Systems and methods for information transmission in IAB systems and devices

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and computer readable media are presented for information transmission in integrated access and backhaul (IAB) systems and devices. A first network node may receive, from a network function, a first message including an F1 control plane (F1-C) related packet. The first network node may send a second message including the F1-C related data packet to a second network node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for information transmission in Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) systems and devices. Background Art

[0002] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a standardization organization, is currently developing a new radio interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will consist of three main components: 5G Access Network (5G-AN), 5G Core Network (5G Core Network, 5GC) and User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of 5GC (also known as network functions) have been simplified, some of which are software-based so that they can be adjusted as needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The example embodiments disclosed herein are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems existing in the prior art, and to provide additional features, which will become apparent when referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to various embodiments, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation, and it will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, after reading this disclosure, that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without exceeding the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for transmitting information in an IAB system. A first network node (e.g., a target host (Donor)) may receive / obtain / collect / acquire a first message / information / signal from a network function (e.g., an access and mobility management function (AMF)). The first message may include an F1 control plane (F1 Control Plane, F1-C) related data packet. The first network node may send / transmit / provide / signal / transmit a second message to a second network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node). The second message may include an F1-C related data packet.

[0005] In various arrangements, the network function may receive a message including an F1-C related data packet from a third network node (e.g., a source host). In some implementations, at least one of the following: the message may be a New Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message; the message may include destination information; the third network node may receive the destination information from the first network node or the network function.

[0006] In some arrangements, at least one of the following: the message may be a user equipment UE association message associated with the second network node, and / or the message may include at least one of the following: an AMF UE NGAP identifier (ID) and / or a radio access network (RAN) UE NGAP ID. In some implementations, at least one of the following: the first message may be a NGAP message, and / or the first message may include destination information.

[0007] In some aspects, at least one of the following: the second message may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, and / or the second message includes destination information. In some cases, a mobile terminal (MT) of the second network node may send an F1-C related data packet from the second message to a distributed unit (DU) of the second network node. In some configurations, at least one of the following: the second message may be an F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) message, and / or the second message may include destination information.

[0008] In some implementations, the first DU of the second network node may send the F1-C related data packet from the second message to another DU of the second network node. In some configurations, the destination information may include at least one of the following: a DU identifier, a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) address, a centralized unit (CU) identifier, a next generation base station (gNB) identifier (e.g., a base station (BS) or a wireless communication node), a source logical DU indication, a logical DU identifier, and / or an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0009] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium for transmitting information in an IAB system. A network function (e.g., an AMF) may send a first message to a first network node (e.g., a target host). The first message may include an F1 control plane F1-C related data packet. The first network node may send a second message to a second network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node). The second message may include an F1-C related data packet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Various example embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. These drawings or figures are provided for illustrative purposes only and only describe example embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and simplicity of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0011] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented;

[0012] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example base station and user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 3 A block diagram of an environment for mobile integrated access and backhaul IAB according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0014] Figure 4A A block diagram of an integrated access and backhaul IAB architecture using a standalone mode (SA-mode) and a next generation packet core network NGC according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0015] Figure 4B A block diagram of an integrated access and backhaul IAB architecture using Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access and New Radio Dual Connectivity EN-DC according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0016] Figure 5 A block diagram of integrated access and backhaul IAB nodes in a parent-child relationship according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0017] Figure 6 A block diagram showing migration of an integrated access and backhaul IAB mobile terminal MT from a first host centralized unit CU1 to a second host centralized unit CU2 according to an example embodiment;

[0018] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method for transmitting information in an IAB system according to an example embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Various example embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can implement and use the present solution. It is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications may be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the example embodiments and application cases described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method disclosed herein is merely an example. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed method or process may be rearranged without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0020] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which the techniques disclosed herein can be implemented in the example cellular communication network. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such an example network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS102", also referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE104", also referred to as a wireless communication device) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a group of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 covering a geographic area 101. Figure 1 1, BS 102 and UE 104 are located within respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating within its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate wireless coverage to its intended users.

[0022] For example, BS 102 may operate on an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 may communicate via downlink radio frames 118 and uplink radio frames 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" and may generally implement the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes may support wireless and / or wired communications.

[0023] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for sending and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) / Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM Access, OFDMA) signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution is shown. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features, which need not be described in detail herein. In an example embodiment, the system 200 may be used in the above-mentioned Figure 1 Wireless communication environment 100 is shown communicating (eg, sending and receiving) data symbols.

[0024] The system 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and a user equipment 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 204"). The BS 202 includes a BS transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, and each module is coupled and connected to each other as needed through a data communication bus 220. The UE 204 includes a UE transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, and each module is coupled and connected to each other as needed through a data communication bus 240. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 through a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for transmitting the data described herein.

[0025] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the system 200 Figure 2In addition to the modules shown, any number of other modules may be included. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the various exemplary functional blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logics associated with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any actual combination thereof. In order to clearly demonstrate the interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, each exemplary component, functional block, module, circuit, and step is uniformly described herein by function. Whether hardware, firmware, or software is used to implement a function depends on the specific application and the design limitations imposed on the system as a whole. Those familiar with the concepts described herein may implement the relevant functions in an appropriate manner for each specific application, however, such implementation decisions should not be considered as limitations on the scope of this disclosure.

[0026] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" (Uplink, UL) transceiver 230, which includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including a circuit coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown in the figure) can selectively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time division duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" (Downlink, DL) transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including a circuit coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch can selectively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time division duplex manner. The operations of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 can be coordinated in time so that the uplink receiver circuit is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 to receive the transmission signal over the wireless transmission link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Instead, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver coupled to the downlink antenna 212 receives transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time as the uplink transmitter coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, tight time synchronization with minimal guard times between changes in duplex direction is provided.

[0027] The UE transceiver 230 and the BS transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with an appropriately configured RF antenna array 212 / 232, which can support specific wireless communication protocols and modulation schemes. In some example embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the BS transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to specific standards and related protocols. On the contrary, the UE transceiver 230 and the BS transceiver 210 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0028] According to various embodiments, for example, BS 202 may be an evolved Node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station. In some implementations, UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or constituted by a general-purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, for performing the functions described herein. In this way, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0029] In addition, the steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, compact discs (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that processor modules 210 and 230 may read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some implementations, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions respectively executed by processor modules 210 and 230. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include a non-volatile memory for storing instructions executed by processor modules 210 and 230 respectively.

[0030] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable the BS transceiver 210 to communicate bidirectionally with other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communication module 218 can be configured to support the Internet or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) services. In a typical deployment (but not limited to this), the network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the BS transceiver 210 can communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). The terms "configured for", "configured to" and variations thereof used for a specific operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function.

[0031] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "OSI model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnection and communication with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each of which represents a conceptual set of services provided to its upper and lower layers. The OSI model also defines logical networks and effectively describes computer data packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as a seven-layer OSI model or a seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be a physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be a medium access control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be a radio link control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be a radio resource control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be a non-access (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0032] 2. System and method for transmitting information in an IAB system

[0033] refer to Figure 3 , depicting a block diagram 300 of an environment for mobile integrated access and backhaul IAB. IAB can support wireless backhaul through the New Radio (NR), enabling flexible and high-density deployment of NR cells while reducing the need for wired transmission infrastructure. A host node intra-CU migration process can be provided, in which both the source parent node and the target parent node are served by the same IAB host CU. However, inter-host CU migration in a migrated (mobile) IAB node may be static. In mobile IAB usage scenarios (such as the described scenario), it may be difficult to perform inter-host migration. In the mobile IAB use case, the IAB node is installed in a vehicle and can provide coverage and capacity enhancement for on-board or surrounding UEs. In some cases, there may be no IP connection between the two hosts (e.g., between the source host CU and the target host DU), or there may be no Xn interface connection between the two hosts (e.g., between the source host CU and the target host CU). Therefore, when there is no IP connection between the source host CU and the target host DU and / or there is no Xn interface connection between the source host CU and the target host CU, the system and method of the present technical solution can execute the features, functions or operations discussed in this article to perform inter-host migration.

[0034] refer to Figure 4A , depicting a block diagram 400A of an integrated access and backhaul IAB architecture using a standalone networking SA-mode and a next-generation packet core network NGC. IAB can implement wireless relay in the next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN). The relay node (referred to as an IAB node) can support access and backhaul through NR. The terminal node of the NR backhaul on the network side can be called an IAB donor, which can represent a gNB with additional functions supporting IAB. The backhaul can be performed through a single hop or multiple hops.

[0035] The IAB node may support the gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) functionality to terminate the NR access interface to the UE and the next-hop IAB node, and / or terminate the F1 protocol to the gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU) functionality on the IAB host. The gNB-DU functionality on the IAB node may also be referred to as the IAB distributed unit (IAB-DU). In addition to the gNB-DU functionality, the IAB node may also support a subset of UE functionality called the IAB-Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT), which may include, for example, physical layer, layer 2, RRC, and NAS functionality to connect to the gNB-DU of other IAB nodes or IAB hosts, to the gNB-CU of the IAB host, and to the core network, etc.

[0036] Reference now Figure 4B , depicting a block diagram 400B of an integrated access and backhaul IAB architecture using Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and E-UTRA NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC). The IAB node can access the network using the independent networking mode SA-mode or the dual connectivity (Dual Connectivity, DC) mode. In EN-DC, the IAB node is also connected to the master base station (Master eNodeB, MeNB) through E-UTRA, and the IAB host terminates to the X2 control plane (X2 Control Plane, X2-C) interface (for example, as defined in technical specification TS 37.340) as a secondary base station (Secondary gNodeB, SgNB).

[0037] Reference now Figure 5, depicts a block diagram 500 of an integrated access and backhaul IAB node in a parent-child relationship. All IAB nodes connected to the IAB host by one or more hops may form a directed acyclic graph (DAG) topology with the IAB host as the root. In the DAG topology, neighbor nodes on the IAB-DU interface may be referred to as child nodes, and neighbor nodes on the IAB-MT interface may be referred to as parent nodes. The direction toward the child node may further be referred to as downstream, and the direction toward the parent node may be referred to as upstream. The IAB host may perform centralized resource, topology, and routing management for the IAB topology.

[0038] In various arrangements, the terms discussed herein may be provided or described as follows. An IAB host may refer to or correspond to a gNB (e.g., BS 102, wireless communication node, or network node) that provides network access to a UE 104 over a network of backhaul and access links. An IAB host CU may refer to a gNB-CU of an IAB host, terminating an F1 interface to an IAB node and an IAB host DU. An IAB host DU refers to a gNB-DU of an IAB host, hosting an IAB BAP sublayer (e.g., as defined in TS 38.340) and providing wireless backhaul to an IAB node. An IAB-DU refers to a gNB-DU function supported by an IAB node to terminate the NR access interface to a UE 104 and a next-hop IAB node, and terminate the F1 protocol to a gNB-CU function on an IAB host (e.g., as defined in TS 38.401). An IAB-MT may refer to an IAB node function that terminates a Uu interface to a parent node using procedures and behaviors specified for a UE 104 (e.g., unless otherwise configured / set / declared). In some cases, the IAB-MT function may correspond to the IAB-UE function (e.g., as defined in TS23.501). An IAB node may refer to a RAN node that supports an NR access link to UE 104 and an NR backhaul link to a parent node and a child node. An IAB node may or may not support backhaul over LTE. A child node may correspond to a next-hop neighbor node of at least one of an IAB-DU and / or an IAB host DU. A child node may also be an IAB node. A parent node may refer to a next-hop neighbor node of an IAB-MT, and a parent node may be an IAB node or an IAB host DU. Upstream may refer to a direction toward a parent node in an IAB topology. Downstream may refer to a direction toward a child node and / or UE 104 in an IAB topology.

[0039] In some cases, the IAB-MT, IAB-DU, and the served UE 104 may be migrated to the target host for full inter-host migration of the IAB node. If UE migration is performed after MT migration, the F1-C related data packet (e.g., sometimes generally referred to as F1-C data packet information) containing / including the RRC reconfiguration message of UE 104 may be transmitted from the source host CU to the mobile IAB-DU through the target host DU. However, in these cases, there may be no IP connection for transmission / transmission / exchange between the source host CU and the target host DU, and / or there may be no Xn connection between the source host CU and the target host CU. Therefore, in the case where there is no IP connectivity / connection and / or Xn connection between the source host and the target host (e.g., when there is no IP connection between the source host CU and the target host DU, and / or, when the source host CU and the target host CU have no Xn connection), the system and method of the technical solution discussed herein may perform F1-C related data packet transmission / transmission between the source host CU and the mobile IAB-DU through the target host DU. F1-C related data packet transmission may be performed through 5GC.

[0040] refer to Figure 6 , depicts a block diagram 600 of an IAB node 606 (e.g., sometimes referred to as a second network node) migrating from a first host centralized unit (host CU1) (e.g., sometimes referred to as a third network node or source host node 608) to a second host centralized unit (host CU2) (e.g., sometimes referred to as a first network node or target host node 604). As shown, the (e.g., mobile) IAB node 606 may migrate from host DU1 (e.g., belonging to host CU1 or source host 608) to host DU2 (e.g., belonging to host CU2 or target host 604). After the IAB node 606 (e.g., mobile IAB-MT) migrates, the IAB node 606 may be disconnected from the source host 608 (e.g., host DU1 / CU1). Subsequently, the source host (e.g., host CU1) may transmit / send / provide an F1-C message / service / signal containing an RRC reconfiguration message of a UE 610 (e.g., UE 104) via the target host 604 (e.g., host DU2) via the AMF 602.

[0041] In various aspects, the present invention may describe operations / steps / processes for transmitting information (e.g., F1-C related data packets) in an IAB system without an IP connection and / or an Xn connection between a source host 608 and a target host 604, such as for inter-host migration. In addition to the described implementations 1 and 2, other arrangements and / or combinations of the techniques / operations described in implementations 1 and 2 may be included as part of the technical solutions of the present invention for information transmission and inter-host migration without IP and / or Xn connections.

[0042] Implementation 1

[0043] Step 1: The source host 608 (e.g., host CU1) may send / transmit / provide a new generation application protocol NGAP message (e.g., sometimes collectively referred to as a message) to the AMF 602 (e.g., network function). The NGAP message may include / contain F1-C related data packets, such as F1-C related data packets included / contained as a container.

[0044] In some implementations, the NGAP message may include destination information. The destination information may be used to determine to which node (e.g., a host node) the NGAP message should be transmitted. Additionally or alternatively, the destination information may be used to determine to which node the F1-C related data packet in the NGAP message should be transmitted. For example, the first destination information may include at least one of the following: a DU identifier (e.g., a DU identifier in the mobile IAB node 606), a backhaul adaptation protocol BAP address (e.g., a BAP address of the mobile IAB node 606), a CU identifier (e.g., a CU identifier of the host CU2 or the target host 604), a gNB / BS102 / wireless communication node identifier ID (e.g., an identifier of the host CU2), a source logical DU indication (e.g., a source logical DU indication of the DU in the mobile IAB node 606), and a logical DU identifier (e.g., a logical DU identifier of the DU in the mobile IAB node 606).

[0045] In some cases, the source host 608 (e.g., host CU1) may receive destination information from the target host 604 (e.g., host CU2) and / or AMF 602 before sending the NGAP message. In some implementations, the NGAP message (e.g., transmitted by the source host 608) may be a UE-associated message associated with the IAB node 606 (e.g., mobile IAB-MT). In this case, for example, the NGAP message may include at least one of the AMF UE NGAP ID and / or the RAN UE NGAP ID.

[0046] Step 2: After receiving the message from the source host 608, the AMF 602 may send an NGAP message (e.g., a first message) to the target host 604 (e.g., host CU2). The NGAP message may include an F1-C related data packet, for example, an F1-C related data packet. In some implementations, the NGAP message may include destination information (e.g., sometimes referred to as first destination information). The destination information may include at least one of the following: a DU identifier, a BAP address, a CU identifier, a gNB identifier, a source logical DU indication, and / or a logical DU identifier.

[0047] In some cases, the NGAP message may be a UE associated message associated with the IAB node 606 (eg, mobile IAB-MT). In this case, the NGAP message may include at least one of the AMF UE NGAP ID and / or the RAN UE NGAP ID.

[0048] Step 3: The target host 604 may receive an NGAP message (e.g., a first message) from the AMF 602. Subsequently, the target host 604 (e.g., host CU2) may transmit / send / signal an RRC message (e.g., a second message) to the IAB node 606 (e.g., mobile IAB-MT). The RRC message may include / contain an F1-C related data packet, for example, an F1-C related data packet. In some cases, the RRC message may include destination information (e.g., sometimes referred to as second destination information). The second destination information may include information similar to and / or different from the first destination information. The destination information may be used to determine to which node the F1-C related data packet in the RRC message should be transmitted (e.g., a node that receives the F1-C related data packet or a node that is configured as the destination / target of the transmission of the F1-C related data packet). For example, the second destination information may include at least one of the following: a DU identifier, a BAP address (e.g., mobile IAB node 606), a source logical DU indication, and / or a logical DU identifier. In some cases, the destination information (e.g., the first and / or second destination information) may include an IP address. The IP address included in the destination information may be associated with a sender / transmitter and / or a receiver (eg, source host 608, target host 604, IAB node 606, and / or AMF 602), etc.

[0049] Step 4: The RRC message received by the IAB-MT may include an F1-C related data packet. The F1-C related data packet may be sent by the source host CU to, for example, a DU connected to the source host CU (e.g., sometimes referred to as a source logical DU in the mobile IAB node 606). The IAB node 606 (e.g., the mobile IAB-MT) may transmit / send / transmit the F1-C related data packet contained / included in the RRC message to the co-located IAB-DU (e.g., in the mobile IAB node 606), e.g., the source logical DU. Therefore, information (e.g., the F1-C related data packet) may be transmitted / transmitted from the source host to the target host to achieve inter-host migration without establishing an IP connection or an Xn connection between the source host and the target host.

[0050] Implementation 2

[0051] Steps 1 and 2 of implementation mode 2 may be performed similarly to steps 1 and 2 described in implementation mode 1.

[0052] Step 3: After the target host 604 may receive the NGAP message host from the AMF 602 (e.g., continuing from step 2 of implementation 1), the target host 604 (e.g., host CU2) may send an F1AP message (e.g., a second message) to the IAB node 606 (e.g., a mobile IAB-DU, e.g., a target logical DU). The F1AP message may include / contain an F1-C related data packet, e.g., an F1-C related data packet contained as a container.

[0053] In some implementations, the F1AP message may include destination information (e.g., second destination information). The second destination information may include information similar to and / or different from the first destination information, for example, as described in conjunction with step 2. The destination information (e.g., second destination information) may include at least one of the following: a DU identifier, a BAP address, a source logical DU indication, and / or a logical DU identifier. In some cases, the destination information may include an IP address, for example, an IP address may be associated with a sender / transmitter and / or a receiver (e.g., a source host 608, a target host 604, an IAB node 606, and / or an AMF 602), etc.

[0054] Step 4: The IAB node 606 may receive a second message (e.g., an F1AP message) from the target host 604. The second message may be received by an IAB-DU connected to the target host. The second message may include an F1-C related data packet. The F1-C related data packet may be sent by the source host CU to, for example, a DU connected to the source host CU (e.g., sometimes referred to as a source logical DU in the mobile IAB node 606). The IAB node 606 (e.g., a mobile IAB-DU, such as a target logical DU or a first DU) may transmit / provide the F1-C related data packet contained in the F1AP message to other logical DUs in the mobile IAB node 606, such as a source logical DU (e.g., another DU of the IAB node 606). Therefore, similar to implementation method 1, this technical solution can realize information transmission between hosts for inter-host migration without the need for an IP connection or an Xn connection between hosts.

[0055] Reference now Figure 7, depicts a flow chart of a method 700 for transmitting information in an IAB system. The method 700 may be implemented using any of the components detailed above, such as, for example, UE 104 or 204, BS 102 or 202, AMF 602, various hosts 604, 608, and / or mobile IAB node 606, etc. In short, a third network node may send a message (702). A network function may receive the message (704). The network function may send a first message (706). A first network node may receive the first message (708). The first network node may send a second message (710). A second network node may receive a second message (712).

[0056] In more detail, a third network node (e.g., a source host or a source CU) may send / transmit / provide a message to a network function (e.g., AMF) (702). The network function may receive / obtain / acquire a message from the third network node (704). The message transmitted from the third network node may include an F1-C related data packet.

[0057] In various arrangements, at least one of the following: the message may be a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message; the message may include destination information; the third network node may receive / obtain the destination information from the first network node (e.g., the target host or host CU2) and / or the network function. In some implementations, at least one of the following: the message may be a UE (e.g., wireless communication device) associated message associated with the second network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node), and / or the message may include at least one of the following: AMF UE NGAP ID and / or RAN UE NGAP ID.

[0058] After receiving the message from the third network node, the network function may send a first message (e.g., an NGAP message) to the first network node (e.g., the target host or host CU2) (706). The first network node may receive the first message from the network function (708). The first message may include an F1 control plane F1-C related data packet. In various arrangements, at least one of the following: the first message may be an NGAP message and / or the first message may include destination information.

[0059] In response to receiving the first message, the first network node may send a second message (e.g., an RRC message or an F1AP message) to a second network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node, such as a mobile IAB-MT or a mobile IAB-DU) (710). The second message may include an F1-C related data packet. Therefore, the second network node may receive the second message from the first network node (712).

[0060] In some implementations, at least one of the second messages may be an RRC message and / or the second message may include destination information. The destination information of the second message (e.g., the second destination information) may include information similar to or different from the destination of the first message (e.g., the first destination information). In various arrangements, the mobile terminal MT of the second network node may send the F1-C related data packet in the second message to the distributed unit DU (e.g., the co-located IAB-DU) of the second network node. In these arrangements, the technology or operation may be performed similar to the operation described in implementation 1.

[0061] In some implementations, at least one of the second messages may be an F1 application protocol F1AP message and / or the second message may include destination information. In some arrangements, a first DU (e.g., a target logical DU) of the second network node may send an F1-C related data packet from the second message to another DU (e.g., a source logical DU) of the second network node. In these arrangements, for example, techniques or operations may be performed similar to the operations described in implementation 2.

[0062] In various arrangements, the destination information includes at least one of the following: a distributed unit DU identifier, a backhaul adaptation protocol BAP address (e.g., for identifying the second network node), a centralized unit CU identifier, a next generation base station gNB identifier, a source logical DU indication, a logical DU identifier and / or an Internet Protocol IP address, etc. For example, the destination information may be included as part of at least one of the first message, the second message, and / or a message (e.g., from the third network node).

[0063] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented only by way of example and not limitation. Similarly, various figures may describe example architectures or configurations, and these figures are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as those of ordinary skill in the art understand, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described example embodiments.

[0064] It should also be understood that any reference to an element using names such as "first" or "second" herein does not generally limit the number or order of these elements. Instead, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements, or different examples of an element. Therefore, reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be used, nor does it mean that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0065] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols mentioned in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0066] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions associated with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of programs or design codes containing instructions (for convenience, referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described according to their functions. Whether such functionality is implemented in the form of hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those of ordinary skill in the art may implement the described functions in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not result in a deviation from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0067] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components and circuits described herein may be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a digital signal processor DSP, an application specific integrated circuit ASIC, a field programmable gate array FPGA or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to implement the functions described herein.

[0068] If implemented in software, these functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that enables a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer.

[0069] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements, for performing the relevant functions described herein. In addition, for ease of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that two or more modules can be combined into one module to perform the relevant functions of the embodiments of the present solution.

[0070] In addition, memory or other storage devices and communication components can be used in the embodiments of the present solution. For the sake of clarity, the above description describes the embodiments of the present solution by different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that, without departing from the present solution, any appropriate functional allocation can be performed between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains. For example, functions described as being performed by different processing logic elements or controllers may also be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable ways of providing the described functions, rather than indications of strict logical or physical structures or organizations.

[0071] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as described in the claims herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The first network node receives a first message including an F1 control plane F1-C related data packet from a network function; as well as The first network node sends a second message including the F1-C related data packet to the second network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The network function receives a message including the F1-C related data packet from a third network node.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the following: The message is a new generation application protocol NGAP message; The message includes destination information; The third network node receives the destination information from the first network node or the network function.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: At least one of the following: The message is a user equipment UE association message associated with the second network node; The message includes at least one of the following: access and mobility management function AMF UE next generation application protocol NGAP identification ID, radio access network RAN ​​UE NGAP ID.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the following: The first message is a new generation application protocol NGAP message; The first message includes destination information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the following: The second message is a radio resource control RRC message; The second message includes destination information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile terminal MT of the second network node sends the F1-C related data packet from the second message to the distributed unit DU of the second network node.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the following: The second message is an F1 application protocol F1AP message; The second message includes destination information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first distributed unit DU of the second network node sends the F1-C related data packet from the second message to another DU of the second network node.

10. The method according to any one of claims 3, 5, 6 or 8, wherein: The destination information includes at least one of the following: Distributed unit DU identification; Backhaul Adaptation Protocol BAP address; Centralized unit CU identification; Next generation base station gNB identification; Source logic DU indication; Logical DU identification; Internet Protocol IP address.

11. A method comprising: The network function sends a first message including a data packet related to the F1 control plane F1-C to the first network node, The first network node sends a second message including the F1-C related data packet to the second network node.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors are capable of causing the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

13. A device comprising at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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