT devices 1101 and 1102 in cell 1064, which can be fixed or mobile devices. IoT device 1101 accesses the wireless communication system via base station gNB4 to receive and transmit data, as schematically indicated by arrow 1121. IoT device 1102 accesses the wireless communication system via user UE3, as schematically indicated by arrow 1122. Each base station gNB1 to gNB5 can connect to the core network 102, for example via the S1 interface, through the corresponding backhaul links 1141 to 1145, which are schematically represented in Figure 1(b) by arrows pointing to the "core". The core network 102 can connect to one or more external networks. External networks can be the Internet or private networks, such as intranets or any other type of campus network, such as private WiFi or 4G or 5G mobile communication systems. Furthermore, some or all of the base stations gNB1 to gNB5 can be interconnected via their respective backhaul links 1161 to 1165, for example via the S1 or X2 interface or the XN interface in the NR, which are schematically represented in Figure 1(b) by arrows pointing to the "gNBs". The direct link channel allows direct communication between UEs, also known as device-to-device (D2D) communication. The direct link interface in 3GPP is named PC5.

[0004] For data transmission, a physical resource grid can be used. A physical resource grid can include a set of resource elements to which various physical channels and physical signals are mapped. For example, physical channels can include physical downlink, uplink, and direct link shared channels (PDSCH, PUSCH, PSSCH) carrying user-specific data (also known as downlink, uplink, and direct link payload data); physical broadcast channels (PBCH) carrying, for example, Master Information Blocks (MIBs) and one or more System Information Blocks (SIBs); and physical downlink, uplink, and direct link control channels (PDCCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) carrying, for example, downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), and direct link control information (SCI). Note that the direct link interface may support two-step SCI. This refers to a first control region containing some portions of the SCI, and optionally, a second control region containing a second portion of the control information.

[0005] For the uplink, the physical channel may further include the physical random access channel (PRACH or RACH) used by the UE to access the network after synchronizing and acquiring the MIB and SIB. Physical signals may include reference signals or symbols (RS), synchronization signals, etc. The resource grid may include frames or radio frames that have a certain duration in the time domain and a given bandwidth in the frequency domain. Frames may have a certain number of subframes of predefined length, such as 1 ms. Depending on the length of the cyclic prefix (CP), each subframe may include one or more time slots of 12 or 14 OFDM symbols. Frames may also consist of fewer OFDM symbols, for example, when utilizing a shortened transmission time interval (sTTI) or a small time slot / non-time slot-based frame structure that includes only a few OFDM symbols.

[0006] The wireless communication system can be any single-tone or multi-carrier system using frequency division multiplexing, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or any other IFFT-based signal with or without CP, such as DFT-s-OFDM. Other waveforms can be used, such as non-orthogonal waveforms for multiple access, such as filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), or universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC). The wireless communication system can operate, for example, according to the LTE-Advanced Pro standard, or 5G, or NR (New Radio) or NR-U (New Radio operating in unlicensed bands) standards.

[0007] The wireless network or communication system shown in Figure 1 can be a heterogeneous network with different overlapping networks, such as a macro cell network, each macro cell including macro base stations, such as base stations gNB1 to gNB5, and a small cell base station network (not shown in Figure 1), such as femtocells or picocells. In addition to the terrestrial wireless networks described above, there are also non-terrestrial wireless communication networks (NTNs), including satellite transceivers and / or airborne transceivers, such as those used in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems. Non-terrestrial wireless communication networks or systems can operate in a manner similar to the terrestrial systems described above with reference to Figure 1, for example, according to the LTE-Advanced Pro standard or the 5G or NR (New Radio) standard.

[0008] In mobile communication networks, such as those described above with reference to Figure 1, such as LTE or 5G / NR networks, there may be UEs that communicate directly via one or more Direct Link (SL) channels, for example using PC5 / PC3 interfaces or WiFi Direct. UEs communicating directly with each other via SL channels can include vehicles communicating directly with other vehicles (V2V communication), vehicles communicating with other entities in the wireless communication network (V2X communication), such as Roadside Units (RSUs), roadside entities such as traffic lights, traffic signs, or pedestrians. An RSU can function as either a BS or a UE, depending on the specific network configuration. Other UEs may not be vehicle-related UEs, but can include any of the aforementioned devices. These devices can also communicate directly with each other using SL channels (D2D communication).

[0009] When considering two UEs communicating directly with each other via a direct link, the same base station can provide services to both UEs, allowing the base station to provide direct link resource allocation configuration or assistance. For example, both UEs can be within the coverage area of ​​the base station, as shown in Figure 1. This is referred to as the "within coverage" scenario. Another scenario is referred to as the "outside coverage" scenario. It is important to note that "outside coverage" does not mean that the two UEs are not within one of the cells shown in Figure 1, but rather that these UEs...

[0010] - They may not be connected to the base station, for example, they are not in an RRC connected state, so that the UE will not receive any direct link resource allocation configuration or assistance from the base station, and / or

[0011] - It may be connected to a base station, but for one or more reasons, the base station cannot provide the UE with direct link resource allocation configuration or assistance, and / or

[0012] - May connect to base stations that do not support NR V2X services, such as GSM, UMTS, and LTE base stations.

[0013] When considering two UEs communicating directly with each other via a direct link, such as using a PC5 / PC3 interface, one UE can also connect to a BS and relay information from the BS to the other UE via the direct link interface, and vice versa. Relaying can be performed within the same frequency band (in-band relay) or in a different frequency band (out-of-band relay). In the first case, communication between the UE and the direct link can be decoupled using different time slots, similar to a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic representation of a scenario within the coverage area, where two UEs communicating directly with each other are both connected to the base station. The coverage area of ​​the base station gNB is schematically represented by circle 200, which basically corresponds to the cell schematically shown in Figure 1. The UEs communicating directly with each other include a first vehicle 202 and a second vehicle 204, both located within the coverage area 200 of the base station gNB. Vehicles 202 and 204 are both connected to the base station gNB, and they are also directly connected to each other via the PC5 interface. V2V traffic scheduling and / or interference management are assisted by the gNB via control signaling on the Uu interface, which is the radio interface between the base station and the UE. In other words, SL resource allocation configuration or assistance is provided to the UE, and the gNB allocates resources used for V2V communication via the direct link. This configuration is also referred to as Mode 1 configuration in NR V2X and Mode 3 configuration in LTE V2X.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an out-of-coverage scenario where UEs communicating directly with each other are not connected to the base station, even though they may be physically located within a cell of the wireless communication network. Alternatively, some or all of the UEs communicating directly with each other may be connected to the base station, but the base station does not provide SL resource allocation configuration or assistance. As shown in the diagram, three vehicles 206, 208, and 210 communicate directly with each other via a direct link, for example, using a PC5 interface. V2V traffic scheduling and / or interference management are based on algorithms implemented between the vehicles. This configuration is also known as Mode 2 configuration in NR V2X and Mode 4 configuration in LTE V2X. As mentioned earlier, Figure 3 The scenario described here refers to a scenario outside the coverage area. This does not necessarily mean that each Mode 2 UE (in NR) or Mode 4 UE (in LTE) is outside the coverage area of ​​the base station. Rather, it means that each Mode 2 UE (in NR) or Mode 4 UE (in LTE) is not served by the base station, is not connected to the base station in the coverage area, or is connected to the base station but has not received SL resource allocation configuration or assistance from the base station. Therefore, the following situation may exist: Figure 2Within the coverage area 200 shown, in addition to NR mode 1 or LTE mode 3 UEs 202 and 204, there are also NR mode 2 or LTE mode 4 UEs 206, 208, and 210. Furthermore, Figure 3 The illustration schematically depicts a UE outside the coverage area using relay and network communication. For example, UE 210 can communicate with UE1 via a direct link, and UE1 can in turn connect to the gNB via the Uu interface. Therefore, UE1 can relay information between the gNB and UE 210.

[0016] Although Figure 2 and Figure 3 While the description covers in-vehicle UEs, it's important to note that the described in-coverage and out-of-coverage scenarios also apply to non-in-vehicle UEs. In other words, any UE that communicates directly with another UE using the SL channel, such as a handheld device, can be in-coverage or out-of-coverage.

[0017] In the aforementioned vehicle-mounted user equipment (UE) scenario, multiple such UEs can form a UE group, or simply a group, and communication within or between group members can be performed via a direct link interface between UEs, such as a PC5 interface. For example, the scenario using vehicle-mounted UEs described above can be applied to the transportation industry, where multiple vehicles equipped with UEs can be grouped together, for example, through remote driving applications. In other use cases, multiple UEs can be grouped together for direct link communication with each other. These use cases include, for example, factory automation and power distribution. In the case of factory automation, multiple mobile or stationary machines within a factory can be equipped with UEs and grouped together for direct link communication, for example, for controlling machine operation, such as robot motion control. In the case of power distribution, entities within a power distribution network can be equipped with corresponding UEs. These devices can be grouped together within a certain area of ​​the system to communicate with each other via direct link communication, enabling system monitoring and handling of power distribution network faults and interruptions.

[0018] Of course, in the above use cases, direct link communication is not limited to communication within a group. Instead, direct link communication can occur between any number of UEs, such as between any pair of UEs.

[0019] Referring to Figure 1 above, Figure 2 or Figure 3In the described wireless communication system, a UE can connect to the wireless communication system or network via one or more relay UEs, as shown in Figure 1 where IoT 1083 communicates with gNB4 via UE3. For example, a UE connecting to the network or system via a relay UE, also known as a remote UE, can be a UE that, when activated, connected, or within gNB coverage, may be unable to connect to the gNB for some reason, but can connect to a relay UE. For example, as referenced above... Figure 3 The described out-of-coverage UE can still establish a connection with the wireless communication system or network via a relay UE, meaning the UE outside the coverage area establishes a connection with the relay UE. The remote UE communicates with the relay UE via a direct link interface, such as the PC5 interface. In other words, the relay UE can be a 3GPP access point that the remote UE connects to via a direct link, and through this access point, the remote UE can connect to the wireless communication network. According to another scenario, the relay UE that the remote UE can connect to via a direct link can be an access point of any network; that is, the remote UE can connect to the wireless communication network via a direct link to a non-3GPP access point. The CN of the wireless communication system can connect to a non-3GPP access point, for example, through the non-3GPP interoperability function N3IW.

[0020] However, in both cases, when a remote UE connects to a relay UE via a direct link interface, the core network of the wireless communication system is unaware of the remote UE; it only sees the relay UE. Therefore, the core network may be unable to perform certain control operations.

[0021] Furthermore, for communication via the direct link interface, certain configuration parameters are required at the UE to allow the UE to perform direct link operation. However, if these configuration parameters are missing or invalid at the UE, such as being outdated, the remote UE cannot perform direct link operation with the relay UE, and therefore cannot establish communication to the wireless communication network or system via the relay UE.

[0022] It should be noted that the information in the above section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore may contain information that is already known to those skilled in the art and does not constitute prior art.

[0023] Therefore, improvements may be needed for communication between remote UEs and wireless communication networks via relay UEs.

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an example wireless communication system;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic representation of a scenario within the coverage area, where two UEs that communicate directly with each other are both connected to the base station;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic representation of a scenario outside the coverage area, where UEs communicate directly with each other;

[0028] Figure 4 The control plane (CP), protocol stack (PS), or PC3 interface is shown, as described, for example, in 3GPP TS 23.303;

[0029] Figure 5 The NAS signaling between the UE and the AMF of the core network is shown;

[0030] Figure 6 shows an example of an RRC message, which includes a DedicatedNAS message to be transmitted in the dedicated control channel DCCH;

[0031] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a scenario where a remote UE communicates with the core network via one or more relay UEs.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a schematic representation of a wireless communication system including a transmitter, such as a base station, and one or more receivers, such as a user equipment (UE), which is capable of operating according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a protocol stack for establishing a network control context at the core network according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein Figure 9(a) shows a single-hop relay scenario and Figure 9(b) shows a multi-hop relay scenario;

[0034] Figure 10 illustrates an embodiment of establishing a remote UE NAS context at the CN using a UE-to-Network Relay (CN), where Figure 10(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the UE-to-Network Relay originate from the same PLMN. Figure 10(b) shows an embodiment where the remote UE and the UE-to-Network Relay originate from different PLMNs, and Figure 10(c) shows an embodiment where the remote UE originates from the same PLMN or from different PLMNs within a roaming architecture.

[0035] Figure 11 The relay UE protocol stack is shown in the case where remote UE NAS messages are sent as data;

[0036] Figure 12 An example of a relay UE protocol stack is shown in the case of sending a remote UENAS message in a PC5RRC message;

[0037] Figure 13 illustrates an embodiment of an RRC message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message container, wherein Figure 13(a) shows an RRC reconfiguration direct link message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message container, Figure 13(b) shows an RRC reconfiguration full direct link message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message, Figure 13(c) shows a new RRC control plane direct link message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 13(d) shows an embodiment of a DedicatedNASPC5 message;

[0038] Figure 14 It shows the relationship with Figure 7 Compared to the first aspect of the present invention, the effects are as follows:

[0039] Figure 15 An embodiment of path switching is shown, in which a remote UE currently communicating with the network via one or more relay UEs is switched to direct communication;

[0040] Figure 16 illustrates an embodiment of receiving CPP through a UE within coverage area according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein Figure 16(a) shows the initial reception of CPP and Figure 16(b) shows the update of CPP;

[0041] Figure 17 An embodiment of policy updates at a remote UE via one or more relay UEs is illustrated;

[0042] Figure 18 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process for using the data plane path of a 5GC network using CPP according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein Figure 18(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to the same wireless communication system or network, PLMN; Figure 18(b) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to different PLMNs, namely PLMN A and VPLMN respectively; and Figure 18(c) shows a scenario where the remote UE roams and belongs to the local network HPLMN, while the relay UE belongs to the visited network VPLMN.

[0043] Figure 19 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process using the control plane path of the CPP according to a second aspect of the invention, wherein Figure 19(a) shows a first scenario assuming that the remote UE and the relay UE belong to the same network or PLMN, Figure 19(b) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to different PLMNs, namely PLMN A and PLMN B, and Figure 19(c) shows another scenario where the roaming remote UE is assumed to belong to the HPLMN, while the relay UE belongs to the visited PLMN, namely the VPLMN;

[0044] Figure 20 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process using a non-3GPP access point according to a second aspect of the present invention, wherein Figure 20(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the core network entity providing access to the non-3GPP access point, such as N3IWF, belong to the same PLMN. On the other hand, Figure 20(b) shows a scenario where the remote UE belongs to PLMN B, which is different from PLMN A to which N3IWF belongs, and Figure 20(c) shows a roaming architecture in which the remote UE belongs to the local PLMN, while N3IWF belongs to the PLMN visited by the remote UE.

[0045] Figure 21 An embodiment of establishing a network control context after authorization is illustrated according to the first and second aspects of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 22 An embodiment is shown that the signaling for the NAS context establishment request based on the first and second aspects and the authorization request using CPP are illustrated; and

[0047] Figure 23 An example computer system is shown on which the units or modules and steps of the method according to the invention can be executed.

[0048] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar elements have the same designated reference numerals.

[0049] In Figure 1 above, Figure 2 or Figure 3 In the described wireless communication system or network, the UE is connected to a radio access network, such as a gNB, which in turn is connected to a core network CN. Figure 4 The control plane (CP), protocol stack (PS), or PC3 interface is shown, as described in 3GPP TS 23.303. It can be seen that control signaling between the UE and the network is conducted through the user plane, and there is no specific control context at the network level; for example, there is no Non-Access Stratum (NAS) context at the network level. In other words, there is no control signaling on the logical N1 interface between the UE and the core network (such as the Access and Mobility Functions (AMF) within the core network). Taking the NAS context as an example... Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the NAS signaling between the UE and the AMF (Advanced Management Function) of the core network. To signal the NAS context to the core network, the UE sends an ①RRC message, which includes a "DedicatedNAS" message. The RRC message is received by the radio access network, such as the gNB, which processes the ②RRC message and forwards the ③DedicatedNAS message to the AMF. Within the RRC message shown in Figure 6, the DedicatedNAS message can be transmitted on the dedicated control channel (DCCH).

[0050] Figure 6 illustrates an RRC message carrying DedicatedNAS in the DCCH. More specifically, Figure 6(a) shows the downlink (DL) DCCH, and Figure 6(b) shows the uplink (UL) DCCH. In Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the RRC message carrying the DedicatedNAS message is underlined. Through the DedicatedNAS message, the UE can transmit its own NAS information to the core network. However, when the UE is a remote UE communicating with the network via one or more relay UEs, it is not possible to provide control information such as the remote UE's NAS information to the core network. For example, considering proximity-based service (ProSe), outside the coverage area (OOC), a UE or a UE within the coverage area can recruit another UE within the coverage area to communicate with the network; that is, the UE within the coverage area can act as a relay. The UE acting as a relay is also called a UE-to-network relay or a relay UE, and the UE that receives assistance from the relay UE is called a remote UE. In conventional methods, relaying can be performed using L3 data forwarding and relaying. Through this type of data forwarding, certain network information for the remote UE, such as NAS information, is not present in the core network (CN), such as at the AMF in the 5G core (5GC), nor at the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the Enhanced Packet Core (EPC). Control information can be used to process aspects of the UE's control plane (CP). For example, NAS information can process certain control plane aspects of the UE, such as mobility, authorization, session management, or policies, for example, through another network function (NF), such as the Session Management Function (SMF). Without control information at the network level, some or all CP-related functions for the remote UE may not be able to be executed from the network side and typically need to be orchestrated by or via applications on the UE.

[0051] Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a scenario where a remote UE communicates with the core network via one or more relay UEs. Figure 7 In the example shown, a remote UE connects to the RAN's gNB via one or more relay UEs. The remote UE communicates with the relay UEs through a direct link interface. At the core network, the 5GC's AMF, SMF, and Policy Control Function (PCF) as part of the control plane, and the 5GC's Usage Plane Function (UPF) as part of the user plane, are shown. Control signaling between the relay UE and the core network can employ... Figure 4 The control plane protocol stack is shown in the figure. Figure 7 Taking NAS information signaling as an example, this illustrates the control information signaling between the relay UE and the control elements of the core network, as shown by the double-headed arrow marked "NAS" in the figure. Data signaling between the relay UE and the CN travels through the user plane path, such as... Figure 7The double-headed arrow indicates "PDU Session". From Figure 7 As can be seen, for remote UEs, there is no network context like the NAS context at the core network level. Any control-related functions need to be orchestrated from the application via the user plane path. For example, if some control is to be performed on a remote UE, the core network needs to signal the application so that the control information can be signaled to the remote UE via the user plane path through the relay UE. When considering traditional L3 UE-to-network relay and NAS information as control information, in traditional scenarios, such as... Figure 7 The NAS information for remote UEs described herein does not exist at the core network level; therefore, it is invisible to the AMF and SMF at the remote network level. The core network only sees the PDU sessions between the UPF and the relay UE, such as... Figure 7 The double-headed arrow labeled "PDU Session" indicates this. Note that the above description is not limited to the 5GC case, but also applies to 4G cores such as EPC.

[0052] Given this situation, the core network cannot support session changes for remote UEs. If the path from the remote UE to the network changes, the network cannot update or modify the PDU session accordingly. For example, updating or modifying the PDU session may be necessary for one or more of the following:

[0053] - At least one relay UE, such as a change of UE to the relay network.

[0054] - A change in the direct path from the relay path to the gNB, i.e., if the remote UE initially connects to the network via a relay UE and then connects directly to the gNB.

[0055] - A change from a direct path to a path that includes one or more relay UEs, i.e., if a UE currently directly connected to the gNB is connected to the core network via one or more relay UEs, such as Figure 7 As shown,

[0056] - Add one or more relay UEs on the path between the remote UE and the network.

[0057] - Remove one or more relay UEs from the path between the remote UE and the network.

[0058] - Changes in the number of relay UEs on the path.

[0059] Therefore, in the traditional approach, from the network's perspective, PDU sessions only involve UEs directly connected to the gNB, such as... Figure 7The example shown relates to the relay UE. If this UE changes, a new PDU session is established. Furthermore, conventionally, the AMF and SMF cannot associate a newly established PDU session with an existing or old PDU session, nor are they aware that a new PDU session might be a continuation of an old PDU session. Therefore, for remote UEs, traditional L3 relays cannot provide or support session continuity.

[0060] The embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention address the aforementioned drawback of remote UEs connecting to the core network via one or more relay UEs, and the fact that certain control information, such as NAS information, is not visible to the core network.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned reference Figure 1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 In the described wireless communication system or network, certain provisioning parameters are provided to enable the UE to perform direct link operation. For example, in the case of V2X communication using a PC5 interface or PC5 reference point, the following sets of information can be provided, i.e., one or more of the following provisioning parameters can be provided, as described in 3GPP TS23.287:

[0062] - Authorization strategy,

[0063] - Radio parameters for the UE when it is "not E-UTRA service" and "not NR service," including radio parameters for each PC5 RAT (i.e., LTE PC5, NR PC5) with a geographic area, and an indication of whether these parameters are "operator-managed" or "non-operator-managed." In the case of "not E-UTRA service" and "not NR service," the UE only uses these radio parameters to perform V2X communication via the PC5 reference point if it can reliably locate itself to the corresponding geographic area. Otherwise, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0064] -Strategies / parameters when NR PC5 is selected

[0065] - A mapping of V2X service types (such as Provider Service Identifiers (PSIDs) or Intelligent Transportation System Application Object Identifiers (ITS-AIDs)) to V2X frequencies with geographic regions.

[0066] -Valid timer for V2X policy / parameter expiration time

[0067] - A timestamp, indicating when the policy / parameter takes effect, or a delay, indicating when the policy / parameter is activated relative to the sent / received policy / parameter.

[0068] In the case of V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, network operators can pre-configure the UE using the provisioning parameters required for V2X communication without requiring the UE to connect to the 5GC for initial configuration. For example, as described in 3GPP TS23.287, the following applies to licensing and provisioning:

[0069] - The configuration parameters for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point can be configured in the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), in the Mobile Equipment (ME), or in both the UICC and ME.

[0070] - When the UMTS User Identification Module (USIM) is deselected or replaced, the ME provisioning parameters should not be erased.

[0071] - If both UICC and ME contain the same overlapping provisioning parameter set, the parameter set from UICC will take precedence.

[0072] Provisioning parameters from PCF should take precedence over pre-configured parameters from ME and UICC.

[0073] - The UE should use radio resources for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, as follows:

[0074] When a UE has a serving cell and camps on that cell, and the UE intends to use the radio resources (i.e., carrier frequencies) operated by that cell for V2X services, the UE should use the radio resource description indicated by the cell on which the UE camps, and ignore any radio resource descriptions of the same radio resources provided in the ME or UICC; if the cell does not provide radio resources for V2X services, the UE may not send or receive V2X messages on the radio resources operated by that cell.

[0075] - If the UE intends to use "operator-managed" radio resources (i.e., carrier frequencies) for V2X services not operated by the UE's serving cell, as described in Clause 5.1.2.1, or if the UE is outside coverage, the UE shall search for cells in any public terrestrial mobile network (PLMN) that operate as provided with radio resources (i.e., carrier frequencies) as defined in TS36.300 and TS36.304 (if LTE-based PC5 V2X communication is selected) or TS38.300 and TS38.304 (if NR-based PC5 V2X communication is selected), and:

[0076] If the UE discovers such a cell in a registered PLMN or an equivalent PLMN and confirms authorization to perform V2X communication with this PLMN via the PC5 reference point, the UE should use the radio resource description indicated by the cell; if the cell does not provide radio resources for V2X services, the UE must not send or receive V2X messages on those radio resources.

[0077] If the UE discovers a cell that is not in a registered PLMN or an equivalent PLMN, and that cell belongs to a PLMN authorized for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point and provides radio resources for V2X service, then the UE should perform PLMN selection triggered by V2X communication via the PC5 reference point as defined in TS 23.122; if the UE is conducting an emergency session via IMS, it will not trigger any PLMN selection because the V2X communication is via the PC5 reference point.

[0078] - If the UE discovers such a cell but is not in a PLMN authorized to perform V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, the UE shall not use V2X communication via the PC5 reference point.

[0079] - If the UE does not find any such cell in any PLMN, the UE should consider itself "not served by NR or EU-TRA" and use the radio resources provided in the ME or UICC. If there is no such provision in the ME or UICC, or if the provision is not authorized for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0080] - If the UE intends to use "non-operator-managed" radio resources (i.e., carrier frequencies) for V2X services, then according to TS 36.331 or TS 38.331 and Clause 5.1.2.1, the UE shall use the resources configured in the ME or UICC to perform V2X communication via PC5; if there is no such configuration in the ME or UICC, or the configuration does not authorize V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, then the UE is not authorized to transmit.

[0081] -UE provisioning should support setting geographic regions.

[0082] Even if the UE's cell service provides normal service and SIBxy indication service (V2X communication) is available, the UE can use other radio resources for geographic area-based V2X services instead of the radio resources operated by the serving NG-RAN cell (when configured in the UE). This is to cover situations, for example, where the radio resources used for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point are not part of the UE's serving network.

[0083] When cross-carrier operation is supported, according to TS36.331 or TS38.331, the UE can perform V2X communication across different carrier frequencies under the instruction of the serving cell. In this case, the UE is still considered to be "serviced by NR or E-UTRA".

[0084] If a UE attempts to use a carrier frequency configured for V2X communication via the PC5 reference point and detects a cell that does not support V2X communication via the PC5 reference point, this is considered a configuration error. Therefore, the UE will not transmit on that frequency to avoid network interference.

[0085] - V2X communication via the PC5 reference point is only specified for E-UTRA and NR.

[0086] When the UE is within the coverage area of ​​the 3GPP RAT, it can use information obtained from the serving PLMN, for example. When the UE is not within the coverage area of ​​the 3GPP RAT, it can use other technologies, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The location provided by the user is not a valid input.

[0087] Therefore, as described above, the preparation parameters for the UE to perform direct link operation can be

[0088] - It can be provided in mobile devices or user equipment (ME or UE), that is, it can be pre-configured within mobile devices.

[0089] - Provided in UICC, it can be pre-configured, for example, using a SIM card.

[0090] - Received from the core network via the Uu interface, for example, when the UE registers with the network, via the Policy and Charging Function (PCF).

[0091] - Provided by another UE, such as a relay UE, via a direct link.

[0092] The priority of these provisioning parameters can be as follows: parameters received via the Uu interface have the highest priority, parameters in the UICC have the second highest priority, and provisioning parameters in the ME have the third highest priority. However, regardless of the location where these provisioning parameters are used, the authorization or right to use them is always reserved by the network, more specifically by the Policy and Charging Function (PCF) in the 5GC network. That is, when a UE intends to use these parameters for direct link data communication, the UE first needs to obtain authorization from the network. However, in conventional methods, the UE may not include such provisioning parameters, or existing provisioning parameters may be invalid. For example, when provisioning parameters expire or are missing, the UE cannot transmit via the direct link interface until the UE is provisioned. The UE is not allowed to use stored provisioning parameters to obtain or even update provisioning parameters, such as authorization updates and optional policy updates, to perform normal direct link communication. This is a particular problem for UEs that are outside coverage and cannot directly access the wireless communication system or the core network of the PLMN.

[0093] Embodiments of the second aspect of the invention address the problem that missing or invalid provisioning parameters prevent UEs from performing direct link communication, and thus even prevent UEs from obtaining valid provisioning parameters authorized for direct link operation. Embodiments provide a method using common or minimal provisioning parameters, for example, which all UEs can use for initial access via the direct link interface to allow remote UEs to obtain valid provisioning parameters. In other words, common or minimal provisioning parameters can be provided to the entire wireless communication system and remain valid, i.e., they do not expire, so that any UE including the common provisioning parameters can obtain the provisioning parameters required for full direct link operation from the network via direct link communication, thereby avoiding the disadvantage that UEs may not be able to access the wireless communication network via relay at all if the provisioning parameters are outdated or missing.

[0094] The present invention provides a method for implementing the first and second aspects described above, and embodiments of the present invention can be found in FIG1, Figure 2 or Figure 3 The wireless communication system described includes base stations and users, such as mobile terminals or IoT devices. Figure 8 This is a schematic representation of a wireless communication system including a transmitter 300, such as a base station, and one or more receivers 302, 304, such as user equipment (UE). The transmitter 300 and receivers 302, 304 can communicate via one or more wireless communication links or channels 306a, 306b, 308, such as radio links. The transmitter 300 may include one or more antennas ANT coupled to each other. TAlternatively, it may include an antenna array with multiple antenna elements, a signal processor 300a, and a transceiver 300b. Receivers 302 and 304 include one or more antennas (ANTs) coupled to each other. UE Alternatively, an antenna array with multiple antennas, signal processors 302a, 304a, and transceivers 302b, 304b may be used. Base station 300 and UEs 302, 304 can communicate via corresponding first wireless communication links 306a and 306b, such as radio links using Uu interfaces, while UEs 302, 304 can communicate with each other via a second wireless communication link 308, such as a radio link using a PC5 / Direct Link (SL) interface. When UEs are not served by a base station and are not connected to a base station—for example, when they are not in an RRC connection state—or more generally, when the base station does not provide SL resource allocation configuration or assistance, UEs can communicate with each other via the Direct Link (SL). Figure 8 The system or network shown, Figure 8 One or more UEs 302, 304 and shown Figure 8 The base station 300 shown can be operated according to the teachings of the present invention.

[0095] First aspect - Establishing a network control layer

[0096] Remote UE

[0097] The present invention provides (for example, see claim 1) a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system.

[0098] In this system, the UE communicates with the wireless communication system via at least one relay UE, and the UE communicates with the relay UE via a direct link interface.

[0099] When a UE communicates with a wireless communication system via a relay UE, such as when communication is initiated and / or during communication, the UE establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, which provides some control information.

[0100] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 2), the network control layer provides control information that is only understood at the core network CN of the wireless communication system.

[0101] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 3),

[0102] - The UE can independently or automatically establish a network control layer, or

[0103] - The UE responds to signaling from the CN to establish a network control layer.

[0104] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 4),

[0105] - When the UE is not within coverage area and connects to a relay UE, or when the UE is within coverage area and connects to the network via a relay UE, the UE establishes its own network control layer, or

[0106] - When the UE is within coverage and switches to connect to the wireless communication system via a relay UE, the UE establishes a network control layer in response to signaling from the CN.

[0107] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 5), the UE generates control information and transmits the control information as data or in a control message, such as in a PC5 RRC message, to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

[0108] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 6), the UE generates control information that is not understood by the radio access network RAN ​​of the wireless communication system and one or more relay UEs.

[0109] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 7), the UE receives the CN's response to control information from the relay UE via the direct link interface, either as data or in a control message, such as in a PC 5RRC message.

[0110] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 8), when the response indicates successful authorization, the UE receives one or more of the following in its response to the control information:

[0111] - IP information, such as one or more IP addresses for a PDU / PDN session, including the home address and one or more care-of addresses, information about the IP gateway, or information related to the Domain Name System (DNS).

[0112] - New or updated security information

[0113] -DRX information,

[0114] -Information regarding service continuity

[0115] -Information regarding session continuity,

[0116] - An ID or tag indicating that the UE is authorized to communicate via one or more relay UEs.

[0117] -One or more Service and Session Continuity (SSC) modes supported at CN.

[0118] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 9), the UE maintains the received IP information in the event of a certain event.

[0119] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 10), the event is one or more of the following:

[0120] - Change of path between remote UE and CN

[0121] - Changes in the connection status of the remote UE

[0122] - Changes in the coverage status of remote UEs

[0123] - At least one change in a relay UE

[0124] - Change from relay path to direct path

[0125] - Change from direct path to relay path

[0126] - Add at least one relay UE on the path between the remote UE and the CN.

[0127] - Remove at least one relay UE from the path between the remote UE and the CN.

[0128] - Changes in the number of relay UEs on the path.

[0129] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 11), the UE maintains the received IP information unless the IP information is updated by the CN.

[0130] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 12), when the response indicates unsuccessful authorization, the UE responds by receiving one or more of the following control information:

[0131] - Control information was not established in the CN instruction.

[0132] - An indication that the registration of the remote UE at the CN has been rejected and / or failed.

[0133] -Reasons for rejection and / or non-establishment

[0134] - Retry the timer or disable the timer.

[0135] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 13), in response to receiving a reason for rejection and / or failure, the UE

[0136] Forward the cause to the application running on the UE, and / or

[0137] - The cause is forwarded to another UE via device-to-device communication, such as using a direct link.

[0138] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 14), in response to a retry timer or a disable timer, the UE retransmits control information after the retry timer value or stops transmitting control information during the disable timer period.

[0139] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 15), when the disable timer is set to a certain value, such as infinity, that value completely or indefinitely disables the UE from sending control information.

[0140] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 16), when the UE sends control information as data to the relay UE via the direct link interface, the UE associates the data with a tag that allows the relay UE to identify the data as control information from the UE and to map the control information to a control message from the relay UE to the CN, such as a DedicatedCONTROL message.

[0141] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 17), the UE selects a tag from a set of identification tags, for example, in the form of a unique ID, a unique application ID, a unique network slice ID, a unique layer 3 ID, a unique path ID, or a predefined header included in a data packet containing control information.

[0142] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 18), when the UE sends control information in a control message, the control message includes a container filled only by the network control layer, and the UE puts the control information into the container.

[0143] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 19), the control message is a PC5 RRC message, and the container is called a DedicatedCONTROLPC5 message, which is mapped by the relay UE to a control message from the relay UE to the CN, such as a DedicatedCONTROL message.

[0144] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 20), the UE is configured or pre-configured with common provisioning parameters for use when the UE is not in coverage and there are no other valid provisioning parameters for direct link communication via the direct link interface.

[0145] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 21), the common provisioning parameters allow the UE to obtain or update provisioning parameters and / or authorization and / or configuration for performing direct link communication via the direct link interface.

[0146] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 22), once the UE successfully registers with the CN, the UE can receive one or more paging messages from the CN via one or more relay UEs, such as using NAS messages, like push notifications, to paging remote UEs in EC idle state.

[0147] Relay UE

[0148] The present invention provides (for example, see claim 23) a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system.

[0149] In this system, the UE acts as a relay UE, used for communication between the remote UE and the wireless communication system. The UE communicates with the remote UE through a direct link interface.

[0150] The UE will receive control information from the remote UE through the direct link interface. The control information may be data from the remote UE or in control messages from the remote UE, such as in PC5 RRC messages.

[0151] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 24),

[0152] The UE maps control information to control messages sent to the CN, such as the DedicatedCONTROL message, and

[0153] The UE sends a control message to the CN, which includes control information for the remote UE.

[0154] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 25), the control information is understood only at the core network CN of the wireless communication system.

[0155] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 26), the remote UE is the UE of any one of claims 1 to 22.

[0156] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 27), the UE receives a response from the CN to control information, and the UE sends the response as data or in a control message, such as in a PC5 RRC message, to a remote UE via a direct link interface.

[0157] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 28),

[0158] Control information is received as data from the remote UE directly or via one or more other relay UEs and is associated with a tag, and

[0159] The UE uses tags to identify data received from a remote UE as control information from the remote UE and maps the control information to control messages to the CN.

[0160] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 29),

[0161] When control information is received from a control message from a remote UE, the control message includes a container containing the control information, and

[0162] The UE maps the container to the control message to the CN.

[0163] Remote / Relay UE

[0164] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 30),

[0165] A relay UE includes a first entity capable of operating with a wireless communication system, such as 3GPP access, and / or a second entity capable of operating with a different wireless communication system, such as non-3GPP access, and

[0166] The direct link interface provides a direct link to the first entity, for example, via the PC5 interface and / or the PC3 interface, or provides a direct link to the second entity, for example, via the WiFi interface and / or the WiFi direct link interface.

[0167] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 31), the control information includes one or more of the following:

[0168] - NAS messages from the UE that will be stored in the CN, such as registration or service messages, as part or all of the NAS information, where a response message from the CN indicates whether the CN accepts or rejects the NAS message.

[0169] - PLMN information previously associated with the UE; if the UE is outside the coverage area,

[0170] -Current PLMN information,

[0171] - A unique UE ID assigned by the application.

[0172] - Network slice ID, for example, as part of NSSAI

[0173] -UE's group ID,

[0174] - QoS profile requested by the application,

[0175] -Location,

[0176] -Old PDU / PDN session information,

[0177] - Current PDU / PDN session information,

[0178] - Auxiliary information.

[0179] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 32), the NAS information stored in the CN includes one or more of the following:

[0180] -UE ID,

[0181] -Relay UE ID,

[0182] -IP information / address,

[0183] -DRX information,

[0184] -Strategy / Authorization / Subscription

[0185] -NAS security information

[0186] -QoS configuration file,

[0187] - Tracking area information,

[0188] - NAS information validity, such as validity timers associated with the UE's NAS information.

[0189] -PDU session ID, if an active PDU / PDN session exists.

[0190] - Indicates that the UE is in EC connection state, if an active PDU / PDN session exists.

[0191] - Indicates that the UE is in an EC idle state if no active PDU / PDN session exists.

[0192] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 33), the auxiliary information includes one or more of the following:

[0193] -UE's preferred EC state,

[0194] -DRX information, such as the length of the DRX cycle, the period of the DRX cycle, or the displacement of the DRX cycle.

[0195] - An indication of one or more applications that the UE can support.

[0196] -One or more QoS levels supported by the UE

[0197] -Preferred and / or supported network slices

[0198] - One or more preferred services that the UE wants to page, such as IMS voice messages or VoLTE messages.

[0199] - Preferred Service and Session Continuity (SCC) mode.

[0200] Core Network

[0201] This invention provides (for example, see claim 34) a core network CN for a wireless communication system.

[0202] In this system, the CN communicates with the remote UE of the wireless communication system via at least one relay UE, and the UE communicates with the relay UE through a direct link interface.

[0203] When communicating with a remote UE via a relay UE, for example, when communication is initiated and / or during communication, the CN establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, and the network control layer provides control information.

[0204] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 35), the control information is understood only at CN.

[0205] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 36),

[0206] -CN responds to receiving control information from the remote UE to establish a network control layer, or

[0207] -CN establishes its own network control layer.

[0208] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 37),

[0209] - When a remote UE is not within coverage area and connects to a relay UE, the CN establishes a network control layer in response to receiving control information from the remote UE, or

[0210] - When the UE is within coverage area and switches to a connection with the wireless communication system via a relay UE, the CN establishes a network control layer independently or on its own.

[0211] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 38), the CN transmits a response to control information to the relay UE, the response being relayed to the remote UE as data via a direct link interface or in a control message such as a PC5 RRC message.

[0212] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 39),

[0213] The CN, relay UE, and remote UE belong to the same wireless communication system, such as a PLMN, or

[0214] CN, relay UE, and remote UE belong to different wireless communication systems, such as different PLMNs, or

[0215] Remote UEs belong to wireless communication systems, such as the first or local PLMN, unlike CNs and relay UEs which belong to wireless communication systems, such as the second or guest PLMN.

[0216] Relay UEs belong to a wireless communication system that is different from the wireless communication systems to which CNs and remote UEs belong.

[0217] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 40), CN

[0218] - Check remote UE authorization before establishing the network control layer in its protocol stack, and / or

[0219] - Send a response to the remote UE.

[0220] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 41),

[0221] In response to a successful remote UE authorization, the CN stores control information from the remote UE, thereby placing the remote UE in extended coverage EC state and / or

[0222] In response to the unsuccessful remote UE authorization, the CN discards the control information from the remote UE.

[0223] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 42), in response to a successful remote UE authorization, the CN sends a response to the relay UE indicating that its control information has been established in the CN, wherein the response may include, for example, one or more of the following:

[0224] -Internet Protocol (IP) information,

[0225] - New or updated security information

[0226] - Information related to service continuity, such as information that facilitates service and / or session continuity.

[0227] -Information related to session continuity,

[0228] -DRX information.

[0229] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 43),

[0230] In response to the unsuccessful remote UE authorization, the CN sends a response to the relay UE.

[0231] The response includes, for example, one or more of the following:

[0232] - An indication that the control information for the remote UE was not established at the CN.

[0233] - Indication that the registration of the remote UE was rejected and / or failed by the CN.

[0234] -Reasons for rejection / not establishing

[0235] - Retry or disable timer, i.e., how long the UE should wait before retrying.

[0236] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 44), in addition to obtaining control information from the remote UE, the CN also obtains policy and / or authorization and / or subscription information for the remote UE from one or more entities of the CN.

[0237] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 45), the control information includes one or more of the following:

[0238] -NAS messages, such as UE registration or service messages stored in the CN, are included as part or all of the NAS information, where a response message from the CN indicates whether the NAS message is accepted or rejected by the CN.

[0239] - PLMN information previously associated with the UE, if the UE is outside the coverage area.

[0240] -Current PLMN information,

[0241] - A unique UE ID assigned by the application.

[0242] - A unique network slice ID,

[0243] -UE's group ID,

[0244] - The QoS profile requested by the application

[0245] -Location,

[0246] -Old PDU / PDN session information,

[0247] - Current PDU / PDN session information.

[0248] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 46), the NAS information stored at the CN includes one or more of the following:

[0249] -UE ID,

[0250] -Relay UE ID,

[0251] -IP information / address,

[0252] -DRX information,

[0253] -Strategy / Authorization / Subscription

[0254] -NAS security information

[0255] -QoS configuration file,

[0256] - Tracking area information,

[0257] - NAS information validity, such as validity timers associated with the UE's NAS information.

[0258] -PDU session ID, if an active PDU session exists.

[0259] - Indicates that the UE is in EC connected state, if an active PDU session exists.

[0260] - This indicates that the UE is in an EC idle state if no active PDU session exists.

[0261] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 47), the CN updates or modifies the NAS information in response to a specific event.

[0262] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 48), a particular event includes one or more of the following:

[0263] - Change of path between remote UE and CN

[0264] - Changes in the connection status of the remote UE

[0265] - Changes in the coverage status of remote UEs

[0266] - At least one change in a relay UE

[0267] - Change from relay path to direct path

[0268] - Change from direct path to relay path

[0269] - Add at least one relay UE on the path between the remote UE and the CN.

[0270] - Remove at least one relay UE from the path between the remote UE and the CN.

[0271] - Changes in the number of relay UEs on the path.

[0272] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 49), the core network CN includes:

[0273] The first network entity, such as AMF or MME, is used to provide indications of one or more of the NAS parameters.

[0274] The second network entity, responsible for session management and session updates, such as SMF / MME,

[0275] The second network entity receives an indication from the first network entity, including one or more NAS parameters.

[0276] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 50), in response to a specific event, the second network entity uses one or more of the NAS parameters to update or modify an existing PDU session, and / or provide service / session continuity, and / or perform QoS management.

[0277] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 51),

[0278] A relay UE includes a first entity capable of operating with a wireless communication system, such as 3GPP access, and / or a second entity capable of operating with a different wireless communication system, such as non-3GPP access, and

[0279] The direct link interface provides a direct link to the first entity, for example, via the PC5 interface and / or the PC3 interface, or to the second entity via the WiFi interface and / or the WiFi direct link interface.

[0280] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 52), after successful registration of the remote UE, the CN is able to perform one or more of the following:

[0281] - Generate paging messages, such as NAS messages or NAS notifications, and / or

[0282] - Paging a remote UE via one or more relay UEs, for example, using NAS messages, such as push notifications, to paging a remote UE in EC idle state.

[0283] system

[0284] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 53), the wireless communication system includes:

[0285] The core network CN according to an embodiment of the present invention

[0286] One or more relay user equipments (relay UEs) according to embodiments of the present invention, and

[0287] One or more remote user equipments (remote UEs) according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0288] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 54), the wireless communication system includes one or more base stations, wherein the base station includes one or more of the following: a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or a roadside unit (RSU), or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay or remote radio head, or an AMF, or an MME, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing (MEC) entity, or a network slice such as in an NR or 5G core context, or any transmit / receive point TRP that enables an item or device to communicate using the wireless communication network, and provides network connectivity for the item or device to communicate using the wireless communication network.

[0289] According to embodiments (see, for example, claim 55), the remote UE and / or relay UE includes one or more of the following: a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cellular IoT-UE, or a vehicle-mounted UE, or a vehicle group leader (GL) UE, or an IoT or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, or a ground-based vehicle, or an air vehicle, or a drone, or a mobile base station, or a roadside unit (RSU), or a building, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, such as a sensor or actuator, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate with a wireless communication network using a direct link, such as a sensor or actuator, or any network entity with direct link capability.

[0290] method

[0291] The present invention provides (see, for example, claim 84) a method for operating a user equipment (UE) of a wireless communication system, wherein the UE communicates with the wireless communication system via at least one relay UE, and the UE and the relay UE communicate via a direct link interface, the method comprising:

[0292] When a UE communicates with a wireless communication system via a relay UE, for example, when communication is initiated and / or during communication, a network control layer is established in the UE's protocol stack, which provides some control information.

[0293] This invention provides (see, for example, claim 85) a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein the UE acts as a relay UE for communication between a remote UE and the wireless communication system, and the UE and the remote UE communicate via a direct link interface. The method includes:

[0294] The UE receives control information from a remote UE via a direct link interface. The control information may be data from the remote UE or in a control message from the remote UE, such as in a PC5 RRC message.

[0295] This invention provides (see, for example, claim 86) a method for operating a core network (CN) of a wireless communication system, wherein the CN communicates with a remote UE of the wireless communication system via at least one relay UE, and the UEs communicate with the relay UEs via a direct link interface, the method comprising:

[0296] When communicating with a remote UE via a relay UE, for example, when communication is initiated and / or during communication, the network control layer in its protocol stack is established at the CN.

[0297] Second aspect - Direct link / relay service authorization

[0298] User equipment

[0299] The present invention provides (for example, see claim 56) a user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system.

[0300] In this process, the UE communicates with one or more other UEs via a direct link interface.

[0301] The UE is configured or pre-configured with common provisioning parameters for use when the UE is not in coverage area and there are no other valid provisioning parameters for direct link communication via the direct link interface. The common provisioning parameters allow the UE outside the coverage area to obtain authorization for the UE to perform direct link communication via the direct link interface.

[0302] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 57), the common provisioning parameters include predefined or fixed communication parameters.

[0303] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 58), the predefined transmission parameters include one or more of the following:

[0304] - Pre-authorized resources of the direct link interface on which UEs outside the coverage area can transmit.

[0305] - When using CPP, a predefined or fixed RRC layer configuration is used. The RRC layer configuration also includes lower-level configurations.

[0306] - Predefined or fixed QoS levels,

[0307] - Predefined or fixed MCS level.

[0308] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 59), obtaining authorization includes activating existing provisioning parameters in the UE or obtaining provisioning parameters for the UE to perform direct link communication.

[0309] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 60), the preparation parameters include one or more of the following:

[0310] -One or more strategies,

[0311] -One or more configuration parameters,

[0312] - Authorization, such as connection to a network, and / or communication via a direct link, and / or use of a specific frequency band in a specific geographical area,

[0313] - Location, such as GPS coordinates / fence, area, paging area, cell ID, country, PLMN.

[0314] - Frequency, such as carrier frequency, bandwidth portion, resource pool, sub-channel, PRB, and frequency band information, such as ITS / ISM bands (unlicensed) / non-ITS bands (licensed).

[0315] -Duration,

[0316] -Effectiveness,

[0317] -Start time

[0318] - Priority, for example, if the UE receives a configuration with a higher priority, the UE will rewrite this configuration, which can be an update or deletion.

[0319] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 61), the common provisioning parameters are stored in...

[0320] -UE's memory, for example, hardwired, or

[0321] - In Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), such as Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), card, Universal Integrated Circuit Card (ICC), embedded subscriber identity module.

[0322] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 62), when a UE registers with a wireless communication network, the UE will receive common provisioning parameters from a core network entity, such as a PCF, via the Uu interface.

[0323] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 63), when a UE registers with a wireless communication network, the UE will receive updates of pre-configured or configured common provisioning parameters from a core network entity, such as a PCF, via the Uu interface.

[0324] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 64), the common provisioning parameter is:

[0325] - Universal, not limited to a specific geographical area, region, or location, or

[0326] - Not universal, it varies based on specific geographical location, region or country.

[0327] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 65), in response to obtaining authorization, the UE performs direct link communication through the direct link interface.

[0328] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 66),

[0329] The UE generates a registration request, which is only understood at the core network (CN) of the wireless communication system, and causes the CN to check the UE's authorization.

[0330] The UE uses predefined or fixed communication parameters defined by common provisioning parameters to send the registration request as data or in a control message such as a PC5 RRC message to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

[0331] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 67), the UE receives an authorization from the CN via a direct link interface from a relay UE.

[0332] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 68), the UE sends the registration request as data to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

[0333] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 69), when the relay UE forwards a registration request as data to the CN, the UE associates the data with a tag that allows the relay UE to identify the data as a registration request from the UE and to map the registration request to a control message from the relay UE to the CN, such as a DedicatedCONTROL message.

[0334] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 70), the relay UE forwards the registration request to the CN using control messages or as data.

[0335] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 71), when the UE sends a registration request in a control message, the control message includes a container, and the UE puts the registration request into the container to be mapped by the relay UE to a control message from the relay UE to the CN, such as a DedicatedCONTROL message.

[0336] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 72), the relay UE is

[0337] - UE of a wireless communication system to form a 3GPP access point, or

[0338] - A UE from a different system than the wireless communication system, to form a CN of the wireless communication system connected to a non-3GPP access point, such as using the non-3GPP interoperability function N3IWF.

[0339] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 73),

[0340] When the relay UE is a 3GPP access point, the CN, the relay UE, and the remote UE belong to the same wireless communication system, such as a PLMN, or

[0341] When the relay UE is a 3GPP access point, the remote UE belongs to a wireless communication system, such as the first or local PLMN, which is different from the wireless communication system to which the CN and the relay UE belong, such as the second or guest PLMN. In order to check the authorization of the remote UE, the CN communicates with the core network of the wireless communication system to which the remote UE belongs.

[0342] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 74), in response to successful authorization, the UE establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, which provides control information that is understood only at the core network CN of the wireless communication system.

[0343] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 75), the UE generates control information and transmits the control information as data or in a control message such as a PC5 RRC message to the relay UE via a direct link interface.

[0344] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 76), the UE includes control information in the registration request.

[0345] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 77), the control information includes one or more of the following:

[0346] -NAS messages, such as UE registration or service messages that will be stored in the CN, for example as part or all of the NAS information, where a response message from the CN indicates whether the NAS message is accepted or rejected by the CN.

[0347] - PLMN information previously associated with the UE; if the UE is outside the coverage area,

[0348] -Current PLMN information,

[0349] - A unique UE ID assigned by the application.

[0350] -UE's group ID,

[0351] - The QoS profile requested by the application

[0352] -Location,

[0353] -Old PDU / PDN session information,

[0354] - Current PDU / PDN session information,

[0355] - Auxiliary information.

[0356] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 78), the auxiliary information includes one or more of the following:

[0357] -UE's preferred EC state,

[0358] -DRX information, such as the length of the DRX cycle, the period of the DRX cycle, or the displacement of the DRX cycle.

[0359] - An indication of one or more applications that the UE can support.

[0360] -One or more QoS levels supported by the UE

[0361] -Preferred and / or supported network slices

[0362] - One or more preferred services that the UE wants to page, such as IMS voice messages or VoLTE messages.

[0363] - Preferred Service and Session Continuity (SSC) mode.

[0364] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 79), once the UE successfully registers with the CN, the UE can receive one or more paging messages from the CN via one or more relay UEs, such as using NAS messages, like push notifications, to paging remote UEs in EC idle state.

[0365] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 80),

[0366] A relay UE includes a first entity capable of operating with a wireless communication system, such as 3GPP access, and / or a second entity capable of operating with a different wireless communication system, such as non-3GPP access, and

[0367] The direct link interface provides a direct link to the first entity, for example, via the PC5 interface and / or the PC3 interface, or to the second entity via the WiFi interface and / or the WiFi direct link interface.

[0368] system

[0369] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 81), the wireless communication system includes:

[0370] Core network CN,

[0371] One or more relay user equipment (relay UE), and

[0372] One or more remote user equipments, i.e., remote UEs, according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0373] According to an embodiment (see, for example, claim 82), the wireless communication system includes one or more base stations, wherein the base station includes one or more of the following: a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or a roadside unit (RSU), or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay or remote radio head, or an AMF, or an MME, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing (MEC) entity, or a network slice such as in an NR or 5G core context, or any transmit / receive point TRP that enables an item or device to communicate using the wireless communication network, and provides network connectivity for the item or device to communicate using the wireless communication network.

[0374] According to embodiments (see, for example, claim 83), the remote UE and / or relay UE includes one or more of the following: a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cellular IoT-UE, or a vehicle-mounted UE, or a vehicle group leader (GL) UE, or an IoT or narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, or a ground-based vehicle, or an air vehicle, or a drone, or a mobile base station, or a roadside unit (RSU), or a building, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, such as a sensor or actuator, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate with a wireless communication network using a direct link, such as a sensor or actuator, or any network entity with direct link capability.

[0375] method

[0376] The present invention provides (see, for example, claim 87) a method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein the UE communicates with one or more UEs via a direct link interface, the method comprising:

[0377] Use common provisioning parameters to configure or pre-configure the UE so that it can be used when the UE is out of coverage and there are no other valid provisioning parameters for direct link communication via the direct link interface. Common provisioning parameters allow the UE outside the coverage area to be authorized to perform direct link communication via the direct link interface.

[0378] Computer program products

[0379] Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more methods according to the present invention.

[0380] The first aspect is establishing a controlled context at the core network.

[0381] According to embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for avoiding the aforementioned conventional situation (where the remote UE is invisible on the core network). According to an embodiment of a first aspect, when a remote UE communicates with the core network via one or more relays, for example, when communication begins via a relay UE or during communication with the core network (CN), it establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack to provide control information to the core network. According to an embodiment, the CN using the control information can establish a control context. According to a further embodiment, the remote UE can provide control information to the core network in a manner that only the core network can understand. The control information enables the core network to establish a corresponding network layer in its protocol stack (PS). Once the core network receives the corresponding control information related to the remote UE, it can establish a network control layer in its protocol stack. On the other hand, according to other embodiments, the core network can initially establish a network control layer, for example, if a UE changes from a direct path connection to a connection via a relay UE, i.e., if a directly connected UE becomes a remote UE. When such a path change is detected, the core network can establish a network control layer in its protocol stack and send a corresponding message to the remote UE, thereby causing the remote UE to also establish a network control layer.

[0382] Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a protocol stack for establishing a network control context at the core network according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention. Figure 9(a) illustrates a single-hop relay scenario, and Figure 9(b) illustrates a multi-hop relay scenario. In Figure 9(a), a remote UE communicates with a wireless communication network via a single UE to network relay or a single relay UE. A conventional protocol stack present in the remote UE, the relay UE, and the NG-RAN, such as a gNB, is shown. According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, in addition to the conventional layers in the remote UE, namely the Serving Data Adaptation Protocol / Radio Resource Connection (SDAP / RRC) layer, the Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and the Physical (PHY) layer, an additional network control layer is established for direct signaling of network control information between the remote UE and the core network, such as the AMF, where a network control layer is also established according to the present invention. The UE to network relay protocol stack includes the conventional layers, namely the SDAP / RRC layer, the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer. In addition, according to the embodiment, an adaptation layer is provided, the function of which will be described in more detail below. The gNB includes the conventional layers in the protocol stack, namely the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer.

[0383] In Figure 9(b), multiple relay UEs are used for communication between the remote UE and the core network. The protocol stack at the remote UE includes an additional network control layer as described above, and this additional network control layer is also established at the core network, for example, at the AMF. Corresponding relay UEs (UE1 to UEn) are shown, wherein at least the nth relay UE includes the aforementioned adaptation layer. Therefore, according to an embodiment, the relay UEs (UE1 to UEn-1) can be conventional relays without an adaptation layer, while according to other embodiments, some or all of the relay UEs (UE1 to UEn-1) may include an adaptation layer.

[0384] Therefore, as described above, embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention solve the problem of the remote UE being invisible to certain network contexts at the core network by establishing an additional network control layer at the remote UE and the CN, allowing direct communication between the remote UE and the CN without the need for applications, etc. This allows the establishment of the network control context of the remote UE at the CN that connects the UE to the network relay. As described above with reference to FIG9, according to embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the conventional protocol stack is extended by the network control layer at the remote UE and the core network, and an additional adaptive layer at the relay UE. Embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention allow the establishment of the network control context and the authorization of the remote UE together. According to a further embodiment of the first aspect, once the network control context of the remote UE is established at the CN, policy updates or changes can be performed through the relay UE.

[0385] According to embodiments, the aforementioned network control information may include non-access stratum information (NAS information) intended for use in, for example, Protocol Data Units (PDUs), session management, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to NAS information; rather, according to other embodiments, it can be used with any type of network control information of a remote UE to be provided to the CN, so as to allow the CN to perform certain operations without requiring access through applications, etc.

[0386] According to an embodiment, the network control information that is signaled directly between the remote UE and the CN via the newly established network control layer may include one or more of the following:

[0387] -The aforementioned NAS messages, and / or NAS messages of the UE that will be stored at the CN,

[0388] - PLMN information previously associated with the UE; if the UE is outside the coverage area,

[0389] -Current PLMN information,

[0390] - A unique UE ID assigned by the application.

[0391] -Group ID information,

[0392] - The QoS profile requested by the application

[0393] - Location or geographic area or GPS route

[0394] - Network slice information, for example, as part of the network slice selection auxiliary information.

[0395] -Old PDU / PDN session information,

[0396] - Current PDU / PDN session information,

[0397] - Auxiliary information.

[0398] According to an embodiment, the auxiliary information provided by the remote UE to the CN, for example, in the form of control information as part of a control message in PC5, may include one or more of the following:

[0399] -UE's preferred EC state,

[0400] -Preferred DRX information, such as the length of the DRX cycle, the period of the DRX cycle, and the offset of the DRX cycle.

[0401] -One or more applications that a remote UE can support.

[0402] -One or more QoS levels supported by the UE

[0403] -Preferred and / or supported network slices

[0404] - One or more preferred services that the remote UE wants to page, such as IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) voice messages or VoLTE messages, or 5G voice, etc.

[0405] - Preferred Service and Session Continuity (SSC) mode.

[0406] Figure 10 illustrates embodiments of establishing a remote UENAS context at the CN using different UE-to-network relay architectures with different control plane (CP) architectures. Figure 10(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE originates from the same PLMN as the UE-to-network relay. Figure 10(b) shows an embodiment where the remote UE originates from a different PLMN than the UE-to-network relay. Figure 10(c) shows embodiments where the remote UE originates from the same PLMN in the roaming architecture or from different PLMNs.

[0407] Figure 10(a) illustrates the establishment of a remote UE NAS context at the CN, such as at the AMF in the case of 5GC or at the MME in the case of EPC. The establishment process is applicable at any time and assumes that the remote UE is authorized to support UE-to-network relay services or direct link services. Figure 10(a) illustrates the remote UE, the relay UE (referred to as UE-to-NTW relay), the RAN, and the core network entities AMF, SMF, and PCF / ProSe application server (AS). According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, in order to establish a remote UE NAS context at the CN via relay services, an existing process that allows direct link communication is used at the remote UE to establish a "1" secure one-to-one link with the UE-to-network relay. According to the embodiment, before step "1", i.e., before communication begins via relay, during step "1", i.e. when communication begins via relay, or after step "1", i.e. at some point during communication via relay, the remote UE establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, and in the depicted embodiment, establishes a NAS layer. The remote UE generates a NAS message for transmitting NAS information to the core network. According to an embodiment, the remote UE generates NAS information in a manner that is only decodable by the CN and cannot be understood by either the relay UE or the RAN such as the gNB. According to an embodiment, the NAS message can be protected using a NAS security context. Once the NAS message is generated, the remote UE transmits the NAS message "2" to the relay UE via the direct link interface, either as data or as a control message, such as a PC5 RRC message.

[0408] The relay UE, as shown in "3", receives NAS messages as part of data or control messages and applies an identification process to recognize the received data or control messages as messages containing the NAS context of the remote UE. It is important to note that the relay UE can only identify the nature of the received data / control messages, i.e., the received data / control messages are related to NAS information, but the relay UE cannot understand or decode the actual NAS message or the NAS information included in the NAS message. The identification process is performed at the aforementioned adaptive layer of the relay UE (see Figure 9), wherein, according to the first aspect of the invention, this adaptive layer is added to the relay UE's regular protocol stack. Based on the identification process, the adaptive layer identifies the remote UE's NAS information and maps it to predefined control messages regularly used by the relay UE for user-oriented core network communication control data, as detailed in the following description. Figure 4 In other words, the NAS information of the remote UE received as data from the relay UE is included in the control message sent by the relay UE to the core network. According to an embodiment, the relay UE can use the aforementioned conventional RRC message "DedicatedNAS" to forward the received remote UE NAS information to the core network. Therefore, the UE relay maps the NAS information received from the remote UE to a DedicatedNAS message as part of the relay UE's own Uu RRC signaling. The relay UE uses RRC signaling to transmit the "4" DedicatedNAS message, now containing the remote UE NAS information, to the RAN, such as the gNB.

[0409] In response to receiving a DedicatedNAS message, the gNB or RAN forwards the received DedicatedNAS message "5" to the core network CN, for example, following the usual procedure described above.

[0410] The core network, such as the AMF, in response to receiving a DedicatedNAS message and identifying its content as NAS information of a remote UE, can also establish a network control layer, such as a NAS layer, within its protocol stack and store the received NAS information as an NS context. According to embodiments, the core network can check the authorization of the "6" remote UE and can also provide policy updates. For example, the AMF in the 5GC or the MME in the EPC can perform necessary checks on the corresponding network functions, such as the SMF or PCF, to allow the establishment of a network control layer, such as the establishment of a NAS context, within the core network.

[0411] According to a further embodiment, in response to check "6", if authorization is successful, i.e., if the remote UE has been authorized, the core network stores the remote UE's NAS information as a NAS context so that, from the AMF's perspective, the remote UE can now be considered to be in a state called Extended Coverage (EC). According to a further embodiment, the core network may create signaling to notify the remote UE whether the NAS context has been accepted or rejected. At step "8", depending on whether the authorization check is successful, the AMF may send a message to the RAN indicating that the NAS context has been established or accepted at the CN and that the remote UE's registration has been rejected. The message from the core network is forwarded to the remote UE via the relay UE. The RAN, such as the gNB, sends "9" a message from the core network as an RRC message, including the response from the AMF in the DedicatedNAS message, and then the relay UE forwards the response as data or a PC5 RRC message to the remote UE in step "10".

[0412] It is important to note that the NAS messages generated at the remote UE are only understood at the CN and are transparent to all other layers in the protocol stack PS. According to an embodiment, this can be achieved as follows:

[0413] - Protect NAS messages generated at the remote UE using special security protocols, such as NAS security contexts, or

[0414] - Make NAS messages transparent to the protocol layers of the relay UE and RAN, for example, by putting NAS messages into a container that uses RRC message forwarding.

[0415] - Create NAS message content that is uniquely understood only at the CN, for example, by using a pre-configured encryption mechanism to create content with parameters known only at the CN, such as those that are different for each operator, each PLMN, or each location, and associate the content with a network slice identified by the network slice ID.

[0416] Figure 10(a) illustrates an embodiment in which the remote UE originates from the same PLMN as the relay UE. However, according to other embodiments, the remote UE may belong to a different PLMN, such as PLMN A (= PLMNA) or PLMN B (= PLMNB), as shown in Figure 10(b). It is noteworthy that the steps described above for establishing the NAS context at the AMF of the PLMN to which the relay UE belongs are the same as those described with reference to Figure 10(a). However, except that in the embodiment of Figure 10(b), the AMF of the PLMNA to which the relay UE belongs contacts the PLMN B to which the remote UE belongs to check the remote UE's network access and / or operation using a direct link, and optionally to provide authorization for policy updates. Figure 10(c) illustrates an embodiment for implementing the first aspect of the invention in a roaming architecture. Assume that the remote UE is currently away from its local network HPLMN and roaming in a guest PLMN VPLMN. The NAS context of the remote UE is established at the AMF of the VPLMN to which the relay UE belongs, and the corresponding steps correspond to the steps described above with reference to Figure 10(a). However, in order to check the authorization of the remote UE and to optionally obtain policy updates, the AMF of the VPLMN contacts the HPLMN of the remote UE to obtain authorization and / or policy updates.

[0417] In order to establish a NAS context at the CN, as described above with reference to Figure 10, in response to receiving remote UE NAS information as a data or control message, the relay UE performs certain identification procedures within the adaptation layer. An embodiment of the identification procedure at the UE's adaptation layer is now described.

[0418] Figure 11 The relay UE protocol stack is shown when remote UE NAS messages are sent as data. For example... Figure 11 As shown, the remote UE and the relay UE are connected via a PC5 interface, and the relay UE is connected to the wireless network via a Uu interface. The remote UE establishes a NAS layer and, as shown at 400, creates a remote UE NAS message to send as data to the relay UE using the SDAP layer of its protocol stack. At 400, the remote UE selects an identifier from a set of identifiers for the remote UE NAS message to send as data to the relay UE via the direct link. The identifier can have a unique ID, which allows the relay UE to filter the remote UE NAS message at the adaptation layer and map the remote UE NAS message to a UuDedicatedNAS message. Filtering occurs at the adaptation layer, and... Figure 11The diagram illustrates how data received from a remote UE is passed to the adaptation layer, where it is mapped to the DedicatedNAS layer, so that NAS messages initially sent as data from the remote UE are now part of control messages transmitted via the Uu interface by the relay UE. According to an embodiment, the identification tag may include a unique application ID, such as a network slice ID, a layer 3 ID, or predefined information in the header of a packet that includes NAS information or messages.

[0419] According to other embodiments, as described above, the remote UE NAS message may be included in the PC5 RRC message transmitted from the remote UE to the relay UE. Figure 12 An example of a relay UE protocol stack is shown in the case of sending a remote UE NAS message in a PC5 RRC message. (Compared to...) Figure 11 Similarly, at 402, the remote UE, based on information from the control network layer (NAS layer), creates a remote UE NAS message to be sent as a PC5 RRC message in the direct link control plane rather than the direct link user plane, as shown by the PC5 RRC layer in the remote UE's protocol stack and the corresponding PC5 RRC layer in the relay UE. According to an embodiment, when sending remote UE NAS information in a PC5 RRC message, the PC5 RRC message from the remote UE may include a container that can only be filled by the network control layer in the remote UE, for example, the NAS layer in the described embodiment, and this container is transparent to the RRC and all lower layers in the protocol stack. According to an embodiment, this container is called a DedicatedNASPC5 message, which is similar to a DedicatedNAS message on the Uu interface. At the relay UE, the RRC layer forwards the information received from the remote UE to the adaptation layer, which maps the received information to Uu-DedicatedNAS. According to an embodiment, the information contained in the DedicatedNASPC5 message may be protected by a specific security protocol that is only processed by the remote UE and the CN.

[0420] Figure 13 illustrates an embodiment of an RRC message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message container, see the underlined portion in Figure 13. Figure 13(a) shows an RRC reconfiguration direct link message including a DedicatedNASPC5 message container. Figure 13(b) shows a complete RRC reconfiguration direct link message, including the highlighted DedicatedNASPC5 message. Figure 13(c) shows a new RRC control plane direct link message according to an embodiment of the present invention, including the DedicatedNASPC5 message highlighted in Figure 13(c). Figure 13(d) shows an embodiment of the DedicatedNASPC5 message.

[0421] Therefore, according to the embodiments of the first aspect, network control information of remote UEs, such as NAS information, can be maintained in the core network. Figure 14 The above is shown Figure 7 Compared to the first aspect of the present invention, the method of the present invention allows for the direct establishment of the NAS context of a remote UE or any other control network context at the control plane of the core network, such as the AMF, unlike conventional methods that only establish the NAS context of the relay UE at the core network. Figure 14 The double-headed arrow, labeled "NAS," extends from the remote UE to the AMF. As described above, this invention is not limited to establishing and maintaining NAS contexts at the core network; it can also establish and maintain other network control information at the core network.

[0422] According to an embodiment, when a NAS context is established at the core network in the manner described above, the NAS context in the core network may include one or more of the following:

[0423] - Remote UE ID,

[0424] -The group ID to which the UE belongs.

[0425] -Relay UE ID,

[0426] -Strategy, authorization, or subscription

[0427] -NAS security information

[0428] -QoS configuration file,

[0429] - Tracking area information,

[0430] -Geographical region

[0431] - Region ID, such as in the context of an NR V2X region ID carried on an SCI.

[0432] - NAS context validity, such as a validity timer associated with the NAS context of a remote UE, or a validity timestamp when the NAS context will become valid (invalid), or a delay timer when the NAS context will become valid (invalid).

[0433] -PDU session ID, if an active PDU session exists.

[0434] - This indicates that the UE is in an extended coverage (EC) connected state, if an active PDU session exists.

[0435] - Indicates that the UE is in EC idle state if no active PDU session exists.

[0436] -IP information,

[0437] -Network slice ID,

[0438] - UE type / category information, for example, whether the UE is a car, a smart device (e.g., a smartwatch), or a pedestrian UE (P-UE).

[0439] - Other UE capability information, such as supported DRX modes.

[0440] According to the embodiment, the NAS context parameters at CN, as mentioned above, may need to be updated or modified based on certain events, as referenced above. Figure 7 Those mentioned above. For example, when the path between the remote UE and the core network changes, when the connection state of the remote UE changes, or when the coverage state of the remote UE changes, it may be necessary to update or modify the context parameters. When establishing a NAS context for a remote UE, the AMF network entity absorbs NAS information or parameters from the remote UE and other network entities. For example, the relay UE ID and remote UE ID can be obtained from the UE side, while information about policies or authorizations can be obtained from other network entities such as the PCF, Unified Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Home Subscription Server (HSS).

[0441] For example, when considering the references above Figure 7 When discussing path switching scenarios, during or after such a path switch, such as from a relay path to a direct path or vice versa, the NAS context at the CN needs to be updated accordingly. Figure 15 An embodiment of this path switching is illustrated, according to which a remote UE currently communicating with the network via one or more relay UEs switches to a path switching mechanism such as... Figure 15 The following path shows a direct connection, where the remote UE is now directly connected to the RAN or gNB. In this case, the NAS context information is updated, and, for example, the active PDU session can be maintained because the core network knows the remote UE. Traditionally, a PDU session is associated only with a relay UE, through which the remote UE connects to the core network. However, by establishing a NAS context also in the core network, the PDU session is known to be associated with the remote UE, and the PDU session can be maintained even when the remote UE switches to a direct connection or via a different relay connection. Therefore, session continuity is achieved by the inventive method of the first aspect of the invention, for example, by also establishing the context of the remote UE at the core network.

[0442] As mentioned above, when using different relay UEs, it may also be necessary to update the NAS context, for example, to update the relay UE ID in the NAS context.

[0443] According to the embodiments, the core network can consider a remote UE to be in an EC connected state or an EC idle state, and can update the NAS context based on this state. The EC state refers to the extended coverage (EC) mentioned above, and its introduction is to extend the concepts of connection management (CM) connection and CM idle state to remote UEs. An EC connected state means that there is at least one active PDU session to the CN serving the remote UE, while an EC idle state means that the remote UE is not currently served by any active PDU session to the CN, even though the remote UE is within the extended coverage area of ​​the network via a relay UE and a network control context has been established at the CN.

[0444] As mentioned above, establishing a context at the CN can be used for PDU session management. Once the NAS context is established in the core network used for remote UEs, the core network entity, such as the AMF or MME, can provide instructions, including one or more NAS context parameters, to another network entity responsible for session management and session updates, such as the SMF. (See above and references.) Figure 7 In such cases, the core network, such as the SMF, can use NAS context information to update or modify existing PDU sessions and / or provide service continuity and / or QoS management.

[0445] As described above, the core network, such as the AMF, can check the authorization of the remote UE. According to an embodiment, the remote UE can initiate or execute one or more procedures based on a response from the CN (also known as a control information response).

[0446] If the remote UE authorization is successful at the CN, the remote UE may receive any combination of the following in response to the control information:

[0447] - IP information, such as one or more IP addresses used for PDU / PDN sessions, such as the home address and one or more care-of addresses to be used, for example, for handover HOs, or, in the case of path changes, information about the IP gateway, or information related to the Domain Name System (DNS).

[0448] - New or updated security information

[0449] -DRX information,

[0450] -Information regarding service continuity

[0451] -Information regarding session continuity,

[0452] - Displays the ID or tag that the UE is authorized or has been authorized to communicate via one or more relay UEs.

[0453] - In CN-supported Service and Session Continuity (SSC) mode.

[0454] In the context of Mobile IP, as defined in IETF RFC 5944 and IETF RFC 4721, a Care-of Address (CoA) can be the termination of a network tunnel pointing to a Mobile Host (MH). This could be a foreign agent CoA obtained from the MH registered by the UE, or any other colocation CoA obtained by the UE from an external source, such as via a direct link interface, like PC5, from another UE.

[0455] The aforementioned ID or tag can be used to distinguish a UE that has been authorized through the above methods from a UE that has been authorized through other means (e.g., directly via a base station connected to the core network). This tag can trigger a re-authorization event once a given UE connects to another authorization facility, or it can trigger an automatic deregistration event after a timer expires or the UE changes its connection to the network.

[0456] According to an embodiment, if a remote UE needs to receive IP information from a CN, for example in response to control information, the remote UE also continues to use this IP information when certain events occur, as referenced. Figure 7 The aforementioned events. The remote UE can continue to use the received IP information, for example, for the current session, unless the IP information is updated by the CN, for example, until the CN provides new IP information. For example, in response to an event, as referenced above. Figure 7 In response to the aforementioned event, CN can provide new IP information.

[0457] According to other embodiments, if the remote UE receives new or updated security information, namely control plane and / or data plane security information, the remote UE applies this information to any other communications with the CN.

[0458] According to other embodiments, if a remote UE receives DRX information, the remote UE applies this information when it does not actively communicate with the CN via a relay, i.e., when the CN considers the UE to be in EC_IDLE state.

[0459] If remote UE authorization at the CN fails, the remote UE may receive any combination of the following in response to control information:

[0460] - Control information was not established in the CN instruction.

[0461] - An indication that the registration of a remote UE with the CN has been rejected and / or failed.

[0462] -Reasons for rejection and / or non-establishment

[0463] - Retry the timer or disable the timer.

[0464] According to an embodiment, if the remote UE receives a rejection and / or failure indication along with the reason for the rejection and / or failure, the remote UE will also forward the reason to an application running on or executed by the remote UE. According to a further embodiment, the UE can forward the reason to another UE via device-to-device communication, for example, using a direct link. The reason can be forwarded, for example, from a smartwatch to a mobile phone, so that the mobile phone knows that the watch cannot directly connect to the CN, and therefore the mobile phone can handle the connection.

[0465] According to other embodiments, if the remote UE receives a retry or disable timer in addition to an indication and / or reason, the remote UE will send a NAS message (i.e., a registration or service message) after the retry timer value, or stop sending NAS messages for the duration of the disable timer. The disable timer can be set to a specific value, such as infinity, to completely or indefinitely disable the UE from sending control information.

[0466] According to an embodiment, once a remote UE successfully registers with a CN, the remote UE can receive one or more paging messages from the CN via one or more relay UEs. For example, a remote UE in an EC idle state can use NAS messages such as push notifications to paging. Therefore, when a remote UE successfully registers with a CN, the CN can generate paging messages, such as NAS messages or NAS notifications, and / or paging the remote UE via one or more relay UEs.

[0467] Second aspect - Direct link / relay service authorization

[0468] The second aspect of the invention addresses the aforementioned problem of a UE lacking provisioning parameters for performing direct link operations or having invalid provisioning parameters. This is achieved by providing common or minimal provisioning parameters, hereinafter also referred to as CPP (Common Provisioning Parameters), which are configured or pre-configured within the UE and are common to some or all UEs of one or more PMLNs, allowing any UE with outdated or missing configuration parameters to at least perform basic communication with the relay UE via the direct link interface. This basic communication allows a remote UE to request valid provisioning parameters from the wireless communication network via the relay UE, enabling the remote UE to perform regular SL operations via the direct link interface.

[0469] According to an embodiment, using common provisioning parameters, a remote UE can obtain one or more of the following parameters to perform direct link communication:

[0470] - Locations that allow direct link communication, such as GPS coordinates, fence coordinates of a 2D or 3D area, as vectors, sets, or shapes, specific areas, paging areas, cell IDs, countries, or specific PLMNs.

[0471] - Frequencies used for direct link communication, such as carrier frequency, bandwidth portion, resource pool, sub-channel, one or more PRBs, and frequency band information, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems / Industrial Science and Medical (ITS / ISM) bands (unlicensed) or non-ITS bands (licensed).

[0472] - The duration of direct link communication, such as a day.

[0473] - The validity of direct link communication parameters must be verified, such as requiring updates from the UE; otherwise, direct link communication will no longer be permitted for the previous two months.

[0474] - Start time of direct link communication

[0475] - Priority information so that a UE that receives a high-priority configuration can rewrite the existing configuration, which can be an update or deletion.

[0476] According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, in order to allow a remote UE to obtain the above-mentioned configuration parameters, for example, even if the UE cannot perform direct link operation at a specific time, for example because no configuration parameters for such direct link communication are provided in the EU, or in the case that such configuration information is outdated, a set of configuration parameters without expiration time limits is provided, hereinafter referred to as common or minimum configuration parameters (CPP). According to an embodiment, the CPP can be pre-programmed into the UE's ME or UICC, or according to other embodiments, the CPP can be received from the network when the UE is within coverage area.

[0477] Figure 16 illustrates an embodiment in which the UE receives a CPP when within coverage area, where the CPP can be used to access the network via a direct link when the UE is outside coverage area. Figure 16(a) illustrates the initial CPP reception. Assume the UE is within coverage area of ​​PLMN A and sends a registration request to the core network via the gNB. In response to a successful UE authorization check and potential policy updates, the AMF returns a CPP and authorization confirmation via the gNB, along with a policy update if available. Once the UE is outside coverage area of ​​PLMN A and attempts to perform direct link communication via the direct link interface, if the UE does not have valid provisioning parameters allowing direct link communication or has no such provisioning parameters at all, the UE uses the CPP to access the network in order to send a request for valid provisioning parameters allowing the UE to perform direct link communication. Figure 16(b) illustrates the CPP update. When the UE sends a registration request to PLMN A, it may receive an MPP update from the AMF.

[0478] According to a second aspect of the invention, a CPP is provided to enable a UE outside the coverage area to perform authorization or policy updates to the network. According to an embodiment, the CPP may define certain pre-authorized resources that the UE can use to execute requests for authorization and / or policy updates to obtain valid provisioning parameters for performing direct link operations. In other words, the second aspect of the invention allows a UE outside the coverage area to use the CPP to obtain authorization to use a relay UE. According to an embodiment, the sole purpose of the CPP is to obtain authorization and / or policy updates from the network in order to continue direct link communication. However, according to other embodiments, the UE may also use the CPP to communicate some data to the network or a direct link UE.

[0479] According to one embodiment, the CPP can be a generic CPP (UCPP). The CPP's provisioning parameter set can be generic, not bound to a specific geographic area, region, or location, so that UEs outside coverage can be pre-configured at any location to request authorization and / or policy updates to perform direct link communication. According to another embodiment, the CPP can be non-generic, so that the CPP can vary based on geographic location, region, or country. The granularity of location or region can be based on implementation details or determined by the RAN.

[0480] Information related to the UE's authorization can be stored in the PCF or ProSe AS, and a second aspect of the invention allows the UE to access this network entity using CPP.

[0481] Below, an example of authorization and provisioning using CPP via a relay node, such as a relay UE or another non-3GPP access point, will be described. Figure 17 An example of policy update at a remote UE via one or more relay UEs is shown. Figure 17 The diagram shows a remote UE, referred to as UE1, and at least one relay UE, referred to as UE_r. The remote UE is considered to belong to the first network PLMN1, which is different from the network PLMNr to which the relay UE belongs.

[0482] Assume a remote UE has CPP, meaning it has the minimum valid authorization to communicate via ProSe and / or direct links and to act as a relay UE. The remote UE is further considered to be out of coverage and intends to obtain new policies from the network to enable its use, e.g., non-ITS bands for direct links in a specific geographic area. There are one or more relay UEs, and they are assumed to have valid authorization to use ProSe direct links and act as relays. The remote UE is assumed to have the provisioning parameters described above that allow direct link communication; however, these parameters are assumed to be expired, e.g., the policies associated with the provisioning parameters are expired. Therefore, the out-of-coverage UE uses the CPP described above to access the relay UE (UE_r) to obtain policy updates or configuration parameter updates. Figure 17 As shown, when a remote UE is not within coverage area and has an invalid set of provisioning parameters or no provisioning parameters for direct link communication with the relay UE, the remote UE can use CPP to access the relay UE via direct link communication to obtain authorization and updated or valid provisioning parameters for direct link communication. Figure 17 As depicted, PLMN1 and PLMNr may be different; however, in other embodiments they may be the same. Network function NF1, such as the AMF of PLMNr, may directly or indirectly contact NF4, such as the PCF of PLMN1 to which the remote UE belongs, to obtain authorization and provisioning parameters for direct link communication. If PLMN1 and PLMNr are different, it may depend on the contract, such as the roaming contract between the two PLMNs, whether PLMNr provides a link for the remote UE, and how the link is provided.

[0483] Therefore, a UE using CPP can request authorization via the data path or the control path, and according to embodiments, the authorization request can be signaled in a manner similar to the NAS information described above. More specifically, when transmitted as data from a remote UE, the CPP request for authorization can have a specific tag that identifies the relay UE and causes the relay UE to include the message in a dedicated control message (where it is used to provide authorization) via the Uu interface to its network, for example, by using its adaptation layer. In the case where the CPP request is transmitted as a control message, it can be included in a container, as described above, as part of the Uu dedicated control message from the relay UE to its network.

[0484] Figure 18 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process for using a data plane path in a 5GC network using CPP according to a second aspect of the present invention. Figure 18(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to the same wireless communication system or network PLMN. Figure 18(b) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to different PLMNs, namely PLMN A and VPLMN, respectively. Figure 18(c) shows a scenario where the remote UE is roaming and belongs to the local network HPLMN, while the relay UE belongs to the visited network VPLMN.

[0485] In Figure 18(a), a remote UE uses CPP to allow the transmission of a registration request to the core network. The remote UE generates a registration request and transmits it as data transmission "1" to a relay UE via a direct link interface. The relay UE then transmits the received registration request as data transmission via the Uu interface to the core network so that it can be received at a user path plane entity, such as a UPF, in the core network. In response to receiving the request from the remote UE, the UPF checks "2" the remote UE authorization and whether policy updates are available. The UPF may perform this check together with the core network's PCF / ProSe AS. In response to the check, the core network, such as the UPF, uses CPP via the relay UE to transmit UE authorization and optional updates and / or additional policy information as data transmission "3" to the remote UE. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, a remote UE without valid provisioning parameters or without any provisioning parameters can communicate with a relay UE via a direct link through CPP to transmit data, such as a registration request, which is forwarded to the core network and processed to allow the core network to again use CPP to return authorization and policy updates, as well as optional additional policy information, to the remote UE via a direct link. This enables remote UEs to initiate regular communication via a direct link using the provisioning parameters received in response to a registration request.

[0486] Figures 18(b) and 18(c) illustrate a process similar to that in Figure 18(a), except that, due to the different PLMN in Figure 18(b) and the roaming architecture in Figure 18(c), check “2” extends from the PCF / ProSeAS of the relay PLMN, i.e., PLMN A or VPLMN, to the home network of the remote UE, i.e., PLMN B or HPLMN.

[0487] According to other embodiments, instead of transmitting the registration request as data to the core network as described above, the remote UE can create a registration request as part of a control message, which is transmitted from the remote UE to the relay UE via direct link communication. For this transmission, the UE uses a CPP that allows the UE to transmit this request to the relay UE. The relay UE can include the received control message in a PC5 RRC control message, which is sent to the core network via the Uu interface, more specifically, to the control plane of the control network, where it is received, for example, at the AMF. Figure 19 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process via the control plane path. Figure 19(a) shows a first scenario, assuming the remote UE and the relay UE belong to the same network or PLMN. Figure 19(b) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the relay UE belong to different PLMNs, namely PLMN A and PLMN B. Figure 19(c) shows another scenario where the roaming remote UE is assumed to belong to an HPLMN, while the relay UE belongs to a visited PLMN, i.e., a VPLMN.

[0488] In Figure 19(a), a registration request is created "1" and transmitted by the remote UE to the relay UE via a direct link using CPP as a control message, such as a PC5 RRC control message. The relay UE forwards the received registration request as part of its control signaling to the control plane of the core network, where it is received, for example, at the AMF. In a similar manner to that described above with reference to Figure 18(a), the AMF checks "2" one or more other core network entities, such as the SMF and PCF / ProSe AS, to obtain authorization for the remote UE and possible policy updates. The AMF returns the authorization along with the possible policy updates to "3" to the UE, and optionally returns additional policy information, which is transmitted from the relay UE to the remote UE using CPP. Therefore, the method described above with reference to Figure 19(a) is essentially the same as the method described with reference to Figure 18(a) and has the same advantages, except that in Figure 18, the signaling is transmitted via the control plane.

[0489] Figures 19(b) and 19(c) perform the same steps as described above with reference to Figure 19(a), but check "2" extends from the network to which the relay UE belongs, i.e., PLMN A or VPLMN, to the network to which the remote UE belongs, i.e., PLMN B or HPLMN. The PCF / ProSe AS of the relay UE network will forward the check to the PCF / ProSe AS of the remote UE network for authorization and policy updates. Otherwise, the process is the same as described in Figure 19(a).

[0490] According to further embodiments, the present invention is not limited to transmitting registration requests through a specific network, such as a 3GPP network, as described above with reference to Figures 18 and 19, including the PLMN, PLMN A, or VPLMN. Instead, according to other embodiments, access and updates can be performed through any data access network. Figure 20 illustrates an embodiment of the authorization process using a non-3GPP access point. Figure 20(a) shows a scenario where the remote UE and the core network entity providing access to a non-3GPP access point, such as N3IWF, belong to the same PLMN. On the other hand, Figure 20(b) shows a case where the remote UE belongs to PLMN B, which is different from PLMN A to which N3IWF belongs. Figure 20(c) shows a roaming architecture where the remote UE belongs to its home PLMN, while N3IWF belongs to the PLMN visited by the remote UE.

[0491] In Figure 20(a), a remote UE accesses a non-3GPP access point via a direct link using CPP. In the embodiment depicted in Figure 20(a), the remote UE creates a registration request as a control message, such as a PC5RRC message "1" transmitted to the non-3GPP access point according to common provisioning parameters. The non-3GPP access point then forwards the registration request as part of its control signaling to the N3IWF, which provides non-3GPP interoperability. The core network, i.e., the N3IWF, checks the remote UE's authorization and possible policy updates by contacting the PCF / ProSe AS of the core network, and returns "3" authorization, policy updates, and optional additional policy information to the remote UE using CPP via CPP. Therefore, the process in Figure 20(a) is essentially the same as that in Figure 19(a), except that the relay UE is replaced by a non-3GPP access point to which the core network PLMN is connected via the core network function N3IWF.

[0492] Figures 20(b) and 20(c) illustrate scenarios using different PLMNs and roaming architectures, respectively, providing procedures corresponding to those described above with reference to Figure 20(a), except that the N3IWF-initiated checks are extended from the PCF / ProSe AS of PLMN A or VPLMN to the ProSe / ProSe AS of PLMN B and HPLMN to which the remote UE belongs, respectively.

[0493] Therefore, in the embodiment of Figure 20, the UE can connect to any non-3GPP access network to perform authorization or policy updates, and by using CPP, this access can be limited to authorization / policy updates only, so that once the corresponding authorization and policy update is received, the remote UE can connect to the network's relay UE via direct link communication according to the received provisioning parameters.

[0494] In the embodiment of Figure 20, the registration request is transmitted as a control message; however, according to other embodiments, the registration request may be transmitted as data from a remote UE to a non-3GPP access point.

[0495] According to an embodiment, the additional strategy information mentioned in Figures 18 to 20 may include:

[0496] - Locations that allow direct link communication, such as GPS coordinates, fence coordinates of a 2D or 3D area, as vectors, sets, or shapes, specific areas, paging areas, cell IDs, countries, or specific PLMNs.

[0497] - Frequencies used for direct link communication, such as carrier frequency, bandwidth portion, resource pool, sub-channel, one or more PRBs, and frequency band information, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems / Industrial Science and Medical (ITS / ISM) bands (unlicensed) or non-ITS bands (licensed).

[0498] - The duration of direct link communication, such as a day.

[0499] - The validity of direct link communication parameters must be verified, such as requiring updates from the UE; otherwise, direct link communication will no longer be permitted for the previous two months.

[0500] - Start time of direct link communication

[0501] - Priority information so that a UE that receives a high-priority configuration can rewrite the existing configuration, which can be an update or deletion.

[0502] In the currently described embodiments, in response to authorization, the remote UE acquires provisioning parameters so that the remote UE can perform direct link communication. According to other embodiments, existing provisioning parameters can be activated when the remote UE already includes such provisioning parameters, but these parameters are inactive (e.g., due to an expired validity timer), instead of acquiring provisioning parameters for the UE to perform direct link communication.

[0503] generally

[0504] According to the present invention, the above-described aspects can be used individually or in combination.

[0505] According to an embodiment, after a remote UE accesses a relay UE using CPP and obtains authorization and updated provisioning services, the remote UE can establish a network control layer, such as a NAS layer, in its protocol stack, and can establish a network control context at the CN as part of the authorization process.

[0506] Figure 21 An embodiment is shown, according to which the establishment of a network control context is performed after authorization is obtained. Figure 21 An example of establishing a NAS context is shown; however, as mentioned above, any other control context can also be established. Figure 21 In steps 1, 2, and 3, the remote UE communicates with the relay UE using CPP to receive authorization and a valid set of provisioning parameters for direct link communication, for example, as described above with reference to Figures 18 to 20. Then, in step 4, the UE can send NAS information as data or control messages to the core network as described above with reference to Figures 10 to 13. Therefore, using the method described above in the second aspect of the invention, the remote UE can obtain authorization to perform direct link communication using CPP, and after doing so, the remote UE can establish a NAS context at the core network using the techniques described above in the first aspect.

[0507] According to other embodiments, CPP is used to send the NAS context establishment request along with the authorization request, instead of waiting for authorization. Figure 22 The diagram illustrates an embodiment of the signaling for a NAS context establishment request and an authorization request using CPP. Referring to Figures 18-20 above, in a similar manner, the remote UE uses CPP via the direct link interface to issue a request for direct link relay service, i.e., the aforementioned registration request to the relay UE. Furthermore, the remote UE may have already established a network control layer in its protocol stack and provided corresponding control information, such as NAS information, which is forwarded to the relay UE as data or RRC messages using CPP along with the registration request. Then, in step 2, the remote UE's authorization is checked, and a check for policy updates is performed. In response to successful authorization, a NAS context can be established at the core network based on the information received from the remote UE, included in the registration request. Then, referring to Figures 18-20 above, in a similar manner in subsequent steps, CPP is again used to return the authorization, along with potential policy updates and optional additional policy information, to the remote UE, so that once the information is received, the remote UE can perform direct link communication according to the received provisioning parameters. Therefore, in this case, the NAS context establishment message can be sent using CPP along with the initial authorization request, and the remaining procedures for NAS context establishment can be the same as those described above with reference to Figures 10 to 13.

[0508] According to embodiments, the wireless communication system may include a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network, or a network or network segment that uses an airborne aircraft or a spaceborne aircraft or a combination of both as a receiver.

[0509] According to embodiments, the User Equipment (UE) described herein can be one or more of the following: a power-limited UE, or a handheld UE, such as a UE used by pedestrians and referred to as a Vulnerable Road User (VRU), or a Pedestrian UE (PUE), or a body-worn or handheld UE used by public safety personnel and first responders and referred to as a Public Safety UE (PS-UE), or an IoT UE, such as a sensor, actuator, or a UE provided in a campus network for performing repetitive tasks and requiring periodic input from a gateway node, or a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cell IoT-UE, or a vehicle UE, or a vehicle group leader (GL) UE, or an IoT, or a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, or a WiFi non-access point, non-AP STA, such as 802.11ax or 802.11, or a ground-based vehicle, or an aircraft, or an unmanned aerial vehicle, or a mobile base station, or a roadside unit, or a building, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, such as a sensor or actuator, or any other item or device that provides network connectivity to enable the item / device to communicate with a wireless communication network using a direct link, such as a sensor or actuator, or any network entity with direct link capability.

[0510] The base station (BS) described herein can be implemented as a mobile or fixed base station and can be one or more of the following: a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or a roadside unit, or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay, or a remote radio head, or an AMF, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing entity, or a network slice such as in an NR or 5G core context, or a WiFi AP STA, such as 802.11ax or 802.11be, or any transmit / receive point (TRP) that enables an item or device to communicate using a wireless communication network, providing network connectivity to enable the item or device to communicate using a wireless communication network.

[0511] Embodiments of the method of the present invention are described for direct link communication in cellular communication systems, secure communication systems, and campus network environments. The invention is not limited thereto, but according to further embodiments, the method of the present invention can be used in any type of communication network, such as a dedicated communication network.

[0512] While some aspects of the concepts have been described in the context of the apparatus, it is clear that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, where a block or device corresponds to a method step or feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of method steps also represent a description of a corresponding block, item, or feature of the corresponding apparatus.

[0513] The various elements and features of this invention can be implemented in hardware using analog and / or digital circuits, executed in software by one or more general-purpose or special-purpose processors, or implemented as a combination of hardware and software. For example, embodiments of this invention can be implemented in a computer system or another processing system environment. Figure 23An example of a computer system 500 is shown. Units or modules, and the steps of methods performed by these units, can be executed on one or more computer systems 500. The computer system 500 includes one or more processors 502, such as dedicated or general-purpose digital signal processors. The processors 502 are connected to a communication infrastructure 504, such as a bus or network. The computer system 500 includes main memory 506, such as random access memory (RAM), and auxiliary memory 508, such as a hard disk drive and / or removable storage device. The auxiliary memory 508 may allow computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computer system 500. The computer system 500 may further include a communication interface 510 to allow software and data to be transferred between the computer system 500 and external devices. Communication can originate from electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals that can be processed by the communication interface. Communication can use wires or cables, optical fibers, telephone lines, cellular telephone links, RF links, and other communication channels 512.

[0514] The terms "computer program medium" and "computer-readable medium" are generally used to refer to tangible storage media, such as removable storage units or hard disks installed in hard disk drives. These computer program products are means for providing software to computer system 500. The computer program, also known as computer control logic, is stored in main memory 506 and / or auxiliary memory 508. The computer program may also be received via communication interface 510. When executed, the computer program enables computer system 500 to implement the present invention. In particular, when executed, the computer program enables processor 502 to implement the processes of the present invention, such as any methods described herein. Thus, such a computer program can represent the controller of computer system 500. When implementing this disclosure using software, the software can be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system 500 using a removable storage drive, interface, etc., such as communication interface 510.

[0515] A hardware or software implementation can be executed using digital storage media, such as cloud storage, floppy disks, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, ROMs, PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, or flash memory, which stores electronically readable control signals to cooperate (or be able to cooperate with) a programmable computer system to execute the corresponding method. Therefore, the digital storage medium can be computer-readable.

[0516] Some embodiments of the invention include a data carrier having electronically readable control signals that are capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system to perform one of the methods described herein.

[0517] Generally, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product having program code that is operable to perform one of the methods when the computer program product is run on a computer. The program code may, for example, be stored on a machine-readable medium.

[0518] Other embodiments include a computer program stored on a machine-readable medium for performing one of the methods described herein. In other words, therefore, embodiments of the methods of the present invention are computer programs that, when run on a computer, have program code for performing one of the methods described herein.

[0519] Therefore, a further embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data carrier (or digital storage medium, or computer-readable medium) comprising a computer program recorded thereon for performing one of the methods described herein. Therefore, a further embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data stream or signal sequence representing a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or signal sequence may be used, for example, for transmission via a data communication connection, such as via the Internet. Further embodiments include processing means, such as a computer or programmable logic device, configured or adapted to perform one of the methods described herein. Further embodiments include a computer on which a computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0520] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array) may be used to perform some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the field-programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform one of the methods described herein. Generally, the method is preferably performed by any hardware device.

[0521] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. It should be understood that modifications and variations in the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the intent of the invention is limited only by the scope of the forthcoming patent claims, and not by the specific details given in the description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, in, The UE communicates with one or more other UEs through a direct link interface. The UE is configured or pre-configured with a Common Provisioning Parameter (CPP) for use when the UE is not within coverage area and there are no other valid provisioning parameters for direct link communication via the direct link interface. The CPP allows the UE outside coverage area to obtain authorization for performing direct link communication via the direct link interface. The UE generates a registration request, which is only understood at the core network (CN) of the wireless communication system, causing the CN to check the UE's authorization. The UE uses predefined or fixed communication parameters defined by the CPP to send the registration request as data or in a control message to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

2. The User Equipment (UE) as described in claim 1, The predefined or fixed transmission parameters mentioned above include one or more of the following: - Pre-authorized resources of the direct link interface that a UE outside the coverage area can transmit on. - A predefined or fixed Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer configuration used when using the CPP, the RRC layer configuration also including a lower layer configuration. - Predefined or fixed Quality of Service (QoS) levels, - Predefined or fixed modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level.

3. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein obtaining authorization includes activating existing configuration parameters in the UE or obtaining configuration parameters for the UE to perform direct link communication.

4. The user equipment (UE) as described in claim 3, wherein the configuration parameters include one or more of the following: -One or more strategies, -One or more configuration parameters, - Authorization, connection to a network, and / or communication via a direct link, and / or use of a specific frequency band in a specific geographical area. - Location, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, area, paging area, cell ID, country or public terrestrial mobile network (PLMN). - Frequency, carrier frequency, bandwidth portion, resource pool, sub-channel, or physical resource block (PRB). -Duration, -Effectiveness, -Start time - Priority.

5. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common provisioning parameters are stored in... -The memory of the UE, or - Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), card or embedded Subscriber Identity Module.

6. The user equipment (UE) as described in claim 1, wherein, When the UE registers with the wireless communication network, the UE receives the common provisioning parameters from a core network entity, such as the PCF, through the Uu interface.

7. The user equipment (UE) as described in claim 1, wherein, When the UE registers with the wireless communication network, the UE receives updates of pre-configured or configured common provisioning parameters from the core network entity.

8. The User Equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the common provisioning parameter is universal and not limited to a specific geographical area, region, or location, or - Not universal, it varies based on specific geographical location, region or country.

9. The user equipment (UE) as described in claim 1, wherein, In response to obtaining authorization, the UE performs direct link communication through the direct link interface.

10. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The UE performs one or more of the following operations: Receive authorization from the CN through the direct link interface from the relay UE; The registration request is sent as data to the relay UE via the direct link interface. When the relay UE forwards the registration request as data to the CN, the UE associates the data with a tag that allows the relay UE to identify the data as the registration request from the UE and map the registration request to a control message from the relay UE to the CN. The registration request is forwarded to the CN using a control message or as data, wherein when the UE sends the registration request in the control message, the control message includes a container, and the UE places the registration request into the container to map the control message from the relay UE to the CN.

11. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, In response to successful authorization, the UE establishes a network control layer in its protocol stack, which provides control information that is understood only at the core network CN of the wireless communication system.

12. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The UE generates control information and transmits the control information as data or in a control message to the relay UE through the direct link interface.

13. The user equipment (UE) of claim 11, wherein the UE includes the control information in the registration request.

14. The user equipment (UE) of claim 11, wherein the control information includes one or more of the following: - The NAS message will be stored in the CN, where the response message from the CN indicates whether the NAS message is accepted or rejected by the CN. -The PLMN information previously associated with the UE, if the UE is outside the coverage area, -Current PLMN information, - A unique UE ID assigned by the application. -UE's group ID, - The QoS profile requested by the application -Location, -Old PDU / PDN session information, - Current PDU / PDN session information, - Auxiliary information.

15. The user equipment (UE) of claim 14, wherein the auxiliary information includes one or more of the following: -UE's preferred EC state, -DRX information, - An indication of one or more applications that the UE can support. -One or more QoS levels supported by the UE -Preferred and / or supported network slices - One or more preferred services that the UE wants to page. - Preferred Service and Session Continuity (SSC) mode.

16. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Once the UE successfully registers with the CN, the UE can receive one or more paging messages from the CN via the one or more relay UEs.

17. The user equipment (UE) as claimed in claim 1, wherein The relay UE includes a first entity capable of operating with the wireless communication system, and / or a second entity capable of operating with different wireless communication systems, and The direct link interface provides a direct link to the first entity or to the second entity.

18. A wireless communication system, comprising: Core network CN, One or more relay user equipment, relay UE, and One or more remote user equipments, i.e., remote UEs, wherein the remote UEs communicate with one or more relay UEs via a direct link interface, and wherein the remote UEs are configured or pre-configured with a common provisioning parameter CPP for use when the remote UE is not within coverage area and no other valid provisioning parameters are available for direct link communication via the direct link interface, wherein the CPP allows the remote UE outside coverage area to obtain authorization for the remote UE to perform direct link communication via the direct link interface. The remote UE generates a registration request, which is understood only at the core network (CN) of the wireless communication system, causing the CN to check the authorization of the remote UE. The remote UE uses predefined or fixed communication parameters defined by the CPP to send the registration request as data or in a control message to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

19. A method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, wherein, The UE communicates with one or more other UEs via a direct link interface, and the method includes: The UE is configured or pre-configured using the Common Provisioning Parameter (CPP) for use when the UE is out of coverage and no other valid provisioning parameters are available for direct link communication via the direct link interface. The CPP allows the UE outside the coverage area to be authorized to perform direct link communication via the direct link interface. The UE generates a registration request, which is only understood at the core network (CN) of the wireless communication system, causing the CN to check the UE's authorization. The UE uses predefined or fixed communication parameters defined by the CPP to send the registration request as data or in a control message to the relay UE via the direct link interface.

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