Integrate routing in access and backhaul communications

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to routing in integrated access and backhaul (IAB) communications. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, two or more IAB donors share topology information for routing between IAB networks. The IAB donors assign addresses to IAB nodes with dual connectivity based on the topology information. In this way, it avoids address conflicts when routing between IAB networks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for routing in Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) communications. Background Art

[0002] IAB has been introduced in Release 16 (Rel-16) of the 3GPP specification as a key enabler for fast and cost-effective deployment. IAB nodes use the same or different spectrum and air interface for access and backhaul, creating a hierarchical wireless multi-hop (multiple backhaul links) network between sites. These hops ultimately terminate at an IAB donor, which is connected to the core network by means of a traditional fixed backhaul. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (MT) portion that acts as a user equipment (UE) toward its parent distributed unit (DU), and a DU portion that acts as a base station toward a mobile terminal and / or a child IAB node. An IAB donor includes a central unit (CU) portion and a DU portion. An IAB DU can provide one or more cells to serve a UE. In some cases, an IAB node can be connected to more than one IAB donor. Therefore, services can be routed between IAB donors. Summary of the invention

[0003] Generally, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method for routing in Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) communications and corresponding communication devices.

[0004] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first device to receive a routing request from a second device, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first device and the second device, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The first device is also caused to send a routing response to the second device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device, the fourth device being the next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device. The first device is also caused to send routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth device.

[0005] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device to send a routing request to the first device, the routing request at least indicating: a third device connected to the first device and the second device, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The first device is also caused to receive a routing response from the first device, the routing response at least indicating: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device, the fourth device being the next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device.

[0006] In a third aspect, a fourth device is provided. The fourth device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the fourth device to receive routing information from the first device, the routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third device assigned by the second device and a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, the third device being connected to the first and second devices, and the fourth device being the next hop of the third device connected to the first device. The fourth device is also enabled to send a service to the third device based on the routing information.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a first device and from a second device, a routing request, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first and second devices, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The method also includes sending a routing response to the second device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device as a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device. The method also includes sending routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth device.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes sending a routing request at a second device and to a first device, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first device and the second device, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The method also includes receiving a routing response from the first device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device as a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving routing information at a fourth device and from a first device, the routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third device assigned by a second device and a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, the third device being connected to the first device and the second device, and the fourth device being a next hop of the third device connected to the first device. The method also sends a service to the third device based on the routing information.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a component for receiving a routing request at a first device and from a second device, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first and second devices, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The apparatus also includes a component for sending a routing response to the second device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device as a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device. The apparatus also includes a component for sending routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth device.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a component for sending a routing request at a second device to a first device, the routing request at least indicating: a third device connected to the first and second devices, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device. The apparatus also includes a component for receiving a routing response from the first device, the routing response at least indicating: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device, the fourth device being a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a component for receiving routing information at a fourth device and from a first device, the routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third device assigned by a second device and a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, the third device being connected to the first device and the second device, and the fourth device being a next hop of the third device connected to the first device. The apparatus also includes a component for sending a service to the third device based on the routing information.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least execute a method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0014] It should be understood that this summary of the invention is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 A block diagram of a system for an IAB network architecture is illustrated;

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating a protocol stack for IAB backhaul within a radio access network (RAN) is illustrated;

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating a protocol stack for IAB backhaul from an end-to-end perspective;

[0019] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0020] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating interactions between devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Fig. 6A A schematic diagram of downlink routing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0022] Figure 6B A schematic diagram of uplink routing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0023] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method implemented at a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0025] Fig. 9 A flowchart of a method implemented at a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0026] Fig.10 A schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0027] Fig.11 Example computer-readable media according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0028] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure being implied. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways except for the way described below.

[0030] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0031] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0032] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0033] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms. It should also be understood that when used in this article, the terms "including", "having" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0034] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0035] (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation of analog and / or digital circuitry only), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0036] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0037] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) and software (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s) that require software (e.g. firmware) to operate, such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), but the software may not be present when it is not required for operation.

[0038] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. By way of example and where applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any appropriate communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the user equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of the communication field, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can embody the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to only the above-mentioned systems.

[0040] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network, via which a user equipment accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto, pico, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. A network device may refer to a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) or a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU) or an integrated access and backhaul node (IAB node) or an IAB node DU.

[0041] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device that can perform wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a VoIP phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA)), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices running in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment running in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0042] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a radio access network with a wireless backhaul of an access point. The backhaul may be multi-hop or meshed. An important application of embodiments of the present disclosure is to perform IAB communications with terminal devices, IAB nodes, and wired IAB donor nodes in a 3GPP IAB network. In the following, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a 3GPP IAB network. It should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to any other network with a wireless backhaul.

[0043] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for IAB communication. Figure 1 As shown in , system 100 includes core network (CN) 110, IAB donor 120, IAB nodes 130-1 and 130-2 (collectively referred to as "IAB nodes 130" or individually referred to as "IAB nodes 130"), and terminal devices 150-1, 150-2, and 150-3 (collectively referred to as "terminal devices 150" or individually referred to as "terminal devices 150"). As used herein, the terms "IAB nodes" and "IAB devices" may be used interchangeably. The terms "IAB donor nodes", "IAB donors", and "IAB donor devices" may be used interchangeably.

[0044] In such Figure 1 In the architecture shown in , the CN interface terminates at the IAB donor 120, and therefore, the relay is only a radio access network (RAN) functionality. The architecture utilizes a separate gNB architecture for CU and DU, such that the CU functionality is located at the IAB donor 120, and the DU functionality is located at the IAB donor DU 122 or at the IAB node 130. For connection setup and communication with the parent node (which can be another IAB node or an IAB donor), the IAB node 130 hosts the MT functionality corresponding to the UE operation or a portion of the UE operation.

[0045] The IAB donor 120 may include a CU 121 (also referred to as “IAB donor CU 121”) and a DU 122 (also referred to as “IAB donor DU 122”). It should be understood that the CU 121 and the DU 122 may be implemented in the same device or in different devices. The CU 121 may also include a CU-control plane (CU-CP) 123 and one or more CU-user planes (CU-UP) 124. It should be understood that the CU-CP 123 and the CU-UP 124 may be implemented in the same device or in different devices. The IAB node 130-1 may include an MT portion 131-1 and a DU 132-1. The IAB node 130-2 may include an MT portion 131-2 and a DU 132-2. The MT portions 131-1 and 131-2 are also collectively referred to as “IAB MT 131” or individually referred to as “IAB MT 131”. DUs 132 - 1 and 132 - 2 are also collectively referred to as “IAB DU 132 ” or individually as “IAB DU 132 ”.

[0046] The IAB donor DU 122 or each IAB DU 132 may provide one or more cells to serve the terminal device and / or one or more IAB-MTs 131. For example, Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , IAB donor DU 122 serves terminal device 150 - 1 , IAB DU 132 - 1 serves terminal device 150 - 2 , and IAB DU 132 - 2 serves terminal device 150 - 3 .

[0047] The IAB MT 131 of the IAB node 130 may act as a UE towards its parent node. For example, the IAB MT 131-1 may act as a UE towards the IAB donor 120 (i.e., the IAB donor DU 122) and the IAB MT 131-2 may act as a UE towards the IAB node 130-1 (i.e., the IAB DU 132-1). On the sublink, the IAB DU 132 of the IAB node 130 may act as a network device (such as a gNB) towards its next-hop IAB node. For example, the IAB donor DU 122 may act as a gNB towards the IAB node 130-1, and the IAB DU 132-1 may act as a gNB towards the IAB node 130-2. On the access link, the IAB donor 120 and the IAB node 130 may act as normal network devices, providing a radio interface for the terminal devices 150 within their coverage area.

[0048] A BH radio link control (RLC) channel may be established between the IAB MT 131 and the DU of the parent node, and an adaptation layer referred to as a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) is agreed to be located above the RLC layer. The IAB DU 132 is connected to the IAB donor CU 121 using an F1 interface that supports the IAB function. For example, the IAB DU 132-1 is connected to the IAB donor CU 121 via an F1 interface 190, and the IAB DU 132-2 is connected to the IAB donor CU 121 via an F1 interface 180. The F1 interface may include an F1-C interface and an F1-U interface. The IAB DU 132 is connected to the IAB donor CU-CP 123 via the F1-C interface, and the IAB DU 132 is connected to the IAB donor CU-UP 124 via the F1-U interface.

[0049] The F1 interface traffic includes traffic of the F1-U interface (also referred to as "F1-U traffic") and traffic of the F1-C interface (also referred to as "F1-C traffic"). The F1 interface traffic is transmitted over the adaptation layer. Therefore, the IAB implements L2 relaying. In order to support routing of downlink (DL) F1 traffic to the serving IAB donor DU 122 for the IAB node 130, the IAB node 130 is assigned with (multiple) Internet Protocol (IP) addresses anchored in the IAB donor DU 122 (e.g., external IP addresses when the IPSec tunnel is enabled). When the IAB donor CU 121 sends DL F1 traffic to the IAB node 130, the F1 traffic is routed to the IAB donor DU 122 based on the IP address. The IAB donor DU 122 maps the DL F1 traffic to the relevant BH RLC channel based on the configuration previously configured by the IAB donor CU 121. The configuration includes a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) and / or Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) flow label and / or IP address to identify DL F1 services, and related BH RLC channel information. This requires the IAB donor CU 121 (e.g., donor CU-CP or donor CU-UP) to use specific DSCP and / or IPv6 flow labels and / or IP addresses to support service mapping in the IAB donor DU 122.

[0050] Furthermore, during topology adaptation, the serving IAB donor DU for the IAB node 130 may be changed from the source IAB donor DU to the target IAB donor DU. Thus, the IAB node 130 may obtain the new IP address(es) anchored in the target IAB donor DU.

[0051] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a protocol stack for IAB backhaul within a RAN with CU-DU separation is illustrated. The IAB node 130-2 hosts a mobile terminal (MT) portion 131-2, which includes a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U) layer, a user datagram protocol (UDP) layer, and an Internet Protocol (IP) layer. The IAB node 130-2 also hosts a distributed unit (DU) portion 132-2, which includes a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer. The MT portion 131-2 has UE functionality and is connected to a parent node DU. The parent node can be an IAB donor or another IAB node 130-1. (Multiple) backhaul NR RLC channels are established between the MT portion 131-2 / 131-1 and the parent node DU portion 132-2 / 132-1, and an adaptation layer called the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) is agreed to be located above the RLC layer. The DU portion of the IAB node 130-2 is connected to the CU 121 of the IAB donor 120 using an F1-U interface enhanced to support IAB functions. F1-U packets (GTP-U / UDP / IP for the user plane (UP) and F1AP / SCTP / IP for the control plane (CP)) are transmitted over the adaptation layer. Therefore, IAB implements L2 relay. The IAB node represents a co-located resource that provides NR access coverage and backhaul over the air interface. In this way, the IAB node can simultaneously have the characteristics of a UE (MT part) for transmitting backhaul services or the characteristics of a gNB (or gNB-DU) to serve the connected UE and forward the backhaul services to the next hop.

[0052] Figure 3 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack for IAB backhaul from an end-to-end perspective. Figure 3 As shown in , the interface between the IAB donor 120 and the user plane function (UPF) 310 may be referred to as "N3". The interface between the terminal device 150-3 and the IAB node 130-2, the OBA donor 120 and the UPF 310 may be referred to as "NR-Uu".

[0053] As mentioned above, an F1-U connection can be established between the IAB donor CU and the IAB-DU. The BAP layer has a peer entity in the IAB node, with a BH link established starting from the IAB donor DU until the access IAB node to which the BH link should reach. Routing in the BAP can be based on a routing identifier (ID) and a related routing table configured by the donor CU. The routing ID may include a destination BAP address and a path ID. The configured routing table may indicate the next hop BAP node address to which the BH data will be forwarded. The mapping of BH data (bearer) to the BH link RLC channel may also be configured by the donor CU. The mapping may be a 1:1 or N:1 mapping, in which case each bearer has its own RLC channel, thereby supporting the use of advanced / optimized scheduling methods. In an N:1 mapping, multiple BH bearers may be aggregated in a single RLC channel. For example, the aggregation may be based on a quality of service (QoS) class.

[0054] According to conventional technology, the size of a BAP address may be 10 bits and the BAP address is defined to be specific to an IAB network, in other words, specific to a donor. An IAB donor may allocate a BAP address within its network.

[0055] To achieve seamless BH changes and / or provide redundancy, inter-donor dual connectivity (DC) can be configured. Release 16 only supports intra-donor DC, but RAN3 has a Release 17 study item on topology redundancy, and the RAN3#109-e meeting agreed to "analyze the following inter-donor topology redundancy scenarios, where the principle is that the IAB-DU has only F1 interface with one donor CU: IAB has multiple connections with 2 donors, and the parent / ancestor node of IAB has multiple connections with 2 donors."

[0056] One issue to consider in inter-donor DCs is BAP addresses and how they should be handled in DC scenarios. IAB donors allocate addresses within the topology they control. If IAB donors configure addresses independently, there may be address conflicts, affecting DC configuration and IAB inter-network routing.

[0057] In order to solve at least part of the above problems, a solution for routing in IAB communication is proposed. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, two or more IAB donors share topology information for routing between IAB networks. The IAB donor allocates addresses to IAB nodes with dual connectivity based on the topology information. In this way, it avoids address conflicts when routing between IAB networks.

[0058] Figure 4An example IAB system 400 in which an example embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The IAB system 400 includes an IAB donor 410-1 and IAB nodes 420-1, 420-2, 420-3, ..., 420-N (where N is a suitable integer) below the IAB donor 410-1. IAB nodes 420-1, 420-2, 420-3, ..., 420-N may be collectively referred to as IAB nodes 420. The IAB system also includes an IAB donor 410-2 and IAB nodes 430-1, 430-2, 430-3, ..., 420-M (where M is a suitable integer) below the IAB donor 410-20. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitable system. For illustrative purposes only, the embodiments of the present disclosure are described as being implemented in an IAB system. For the purpose of illustration only, the first device may be referred to as IAB donor 410-1 and the second device may be referred to as IAB donor 410-2 hereinafter. The third device may be any suitable IAB node below IAB donor 410-2. As an example only, the third device may be referred to as IAB node 430-2 hereinafter. The fourth device may be any suitable IAB node below IAB donor 410-1. As an example only, the fourth device may be referred to as IAB node 420-1 hereinafter. It should be noted that the fourth device may not be directly connected to the first device. The first device and the second device may be interchangeable.

[0059] IAB donors 410-1 and 420-2 may be implemented as gNBs that terminate wireless backhaul radio interfaces from one or more IAB nodes. IAB donors 410-1 and 420-2 have wired / fiber connections to the core network. IAB donor 410-1 may include a central unit (CU) 410-11 and one or more DUs. IAB donor 410-2 may include a CU 410-21 and one or more DUs. Figure 4 It is shown by way of example that IAB donor 410-1 includes DU 410-12 and IAB donor 410-2 includes DU 410-22. Hereinafter, a CU of an IAB donor is also referred to as a donor CU or a donor central unit; and a DU of an IAB donor is also referred to as a donor DU or a donor distributed unit.

[0060] A CU (such as a donor CU or a CU of an IAB node) may be a logical node that may include functions (e.g., gNB functions) such as transmission of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for those functions specifically assigned to a DU. A CU may control the operation of a DU through a fronthaul (F1) interface. A DU is a logical node that may include a subset of functions (e.g., gNB functions), depending on the functional split option. The operation of a DU may be controlled by a CU.

[0061] It should be understood that the number of IAB nodes and terminal devices connected to the IAB nodes is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. The IAB system may include any appropriate number of IAB nodes and terminal devices suitable for implementing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0062] It should be understood that the number of CUs, DUs, and IAB nodes is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 400 may include any suitable number of IAB nodes and IAB donors for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0063] The communication in the communication system 400 can be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) cellular communication protocols, etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc. and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication can utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0064] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of interaction 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. Interaction 500 can be implemented on any suitable device. For illustrative purposes only, interaction 500 is described as being implemented at IAB donor 410-1, IAB donor 410-2, IAB node 420-1, and IAB node 430-2. In some embodiments, interaction 500 may also involve IAB node 420-2. It should be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitable device.

[0065] IAB donor 410-2 sends 5005 a routing request to IAB donor 410-1. The routing request indicates an IAB node 430-2 connected to IAB donor 410-2 and IAB donor 410-1. The routing request also indicates an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2, hereinafter referred to as a "first address". For purposes of illustration only, the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 may be "2". In some embodiments, the routing request may also indicate a group of devices and IAB node 430-2 may be an intermediate node between IAB donor 410-2 and the group of devices. The routing request may also indicate a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-2. For example, IAB node 430-2 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 430-3). In this case, the routing request may indicate the IAB node 430-3 and the address of the IAB node 430-3 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as "3". Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include the initial address of the IAB donor 410-2. In other words, the routing request may include the initial address of the donor DU 410-22 assigned by the donor CU 410-21.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include an indication of which is the next hop of the peer node in the network of the IAB donor 410-1 (e.g., the IAB node 430-2). In other embodiments, the routing request may include one or more path identities. QoS information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1 may also be included in the routing request. In some embodiments, the routing request may include an RLC BH channel for the IAB node 430-2. The routing request may also indicate IP flow information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1. The IP flow information may be used by the IAB donor 410-1 to perform routing and bearer mapping.

[0067] IAB donor 410-1 may determine whether the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 is the same as an existing address assigned by IAB donor 410-1. If the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 is the same as the existing address, IAB donor 410-1 may assign 5010 address to IAB node 430-2, which is referred to as the "second address" used hereinafter. The second address may be different from any existing address assigned by IAB donor 410-1. For example, if the routing request indicates that the first address is "2", and the existing addresses assigned by IAB donor 410-1 may include "1", "2", and "3", IAB donor 410-1 may assign the second address "4" to IAB node 430-2. In other embodiments, if the routing request may further indicate that the address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 is "3," IAB donor 410-1 may assign address "5" to IAB node 430-3. The address assigned to IAB node 430-2 may be considered a virtual address.

[0068] IAB donor 410-1 sends 5015 a routing response to IAB donor 410-2. The routing response indicates a second address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1. The routing response also indicates IAB node 420-1, which is the next hop of IAB node 430-2 communicating with IAB donor 410-1. The routing response may also indicate an identifier of a next hop link between IAB node 430-2 and IAB node 420-1. In addition, the routing response may indicate an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-1, which is referred to as a "third address" hereinafter. The routing response may also indicate a set of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-1. For example, IAB node 420-1 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 420-2). In this case, the routing response may indicate the IAB node 420-2 and the address of the IAB node 420-2 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as “2.” In this way, it avoids address conflicts between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2 without address coordination between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2.

[0069] IAB donor 410-1 sends 5020 routing information to IAB node 420-1. The routing information indicates a mapping between an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 (ie, a first address) and an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 (ie, a second address).

[0070] In some embodiments, the IAB donor 410-2 may determine whether the address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 (i.e., the third address) is the same as the existing address assigned by the IAB donor 410-2. If the address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 is the same as the existing address, the IAB donor 410-2 may assign 5025 address to the IAB donor 420-1, which is referred to as the "fourth address" used hereinafter. The fourth address may be different from any existing address assigned by the IAB donor 410-2. For example, in the routing response, the third address is "1" and the existing addresses assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 may include "1", "2" and "3", and the IAB donor 410-2 may assign the fourth address "4" to the IAB node 420-1. In some embodiments, the routing response may also indicate a group of devices and the IAB node 420-1 may be an intermediate node between the IAB donor 410-1 and the group of devices. In other embodiments, if the routing response may further indicate that the address of the IAB node 420 - 2 assigned by the IAB donor 410 - 1 is “2”, the IAB donor 410 - 2 may assign the address “5” to the IAB node 430 - 3 .

[0071] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-2 may send 5030 routing information to IAB node 430-2. The routing information may indicate a mapping between an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 (ie, the third address) and an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 (ie, the fourth address).

[0072] IAB donor 410-2 can send business to IAB node 430-2. In this case, the business can indicate that IAB node 430-2 is the destination of the business. For example, the business can include the first address of IAB node 430-2. In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-2 can send business to IAB node 430-3. In this case, the business can indicate that IAB node 430-3 is the destination of the business. For example, the business can include the address of IAB node 430-3 allocated by IAB donor 410-2. Since IAB node 430-2 is connected to IAB donor 410-1 and IAB donor 410-2, the business can be sent from IAB donor 410-2 to IAB node 430-2 or IAB node 430-3 via the network of IAB donor 410-1.

[0073] IAB donor 410-2 may send 5035 the traffic to IAB donor 410-1. As mentioned above, the traffic may indicate that IAB node 430-2 is the destination of the traffic. In some embodiments, by way of example only, the traffic may indicate that IAB node 430-3 is the destination of the traffic and IAB donor 410-1 may determine routing information that further indicates a mapping between an address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 and an address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-1.

[0074] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-1 may determine the second address of IAB node 430-2 as the next hop address of the backhaul link between IAB node 430-2 and IAB node 420-1. Alternatively or additionally, IAB donor 410-1 may determine the backhaul channel of the service based on the flow information in the routing request. In some embodiments, the backhaul channel may be determined based on the IP destination address, the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) bit, and the IPv6 flow label for the service.

[0075] IAB donor 410-1 may send 5040 the traffic to IAB node 420-1. For example, the traffic may include the second address. IAB node 420-1 may replace the second address with the first address based on the routing information. IAB node 420-1 may send 5045 the traffic including the first address to IAB node 430-2. Fig. 6A Describes the details of downlink routing.

[0076] Alternatively, IAB node 420-2 may send additional traffic to IAB donor 410-1. Since IAB node 420-1 is connected to IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2, additional traffic may be sent from IAB node 420-2 to IAB donor 410-1 via the network of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 420-2 may send 5050 additional traffic to IAB node 420-1. Additional traffic may include an address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1. IAB node 420-1 may replace the address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 with the initial address of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 420-1 may send 5055 additional traffic to IAB node 430-2, which includes the initial address of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 430-2 may transmit 5060 additional traffic to IAB donor 410-2. Figure 6B Describes the details of uplink routing.

[0077] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, address conflicts can be avoided without address coordination between IAB donors. The BAP protocol remains intact and no additional protocol overhead is added to the radio link. Only the operations of the CU-CP and IAB nodes sending services to peer nodes need to be modified.

[0078] Fig. 6A FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of downlink routing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 6A As shown in , by way of example only, the address of the IAB node 430-2 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 (in other words, by the CU 410-11 in the IAB donor 410-1) is "4", and the address of the IAB node 430-3 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 is "5". The address of the IAB node 430-2 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2 (in other words, by the CU 410-21 in the IAB donor 410-2) is "2", and the address of the IAB node 430-3 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2 is "3". For purposes of illustration only, downlink traffic may be transmitted from the IAB donor 410-2 to the IAB node 430-2 or 430-3. The CU 410-21 may transmit traffic to the DU 410-12. The traffic may be transmitted by the DU 410-12 to the IAB node 420-1. Table 1 below shows example routing information configured by IAB donor 410-1. It should be noted that Table 1 is only an example and not a limitation.

[0079] Table 1

[0080] Destination Address Next hop address New destination address Link ID 4 4 2 W2-B1 Link ID 5 4 3 W2-B1 Link ID

[0081] In some embodiments, if the traffic includes address "4", IAB node 420-1 may replace address "4" with address "2" based on Table 1 and send the traffic to IAB node 430-2. In other embodiments, if the traffic includes address "5", IAB node 420-1 may replace address "5" with address "3" based on Table 1 and send the traffic to IAB node 430-2. IAB node 430-2 may also transmit the traffic to IAB node 430-3.

[0082] Figure 6B FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of uplink routing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6BAs shown in FIG. , by way of example only, the address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 (in other words, assigned by the CU 410-11 in the IAB donor 410-1) is “1”, and the address of the DU 410-12 assigned by the CU 410-11 is “0”. The address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2 (in other words, assigned by the CU 410-21 in the IAB donor 410-2) is “4”, and the address of the DU 410-12 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2 (in other words, assigned by the CU 410-21 in the IAB donor 410-2) is “5”. For illustration purposes only, uplink traffic may be transmitted from the IAB donor 430-3 to the IAB donor 410-2. In some embodiments, uplink traffic may come from other IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node 430-2) in the network of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 430-3 may transmit traffic to IAB node 430-2. Table 2 below shows example routing information configured by IAB donor 410-2. It should be noted that Table 2 is only an example and not a limitation.

[0083] Table 2

[0084] Destination Address Next hop address New destination address Link ID 5 4 0 W2-B1 Link ID

[0085] In some embodiments, if the traffic includes address "5", which is a virtual address of DU 410-12 assigned by CU 410-21, IAB node 430-2 may replace address "5" with address "0", which is the initial address of DU 410-12 assigned by CU 410-11 based on Table 2, and transmit the traffic to IAB node 420-1. IAB node 420-1 may also transmit the traffic to DU 410-12.

[0086] Figure 7 7 is a flow chart of a method 700 implemented at an IAB donor in an IAB system according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented at any suitable IAB donor. For discussion purposes, the method 700 is described as being implemented at a Figure 4 4 is implemented at the IAB donor 410 - 1 shown in FIG.

[0087] At block 710, IAB donor 410-1 receives a routing request from IAB donor 410-2. The routing request indicates an IAB node 430-2 connected to IAB donor 410-2 and IAB donor 410-1. The routing request also indicates an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2, hereinafter referred to as a "first address". For purposes of illustration only, the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 may be "2". In some embodiments, the routing request may also indicate a group of devices and IAB node 430-2 may be an intermediate node between IAB donor 410-2 and the group of devices. The routing request may also indicate a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-2. For example, IAB node 430-2 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 430-3). In this case, the routing request may indicate the IAB node 430-3 and the address of the IAB node 430-3 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as "3". Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include the initial address of the IAB donor 410-2. In other words, the routing request may include the initial address of the donor DU 410-22 assigned by the donor CU 410-21.

[0088] Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include an indication of which is the next hop of the peer node in the network of the IAB donor 410-1 (e.g., the IAB node 430-2). In other embodiments, the routing request may include one or more path identities. QoS information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1 may also be included in the routing request. In some embodiments, the routing request may include an RLC BH channel for the IAB node 430-2. The routing request may also indicate IP flow information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1. The IP flow information may be used by the IAB donor 410-1 to perform routing and bearer mapping.

[0089] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-1 may determine whether the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 is the same as an existing address assigned by IAB donor 410-1. If the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 is the same as the existing address, IAB donor 410-1 may assign an address to IAB node 430-2, which is referred to as the "second address" used hereinafter. The second address may be different from any existing address assigned by IAB donor 410-1. For example, if the routing request indicates that the first address is "2", and the existing addresses assigned by IAB donor 410-1 may include "1", "2", and "3", IAB donor 410-1 may assign the second address "4" to IAB node 430-2. In other embodiments, if the routing request may further indicate that the address of the IAB node 430 - 3 assigned by the IAB donor 410 - 2 is “3”, the IAB donor 410 - 1 may assign the address “5” to the IAB node 430 - 3 .

[0090] At block 720, IAB donor 410-1 transmits a routing response to IAB donor 410-2. The routing response indicates a second address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1. The routing response also indicates IAB node 420-1, which is the next hop of IAB node 430-2 communicating with IAB donor 410-1. The routing response may also indicate an identifier of a next hop link between IAB node 430-2 and IAB node 420-1. In addition, the routing response may indicate an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-1, which is referred to as a "third address" hereinafter. The routing response may also indicate a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-1. For example, IAB node 420-1 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 420-2). In this case, the routing response may indicate the IAB node 420-2 and the address of the IAB node 420-2 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as “2.” In this way, it avoids address conflicts between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2 without address coordination between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2.

[0091] At block 730, IAB donor 410-1 transmits routing information to IAB node 420-1. The routing information indicates a mapping between an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 (ie, a first address) and an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 (ie, a second address).

[0092] IAB donor 410-1 may receive traffic from IAB donor 410-2. As mentioned above, the traffic may indicate that IAB node 430-2 is the destination of the traffic. In some embodiments, by way of example only, the traffic may indicate that IAB node 430-3 is the destination of the traffic and IAB donor 410-1 may determine routing information that further indicates a mapping between an address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 and an address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-1.

[0093] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-1 may determine the second address of IAB node 430-2 as the next hop address of the backhaul link between IAB node 430-2 and IAB node 420-1. Alternatively or additionally, IAB donor 410-1 may determine the backhaul channel of the service based on the flow information in the routing request. In some embodiments, the backhaul channel may be determined based on the IP destination address, the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) bit, and the IPv6 flow label for the service.

[0094] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-1 may transmit services to IAB node 420-1. For example, the services may include a second address. Alternatively, IAB node 420-2 may transmit additional services to IAB donor 410-1. Since IAB node 420-1 is connected to IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2, additional services may be sent from IAB node 420-2 to IAB donor 410-1 via the network of IAB donor 410-2. Additional services may include the address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1.

[0095] Figure 8 8 is a flow chart of a method 800 implemented at an IAB donor in an IAB system according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented at any suitable IAB donor. For discussion purposes, the method 800 is described as being implemented at a Figure 4 4 is implemented at the IAB donor 410 - 1 shown in FIG.

[0096] At block 810, IAB donor 410-2 sends a routing request to IAB donor 410-1. The routing request indicates the IAB node 430-2 connected to IAB donor 410-2 and IAB donor 410-1. The routing request also indicates the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2, hereinafter referred to as the "first address". For illustration purposes only, the address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 may be "2". In some embodiments, the routing request may also indicate a group of devices and IAB node 430-2 may be an intermediate node between IAB donor 410-2 and the group of devices. The routing request may also indicate a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-2. For example, IAB node 430-2 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 430-3). In this case, the routing request may indicate the IAB node 430-3 and the address of the IAB node 430-3 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as "3". Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include the initial address of the IAB donor 410-2. In other words, the routing request may include the initial address of the donor DU 410-22 assigned by the donor CU 410-21.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, the routing request may include an indication of which is the next hop of the peer node in the network of the IAB donor 410-1 (e.g., the IAB node 430-2). In other embodiments, the routing request may include one or more path identities. QoS information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1 may also be included in the routing request. In some embodiments, the routing request may include an RLC BH channel for the IAB node 430-2. The routing request may also indicate IP flow information about the services routed through the IAB donor 410-1. The IP flow information may be used by the IAB donor 410-1 to perform routing and bearer mapping.

[0098] At block 820, IAB donor 410-2 receives a routing response from IAB donor 410-1. The routing response indicates a second address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1. The routing response also indicates IAB node 420-1, which is the next hop of IAB node 430-2 communicating with IAB donor 410-1. The routing response may also indicate an identifier of a next hop link between IAB node 430-2 and IAB node 420-1. In addition, the routing response may indicate an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-1, which is referred to as a "third address" hereinafter. The routing response may also indicate a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by IAB donor 410-1. For example, IAB node 420-1 may include one or more child nodes (e.g., IAB node 420-2). In this case, the routing response may indicate the IAB node 420-2 and the address of the IAB node 420-2 assigned by the IAB donor 410-2, such as “2.” In this way, it avoids address conflicts between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2 without address coordination between the IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2.

[0099] In some embodiments, the IAB donor 410-2 may determine whether the address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 (i.e., the third address) is the same as the existing address assigned by the IAB donor 410-2. If the address of the IAB node 420-1 assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 is the same as the existing address, the IAB donor 410-2 may assign 5025 address to the IAB donor 420-1, which is referred to as the "fourth address" used hereinafter. The fourth address may be different from any existing address assigned by the IAB donor 410-2. For example, in the routing response, the third address is "1" and the existing addresses assigned by the IAB donor 410-1 may include "1", "2" and "3", and the IAB donor 410-2 may assign the fourth address "4" to the IAB node 420-1. In some embodiments, the routing response may also indicate a group of devices and the IAB node 420-1 may be an intermediate node between the IAB donor 410-1 and the group of devices. In other embodiments, if the routing response may further indicate that the address of the IAB node 420 - 2 assigned by the IAB donor 410 - 1 is “2”, the IAB donor 410 - 2 may assign the address “5” to the IAB node 430 - 3 .

[0100] In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-2 may send routing information to IAB node 430-2. The routing information may indicate a mapping between an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 (ie, the third address) and an address of IAB node 420-1 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 (ie, the fourth address).

[0101] IAB donor 410-2 may send a service to IAB node 430-2. In this case, the service may indicate that IAB node 430-2 is the destination of the service. For example, the service may include the first address of IAB node 430-2. In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-2 may transmit the service to IAB donor 410-1. As mentioned above, the service may indicate that IAB node 430-2 is the destination of the service. In some embodiments, by way of example only, the service may indicate that IAB node 430-3 is the destination of the service and IAB donor 410-1 may determine routing information that further indicates a mapping between the address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 and the address of IAB node 430-3 assigned by IAB donor 410-1.

[0102] Alternatively, IAB node 420-2 may send additional traffic to IAB donor 410-1. Since IAB node 420-1 is connected to IAB donors 410-1 and 410-2, the additional traffic may be sent from IAB node 420-2 to IAB donor 410-1 via the network of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 420-2 may send the additional traffic to IAB node 420-1. The additional traffic may include the address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1.

[0103] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method 900 implemented at an IAB node in an IAB system according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method may be implemented at any suitable IAB node. For the purpose of discussion, the method 900 is described as being implemented at a node such as Figure 4 4. It is implemented at the IAB node 420-1 shown in FIG.

[0104] At block 910, IAB node 420-1 receives routing information from IAB donor 410-1. The routing information indicates a mapping between an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-2 (ie, a first address) and an address of IAB node 430-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 (ie, a second address).

[0105] At block 920, IAB node 420-1 sends the business to IAB node 430-2. In some embodiments, IAB donor 410-1 may send the business to IAB node 420-1. For example, the business may include the second address. IAB node 420-1 may replace the second address with the first address based on the routing information. IAB node 420-1 may transmit the business including the first address to IAB node 430-2.

[0106] In other embodiments, IAB node 420-2 may send additional traffic to IAB node 420-1. The additional traffic may include the address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1. IAB node 420-1 may replace the address of IAB donor 410-2 assigned by IAB donor 410-1 with the initial address of IAB donor 410-2. IAB node 420-1 may transmit the additional traffic to IAB node 430-2, which includes the initial address of IAB donor 410-2.

[0107] In some embodiments, an apparatus for performing method 700 (eg, IAB donor 410-1) may include corresponding components for performing corresponding steps in method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0108] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving a routing request at a first device and from a second device, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first and second devices, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device; a component for sending a routing response to the second device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device that is a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and an identifier of a next hop link between the third device and the fourth device; and a component for sending routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth device.

[0109] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving first traffic from the second device, the first traffic indicating that the third device is a destination of the first traffic; and means for sending the first traffic to the fourth device.

[0110] In some embodiments, the routing request also indicates at least one of: a path identity between the first device and the third device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third device, quality of service information about the service routed through the first device, IP flow information about the service routed through the first device, the third device is an intermediate node between the second device and a group of devices, a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by the second device, or an initial address of the second device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for determining that the second address is a next-hop address of a return link between a third device and a fourth device; a component for receiving a second service from the second device, the second service indicating that a device from the group of devices is a destination of the second service; a component for determining routing information, the routing information further indicating: a mapping between a fourth address of a destination device assigned by the second device and a fifth address of a destination device assigned by the first device; a component for sending the routing information to the fourth device; and a component for transmitting the second service to the fourth device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining a backhaul channel for the first service or the second service based on the IP flow information in the routing request.

[0113] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for assigning a second address to the third device based on determining that the first address is an existing address assigned by the first device, the second address being different from any existing address assigned by the first device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the apparatus for executing method 800 (eg, IAB donor 410-2) may include corresponding components for executing corresponding steps in method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0115] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for sending a routing request at a second device and to a first device, the routing request indicating at least: a third device connected to the first and second devices, and a first address of the third device assigned by the second device; and a component for receiving a routing response from the first device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, a fourth device as a next hop of the third device communicating with the first device, and business regarding routing through the first device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for assigning a sixth address to the fourth device based on determining that the third address of the fourth device assigned by the first device is the same as an existing address assigned by the second device, the sixth address being different from any existing address assigned by the second device; and a component for transmitting routing information indicating a mapping between the third address and the sixth address to the third device.

[0117] In some embodiments, the routing request also indicates at least one of: a path identity between the first device and the third device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third device, quality of service information about the service routed through the first device, IP flow information about the service routed through the first device, a group of devices, the third device being an intermediate node between the second device and the group of devices, a group of addresses of the group of devices assigned by the second device, or an initial address of the second device.

[0118] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting traffic to the first device, the traffic indicating that one of the group of devices or the third device is a destination of the traffic.

[0119] In some embodiments, an apparatus for executing method 900 (eg, IAB node 420-1) may include corresponding components for executing corresponding steps in method 900. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit system or a software module.

[0120] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a component for receiving routing information at a fourth device and from a first device, the routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third device assigned by a second device and a second address of the third device assigned by the first device, the third device being connected to the first and second devices, and the fourth device being a next hop of the third device connected to the first device; and a component for sending traffic to the third device based on the routing information.

[0121] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a component for receiving a service including a second address from a first device; a component for replacing the second address with the first address based on routing information; and wherein the component for sending the service comprises: a component for sending the service including an initial address to a third device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a component for receiving a service including an address of a second device assigned by a first device from a fifth device, the fourth device being an intermediate node between the fifth device and the first device; a component for replacing the address of the second device assigned by the first device with an initial address of the second device; and wherein the component for sending the service includes: a component for transmitting the service including the first address to a third device.

[0123] Fig.10 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1000 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, and one or more communication modules (e.g., transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX)) 1040 coupled to the processor 1010.

[0124] The communication module 1040 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1040 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

[0125] Processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0126] The memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 1024, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1022 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0127] Computer program 1030 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 1010. Program 1030 may be stored in ROM 1024. Processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1030 into RAM 1022.

[0128] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of the program 1030, so that the device 1000 can execute the Figure 5-Figure 9 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0129] In some embodiments, the program 1030 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 1000 (such as in the memory 1020) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 1000. The device 1000 may load the program 1030 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 1022 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig.11 An example of a computer readable medium 1100 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 1030 stored thereon.

[0130] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0131] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced Figure 7-Figure 9 Methods 700 to 900 described. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as desired. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local devices or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0132] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0133] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0134] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0135] In addition, although each operation is described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in order, or performing all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. In some scenarios, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be combined in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0136] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first IAB donor device for sharing topology information of an integrated access and backhaul IAB network routing communication, wherein the first IAB donor device comprises: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first IAB donor device to: A routing request is received from a second IAB donor device, the routing request indicating at least: a third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and a first address of the third IAB node device allocated by the second IAB donor device based on the topology information; Sending a routing response to the second IAB donor device, the routing response at least indicating: a second address of the third IAB node device allocated by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, a fourth IAB node device, the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device communicating with the first IAB donor device, and an identifier of a next-hop link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device; as well as Sending routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth IAB node device.

2. The first IAB donor device according to claim 1, wherein the first IAB donor device is further caused to: receiving a first service from the second IAB donor device, the first service indicating that the third IAB node device is a destination of the first service; and Send the first service to the fourth IAB node device.

3. The first IAB donor device according to claim 1, wherein the routing request further indicates at least one of the following: a path identity between the first IAB donor device and the third IAB node device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third IAB node device, quality of service information about traffic routed through said first IAB donor device, IP flow information about traffic routed through the first IAB donor device, a group of devices, wherein the third IAB node device is an intermediate node between the second IAB donor device and the group of devices, a set of addresses of the set of devices allocated by the second IAB donor device, or The initial address of the second IAB donor device.

4. The first IAB donor device according to claim 3, wherein the first IAB donor device is further caused to: determining that the second address will be a next hop address for a backhaul link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device; receiving a second service from the second IAB donor device, the second service indicating that a device from the group of devices is a destination of the second service; determining the routing information, the routing information further indicating: a mapping between a fourth address of the destination device assigned by the second IAB donor device and a fifth address of the destination device assigned by the first IAB donor device; Sending the routing information to the fourth IAB node device; as well as Send the second service to the fourth IAB node device.

5. The first IAB donor device according to claim 2, wherein the first IAB donor device is further caused to: A backhaul channel for the first service or the second service is determined based on the IP flow information in the routing request.

6. The first IAB donor device according to claim 1, wherein the first IAB donor device is further caused to: Based on determining that the first address is an existing address assigned by the first IAB donor device, assigning the second address to the third IAB node device, the second address being different from any existing address assigned by the first IAB donor device. 7 . The first IAB donor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device, and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

8. A second IAB donor device for sharing topology information of integrated access and backhaul IAB network routing communications, wherein the second IAB donor device comprises: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second IAB donor device to: Sending a routing request to a first IAB donor device, the routing request at least indicating: a third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and a first address of the third IAB node device allocated by the second IAB donor device based on the topology information; as well as A routing response is received from the first IAB donor device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third IAB node device allocated by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, a fourth IAB node device, the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device communicating with the first IAB donor device, and An identifier of a next-hop link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device.

9. The second IAB donor device according to claim 8, wherein the second IAB donor device is further caused to: assigning a sixth address to the fourth IAB node device based on determining that the third address of the fourth IAB node device assigned by the first IAB donor device is the same as an existing address assigned by the second IAB donor device, the sixth address being different from any existing address assigned by the second IAB donor device; and Routing information indicating a mapping between the third address and the sixth address is sent to the third IAB node device.

10. The second IAB donor device according to claim 8, wherein the routing request further indicates at least one of the following: a path identity between the first IAB donor device and the third IAB node device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third IAB node device, quality of service information about traffic routed through said first IAB donor device, IP flow information about traffic routed through the first IAB donor device, a group of devices, wherein the third IAB node device is an intermediate node between the second IAB donor device and the group of devices, a set of addresses of the set of devices allocated by the second IAB donor device, or The initial address of the second IAB donor device.

11. The second IAB donor device according to claim 10, wherein the second IAB donor device is further caused to: Sending traffic to the first IAB donor device, the traffic indicating that one of the group of devices or the third IAB node device is a destination of the traffic.

12. The second IAB donor device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device, and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

13. A fourth IAB node device for sharing topology information communication of integrated access and backhaul IAB network routing communication, wherein the fourth IAB node device comprises: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the fourth IAB node device to: receiving routing information from a first IAB donor device, the routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third IAB node device assigned by a second IAB donor device based on the topology information and a second address of the third IAB node device assigned by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, the third IAB node device being connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device; as well as Sending the service to the third IAB node device based on the routing information.

14. The fourth IAB node device according to claim 13, wherein the fourth IAB node device is further configured to: receiving the traffic including the second address from the first IAB donor device; and Replacing the second address with the first address based on the routing information; and wherein sending the traffic comprises: Sending the service including the first address to the third IAB node device.

15. The fourth IAB node device according to claim 13, wherein the fourth IAB node device is further configured to: receiving the service including the address of the second IAB donor device assigned by the first IAB donor device from a fifth device, the fourth IAB node device being an intermediate node between the fifth device and the first IAB donor device; as well as replacing the address of the second IAB donor device assigned by the first IAB donor device with the initial address of the second IAB donor device; and The sending of the service comprises: The service including the initial address is sent to the third IAB node device. 16 . The fourth IAB node device according to claim 13 , wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device, and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

17. A method for sharing topology information for routing communications in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, comprising: A routing request is received at the first IAB donor device and from the second IAB donor device, the routing request indicating at least: a third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and a first address of the third IAB node device allocated by the second IAB donor device based on the topology information; Sending a routing response to the second IAB donor device, the routing response at least indicating: a second address of the third IAB node device allocated by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, a fourth IAB node device, the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device, and an identifier of a next-hop link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device; as well as Sending routing information indicating a mapping between the first address and the second address to the fourth IAB node device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: receiving a first service from the second IAB donor device, wherein the first service indicates that the third IAB node device is a destination of the first service; as well as Send the first service to the fourth IAB node device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the routing request further indicates at least one of the following: a path identity between the first IAB donor device and the third IAB node device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third IAB node device, quality of service information about traffic routed through said first IAB donor device, IP flow information about traffic routed through the first IAB donor device, a group of devices, wherein the third IAB node device is an intermediate node between the second IAB donor device and the group of devices, a set of addresses of the set of devices allocated by the second IAB donor device, or The initial address of the second IAB donor device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: determining that the second address will be a next hop address for a backhaul link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device; receiving a second service from the second IAB donor device, the second service indicating that a device from the group of devices is a destination of the second service; determining the routing information, the routing information further indicating: a mapping between a fourth address of the destination device assigned by the second IAB donor device and a fifth address of the destination device assigned by the first IAB donor device; Sending the routing information to the fourth IAB node device; as well as Send the second service to the fourth IAB node device.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising: A backhaul channel for the first service or the second service is determined based on the IP flow information in the routing request.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising: Based on determining that the first address is an existing address assigned by the first IAB donor device, assigning the second address to the third IAB node device, the second address being different from any existing address assigned by the first IAB donor device.

23. The method of any one of claims 17-22, wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

24. A method for sharing topology information for routing communications in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, comprising: A routing request is sent at the second IAB donor device and to the first IAB donor device, the routing request indicating at least: a third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and a first address of the third IAB node device allocated by the second IAB donor device based on the topology information; as well as A routing response is received from the first IAB donor device, the routing response indicating at least: a second address of the third IAB node device allocated by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, a fourth IAB node device, the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device communicating with the first IAB donor device, and An identifier of a next-hop link between the third IAB node device and the fourth IAB node device.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising: assigning a sixth address to the fourth IAB node device based on determining that the third address of the fourth IAB node device assigned by the first IAB donor device is the same as an existing address assigned by the second IAB donor device, the sixth address being different from any existing address assigned by the second IAB donor device; as well as Routing information indicating a mapping between the third address and the sixth address is sent to the third IAB node device.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the routing request further indicates at least one of the following: a path identity between the first IAB donor device and the third IAB node device, a radio link control (RLC) backhaul (BH) channel for the third IAB node device, quality of service information about traffic routed through said first IAB donor device, IP flow information about traffic routed through the first IAB donor device, a group of devices, wherein the third IAB node device is an intermediate node between the second IAB donor device and the group of devices, a set of addresses of the set of devices allocated by the second IAB donor device, or The initial address of the second IAB donor device.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising: Sending traffic to the first IAB donor device, the traffic indicating that one of the group of devices or the third IAB node device is a destination of the traffic.

28. The method of any one of claims 24-27, wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

29. A method for sharing topology information for routing communications in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, wherein the method comprises: receiving, at a fourth IAB node device and from a first IAB donor device, routing information indicating a mapping between a first address of a third IAB node device assigned by a second IAB donor device based on the topology information and a second address of the third IAB node device assigned by the first IAB donor device based on the topology information, the third IAB node device being connected to the first IAB donor device and the second IAB donor device, and the fourth IAB node device being a next hop of the third IAB node device connected to the first IAB donor device; as well as Sending the service to the third IAB node device based on the routing information.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: receiving the service including the second address from the first IAB donor device; as well as replacing the second address with the first address based on the routing information; And wherein sending the service comprises: Sending the service including the first address to the third IAB node device.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising: receiving the service including the address of the second IAB donor device assigned by the first IAB donor device from a fifth device, the fourth IAB node device being an intermediate node between the fifth device and the first IAB donor device; as well as replacing the address of the second IAB donor device assigned by the first IAB donor device with the initial address of the second IAB donor device; and The sending of the service comprises: The service including the initial address is sent to the third IAB node device.

32. The method of any one of claims 29-21, wherein the first IAB donor device comprises a first network device and the second IAB donor device comprises a second network device.

33. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Means for performing a method according to any one of claims 17-23 or a method according to any one of claims 24-28 or a method according to any one of claims 29-32.

34. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processing unit of a machine causes the machine to perform the method of any one of claims 17-23, the method of any one of claims 24-28, or the method of any one of claims 29-32.

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