Method and apparatus for communication in IAB networks

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for communication in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network. In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) may: configure whether a cell (s) of a first radio network node supports access or handover of a mobile radio network node; and performing, via the first radio network node, an integration procedure with a first mobile radio network node wherein at least one cell of the first radio network node is configured to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, and the first radio network node is a parent node of the first mobile radio network node after the integration procedure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to communication technologies, and more particularly to communication in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems have been widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasting, and so on. A wireless communication system may employ a multiple access technology capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources such as time, frequency, and power. Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth generation (5G) systems (which may also be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems).

[0003] To extend the coverage and availability of wireless communication systems (such as 5G systems), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) envisions an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) architecture for supporting multi-hop relaying. In an IAB network, an IAB node may skip one or more IAB nodes (also referred to as an "IAB donor" or "donor node") before reaching a base station. A single hop can be regarded as a special case of multi-hop. Multi-hop backhaul is beneficial because it provides a relatively large coverage extension compared to single-hop backhaul. In a relatively high-frequency radio communication system (such as a radio signal transmitted in a band above 6 GHz), a relatively narrow or small signal coverage range may benefit from multi-hop backhaul technology.

[0004] The industry desires technologies for facilitating communication in IAB networks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first base station (BS). The first BS may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to: configure whether a cell of a first wireless network node supports access or handover of a mobile wireless network node; and perform an integration procedure with a first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node, wherein at least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and the first wireless network node is a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node after the integration procedure.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to receive, from a second BS, a first uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with a second distributed unit (DU) of a third radio network node, wherein the third radio network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to transmit, to a second BS, a handover request to hand over at least one UE served by the first mobile radio network node. For each of the at least one UE, the handover request indicates at least one of: whether the corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node or around the vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; or the handover priority of the corresponding UE, wherein the handover request is to hand over all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to receive, from the second BS, a response to the handover request. The response includes at least one of: a list of admitted UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority; or a list of rejected UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority.

[0010] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second BS. The second BS may include: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to: receive, from a first BS, a first handover request to hand over at least one user equipment (UE) served by a first mobile radio network node, wherein for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request indicates at least one of: whether the corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node or around the vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; or the handover priority of the corresponding UE, wherein the first handover request is to hand over all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node; and transmit, to the first BS, a first response to the first handover request.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first response includes at least one of: a list of admitted UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority; or a list of rejected UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to perform at least one of the following: receive, from the first BS, first information regarding whether one or more cells of a first radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, wherein the first radio network node is connected to the first BS; receive, from the first BS, second information regarding whether one or more cells of a distributed unit (DU) of the first BS support access or handover of a mobile radio network node; transmit, to the first BS, third information regarding whether one or more cells of a second radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, wherein the second radio network node is connected to a second BS; or transmit, to the first BS, fourth information regarding whether one or more cells of a DU of the second BS support access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to: receive, from the first BS, a second handover request to handover the first mobile radio network node; and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, wherein the second response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell of the second handover request not supporting handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to perform at least one of the following: receive, from the first BS, first information regarding whether one or more cells of the first BS are cells of a mobile radio network node; or transmit, to the first BS, second information regarding whether one or more cells of the second BS are cells of a mobile radio network node.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to: receive, from the first BS, a second handover request to handover a radio network node from the first BS to a cell of the second BS; and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, wherein the second response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the cell of the second BS belonging to the mobile radio network node.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first BS, an uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with a second distributed unit (DU) of a radio network node, wherein the radio network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0018] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wireless network node. The wireless network node may include: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to: receive configuration information from a first base station (BS) regarding whether a cell of the wireless network node supports access or handover of a mobile wireless network node; and broadcast an indication that access or handover of a mobile wireless network node is supported in the cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to receive from the first BS a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of cells of a second BS, where the cells are not cells of the mobile wireless network node.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to transmit a measurement report to the first BS, where: all cells in the measurement report are not cells of the mobile wireless network node; or for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node further includes a first distributed unit (DU) having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to a second BS, and the first DU and the second DU are coupled to the processor. The transceiver is further configured to receive from the first BS an uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU, and each entry of the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0022] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mobile wireless network node. The mobile wireless network node may include: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to: receive from a first base station (BS) a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of cells of a second BS, where the cells support access or handover of the mobile wireless network node; and transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile radio network node further comprises a first distributed unit (DU) having a first F1 connection to the first BS. The mobile radio network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile radio network node and the second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. The first DU and the second DU are coupled to the processor. The mobile radio network node may receive an uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU from the first BS, and wherein each entry of the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0024] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a first BS. The method may comprise: configuring whether one or more cells of a first radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node; and performing an integration procedure with a first mobile radio network node via the first radio network node, wherein at least one cell of the first radio network node is configured to support access or handover of the mobile radio network node, and the first radio network node is the parent node of the first mobile radio network node after the integration procedure.

[0025] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a second BS. The method may comprise: receiving, from a first BS, a first handover request to handover at least one UE served by a first mobile radio network node, wherein for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request indicates at least one of: whether the corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node or around the vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; or the handover priority of the corresponding UE, wherein the first handover request is to handover all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node; and transmitting a first response to the first handover request to the first BS.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a radio network node. The method may comprise: receiving, from a first base station (BS), configuration information regarding whether one or more cells of the radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node; and broadcasting an indication that access or handover of the mobile radio network node is supported in the cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access or handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0027] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a mobile radio network node. The method may include: receiving, from a first base station (BS), a measurement configuration that configures measurements of (a) cell(s) of a second BS, the (a) cell(s) supporting access or handover of the mobile radio network node; and transmitting a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration.

[0028] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus may include: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; at least one receiving circuitry; at least one transmitting circuitry; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuitry, and the at least one transmitting circuitry, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-executable instructions may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide technical solutions for facilitating and improving implementations of various communication technologies (such as 5G NR). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] To describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, a description of the present disclosure is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the drawings. These drawings only depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting its scope.

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 2 AND 3 An example block diagram illustrating a protocol stack for an IAB network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example configuration procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 5 AND 6 A flowchart illustrating an example handover procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example configuration procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example handover procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figures 9 to 12A A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0038] Figure 13 A block diagram illustrating an exemplary device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0039] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be accomplished by different embodiments intended to be covered within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For the sake of promoting understanding, embodiments are provided under a specific network architecture and new service scenarios (such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G (NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 8, etc.). It is considered that with the development of the network architecture and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms described in the present disclosure may change, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0041] Compared with 4G communication systems, 5G communication systems have put forward more stringent requirements for various network performance metrics, such as a 1000-fold increase in capacity, a wider coverage range requirement, ultra-high reliability, ultra-low latency, etc. Considering the rich frequency resources of high-frequency carriers, the deployment of high-frequency small cells in hot spots has become increasingly popular in order to meet the 5G ultra-high capacity requirements. However, the propagation characteristics of high-frequency carriers are poor, severely attenuated due to obstacles, and the coverage range is limited. Therefore, it is necessary to deploy small cells densely. In addition, for these small cells, the deployment of optical fibers may be both difficult and expensive. Therefore, an economical and convenient backhaul solution is needed. The integrated access and backhaul (IAB) technology that can use wireless transmission solutions for both the access link and the backhaul link provides an idea for solving the above problems.

[0042] In an IAB network, a wireless network node such as a relay node (RN) or an IAB node or a wireless backhaul node / device can provide wireless access services for a UE. For example, a UE can be connected to an IAB donor relayed by one or more IAB nodes. The IAB donor can also be referred to as a donor node or a donor base station (e.g., DgNB, donor gNodeB). In addition, the wireless link between the IAB donor and the IAB node, or the wireless link between different IAB nodes can be referred to as a "backhaul link". The wireless network nodes in the IAB network can be fixed or mobile. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to wireless network nodes regardless of whether they are fixed or mobile.

[0043] The IAB node may include an IAB mobile terminal (MT) part and an IAB distributed unit (DU) part. When the IAB node is connected to its parent node (which may be another IAB node or an IAB donor), it can be regarded as a UE, that is, the role of the MT. When the IAB node provides services to its child nodes (which may be another IAB node or a UE), it can be regarded as a network device, that is, the role of the DU.

[0044] The IAB donor can be an access network element with complete base station functions, or an access network element with a separate form of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The IAB donor can be connected to the core network (for example, connected to a 5G core (5GC) network), and provide a wireless backhaul function for the IAB node. The CU of the IAB donor can be called "IAB donor-CU" (or directly called "CU"), and the DU of the IAB donor can be called "IAB donor-DU". The IAB donor-CU can be divided into a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). For example, the CU may include a CU-CP and one or more CU-UPs.

[0045] Considering the limited coverage of the high-frequency band and to ensure the coverage performance of the network, multi-hop networking can be adopted in the IAB network. Considering the requirements of service transmission reliability, the IAB node can support dual connectivity (DC) or multi-connectivity to improve transmission reliability in order to handle abnormal situations that may occur on the backhaul (BH) link, such as radio link failure (RLF) or blockage, load fluctuation, etc.

[0046] In the case where the IAB network supports multi-hop and dual-connectivity networking, there may be multiple transmission paths between the UE and the IAB donor. The transmission path may include multiple nodes, such as a UE, one or more IAB nodes, and an IAB donor (if the IAB donor is in the form of a separate CU and DU, then it may also include an IAB donor-DU and an IAB donor-CU). Each IAB node can regard the adjacent node providing backhaul services for it as a parent node (or a parent IAB node), and each IAB node can be regarded as a child node (or a child IAB node) of its parent node.

[0047] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] As Figure 1 shown, the wireless communication system 100 may include some base stations (for example, IAB donor 110A and IAB donor 110B), some IAB nodes (for example, IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C), and some UEs (for example, UE130A and UE 130B). Although in Figure 1depicts a specific number of UEs, IAB nodes, and IAB donors, but it is contemplated that any number of UEs, IAB nodes, and IAB donors may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

[0049] According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, each of IAB donor 110A, IAB donor 110B, IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C may be directly connected to one or more IAB nodes. According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, each of IAB donor 110A, IAB donor 110B, IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C may be directly connected to one or more UEs.

[0050] UEs 130A and 130B may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. For example, UEs 130A and 130B may include computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, smart TVs (e.g., Internet-connected TVs), set-top boxes, gaming consoles, security systems (including security cameras), in-vehicle computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems), or the like. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, UEs 130A and 130B may include portable wireless communication devices, smartphones, cellular phones, flip phones, devices with subscriber identification modules, personal computers, paging receivers, or any other device capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals over a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, UEs 130A and 130B may include wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or the like. Additionally, UEs 130A and 130B may be referred to as subscriber units, mobile devices, mobile stations, users, terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, fixed terminals, subscriber stations, user terminals, or devices, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0051] IAB donors 110A and 110B may communicate with a core network ( Figure 1 not shown). The core network (CN) may include multiple core network components such as a mobility management entity (MME) ( Figure 1 not shown) or an access and mobility management function (AMF) ( Figure 1 not shown). The CN may act as a gateway for the UEs to access the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and / or other networks ( Figure 1 not shown).

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 can be compatible with any type of network capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular phone networks, time-division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code-division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, LTE networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high-altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with 5G NR of the 3GPP protocol. For example, the IAB donors 110A and 110B can transmit data on the DL using an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDM) modulation scheme. The UEs 130A and 130B can transmit data on the UL using a discrete Fourier transform-spread-spectrum-orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or cyclic prefix-OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 can implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX and other protocols.

[0054] Those skilled in the art should understand that as technology develops and progresses, the terms described in the present disclosure may change, but should not affect or limit the principles and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 , the IAB node 120A can be directly connected to the IAB donors 110A and 110B, and the IAB node 120B can be directly connected to the IAB donor 110A. The IAB donors 110A and 110B are the parent nodes of the IAB node 120A, and the IAB donor 110A is the parent node of the IAB node 120B. In other words, the IAB nodes 120A and 120B are the child IAB nodes of the IAB donor 110A, and the IAB node 120A is also the child IAB node of the IAB donor 110B. The IAB node 120C can reach the IAB donor 110A by skipping the IAB node 120B. The IAB node 120B is the parent IAB node of the IAB node 120C. In other words, the IAB node 120C is the child IAB node of the IAB node 120B.

[0056] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, an IAB node can be connected to the IAB node 120C, so that it can reach the IAB donor 110A by skipping the IAB node 120C and the IAB node 120B. This IAB node and the IAB node 120C can be referred to as the descendant IAB nodes of the IAB node 120B.

[0057] UEs 130A and 130B can be connected to IAB nodes 120A and 120C respectively. The IAB nodes 120A and 120C can thus be referred to as access IAB nodes. Uplink (UL) packets (e.g., data or signaling) from UE 130A or UE 130B can be transmitted via one or more IAB nodes to an IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B), and then be transmitted by the IAB donor to a mobile gateway device (e.g., the user plane function (UPF) in 5GC). Downlink (DL) packets (e.g., data or signaling) can be transmitted from an IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B) after being received by the gateway device, and then be transmitted through one or more IAB nodes to UE 130A or 130B.

[0058] For example, referring to Figure 1 , UE 130A can transmit UL data to or receive DL data from IAB donor 110A or 110B via IAB node 120A. UE 130B can transmit UL data to or receive DL data from IAB donor 110A via IAB node 120C and IAB node 120B.

[0059] In an IAB deployment (e.g., wireless communication system 100), the radio link between an IAB donor (e.g., Figure 1 IAB donor 110A or 110B in Figure 1 ) and an IAB node or between two IAB nodes can be referred to as a backhaul link (BL). The radio link between an IAB donor (e.g., Figure 1 IAB donor 110A or 110B in Figure 1 ) and a UE or between an IAB node and a UE can be referred to as an access link (AL). For example, in Figure 1 , radio links 140A to 140D are BLs and radio links 150A and 150B are ALs.

[0060] A protocol layer (backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP)) layer located above the radio link control (RLC) layer is introduced into the IAB system and can be used to implement packet routing, bearer mapping, and traffic control on the wireless backhaul link.

[0061] An F1 interface can be established between an IAB node (e.g., the DU part of the IAB node) and an IAB donor (e.g., the IAB donor-CU). The F1 interface can support both the user plane protocol (e.g., F1-U) and the control plane protocol (e.g., F1-C). The user plane protocol of the F1 interface can include one or more of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Internet Protocol (IP), and other protocols. The control plane protocol of the F1 interface can include one or more of F1 Application Protocol (F1AP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), IP, and other protocols.

[0062] Through the control plane of the F1 interface, the IAB node and the IAB donor can perform, for example, interface management, IAB-DU management, and UE context-related configuration. Through the user plane of the F1 interface, the IAB node and the IAB donor can perform, for example, user plane data transmission and downlink transmission status feedback functions.

[0063] Figure 2 An example block diagram of a user plane (UP) protocol stack 200 for an IAB network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 An example block diagram of a control plane (CP) protocol stack 300 for an IAB network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figure 2 and 3 the UE can be connected to the IAB donor via IAB node 2 and IAB node 1. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can be connected to the IAB donor via more or fewer IAB nodes.

[0064] Referring to Figure 2 , the UP protocol stack of the UE can include a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The UP protocol stack of the DU of IAB node 2 can include a GTP-U layer, a UDP layer, an IP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The UP protocol stack of the MT of IAB node 2 or the DU or MT of IAB node 1 can include a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The UP protocol stack of the DU of the IAB donor can include an IP layer, a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer, where the PHY layer belongs to layer 1 (L1), and the BAP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer belong to layer 2 (L2). The protocol stack of the CU-UP of the IAB donor can include a GTP-U layer, a UDP layer, an IP layer, an SDAP layer, a PDCP layer, (a number of) L2 layers, and an L1 layer.

[0065] Referring to Figure 3, the CP protocol stack of the UE may include a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The CP protocol stack of the DU of IAB Node 2 may include an F1 Application Part (F1AP) layer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer, an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The CP protocol stack of the MT of IAB Node 2 or the DU or MT of IAB Node 1 may include a Backhaul Application Part (BAP) layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The CP protocol stack of the DU of the IAB donor may include an IP layer, a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer, where the PHY layer belongs to L1, and the BAP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer belong to L2. The protocol stack of the CU-CP of the IAB donor may include an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an F1AP layer, an SCTP layer, an IP layer, (several) L2 layers, and an L1 layer.

[0066] Figure 2 and 3 The protocol stacks shown in Figure 2 and 3 are for illustrative purposes only. For example, for illustrative purposes, the sequence of some protocol layers in the protocol stack of Figure 2 can be rearranged. For example, although the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) and PDCP layers belong to L2, they are shown above the GTP-U layer, UDP layer, and IP layer in the protocol stack of the CU-UP of the IAB donor in

[0067] The signals between each node in the IAB network may include, for example, the following and can be applied to the present disclosure:

[0068] - IAB donor CU and IAB donor DU: F1AP messages;

[0069] - IAB donor CU and IAB node: F1AP messages between the CU and the IAB-DU or RRC messages between the CU and the IAB-MT;

[0070] - IAB donor-CU and UE: RRC messages;

[0071] - Access IAB node and UE: L2 control PDUs, such as MAC control elements (CEs) or RLC control PDUs;

[0072] and

[0073] - IAB node and another child or parent IAB node: L2 control PDUs, such as MAC CEs, RLC control PDUs, or BAP control PDUs.

[0074] As the demand for improved cellular coverage and connectivity continues to increase, communication in outdoor and mobile scenarios may face more challenges. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile radio network node acting as a repeater between a UE and a 3GPP communication network (e.g., 5G) can be used to facilitate communication in such scenarios. The mobile radio network node can provide (e.g.) an access link to the UE and is wirelessly (e.g., using NR) connected to the core network via a BS (e.g., a donor Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN)). In some instances, this mobile radio network node may also be referred to as a mobile base station repeater or a mobile repeater. The above description regarding radio network nodes and IAB nodes can be applied to mobile base station repeaters. That is, a mobile base station repeater can be a mobile IAB node.

[0075] In some instances, the mobile base station repeater can be installed on a vehicle. The mobile base station repeater can serve UEs located inside (on the vehicle) or outside (around the vehicle) the vehicle or UEs entering or leaving the vehicle. In the context of the present disclosure, the inside or outside of the mobile base station repeater can mean the inside or outside of the vehicle or other device(s) on which the mobile radio network node is installed.

[0076] In some instances, the radio links used between the mobile base station repeater and the served UE and between the mobile base station repeater and the BS can be Uu links (e.g., NR-Uu), which are different from UE repeaters that use PC5-based links to provide an indirect connection to, for example, a remote UE. In some instances, there can be at least one hop between the UE and the mobile base station repeater. In some instances, there can be at least one hop between the mobile base station repeater and the BS.

[0077] Employing this mobile radio network node is advantageous in various aspects and can be applied to various scenarios. For example, in some outdoor environments, the availability of vehicles equipped with mobile base station repeaters, whether following a certain known / predictable itinerary (e.g., buses, trams, etc.) or located in a convenient location (e.g., outside a stadium, hotspot area, or emergency location), can provide a very opportunistic boost to cellular coverage and capacity when needed or in the required situation. These repeaters can use (e.g.) 5G wireless backhaul towards the macro network and thus can provide better coverage and connectivity to adjacent UEs. Mobile repeaters are also well-suited to improving the connectivity of users or devices inside the vehicle on which the mobile repeater is installed in different environments (e.g., passengers, casual / professional personnel, or equipment on buses, cars / taxis, or trains). This mobile radio network node can also be used to reach users or devices that otherwise have no macro coverage or very poor macro coverage. For example, in the case where first responders are in an indoor building / area and are out of service, a repeater placed near or outside the vehicle can be used to obtain the required coverage and connectivity.

[0078] The technical advantages of using such a mobile radio network node further include, for example, the ability to obtain better macro coverage than nearby UEs by leveraging better radio frequency, antenna, and power capabilities. Additionally, in addition to the value to network operators and end users, valuable incentives can be found for other parties (such as vehicle manufacturers, and vehicle and fleet owners or providers) to install and operate repeaters in their vehicles.

[0079] In the context of the present disclosure, a radio network node may refer to a stationary or mobile radio network node.

[0080] Due to the mobility of a radio network node (such as an IAB node), the radio network node may need to migrate (or handover) from one IAB donor to another IAB donor (i.e., inter-donor migration).

[0081] In some embodiments, the MT of a radio network node may migrate from an initial (source) IAB donor to a new (target) IAB donor. For example, the MT of a radio network node may migrate to a different parent node under a different CU of an IAB donor. For example, referring back Figure 1 , the MT of IAB node 120C or IAB node 120B may migrate from IAB donor 110A to IAB donor 110B. In such a scenario, the DU of the radio network node and the DUs of the (several) descendant nodes of the radio network node may maintain F1 connectivity with the source IAB donor (such as the CU of the source IAB donor). Such a migration may be referred to as inter-donor partial migration. A radio network node that performs inter-donor partial migration may be referred to as a boundary radio network node. After inter-donor partial migration, the F1 traffic of the DU of the radio network node and the DUs of the (several) descendant nodes of the radio network node may be routed via, for example, the BAP layer of the IAB topology to which the MT of the radio network node has migrated.

[0082] In some embodiments, the DU of a radio network node may migrate from an initial (source) IAB donor to a new (target) IAB donor. Such a migration may be referred to as inter-donor IAB-DU migration. In some embodiments, in order to perform a handover of a UE served by a radio network node (such as its DU), the radio network node may concurrently support two logical DUs (such as DU#1 and DU#2), which may have F1AP associations with the source IAB donor (such as the CU of the source IAB donor) and the target IAB donor (such as the CU of the target IAB donor), respectively. A UE connected to the radio network node may handover from the cell of DU#1 (i.e., the source DU of the radio network node) to the cell of DU#2 (i.e., the target DU of the radio network node). After the migration of the DU of the radio network node, the F1 interface between DU#1 and the source IAB donor may be released.

[0083] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for facilitating the integration and handover of mobile radio network nodes. For example, it would be advantageous to know whether a cell supports the access or handover of a mobile radio network node, such that the mobile radio network node does not access or handover to a cell that does not support the mobile radio network node (e.g., certain IAB donors or parent IAB nodes may not support the functionality and features associated with a mobile IAB node).

[0084] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for facilitating the integration and handover of radio network nodes. For example, since a mobile radio network node cannot act as a parent node of a radio network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node should only serve UEs and should not have descendant IAB nodes), it would be advantageous for the radio network node to know whether a target cell associated with a handover is a cell of a mobile radio network node.

[0085] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for UL BAP configuration when a radio network node concurrently supports two DUs to be compatible with BAP behavior.

[0086] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide solutions for facilitating the handover of (a) UE(s) served by a mobile radio network node. For example, for UEs served by a mobile radio network node that have different positional relationships relative to the mobile radio network node (e.g., relative to a vehicle on which the mobile radio network node is installed), the target cell associated with the handover may act in different ways. In addition, admission control may be performed at the target cell. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide assistance information to facilitate the handover of UEs served by a mobile radio network node.

[0087] More details regarding embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0088] It should be noted that although embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed under a specific network architecture (e.g., IAB architecture) and based on certain specific components (e.g., IAB donors or mobile IAB nodes), embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other similar network architectures and new service scenarios.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, to facilitate the integration of a mobile radio network node, the BS may indicate whether (a) cell(s) of the BS support the access of the mobile radio network node, such that the mobile radio network node can access a cell or BS that supports the mobile radio network node. In the context of the present disclosure, a cell of the BS may refer to a cell of a DU of the BS (e.g., a DU of an IAB donor) or a cell of a descendant radio network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of a DU of an IAB node served by the BS).

[0090] Similarly, to facilitate handover of a mobile radio network node, the BS may indicate whether one or more cells of the BS support handover of the mobile radio network node, such that handover of the mobile radio network node can be performed with respect to the cell / BS that supports the mobile radio network node.

[0091] In some embodiments, whether a cell supports access of a mobile radio network node may be decoupled from whether the cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) access of a mobile radio network node may not necessarily mean supporting (or not supporting) handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) handover of a mobile radio network node may not necessarily mean supporting (or not supporting) access of the mobile radio network node. For example, separate indications may be used to indicate whether a cell supports access of a mobile radio network node and whether the cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0092] In some embodiments, whether a cell supports access of a mobile radio network node may be coupled to whether the cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) access of a mobile radio network node may mean supporting (or not supporting) both access and handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) handover of a mobile radio network node may mean supporting (or not supporting) both access and handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, a single indication may be used to indicate whether a cell supports access and handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0093] For example, Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary configuration procedure 400 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0094] The details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 4 the embodiments shown in. For example, BS 410 may be used as the IAB donor as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. The radio network node 420A may be used as the IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, the radio network node 420A is a stationary (fixed) radio network node. The mobile radio network node 420B may be used as the mobile IAB node as described above.

[0095] The radio network node 420A (e.g., the DU of the radio network node 420A) may have an F1 connection with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410). The BS 410 may be respectively referred to as the F1 terminating BS of the radio network node 420A. In some instances, in the case of partial migration of the radio network node 420A, the BS 410 may be the F1 terminating BS of the radio network node 420A (e.g., the CU of the BS410 is the F1 terminating CU). In some instances, the MT of the radio network node 420A may have an RRC connection with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410). That is, the F1 terminating BS and the RRC terminating BS of the radio network node 420A are the same BS.

[0096] In operation 411, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) may configure whether (a) cell(s) of the radio network node (e.g., the radio network node 420A) support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. For example, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS410) may configure whether each cell of the radio network node 420A supports access or handover of a mobile radio network node via F1AP signaling.

[0097] In some embodiments, the BS 410 may include a CU and a DU coupled to the CU. For example, the BS 410 may be an IAB donor. In some embodiments, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) may configure whether (a) cell(s) of the DU of the BS 410 support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. For example, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) may configure whether each cell of the (a) DU of the BS 410 supports access or handover of a mobile radio network node via F1AP signaling.

[0098] In the above embodiments, F1AP signaling such as "GNB-CU Configuration Update", "GNB-DU Configuration Update Acknowledgment", or "F1 Setup Response" may be employed.

[0099] In some embodiments, the above configuration procedure may be performed at the node (e.g., DU) granularity. All cells in the radio network node (e.g., the radio network node 420A), the DU of the radio network node, or the DU of the BS (e.g., the DU of the IAB donor) may share the same configuration for mobile radio network node access / handover control. For example, all cells of the radio network node 420A may share the same configuration for mobile radio network node access / handover control. For example, all cells of the radio network node 420A allow access or handover of a mobile radio network node or none of the cells of the radio network node 420A allow access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0100] In some embodiments, the above configuration procedure may be performed at the cell granularity. For example, a radio network node, a DU of a radio network node or a DU of a BS may include one or more cells, and each of the cells may have an independent configuration for mobile radio network node access / handover control. For example, assuming that the radio network node 420A includes cell #1 and cell #2, cell #1 may be configured to allow access or handover of a mobile radio network node, and cell #2 may be configured to prohibit access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0101] Various ways may be adopted to implement the configuration for mobile radio network node access / handover control. In some embodiments, the BS 410 may explicitly indicate whether to allow or not allow (e.g., not prohibit or prohibit) access or handover of a mobile radio network node. In some embodiments, not allowing access or handover of a mobile radio network node is the default configuration. The BS 410 may execute the above configuration procedure to indicate that a certain cell or certain nodes support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. In some embodiments, allowing access or handover of a mobile radio network node is the default configuration. The BS 410 may execute the above configuration procedure to indicate that a certain cell or certain nodes do not support access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0102] In some embodiments, the BS 410 may support functionality related to a mobile radio network node. In some embodiments, at least one cell of the radio network node 420A may be configured to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. For a cell configured to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, the cell of the radio network node 420A may broadcast an indication of supporting access or handover of a mobile radio network node in operation 413. For example, the indication may be an indication of supporting mobile IAB or an indication that mobile IAB is supported. For example, the indication may be included in system information, such as System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0103] In some embodiments, at least one cell of the DU of the BS 410 may be configured to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. Similarly, at least one cell of the DU of the BS 410 may broadcast an indication of supporting access or handover of a mobile radio network node, for example, in SIB1.

[0104] In some embodiments, whether to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node may be pre-configured by an operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) entity. The BS may reconfigure whether to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node via F1AP signaling.

[0105] In some embodiments, a mobile radio network node may execute an integration procedure with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410), and select either the radio network node 420A or the DU of the BS 410 as its parent node based on the broadcast indication as described above.

[0106] For example, the mobile radio network node 420B may execute an integration procedure with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) via the radio network node 420A in operation 415. In some embodiments, the integration procedure may include an MT setup procedure for the mobile radio network node 420B and a DU setup procedure for the mobile radio network node 420B, where the MT of the mobile radio network node 420B sets up an RRC connection with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410), and the DU of the mobile radio network node 420B sets up an F1 connection with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410). In some embodiments, the integration procedure may include the establishment of a BH RLC channel and routing update between the mobile radio network node 420B and the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410). After the integration procedure, the radio network node 420A is the parent node of the mobile radio network node 420B.

[0107] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 400 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 400 may be eliminated or modified.

[0108] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary handover procedure 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0109] The details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 5 the embodiments shown in. For example, the BSs 510A and 510B may be used as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. The mobile radio network node 520 may be used as a mobile IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, the BS 510A and the mobile radio network node 520 may be used as Figure 4 the BS 410 and the mobile radio network node 420B in.

[0110] The handover procedure 500 may be executed to facilitate the handover of a mobile radio network node (e.g., the mobile radio network node 520) from a source BS (e.g., the BS 510A) to a target BS (e.g., the BS 510B). For example, the MT of the mobile radio network node 520 may hand over from the CU of the BS 510A to the CU of the BS 510B.

[0111] In operation 511 (shown as an option in dashed box), BS 510A and BS 510B may exchange information on whether (some) cells of BS 510A, BS 510B, or both support access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0112] For example, BS 510A may transmit to BS 510B information on whether (some) cells of BS 510A support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. For example, BS 510B may transmit to BS 510A information on whether (some) cells of BS 510B support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. A cell of a BS (e.g., BS 510A or BS 510B) may refer to a cell of the DU of the BS or a cell of a descendant radio network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of the DU of a radio network node served by the BS). For example, BS 510A may transmit to BS 510B information on whether (some) cells of a radio network node served by BS 510A ( Figure 5 (not shown in the figure) support access or handover of a mobile radio network node (represented as information #1). For example, BS 510A may transmit to BS 510B information on whether (some) cells of the DU of BS 510A support access or handover of a mobile radio network node (represented as information #2). For example, BS 510B may transmit to BS 510A information on whether (some) cells of a radio network node served by BS 510B ( Figure 5 (not shown in the figure) support access or handover of a mobile radio network node (represented as information #3). For example, BS 510B may transmit to BS 510A information on whether (some) cells of the DU of BS 510B support access or handover of a mobile radio network node (represented as information #4).

[0113] In some embodiments, the above information (e.g., any of information #1 to information #4) may be included in the "served cell information" information element (IE) or the "neighbor information" IE of the XnAP signaling.

[0114] In operation 513, the BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A) may transmit a measurement configuration to the mobile radio network node 520. In operation 517, the mobile radio network node 520 may transmit a measurement report to the BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A). In operation 519, the BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A) may determine to handover the mobile radio network node 520 (e.g., the MT of the mobile radio network node 520) to a target cell based on the measurement report. For example, in operation 521, a handover preparation procedure for the mobile radio network node 520 may be performed between the BS 510A and the BS 510B. For example, the BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A) may transmit a handover request to handover the mobile radio network node 520 to the BS 510B (e.g., the CU of BS 510B), and the BS 510B (e.g., the CU of BS 510B) may transmit a response to the handover request (e.g., positive feedback (e.g., handover request confirmation message) or negative feedback (e.g., handover preparation failure message)) to the BS 510A.

[0115] In some embodiments, operation 511 may be performed and the measurement configuration in operation 513 may be based on Information #3, Information #4, or both. For example, the measurement configuration may configure measurements regarding the cell(s) of the BS 510B (e.g., the cell(s) of the radio network node(s) served by the BS 510B or the cell(s) of the DU of the BS 510B) that support access or handover of the mobile radio network node. That is, the BS 510A may configure the (several) measurements of the mobile radio network node 520 only with the cells of an adjacent BS (e.g., BS 510B) that allow access or handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0116] In some embodiments, the mobile radio network node 520 (e.g., the MT of the mobile radio network node 520) may receive and decode the system information (e.g., SIB1) of the adjacent cell(s) (e.g., the cell(s) of the BS 510B). In some embodiments, the system information may include an indication of support for access or handover of the mobile radio network node in the adjacent cell. The measurement report in operation 517 may be based on this indication. In these embodiments, operation 511 may or may not be performed. In some embodiments, all cells in the measurement report may support handover of the mobile radio network node. That is, the mobile radio network node 520 may transmit to the BS 510A only the measurement report associated with the cell(s) that allow handover of the mobile radio network node. In some embodiments, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report may include an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0117] In some embodiments, BS 510A may receive a handover preparation failure message from BS 510B in operation 521. This may be caused by the target cell of the handover request not supporting the handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, when operation 511 is not performed, BS 510A cannot obtain information #3 or information #4, and may select a target cell that does not support the handover of the mobile radio network node to hand over the mobile radio network node 520. BS 510B may reject the handover and may respond with a handover preparation failure, which may indicate a cause value for the target cell of the handover request not supporting the handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0118] In some embodiments, BS 510B may accept the handover and may transmit a handover request confirmation message to BS 510A in operation 521. In response to receiving the handover request confirmation message, BS 510A may transmit a handover command to the mobile radio network node 520 in operation 523 to hand over the mobile radio network node 520 to BS 510B (e.g., the target cell of BS 510B, which may be the cell of the radio network node served by BS 510B or the cell of the DU of BS 510B).

[0119] In operation 527, the mobile radio network node 520 may hand over from BS 510A to BS 510B. In some instances, the target cell of the handover is the cell of the radio network node served by BS 510B. After the handover is completed, this radio network node is the parent node of the mobile radio network node 520.

[0120] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 500 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 500 may be eliminated or modified.

[0121] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to facilitate the handover of a radio network node, the BS may indicate whether the (a) cell(s) of the BS support(s) the handover of the radio network node, such that the handover of the radio network node may be performed with respect to the cell(s) / BS that support(s) the radio network node. For example, the radio network node should not be handed over to a mobile radio network node.

[0122] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary handover procedure 600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0123] The details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 6The embodiments shown therein. For example, BS610A and 610B can be used as IAB donors as described above and can include a CU and at least one DU. The wireless network node 620 can be used as an IAB node as described above and can include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, the wireless network node 620 is a stationary (fixed) wireless network node.

[0124] The handover procedure 600 can be executed to facilitate the handover of a wireless network node (e.g., the wireless network node 620) from a source BS (e.g., BS 610A) to a target BS (e.g., BS 610B). For example, the MT of the wireless network node 620 can be handed over from the CU of BS 610A to the CU of BS 610B.

[0125] In operation 611 (shown as an option in a dashed box), BS 610A and BS 610B can exchange information about whether one or more cells of BS 610A, BS 610B, or both are cells of a mobile wireless network node. In other words, BS 610A and BS 610B can exchange information about whether one or more cells of BS 610A, BS 610B, or both belong to a mobile wireless network node.

[0126] For example, BS 610A can transmit to BS 610B information about whether one or more cells of BS 610A are cells of a mobile wireless network node (represented as information #5). For example, BS 610B can transmit to BS 610A information about whether one or more cells of BS 610B are cells of a mobile wireless network node (represented as information #6). For example, since a cell of a BS (e.g., BS610A or BS 610B) can refer to a cell of a descendant wireless network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of a DU of a wireless network node served by the BS), a descendant wireless network node served by the BS can be a mobile wireless network node that should not have a descendant wireless network node.

[0127] In some embodiments, the above information (e.g., information #5, information #6, or both) can be included in the "served cell information" IE or the "neighbor information" IE of the XnAP signaling.

[0128] In operation 613, the BS 610A (e.g., the CU of BS 610A) may transmit a measurement configuration to the wireless network node 620. In operation 617, the wireless network node 620 may transmit a measurement report to the BS 610A (e.g., the CU of BS 610A). In operation 619, the BS 610A (e.g., the CU of BS 610A) may determine to handover the wireless network node 620 (e.g., the MT of wireless network node 620) to a target cell based on the measurement report. For example, in operation 621, a handover preparation procedure for the wireless network node 620 may be performed between the BS 610A and the BS 610B. For example, the BS 610A (e.g., the CU of BS 610A) may transmit a handover request to handover the wireless network node 620 to the BS 610B (e.g., the CU of BS 610B), and the BS 610B (e.g., the CU of BS 610B) may transmit a response to the handover request (e.g., positive feedback (e.g., handover request confirmation message) or negative feedback (e.g., handover preparation failure message)) to the BS 610A.

[0129] In some embodiments, operation 611 may be performed and the measurement configuration in operation 613 may be based on information #6. For example, the measurement configuration may configure measurements on the cell(s) of the BS 610B (e.g., the cell(s) of the wireless network nodes served by the BS 610B or the cell(s) of the DU of the BS 610B), which are not the cells of the mobile wireless network node. That is, the BS 610A may configure the measurements on the wireless network node 620 only with the cell(s) of the neighboring BS (e.g., BS 610B) that do not belong to the mobile wireless network node.

[0130] In some embodiments, the wireless network node 620 (e.g., the MT of the mobile wireless network node 620) may receive and decode the system information (e.g., SIB1) of the neighboring cell(s) (e.g., the cell(s) of the BS 610B). In some embodiments, the system information may include an indication of whether the neighboring cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node. The measurement report in operation 617 may be based on this indication. In these embodiments, operation 611 may or may not be performed. In some embodiments, all the cells in the measurement report are not the cells of the mobile wireless network node. That is, the wireless network node 620 may transmit only the measurement report associated with the cells that do not belong to the mobile wireless network node to the BS 610A. In some embodiments, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report may include an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0131] In some embodiments, BS 610A may receive a handover preparation failure message from BS 610B in operation 621. This may be caused by the target cell of the handover request belonging to a mobile radio network node. For example, when operation 611 is not performed, BS 610A cannot obtain information #6, and may select a target cell belonging to a mobile radio network node to hand over the radio network node 620. BS 610B may reject the handover and may respond with a handover preparation failure, which may indicate the cause value that the target cell of the handover request belongs to a mobile radio network node.

[0132] In some embodiments, BS 610B may accept the handover and may transmit a handover request confirmation message to BS 610A in operation 621. In response to receiving the handover request confirmation message, BS 610A may transmit a handover command to the radio network node 620 in operation 623 to hand over the radio network node 620 to BS 610B (e.g., the target cell of BS 610B, which may be the cell of a (stationary) radio network node served by BS 610B or the cell of the DU of BS 610B).

[0133] In operation 627, the radio network node 620 may hand over from BS 610A to BS 610B. In some instances, the target cell of the handover is the cell of a stationary radio network node served by BS 610B. After the handover is completed, the stationary radio network node is the parent node of the radio network node 620.

[0134] Those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the operation sequence in the exemplary procedure 600 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 600 may be eliminated or modified.

[0135] As mentioned above, in certain scenarios, a (stationary or mobile) radio network node may include two DUs having an F1AP association with different BSs. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for UL BAP configuration for such a radio network node to be compatible with BAP behavior.

[0136] For example, Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary configuration procedure 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0137] All the details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 7 the embodiments shown in. For example, BSs 710A and 710B may be used as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. The radio network node 720 may be used as an IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. The radio network node 720 may be a stationary or mobile radio network node.

[0138] The wireless network node 720 may include two DUs (denoted as DU#A and DU#B), where DU#A may have an F1 connection to BS710A (i.e., the source F1-terminated BS), and DU#B may have an F1 connection to BS 710B (i.e., the target F1-terminated BS). The MT of the wireless network node 720 may have an RRC connection to BS 710A, BS 710B, or another BS ( Figure 7 not shown in the figure).

[0139] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the source F1-terminated BS (e.g., the CU of the BS) configures the UL BAP configuration of the wireless network node (e.g., the MT of the wireless network node). For example, BS 710A (e.g., the CU of BS 710A) configures the UL BAP configuration associated with DU#A and the UL BAP configuration associated with DU#B for the wireless network node 720. Since the two DUs are connected to different BSs (e.g., BS 710A and BS 710B), coordination between the BSs may be required.

[0140] For example, in operation 711, BS 710A (e.g., the CU of BS 710A, which is the source F1-terminated CU) may receive the UL BAP configuration (denoted as configuration #B) associated with DU#B of the wireless network node 720 from BS 710B (e.g., the CU of BS 710B, which is the target F1-terminated CU). Configuration #B may be applied to the UL traffic of DU#B and the UEs served by DU#B.

[0141] In some embodiments, configuration #B may include a traffic type discriminator (which may be indicated by the "UL UP transport network layer (TNL) information" IE of the F1-U packet and the "non-UP traffic type" IE of the non-F1-U packet), and the BAP routing ID of the traffic type discriminator. In some embodiments, configuration #B may be based on the UL traffic information transmitted from BS 710A to BS 710B.

[0142] In operation 713, BS 710A (e.g., the CU of BS 710A) may transmit the UL BAP configuration (denoted as configuration #A) to the wireless network node 720. Configuration #A may be associated with DU#A and DU#B of the wireless network node 720. For example, configuration #A may include an entry associated with DU#B, and the entry may be based on configuration #B received in operation 711. For example, configuration #A may include an entry associated with DU#A, and the entry may be generated by BS 710A (e.g., the CU of BS 710A).

[0143] In some embodiments, each entry of Configuration #A may include a service type discriminator (which may be indicated by the "UL UP TNL Information" IE of the F1-U packet and the "Non-UP Service Type" IE of the non-F1-U packet), and a BAP routing ID of the service type discriminator.

[0144] In some embodiments, each entry of Configuration #A may indicate whether the corresponding entry is applied to DU #A or DU #B (or applied to BS 710A or BS 710B). This indication may help the radio network node 720 distinguish the configuration from the source F1-terminated CU (e.g., the CU of BS 710A) and the configuration from the target F1-terminated CU (e.g., the CU of BS 710B). In some embodiments, the topology indicator of each entry (e.g., the "Non-F1-terminated IAB donor topology indicator" IE) may be reused to distinguish the source F1-terminated CU from the target F1-terminated CU.

[0145] In operation 719, the radio network node 720 may perform BAP mapping based on Configuration #A. For example, based on the service type discriminator in the header of the UL service, the BAP entity of the radio network node 720 may select a corresponding BAP routing ID (e.g., BAP address and BAP path identifier) for the UL service and include the selected BAP routing ID in the BAP header.

[0146] For example, for a BAP service data unit (SDU) received from the (one or more) upper layers of the radio network node 720 and to be transmitted in the uplink direction, the BAP entity of the radio network node 720 may:

[0147] - For a BAP SDU encapsulating an F1-U packet, select an entry from Configuration #A whose service type discriminator corresponds to the destination IP address and tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) of this BAP SDU;

[0148] - For a BAP SDU encapsulating a non-F1-U packet, select an entry from Configuration #A whose service type discriminator corresponds to the service type of this BAP SDU; and

[0149] - Select a BAP address and a BAP path identifier from the BAP routing ID in the entry selected above.

[0150] Those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the operation sequence in the exemplary procedure 700 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 700 may be eliminated or modified.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the scenario of mobile radio network node migration, the UE served by the mobile radio network node may need to switch from the source BS of the radio network node to the target BS.Figure 8 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary handover procedure 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0152] The details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 8 the embodiments shown in. For example, BSs 810A and 810B can be used as IAB donors as described above and can include a CU and at least one DU.

[0153] In Figure 8 an example of, a mobile radio network node (not shown) can migrate from BS 810A (i.e., the source BS) to BS 810B (i.e., the target BS). The mobile radio network node can serve one or more UEs, which can be on or around a vehicle installed by the mobile radio network node. One or more UEs can also hand over from BS 810A to BS 810B.

[0154] For example, in operation 811, BS 810A (e.g., the CU of BS 810A) can transmit a handover request to BS 810B (e.g., the CU of BS 810B) to hand over at least one UE served by the mobile radio network node. In some embodiments, the handover request can be for an individual UE. For example, for each of one or more UEs served by the mobile radio network node, BS 810A can transmit a corresponding handover request to BS 810B. In some embodiments, the handover request can be for all UEs served by the mobile radio network node (e.g., all UEs in the RRC connected state), which is referred to hereinafter as "group mobility".

[0155] In some embodiments, the handover request can include on-vehicle or around-vehicle information of the (s)UE(s) to be handed over. For example, for each of at least one UE, the handover request can indicate whether the corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the mobile radio network node or around a vehicle installed by the mobile radio network node.

[0156] In some embodiments, for each of at least one UE, the handover request can indicate the handover priority of the corresponding UE. In the case of group mobility (i.e., when handing over all connected UEs served by the mobile radio network node in a single handover request), (s)handover priorities can be used. For example, in the case of overload, BS 810B can use the (s)handover priorities for admission control.

[0157] In operation 813, BS 810B (e.g., the CU of BS 810B) can transmit a response to the handover request to BS 810A (e.g., positive feedback (e.g., handover request confirmation message) or negative feedback (e.g., handover preparation failure message)).

[0158] In some embodiments, based on the on-board or surrounding information in the handover request, the BS 810B (e.g., the CU of the BS 810B) may provide feedback with different RRC reconfigurations. For example, compared with the (several) surrounding UEs, some optimizations may be made for the (several) on-board UEs and some configurations for the (several) on-board UEs (e.g., random access channel (RACH) configuration) may be omitted.

[0159] In some embodiments, for example, in the case of group mobility, the on-board or surrounding information may be used for admission control. In some embodiments, for example, in the case of group mobility, the (several) handover priorities may be used for admission control.

[0160] For example, in the case of group mobility, overload may occur at the BS 810B. In some embodiments, the BS 810B may preferentially admit UEs with higher priorities among the on-board UEs or the UEs to be handed over. In some embodiments, the response to the handover request (e.g., handover request confirmation message) in operation 813 may include at least one of the following: a list of admitted UEs to be handed over based on the on-board or surrounding information, handover priorities, or both among at least one UE; or a list of rejected UEs to be handed over based on the on-board or surrounding information, handover priorities, or both among at least one UE. In some embodiments, the rejection list may include a cause value for the overload.

[0161] Those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the operation sequence in the exemplary procedure 800 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 800 may be eliminated or modified.

[0162] Figure 9 A flowchart of an exemplary procedure 900 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. The details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to Figure 9 the embodiments shown therein. The exemplary procedure 900 may be executed by a BS (e.g., an IAB donor).

[0163] Refer to Figure 9 , in operation 911, the first BS may configure whether the (several) cells of the first radio network node support the access or handover of the mobile radio network node. In some instances, the first BS may be an IAB donor and the first radio network node may be an IAB node. In some instances, the first radio network node may be a stationary radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 4 (e.g., operation 411) may be applicable here.

[0164] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may include a CU and a DU coupled to the CU. The CU of the first BS may configure whether the (one or more) cells of the DU of the first BS support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

[0165] In operation 913, the first BS may execute an integration procedure with a first mobile radio network node via a first radio network node, wherein at least one cell of the first radio network node is configured to support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node, and the first radio network node is the parent node of the first mobile radio network node after the integration procedure. In some instances, the first mobile radio network node may be a mobile IAB node. For example, the description regarding Figure 4 (e.g., operation 415) may be applicable here.

[0166] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may perform at least one of the following: transmit first information regarding whether the (one or more) cells of the first radio network node support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node to a second BS; transmit second information regarding whether the (one or more) cells of the DU support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node to a second BS; receive third information regarding whether the (one or more) cells of a second radio network node support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node from the second BS, wherein the second radio network node is connected to the second BS; or receive fourth information regarding whether the (one or more) cells of the DU of the second BS support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node from the second BS. For example, the description regarding Figure 5 (e.g., operation 511) may be applicable here.

[0167] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the (one or more) cells of a BS (e.g., the first or second BS) may refer to the (one or more) cells of a radio network node served (or connected) by the BS or the (one or more) cells of the DU of the BS. For example, the (one or more) cells of the first radio network node and the (one or more) cells of the DU of the first BS are the cells of the first BS. For example, the (one or more) cells of the second radio network node and the (one or more) cells of the DU of the second BS are the cells of the second BS.

[0168] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of the (one or more) cells of the second BS that support the access or handover of a mobile radio network node to the first mobile radio network node, wherein the measurement configuration is based on the third information, the fourth information, or both. For example, the description regarding Figure 5 (e.g., operation 513) may be applicable here.

[0169] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a measurement report from a first mobile radio network node, where: all cells in the measurement report support handover of the mobile radio network node; or for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 517) may be applicable here.

[0170] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a handover request to the second BS to handover the first mobile radio network node. The first BS may receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, where the response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell of the handover request not supporting handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 521) may be applicable here.

[0171] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may perform at least one of the following: transmit first information to the second BS regarding whether one or more cells of the first BS are cells of the mobile radio network node; or receive second information from the second BS regarding whether one or more cells of the second BS are cells of the mobile radio network node. A cell being a cell of the mobile radio network node may mean that the cell belongs to the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 6 (e.g., operation 611) may be applicable here.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of one or more cells of the second BS, where the one or more cells are not cells of the mobile radio network node, to a second radio network node, where the measurement configuration is based on the second information. The second radio network node may or may not be the first radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 6 (e.g., operation 613) may be applicable here.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a measurement report from the second radio network node, where: all cells in the measurement report are not cells of the mobile radio network node; or for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 6 (e.g., operation 617) may be applicable here.

[0174] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a handover request to the second BS to handover the second radio network node; and receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, where the response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell of the handover request belonging to the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 6The description (e.g., operation 621) may apply here.

[0175] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may receive a first UL BAP configuration associated with a second DU of a third radio network node from a second BS, where the third radio network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS. For example, the description (e.g., operation 711) regarding Figure 7 may apply here.

[0176] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a second UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU to the third radio network node, and each entry of the second UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry is applicable to the first DU or the second DU (or to the first BS or the second BS). For example, the description (e.g., operation 713) regarding Figure 7 may apply here.

[0178] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a handover request to the second BS to hand over at least one UE served by the first mobile radio network node. For each of the at least one UE, the handover request indicates at least one of the following: whether the corresponding UE is on or around a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; or the handover priority of the corresponding UE, where the handover request is to hand over all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node. For example, the description (e.g., operation 811) regarding Figure 8 may apply here.

[0179] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a response to the handover request from the second BS. The response includes at least one of the following: a list of admitted UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority; or a list of rejected UEs among the at least one UE based on the handover priority. For example, the description (e.g., operation 813) regarding Figure 8 may apply here.

[0180] Those skilled in the art should understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the operation sequence in the exemplary procedure 900 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 900 may be eliminated or modified.

[0181] Figure 10Flowchart of an exemplary procedure 1000 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 10 the embodiment shown therein. The exemplary procedure 1000 may be executed by a BS (e.g., an IAB donor).

[0182] Referring to Figure 10 , in operation 1011, a second BS may receive a first handover request from a first BS to hand over at least one UE served by a first mobile radio network node. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request may indicate at least one of the following: whether the corresponding UE is on or around a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; the handover priority of the corresponding UE, where the first handover request is to hand over all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 8 (e.g., operation 811) may apply here.

[0183] In operation 1013, the second BS may transmit a first response to the first handover request to the first BS. For example, the description of Figure 8 (e.g., operation 813) may apply here.

[0184] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first response may include at least one of the following: a list of admitted UEs among the at least one UE based on handover priority; or a list of rejected UEs among the at least one UE based on handover priority.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may perform at least one of the following: receive from the first BS first information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the first radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, where the first radio network node is connected to the first BS; receive from the first BS second information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the DU of the first BS support access or handover of a mobile radio network node; transmit to the first BS third information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the second radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, where the second radio network node is connected to the second BS; or transmit to the first BS fourth information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the DU of the second BS support access or handover of a mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 511) may apply here.

[0186] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may: receive, from the first BS, a second handover request to handover a first mobile radio network node; and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, wherein the second response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell attributed to the second handover request not supporting the handover of the mobile radio network node. For example, the description (e.g., operation 521) regarding Figure 5 may be applicable herein.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may perform at least one of the following: receive, from the first BS, first information regarding whether one or more cells of the first BS are cells of the mobile radio network node; or transmit, to the first BS, second information regarding whether one or more cells of the second BS are cells of the mobile radio network node. For example, the description (e.g., operation 611) regarding Figure 6 may be applicable herein.

[0188] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may: receive, from the first BS, a second handover request to handover a radio network node from the first BS to a cell of the second BS; and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, wherein the second response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the cell of the second BS belonging to the mobile radio network node. For example, the description (e.g., operation 621) regarding Figure 6 may be applicable herein.

[0189] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may transmit, to the first BS, a UL BAP configuration associated with a second DU of the radio network node, wherein the radio network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS. For example, the description (e.g., operation 711) regarding Figure 7 may be applicable herein.

[0190] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1000 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 1000 may be eliminated or modified.

[0191] Figure 11 A flowchart of an exemplary procedure 1100 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. All the details described in all the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiments shown in Figure 11 . The exemplary procedure 1100 may be performed by a radio network node (e.g., an IAB node), which may be stationary or mobile.

[0192] Refer to Figure 11, in operation 1111, a wireless network node may receive from a first BS configuration information regarding whether one or more cells of the wireless network node support access or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of Figure 4 (e.g., operation 411) may be applicable here.

[0193] In operation 1113, the wireless network node may broadcast an indication that access or handover of a mobile wireless network node is supported in a cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access or handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of Figure 4 (e.g., operation 413) may be applicable here.

[0194] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node may receive from the first BS a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of one or more cells of a second BS, where the one or more cells are not cells of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of Figure 6 (e.g., operation 613) may be applicable here.

[0195] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS, where: all cells in the measurement report are not cells of the mobile wireless network node; or for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of Figure 6 (e.g., operation 617) may be applicable here.

[0196] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS. The wireless network node may receive from the first BS a UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU, and each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU. For example, the description of Figure 7 (e.g., operation 713) may be applicable here.

[0197] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be eliminated or modified.

[0198] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary procedure 1200 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to the Figure 12 embodiments shown therein. The exemplary procedure 1200 may be performed by a mobile wireless network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node).

[0199] Reference Figure 12 In operation 1211, a mobile radio network node may receive from a first BS a measurement configuration that configures measurements of (a) cell(s) of a second BS, where the (a) cell(s) support access or handover for the mobile radio network node. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 513) may apply here.

[0200] In operation 1213, the mobile radio network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 517) may apply here.

[0201] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile radio network node may include a first DU having a first F1 connection to a first BS. The mobile radio network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile radio network node and a second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. For example, the description of Figure 7 may apply here. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile radio network node may receive from the first BS a UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU, and where each entry of the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0202] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1200 may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 1200 may be eliminated or modified.

[0203] Figure 12A A flowchart of an exemplary procedure 1200A for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. All of the details described in all of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure apply to the embodiments shown in Figure 12A . The exemplary procedure 1200A may be performed by a mobile radio network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node).

[0204] Reference Figure 12A In operation 1221, a mobile radio network node may receive from a first BS a measurement configuration that configures measurements of (a) cell(s) of a second BS. For example, the description of Figure 5 (e.g., operation 513) may apply here.

[0205] In operation 1223, the mobile radio network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration. For example, the description of Figure 5The description (e.g., operation 517) may apply here. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, all cells in a measurement report support handover of a mobile radio network node; or for each cell in a measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node.

[0206] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile radio network node may include a first DU having a first F1 connection to a first BS. The mobile radio network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile radio network node and a second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. For example, the description regarding Figure 7 may apply here. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile radio network node may receive a UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU from the first BS, and each entry of the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0207] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1200A may be changed and some operations in the exemplary procedure 1200A may be eliminated or modified.

[0208] Figure 13 Block diagram illustrating an exemplary device 1300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0209] As Figure 13 shown, the device 1300 may include at least one processor 1306 and at least one transceiver 1302 coupled to the processor 1306. The device 1300 may be a radio network node (e.g., an IAB node), a BS (e.g., an IAB donor, an IAB donor-CU, or an IAB donor-DU), a DU of a BS, or a CU of a BS. In the case where the device 1300 is a BS, the device 1300 may further include a CU and at least one DU coupled to the CU. The CU and the DU may be co-located or separately located. The CU and the DU may be coupled to the processor 1306. In the case where the device 1300 is a radio network node (stationary or mobile), the device 1300 may further include an MT and a DU coupled to the MT. The MT and the DU may be coupled to the processor 1306.

[0210] Although in this figure, elements such as at least one transceiver 1302 and processor 1306 are described in the singular form, the plural form is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular form. In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1302 may be divided into two devices, such as a receiving circuit system and a transmitting circuit system. In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0211] In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may be a BS. The processor 1306 may interact with (several) other elements of the device 1300 (such as the transceiver 1302, DU or CU) to perform Figures 1 to 12A the operations described in Figures 1 to 12A for a BS, IAB donor, IAB donor-CU or IAB donor-DU. In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may be a wireless network node. The transceiver 1302 and the processor 1306 may interact with each other to perform

[0212] the operations described in

[0213] for a wireless network node or an IAB node (mobile or stationary). Figures 1 to 12A In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0214] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause the processor 1306 to implement the methods for a BS, IAB donor, IAB donor-CU or IAB donor-DU as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, they cause the processor 1306, which interacts with, for example, the transceiver 1302, to perform Figures 1 to 12A the operations described in

[0215] for a BS, IAB donor, IAB donor-CU or IAB donor-DU. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause the processor 1306 to implement the methods for a wireless network node or an IAB node (mobile or stationary) as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, they cause the processor 1306, which interacts with the transceiver 1302, to perform

[0216] Figures 1 to 12A the operations described in

[0215] One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the operations or steps of the methods described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations or steps of the methods may reside on a non-transitory computer-readable medium as one or any combination or collection of code and / or instructions, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0216] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of its specific embodiments, it will be apparent that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be obvious to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or replaced in other embodiments. Also, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by only employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0217] In this document, the terms "switching", "path switching", and "migration" may be used interchangeably. The term "includes", "including", or any other variant thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element preceded by "a", "an", or the like does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. Also, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the terms "having" and the like are defined as "including". For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of the words enumerated together with such expression. For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B, or both A and B. The terms "first", "second", or the like are used only to clearly distinguish the embodiments of the present application and not to limit the substance of the present application.

Claims

1. A first base station BS, comprising: A transceiver; And A processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: Configure whether (a) cell(s) of a first radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node; And Execute an integration procedure with a first mobile radio network node via the first radio network node, wherein at least one cell of the first radio network node is configured to support access or handover of a mobile radio network node, and the first radio network node is a parent node of the first mobile radio network node after the integration procedure.

2. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the first BS further comprises a central unit CU and a distributed unit DU coupled to the CU, both coupled to the processor, and wherein the CU is configured to configure whether (a) cell(s) of the DU support access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

3. The first BS according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transceiver is configured to perform at least one of the following: Transmit first information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the first radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node to a second BS; Transmit second information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the DU support access or handover of a mobile radio network node to the second BS; Receive third information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of a second radio network node support access or handover of a mobile radio network node from the second BS, wherein the second radio network node is connected to the second BS; Or Receive fourth information regarding whether (a) cell(s) of the DU of the second BS support access or handover of a mobile radio network node from the second BS.

4. The first BS according to claim 3, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a measurement configuration for configuring measurements of (a) cell(s) of the second BS that support access or handover of a mobile radio network node to the first mobile radio network node, wherein the measurement configuration is based on the third information, the fourth information, or both.

5. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a measurement report from the first mobile radio network node, wherein: All cells in the measurement report support handover of the mobile radio network node; Or For each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile radio network node.

6. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to: Transmit a handover request to handover the first mobile radio network node to a second BS; and Receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, wherein the response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell for the handover request not supporting handover of the mobile radio network node.

7. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to perform at least one of the following: Transmit first information regarding whether the cell(s) of the first BS are cells of a mobile radio network node to the second BS; or Receive second information regarding whether the cell(s) of the second BS are cells of a mobile radio network node from the second BS.

8. The first BS according to claim 7, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a measurement configuration for configuring measurements on the cell(s) of the second BS, which are not cells of a mobile radio network node, to a second radio network node, wherein the measurement configuration is based on the second information.

9. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a measurement report from a second radio network node, wherein: All the cells in the measurement report are not cells of a mobile radio network node; or For each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of a mobile radio network node.

10. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to: Transmit a handover request to hand over a second radio network node to the second BS; and Receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, wherein the response indicates a handover preparation failure due to the target cell attributable to the handover request belonging to a mobile radio network node.

11. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive a first uplink UL backhaul adaptation protocol BAP configuration associated with a second distributed unit DU of a third radio network node from the second BS, wherein the third radio network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

12. The first BS according to claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a second UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU to the third radio network node, and wherein each entry of the second UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry is to be applied to the first DU or the second DU.

13. The first BS according to claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit a handover request to hand over at least one user equipment UE served by the first mobile radio network node to the second BS, wherein for each of the at least one UE, the handover request indicates at least one of the following: The corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node or around the vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; or The handover priority of the corresponding UE, wherein the handover request is to hand over all the connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node.

14. A second base station BS, comprising: A processor; And A transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: Receive a first handover request from a first BS to handover at least one user equipment UE served by a first mobile radio network node, wherein for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request indicates at least one of the following: Whether the corresponding UE is on a vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node or around the vehicle installed by the first mobile radio network node; Or The handover priority of the corresponding UE, wherein the first handover request is to handover all connected UEs served by the first mobile radio network node; And Transmit a first response to the first handover request to the first BS.

15. A radio network node, comprising: A processor; And A transceiver coupled to the processor, wherein the transceiver is configured to: Receive configuration information from a first base station BS regarding whether a (number of) cell of the radio network node supports access or handover of a mobile radio network node; And Broadcast an indication that access or handover of a mobile radio network node is supported in the cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access or handover of a mobile radio network node.

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