Enhanced manipulation during complete migration between donors

Abstract

Enhanced operation during complete migration between donors is disclosed. The present invention relates to a network device, and particularly discloses a network device comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the processor is configured to perform one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, including enhanced operation during inter-donor full migration associated with mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs), commonly referred to within industry organizations as WLANs. ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to facilitate communication between RAN base stations (which may also sometimes be collectively referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices, known as user equipment (UEs). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RATs, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RATs or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements LTE RATs (sometimes referred to herein as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RATs (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RATs, 5G NR RATs, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RATs. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RATs.

[0005] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (often also denoted as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a gNodeB or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services with external entities through its connection to the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), while NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC). Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure relates to enhanced operation during complete migration between donors.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a network device is disclosed, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the processor is configured to: perform one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile IAB node. The one or more operations may include one or more of: determining whether a UE is co-loaded with the mobile IAB node; preventing the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to a source distribution unit (DU) of the mobile IAB node; or preventing the UE from performing a RAN-based notification area update (RNAU) operation.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a UE is disclosed, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the processor is configured to: perform one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile IAB node. The one or more operations may include one or more of the following: reporting information to a network device for determining whether the UE is co-carried with the mobile IAB node; avoiding performing cell reselection or cell selection to a source DU of the mobile IAB node; or avoiding performing RNAU operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces that element.

[0011] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 2 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 3An exemplary network environment according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 4 An exemplary network environment is illustrated in which migration of an IAB node occurs according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0015] 5A to 5D An exemplary network environment is illustrated in which a full inter-donor migration of an IAB node occurs according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0016] Figure 6 Exemplary methods performed in connection with an inter-donor full migration of a mobile IAB node in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein are illustrated.

[0017] Figure 7 An exemplary network environment is illustrated in which exemplary co-loaded UEs and non-co-loaded UEs are presented.

[0018] Figure 8 An exemplary method for determining whether a UE is co-carrying is illustrated.

[0019] Figure 9 An exemplary method for preventing a UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to go to a source DU is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Figure 1 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 100 according to the embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The description provided below is for an example wireless communication system 100 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard and / or the 5G or NR system standard provided in the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, wireless communication system 100 includes UE 102 and UE 104 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 102 and UE 104 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0022] UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 106. In an embodiment, RAN 106 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 102 and UE 104 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 108 and connection 110, respectively) with RAN 106, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 106 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 112 and base station 114, that implement connection 108 and connection 110.

[0023] In this example, connections 108 and 110 are the air interfaces that enable such communicative coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 106 , such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0024] In some embodiments, UE 102 and UE 104 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 116. UE 104 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 118) via connection 120. By way of example, connection 120 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection compliant with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 118 may include In this example, AP 118 may not be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) through CN 124.

[0025] In an embodiment, UE 102 and UE 104 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 112 and / or base station 114 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communication) or a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. An OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0026] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 112 or base station 114 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Additionally, or in other embodiments, base station 112 or base station 114 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 122. In embodiments where wireless communication system 100 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 124 is an EPC), interface 122 may be an X2 interface. This X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to an EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to an EPC. In embodiments where wireless communication system 100 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 124 is a 5GC), interface 122 may be an Xn interface. This Xn interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to a 5GC, between base station 112 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to a 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to a 5GC (e.g., CN 124).

[0027] The RAN 106 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the CN 124. The CN 124 may include one or more network elements 126 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 102 and users of UE 104) connected to the CN 124 via the RAN 106. The components of the CN 124 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices that include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0028] In an embodiment, CN 124 may be an EPC, and RAN 106 may be connected to CN 124 via an S1 interface 128. In an embodiment, S1 interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 112 or base station 114 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 112 or base station 114 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0029] In an embodiment, CN 124 may be a 5GC, and RAN 106 may be connected to CN 124 via an NG interface 128. In an embodiment, NG interface 128 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 112 or base station 114 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 112 or base station 114 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0030] Generally speaking, application server 130 may be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) that utilize Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with CN 124. Application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 102 and UE 104 via CN 124. Application server 130 may communicate with CN 124 via IP communication interface 132.

[0031] Figure 2 A system 200 is illustrated for performing signaling 234 between a wireless device 202 and a network device 218 according to embodiments disclosed herein. The system 200 can be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 202 can be, for example, a UE of the wireless communication system. The network device 218 can be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of the wireless communication system.

[0032] The wireless device 202 may include one or more processors 204. The processor 204 may execute instructions to perform various operations for the wireless device 202, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof, configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0033] The wireless device 202 may include a memory 206. The memory 206 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 208, which may include, for example, instructions to be executed by the processor 204. The instructions 208 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 206 may also store data used by the processor 204 and results computed by the processor.

[0034] The wireless device 202 may include one or more transceivers 210, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 212 of the wireless device 202 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the wireless device 202 and other devices (e.g., network device 218) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0035] The wireless device 202 may include one or more antennas 212 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For embodiments with multiple antennas 212, the wireless device 202 may take advantage of the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 212 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting device and the receiving device to implement this aspect). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 202 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 202, which multiplexes the data streams across the antennas 212 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) methods (where data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) methods (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0036] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 202 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of the signals transmitted by the antennas 212 are adjusted relative to each other so that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 212 can be steered (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0037] The wireless device 202 may include one or more interfaces 214. The interfaces 214 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 202. For example, the wireless device 202 (UE) may include interfaces 214, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, and buttons, to allow a user of the UE to provide input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuit components (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 210 / antenna 212 already described) that allow the UE to communicate with other devices, and may be configured according to known protocols (e.g., and etc.) to perform the operation.

[0038] The wireless device 202 may include a migration management module 216. The migration management module 216 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the migration management module 216 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 208 stored in the memory 206 and executed by the processor 204. In some examples, the migration management module 216 may be integrated within the processor 204 and / or the transceiver 210. For example, the migration management module 216 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 204 or the transceiver 210.

[0039] The migration management module 216 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 5A to 9 The migration management module 216 is configured to perform operations associated with the inter-donor full migration process on the UE side.

[0040] The network device 218 may include one or more processors 220. The processor 220 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the network device 218, as described herein. The processor 204 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0041] The network device 218 may include a memory 222. The memory 222 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 224 (which may include, for example, instructions to be executed by the processor 220). The instructions 224 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 222 may also store data used by the processor 220 and results calculated by the processor.

[0042] The network device 218 may include one or more transceivers 226, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 228 of the network device 218 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 234) to and / or from the network device 218 and other devices (e.g., wireless device 202) according to a corresponding RAT.

[0043] The network device 218 may include one or more antennas 228 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 228, the network device 218 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beamsteering, etc. as described.

[0044] The network device 218 may include one or more interfaces 230. The interfaces 230 may be used to provide input to or output from the network device 218. For example, the network device 218 (base station) may include an interface 230 comprised of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 226 / antenna 228 already described) that enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the base station or other equipment operatively connected to the base station.

[0045] The network device 218 may include a migration management module 232. The migration management module 232 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the migration management module 232 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 224 stored in the memory 222 and executed by the processor 220. In some examples, the migration management module 232 may be integrated within the processor 220 and / or the transceiver 226. For example, the migration management module 232 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 220 or the transceiver 226.

[0046] The migration management module 232 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 5A to 9 The migration management module 232 is configured to perform operations associated with the network-side inter-donor full migration process.

[0047] Figure 3 An exemplary network environment 300 according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated. The network environment 300 may include an IAB architecture comprising multiple RAN nodes. The RAN nodes are configured together to provide network access to various UEs.

[0048] In some embodiments, the RAN node of the network environment 300 may include an IAB donor 302. The IAB donor 302 may be coupled to a 3GPP fifth generation core network (5GC) 304. For example, the IAB donor 302 may be coupled to the 5GC 304 via a fiber backhaul.

[0049] In some embodiments, the IAB donor 302 may include a centralized unit (CU) 306 and one or more distributed units (DUs) 308. The CU 306 may be configured to process higher layer protocols for the IAB donor 302, such as radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence (PDCP), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer protocols. The DU 308 may be configured to process lower layer protocols for the IAB donor 302, such as radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer protocols.

[0050] In some embodiments, the IAB donor 302 may provide wireless backhaul to one or more IAB nodes (such as IAB node A 310, IAB node B 312, and IAB node C 314) in the network environment 300. Some of the IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node A 310 and IAB node B 312) may be directly coupled to the IAB donor 302 (more specifically, to the DU 308 of the IAB donor 302). Some of the IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node C 314) may be indirectly coupled to the IAB donor 302 via other IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node A 310) via one or more hops. IAB node A 310 may be referred to as the parent IAB node of IAB node C 314, which may provide wireless backhaul for IAB node C 314.

[0051] In some embodiments, each of the IAB nodes may include a mobile terminal (MT) and a DU. The MT of the IAB node may be used to connect the IAB node with an upstream (e.g., toward the 5GC 304) RAN node (such as the parent IAB node of the IAB node or the IAB donor 302). The MT may provide UE-like access functionality to the IAB node, so that the IAB node may appear to the upstream RAN node as a UE. The DU of the IAB node may be used to connect the IAB node with one or more downstream entities (such as one or more descendant IAB nodes or one or more UEs). The DU may establish an RLC channel to the UE or to the MT of the downstream IAB node. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown in FIG, DU A of IAB Node A 310 can be connected to downstream IAB Node C 314 and one or more UEs, DU B of IAB Node B 312 can be connected to one or more UEs, and DU C of IAB Node C 314 can be connected to one or more UEs. Each of the UEs can be served by a corresponding series of IAB nodes (to which it is connected), IAB donor 302, and ultimately 5GC 304. For example, a UE connected to IAB Node C 314 can be served by IAB Node C 314, IAB Node A 310, IAB donor 302, and ultimately 5GC 304. Another UE connected to IAB Node B 312 can be served by IAB Node B 312, IAB donor 302, and ultimately 5GC 304.

[0052] although Figure 3 A specific example of a network environment 300 is shown, but it will be readily understood that the arrangement of IAB nodes is not limited to this example. The number and hierarchy of IAB nodes may vary from one implementation to another. For example, although the network environment 300 is shown as having three IAB nodes A, B, and C, in other embodiments, the network environment 300 may include fewer or more IAB nodes. In other embodiments, the IAB nodes may be arranged in more than two levels. Furthermore, although Figure 3 The network environment 300 is illustrated as including a single IAB donor 302 having a single CU 306, but in other embodiments the network environment 300 may include more IAB donors such that one or more IAB nodes may migrate from one donor to another, as will be discussed in more detail below.

[0053] Figure 4 Illustrated is an exemplary network environment 400 in which migration of an IAB node occurs according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0054] In some embodiments, network environment 400 may include two IAB donors 402 and 404. Each of IAB donors 402 and 404 may be installed at a respective fixed location in the cell they serve. In some embodiments, IAB donors 402 and 404 may be connected to each other via one or more connections. In some embodiments, the one or more connections may include one or more wired connections so that IAB donors 402 and 404 can reliably communicate with each other.

[0055] In some embodiments, each of IAB donors 402 and 404 may be connected to one or more corresponding downstream IAB nodes. For example, IAB donor 402 may be connected to IAB node 414, and IAB donor 404 may be connected to IAB node 420. More specifically, donor DU 408 of IAB donor 402 may be connected to MT 416 of IAB node 414, and donor DU 412 of IAB donor 404 may be connected to MT 422 of IAB node 420. Although Figure 4 Each of IAB donors 402 and 404 is shown connected to one descendant IAB node, but it is readily understood that in other embodiments IAB donors 402 and 404 may be connected to more descendant IAB nodes.

[0056] In some embodiments, network environment 400 may further include one or more IAB nodes, such as IAB node 426. In some embodiments, IAB node 426 may be a mobile IAB node capable of moving within network environment 400. For example, IAB node 426 may not be installed in a fixed location. Instead, IAB node 426 may be configured as a mobile device within a cell. The mobility of mobile IAB node 426 may provide increased flexibility to network environment 400.

[0057] In some embodiments, the mobility of the IAB node 426 may allow the IAB node 426 to migrate from a source IAB donor to a target IAB donor, which is referred to herein as inter-donor migration. For example, the IAB node 426 may initially connect to the IAB donor 402 via the intermediate IAB node 414. At some point, the IAB node 426 may migrate from the IAB donor 402 to the IAB donor 404. The migration of the mobile IAB node 426 may be triggered by various factors, including but not limited to a radio link failure (RLF) associated with the IAB node 426 or one of its parent IAB nodes, or a handover (HO) process associated with the IAB node 426.

[0058] In some embodiments, inter-donor migration may include an inter-donor partial migration. Under an inter-donor partial migration, the mobile information transport (MT) of the migrating IAB node may migrate from the parent IAB node under the CU of the source IAB donor to the parent IAB node under the CU of the target IAB donor, while the collocated DUs of the migrating IAB node and its descendant IAB nodes maintain F1 connectivity with the CU of the source IAB donor. For example, if IAB node 426 performs an inter-donor partial migration between source IAB donor 402 and target IAB donor 404, the mobile information transport (MT) 428 of migrating IAB node 426 will migrate from source parent IAB node 414 to target parent IAB node 420, while the DUs 430 of migrating IAB node 426 maintain F1 connectivity with the CU 406 of the source IAB donor 402. If migrating IAB node 426 has one or more descendant IAB nodes, the DUs of those descendant IAB nodes will also maintain F1 connectivity with the CU 406 of the source IAB donor 402. After the inter-donor partial migration, the DU 430 of the migrating IAB node 426 and its descendant IAB nodes will be routed via the BAP layer of the topology to which the MT 428 of the migrating IAB node 426 has been migrated. Due to the inter-donor partial migration, the DU 430 of the migrating IAB node 426 does not change after the migration (e.g., it is still served by the donor CU1 406 of the IAB donor 402). Therefore, its descendant IAB nodes and associated UEs do not need to perform a migration or handover process.

[0059] In other embodiments, inter-donor migration may include inter-donor full migration. Inter-donor full migration may cause both the MT and DU of the migrating IAB node and its descendant IAB nodes to migrate from the parent IAB node under the CU of the source IAB donor to the parent IAB node under the CU of the target IAB donor. The collocated DUs of the migrating IAB node and its descendant IAB nodes will not retain F1 connectivity with the CU of the source IAB donor, which is different from inter-donor partial migration. Generally speaking, the first stage of inter-donor full migration may be the same as inter-donor partial migration. In the second stage thereafter, the DUs of the migrating IAB node may additionally be switched to the new donor CU instead of maintaining connectivity with the old donor CU. During this stage, the UE moving with such DUs will perform a handover process to also switch from the old donor CU to the new donor CU.

[0060] 5A to 5DAn exemplary network environment 500 is illustrated in which a complete inter-donor migration of an IAB node occurs according to the embodiments disclosed herein. In network environment 500, a mobile IAB node 514 is migrating from a source IAB donor 502 to a target IAB donor 504. Therefore, mobile IAB node 514 is referred to as a migration IAB node. For clarity, network environment 500 is simplified compared to network environment 400. Specifically, migration IAB node 514 is shown as being directly connected to source IAB donor 502 (and, after migration, also connected to target IAB donor 504) without any intermediary IAB nodes. Furthermore, for clarity, only one UE 518 is shown. It will be readily understood that this embodiment is for illustration only and not limitation. The same principles can be applied to other embodiments, such as those in which multiple UEs and / or intermediary IAB nodes are provided between the migration IAB node and the IAB donor.

[0061] like Figure 5A As shown in , UE 518 associated with migration IAB node 514 may initially connect to source IAB donor via a communication path shown as a bold line. IAB node 514 is connected to donor DU1 508 of IAB donor 502. Donor DU1 508 is connected to donor CU1 of IAB donor 502.

[0062] When the inter-donor full migration of the IAB node 514 begins, the source DU 516, which may be implemented in the migrating IAB node 514, may connect to the donor DU2 512 of the IAB donor 504. At the same time, the source DU 516 may maintain connectivity with the donor CU1 of the IAB donor 502. The UE 518 is connected to the source DU 516 of the IAB node 514. The communication path between the UE 518 and its serving donor CU (i.e., donor CU1 506) is shown as a thick line.

[0063] Thereafter, the migration IAB node 514 may continue to perform the migration from the old donor CU1 506 to the new donor CU2 510. To this end, the migration IAB node 514 may establish a new DU 520 as a target DU. The target DU 520 may be connected to the donor CU2 510 of the IAB donor 504 via the donor DU2 512, as shown in FIG. Figure 5C. The target DU 520 may be logically distinct from the source DU 516, although both DUs may be implemented by the IAB node 514. For example, the target DU 520 may be associated with a new cell B, which, from the UE's perspective, may be a different physical cell than the cell A associated with the source DU 516. For example, cell B may be assigned a physical cell identifier (PCI) or cell ID that is different from that of cell A (even if the same carrier is employed for both cells). Additionally, the two separate logical DU cells (e.g., cell A and cell B) may use separate physical resources, such as different carriers, or orthogonal time and frequency resources of the same carrier. Figure 5C , the previous communication path association with the source DU 516 is shown with a dashed bold line.

[0064] exist Figure 5D In the steps shown in FIG, source DU 516 may be released by IAB node 514 after migration because it is no longer useful. Target DU 520, connected to new donor CU2 510, may serve as the active DU for migrating IAB node 514. For UE 518, a handover process from cell A to cell B may be performed, allowing UE 518 to switch from source DU 516 to target DU 520.

[0065] During a full inter-donor migration of an IAB node, one or more enhancements may be desirable. For example, it may be desirable to determine the UE type (e.g., co-carrier or non-co-carrier) and employ different operations based on the UE type. Additionally, during cell selection or reselection, it may be desirable to prevent the UE from selecting the (to-be-released) source DU of the mobile IAB node. Furthermore, during a full inter-donor migration of an IAB node, certain conventional operations during a normal handover process may be omitted.

[0066] Figure 6 Illustrated is an example method 600 performed in connection with an inter-donor full migration of a mobile IAB node in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein.

[0067] Method 600 may include step 602 of performing one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile IAB node. In some embodiments, method 600 may be performed by a network device associated with the mobile IAB node. In this case, the one or more operations may include one or more of the following: determining whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node; avoiding the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU of the mobile IAB node; or avoiding the UE from performing an RNAU operation. In other embodiments, method 600 may be performed by a UE associated with the mobile IAB node. In this case, the one or more operations may include one or more of the following: reporting information to a network device for determining whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node; avoiding performing cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU of the mobile IAB node; or avoiding performing an RNAU operation. The one or more operations may include one or more aspects discussed in more detail below.

[0068] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more operations may include determining whether the UE is co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node. If the mobility of the UE is similar to the mobility of the mobile IAB node, the UE may be considered to be co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node. In other words, a co-loaded UE may generally move with the mobile IAB. For example, if both the UE and the mobile IAB node are on the same vehicle, the UE and the mobile IAB node may exhibit similar mobility. In this way, the UE may be determined to be co-loaded with the mobile IAB node. Otherwise, if the mobility of the UE is different from the mobility of the mobile IAB node to a certain extent, the UE may be considered not to be co-loaded (or non-co-loaded) with respect to the mobile IAB node.

[0069] Figure 7An exemplary network environment 700 is illustrated, in which exemplary co-carried UEs and non-co-carried UEs are presented. In network environment 700, mobile IAB node 514 may be implemented on a bus and therefore travel with the bus. In this scenario, UEs 518a and 518b, also on the same bus, may have the same mobility as mobile IAB node 514. Therefore, UEs 518a and 518b may be considered co-carried with respect to mobile IAB node 514. In contrast, UE 518c may be maintained by a user outside the bus and may not have similar mobility as mobile IAB node 514. Therefore, UE 518c may be considered a non-co-carried UE with respect to mobile IAB node 514 (even though UE 518c may be temporarily connected to mobile IAB node 514, for example, when a bus is temporarily parked near UE 518c). It should be understood that network environment 700 is merely exemplary. Other scenarios exist in which UEs may be classified as co-carried UEs and non-co-carried UEs with respect to a particular mobile IAB node.

[0070] Figure 8 An exemplary method 800 for determining whether a UE is co-carrying is illustrated. The method 800 may be performed by a network device. Although the method 800 is described on the network device side, those skilled in the art will readily understand the corresponding method that may be performed on the UE side.

[0071] Method 800 may begin at step 802, where a network device is configured to collect information from a UE for use in determining whether the UE is co-carried with a mobile IAB node. Thereafter, method 800 may proceed to step 804, where the network device is configured to determine whether the UE is co-carried with a mobile IAB node based on the collected information.

[0072] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a network device may collect various types of information for determining whether a UE is co-loaded. In some embodiments, the collected information may be a status report associated with the co-load status of the UE. Specifically, the UE may be configured to send a status report associated with the co-load status of the UE to the network device, the status report indicating whether the UE is co-loaded relative to the mobile IAB node. In an alternative embodiment, the collected information may be the moving speed and direction of the UE, which may be used to determine the mobility of the UE relative to the mobile IAB node. In yet other embodiments, other types of information that can be used to determine the mobility of the UE may be collected, but are not limited thereto.

[0073] The UE may be configured to send information in various ways. Preferably, the information may be sent via an RRC message. Other types of signaling may also be used without limitation.

[0074] The sending of information may be triggered in response to various events. In embodiments where the information comprises a status report of the UE, the status report may be sent by the UE in response to a request from a network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, the UE may send a status report in response to a change in the UE's co-carrying state. Specifically, when the UE enters the co-carrying state, the UE may send a status report to indicate that the UE is now co-carrying. Furthermore, when the UE leaves the co-carrying state, the UE may send a status report to indicate that the UE is no longer co-carrying.

[0076] Alternatively or additionally, the UE may periodically send its status report to the network device. For example, the UE may send its status report (co-carrier or non-co-carrier) in response to the expiration of a configured timer associated with the UE. In some cases, the configured timer may be periodic. The periodic timer may be configured by the network device for the UE.

[0077] Alternatively or additionally, the status report may be sent by the UE in response to determining that the UE has camped on a cell associated with a mobile IAB node for a configured period of time. In this case, if the UE has camped on the cell for a sufficient period of time, the UE may consider itself to be co-carriered with the mobile IAB node. This applies to all types of UEs, but is particularly preferred for UEs in an idle or inactive state. Therefore, the UE may send its status report to the network device. The configured period of time may be specified by the network device. In some cases, a specific timer may be implemented on the UE to determine the expiration of the configured period of time.

[0078] In alternative embodiments where the transmitted information includes the UE's speed and direction of movement, the transmission of the speed and direction of movement may be triggered in response to various events.

[0079] In some embodiments, the movement speed and direction may be sent by the UE in response to a request from a network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0080] Alternatively or additionally, the UE may periodically send its movement speed and direction to the network device. For example, the UE may send its movement speed and direction in response to the expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE. The periodic timer may be configured by the network device for the UE.

[0081] Alternatively or additionally, the UE may conditionally send its speed and direction of movement to the network device. For example, the UE may send the speed and direction of movement in response to determining that the UE's speed and direction of movement have satisfied one or more configured conditions. In some cases, the one or more configured conditions may specify a speed threshold and / or a movement angle range. If the UE's speed of movement is not within a specified speed threshold, and / or if the movement direction is not within a specified angle range, the UE may be triggered to report its speed and direction of movement to the network device. Other configured conditions may also be applicable without limitation. One or more configured conditions may be specified for the UE by the network device.

[0082] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a network device may determine whether a UE is co-carried with a mobile IAB node based on collected information. In embodiments where the collected information includes a UE status report, the network device may directly extract the UE status from the received status report. In embodiments where the collected information includes the UE's movement speed and direction, the network device may determine whether the UE is co-carried with a mobile IAB based on the movement speed and direction. For example, if the UE's movement speed and direction are substantially consistent with the movement speed and direction of the mobile IAB node, the network device may determine that the UE is co-carried. Other techniques may also be applicable without limitation.

[0083] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a network device may perform one or more actions based on a result of determining whether a UE is co-carried. Different operations may be performed for a determined co-carried UE or a determined non-co-carried UE. For example, in response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to a mobile IAB node, the network device may configure the UE to perform a conditional handover (CHO) procedure or a RACH-free handover procedure during an inter-donor full migration. Otherwise, in response to determining that the UE is not co-carried with respect to a mobile IAB node, the network device may not configure the UE to perform a conditional handover procedure or a RACH-free handover procedure during an inter-donor full migration.

[0084] According to alternative or additional embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more operations related to the inter-donor complete migration performed in step 602 of method 600 may further include preventing one or more UEs from performing cell reselection or cell selection to a source DU that will be released after the inter-donor complete migration. Figure 5D As discussed in

[15] , after the inter-donor full migration is completed, the source DU of the mobile IAB node is released. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a UE in an idle / inactive state is prevented from performing cell reselection (e.g., for RRC establishment or resumption) on the source DU. In addition, a UE in a connected state is prevented from performing cell selection (e.g., for RRC reestablishment) on the source DU.

[0085] Figure 9 An exemplary method 900 for avoiding a UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection and going to a source DU is illustrated. The method 900 may be performed by a UE. Although the method 900 is described on the UE side, those skilled in the art will readily understand the corresponding method that may be performed on the network device side.

[0086] Method 900 may begin at step 902, where the UE is configured to receive information from a source DU. Thereafter, method 900 may proceed to step 904, where the UE is configured to avoid performing cell reselection or cell selection on the source DU based on the received information.

[0087] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the information received in step 902 may be an indication sent by the source DU. The indication may be sent after the source DU has sent a handover (HO) command or a conditional handover (CHO) command during a full migration between donors. The indication may be used to indicate the connection with the source DU (e.g., 5A to 5D The source DU 516 in the example of 5A to 5D The cell A in the example of FIG is not available for cell selection or reselection. This indication can be implemented in various ways.

[0088] In one embodiment, this indication can be implemented as a barring bit in a master information block (MIB) associated with the source DU. In this case, after the source DU has successfully sent a HO command or a CHO command, the source DU can set its barring bit in the MIB, thereby rejecting all of its resident UEs and upcoming idle UEs or inactive UEs. The barring bit can be, for example, a cellBarred field in the MIB. Upon receiving such a set barring bit in the MIB associated with the source DU, the UE may not select the cell associated with the source DU for cell selection or reselection.

[0089] In an alternative embodiment, the indication may be implemented as a reserved bit in a system information block (SIB) associated with the source DU. In this case, after the source DU has successfully sent a HO command or a CHO command, the source DU may set a reserved bit in the SIB to reject its camped UEs and upcoming idle UEs or inactive UEs. The reserved bit may be, for example, a cellReservationForOtherUse field or a cellReservationForFutureUse field in the SIB. Upon receiving such a set reserved bit in the SIB associated with the source DU, the UE may not select the cell associated with the source DU for cell selection or reselection.

[0090] According to an alternative embodiment disclosed herein, the information received in step 902 may be a notification to perform a full inter-donor migration. Specifically, the source DU may first notify the UE to perform a full inter-donor migration. Assuming that some of the UEs may be in an idle or inactive state, the notification to perform a full inter-donor migration may be sent via paging, short messages, or group common downlink control information (e.g., extended DCI 2-7). Upon receiving the notification, the UE may perform one or more actions to avoid cell selection or reselection of the source DU. In one example, the UE may consider the source DU as a candidate cell with a relatively low (e.g., lowest) priority during cell reselection or cell selection. Therefore, the source DU is less likely to be selected during cell reselection or cell selection. In another example, the UE may suspend mobility operations until the migration of the MT and DU of the mobile IAB is complete. Other actions are also applicable. One or more actions may be performed until the full migration is completed (e.g., a change in the PCI / cell ID of the serving cell has been detected).

[0091] According to an alternative embodiment disclosed herein, the source DU may perform one or more adjustments on itself to force the UE to leave / avoid the source DU, rather than explicitly sending information to the UE at step 902. For example, after the source DU has successfully sent a HO command or a CHO command, the source DU may reduce its transmit power to a certain low level. Upon detecting the reduced transmit power associated with the source DU, all of its camped UEs may automatically leave the source DU, and incoming idle / inactive UEs will not select the source DU for camping.

[0092] According to alternative or additional embodiments disclosed herein, the one or more operations related to the inter-donor full migration performed in step 602 of method 600 may further include preventing the UE from performing a RAN-based Notification Area Update (RNAU) operation after the inter-donor full migration.

[0093] In some scenarios, RNAU operations after migration may be unnecessary. In a full migration between donors, the source CU and the target CU may be in the same RNA region. This makes RNAU operations unnecessary. Conventionally, a cell ID list is used for RNA region configuration. The target CU may use a new cell ID that is unknown to the UE, which may trigger unnecessary RNAU operations. In other scenarios, RNAU operations after migration may cause RACH conflicts. For example, if the target CU and the source CU are in different RNA regions, simultaneous RNAUs may occur and cause RACH conflicts. It is expected to avoid these RNAU operations for full migration between donors.

[0094] In accordance with the present disclosure, various embodiments may be implemented to provide enhancements related to RNAU operation during full migration between donors.

[0095] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a reserved list of cell IDs may be used to indicate that RNAU operation may be omitted. Specifically, in the case of a full inter-donor migration, the network device may configure the target CU to assign a specific cell ID to the target DU of the mobile IAB node, where the specific cell ID is selected only from the reserved list. Each cell ID in the reserved list may be preconfigured to not trigger RNAU operation. The reserved list may be preconfigured and known to both the UE and the network device. For example, the reserved list may be preconfigured in the UE's subscription, or the reserved list may be configured when the UE is in a connected state. During a full inter-donor migration (e.g., a handover process or a conditional handover process), the UE may receive a specific cell ID assigned to the target DU of the mobile IAB mode. The UE may determine whether the specific cell ID is in the reserved list. In response to determining that the specific cell ID is in the reserved list, the UE may determine not to trigger RNAU operation, regardless of whether the specific cell ID is in the current RNA cell list.

[0096] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a source CU may perform group UE context relocation on behalf of a UE (e.g., an inactive UE). The source CU of a mobile IAB node may implement a source DU and a target DU during an inter-donor full migration. The stored UE context for each UE may be forwarded to the target CU. Specifically, in the case of an inter-donor full migration, the source CU may forward all UE contexts of its inactive UEs to the target CU on behalf of the UE via signaling between network devices (e.g., gNB signaling). In this scenario, several methods may be implemented to avoid triggering RNAU operations after the migration, thereby avoiding RACH conflicts as described above.

[0097] In one embodiment, the UE may determine to suspend its RNAU operation based on the UE's status. Specifically, the UE may determine whether the UE is co-carrier with respect to the mobile IAB mode. In response to determining that the UE is co-carrier with respect to the mobile IAB mode, the UE may determine not to trigger RNAU operation after migration.

[0098] In another optional embodiment, the target DU may be configured to notify the UE not to trigger RNAU operation. In response to receiving the notification, the UE may determine not to trigger RNAU operation. In some cases, the notification may be sent via paging, short message, or group common downlink control information (e.g., extended DCI 2-7).

[0099] In yet another optional embodiment, as described above, a reserved list of PCI / cell IDs may be used to avoid RNAU operations.

[0100] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a new RAN Region Information Element (IE) may be introduced to address the RNAU issue. This is particularly applicable in scenarios where an inactive UE can determine whether it is co-carried. It can be assumed that the RNA region of the co-carried inactive UE is the same as the mobile IAB node to which it is connected. In this case, the network device may send the RAN Region IE in the SIB associated with the target DU of the mobile IAB node. The RAN Region IE in the SIB may be the same as the RAN Region configuration stored by the target DU of the mobile IAB node. The UE may be configured to receive the RAN Region IE in the SIB associated with the target DU. The UE may also determine whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode. In response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode, the UE may update the UE's stored RNA Region configuration based on the received RAN Region IE and without RNAU operation. Specifically, after camping on the co-carried UE, the UE may first read the RAN Region IE associated with the target cell. The UE may then replace the old RAN Region IE in its stored RNA Region configuration with the new RAN Region IE read from the RAN Region IE. This process does not require conventional RNAU operation. In this way, both unnecessary RNAU operations and RNAU operations that may cause RACH conflicts may be resolved.

[0101] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of methods 600, 800, and / or 900 described herein. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein) or an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0102] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of methods 600, 800, and / or 900. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as the memory 206 of the wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein) or a memory of a base station (such as the network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0103] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of methods 600, 800, and / or 900. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein) or an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0104] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of methods 600, 800, and / or 900. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein) or an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0105] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of methods 600 , 800 , and / or 900 .

[0106] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of methods 600, 800, and / or 900. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as processor 204 of wireless device 202 (UE), as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in a processor and / or in a memory of a UE (such as memory 206 of wireless device 202 as a UE, as described herein) or a memory of a base station (such as network device 218 as a base station, as described herein).

[0107] Disclosed herein are at least the following embodiments.

[0108] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a network device is disclosed, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the processor is configured to: perform one or more operations related to inter-donor full migration, wherein the inter-donor full migration is associated with a mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, wherein the one or more operations include one or more of the following: determining whether a user equipment (UE) is co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node; preventing the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection on a source distribution unit (DU) of the mobile IAB node; or preventing the UE from performing a RAN-based notification area update (RNAU) operation.

[0109] In some of the embodiments, the processor is configured to determine whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node by at least receiving a status report associated with a co-carrying status of the UE from the UE.

[0110] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the status report is received in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; a status change of the co-carrying status of the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or a determination that the UE has been camped on a cell associated with the mobile IAB node for a configured time period.

[0111] In some embodiments of the scheme, the processor is configured to determine whether the UE is co-carried relative to the mobile IAB node by at least: receiving the moving speed and direction of the UE; and determining whether the UE is co-carried relative to the mobile IAB node based at least on the received moving speed and direction of the UE.

[0112] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the movement speed and direction of the UE are received in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; the expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or a determination that the movement speed and direction of the UE have satisfied one or more configured conditions.

[0113] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is further configured to: in response to determining that the UE is co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node, configure the UE to perform a conditional handover procedure or a RACH-free handover procedure during the inter-donor full migration; and in response to determining that the UE is not co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node, not configure the UE to perform the conditional handover procedure or the RACH-free handover procedure during the inter-donor full migration.

[0114] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection on the source DU by at least one of: setting a prohibit bit in a master information block (MIB) associated with the source DU to reject resident UEs and upcoming idle UEs or inactive UEs; setting a reserved bit in a system information block (SIB) associated with the source DU to reject resident UEs and upcoming idle UEs or inactive UEs; and / or reducing the transmit power associated with the source DU.

[0115] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection on the source DU by at least the following: the source DU notifies the UE to perform the inter-donor full migration through one of paging, short message or group downlink control information (DCI).

[0116] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least assigning a specific cell ID to a target DU of the mobile IAB node, wherein the specific cell ID is selected from a reserved list, and wherein each cell ID in the reserved list is preconfigured to not trigger the RNAU operation.

[0117] In some of the embodiments, the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least configuring a target DU of the mobile IAB node to notify the UE not to trigger the RNAU operation.

[0118] In some embodiments of the embodiment, a source centralized unit (CU) of the mobile IAB node implements the source DU and the target DU during the inter-donor full migration, and wherein the one or more operations include at least forwarding the stored UE context of each UE to the target CU.

[0119] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to avoid the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least sending a RAN region information element in a system information block (SIB) associated with a target DU of the mobile IAB node, wherein the RAN region information element is used by the UE to update the stored RNA region configuration of the UE without the RNAU operation.

[0120] In some of the embodiments, the RAN region information element in the SIB is the same as the RAN region configuration stored by the target DU of the mobile IAB node.

[0121] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a UE is disclosed, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio component coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio component; wherein the processor is configured to: perform one or more operations related to inter-donor full migration, wherein the inter-donor full migration is associated with a mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, wherein the one or more operations include one or more of the following: reporting information to a network device for determining whether the UE is co-loaded with respect to the mobile IAB node; avoiding performing cell reselection or cell selection on a source distribution unit (DU) of the mobile IAB node; or avoiding performing a RAN-based notification area update (RNAU) operation.

[0122] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to report the information by at least sending a status report associated with the co-carrying status of the UE to a network device, the status report indicating whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node.

[0123] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the status report is sent in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; a status change of the co-carrying status of the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or a determination that the UE has been camped on a cell associated with the mobile IAB node for a configured time period.

[0124] In some of the embodiments, the processor is configured to report the information by at least sending a moving speed and direction of the UE to a network device for determining whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node.

[0125] In some embodiments of the scheme, the moving speed and direction of the UE are sent in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; the expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or a determination that the moving speed and direction of the UE have satisfied one or more configured conditions.

[0126] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to avoid cell reselection or cell selection of the source DU based on at least one of: receiving a set prohibit bit in a master information block (MIB) associated with the source DU; receiving a set reserved bit in a system information block (SIB) associated with the source DU; and / or detecting a reduced transmit power associated with the source DU.

[0127] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to avoid cell reselection or cell selection of the source DU by at least: receiving a notification from the source DU to perform the inter-donor full migration; after receiving the notification, performing at least one of the following: during cell reselection or cell selection, treating the source DU as a candidate cell with the lowest priority; or suspending mobility operations until the migration of the mobile terminal (MT) and DU of the mobile IAB has been completed.

[0128] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: receiving a specific cell ID assigned to a target distributed unit (DU) of the mobile IAB mode; and in response to determining that the specific cell ID is within a reserved list, determining not to trigger the RNAU operation.

[0129] In some of the embodiments, the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: determining not to trigger the RNAU operation in response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode.

[0130] In some of the embodiments, the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: receiving a notification from a target DU of the mobile IAB mode; and determining not to trigger the RNAU operation in response to receiving the notification.

[0131] In some embodiments of the embodiment, the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode; receiving a RAN region information element in a system information block (SIB) associated with a target DU of the mobile IAB node; and in response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode, updating the stored RNA region configuration of the UE based on the RAN region information element and without the RNAU operation.

[0132] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a computer-readable medium is disclosed, the computer-readable medium comprising a computer program, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of any one of the above embodiments.

[0133] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a computer program product is disclosed, the computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of any one of the above embodiments.

[0134] According to embodiments disclosed herein, an apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus comprising means for performing the steps of any of the above embodiments.

[0135] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, or the like as described above in conjunction with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0136] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible or can be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0137] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic for performing the operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0138] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments can be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of one embodiment may be used in conjunction with another embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in relation to one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment unless expressly stated otherwise herein.

[0139] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0140] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for purposes of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the processes and the apparatus described herein. The embodiments of the present invention are therefore to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the description is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the processor is configured to: performing one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node; The one or more operations include one or more of the following: determining whether a user equipment (UE) is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node; Preventing the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to a source distribution unit (DU) of the mobile IAB node; or The UE is prevented from performing a RAN-based Notification Area Update (RNAU) operation.

2. The network device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node by at least: A status report associated with a co-carrier status of the UE is received from the UE.

3. The network device of claim 2 , wherein the status report is received in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; A state change of the co-carrying state of the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or determining that the UE has camped on a cell associated with the mobile IAB node for a configured period of time.

4. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node by at least: receiving a moving speed and direction of the UE; and Whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node is determined based at least on the received moving speed and direction of the UE.

5. The network device of claim 4 , wherein the movement speed and direction of the UE are received in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or determining that the movement speed and direction of the UE has satisfied one or more configured conditions.

6. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: In response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node, configuring the UE to perform a conditional handover procedure or a RACH-less handover procedure during the inter-donor full migration; and In response to determining that the UE is not co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node, the UE is not configured to perform the conditional handover procedure or the RACH-less handover procedure during the inter-donor full migration.

7. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU by at least one of: Setting a prohibit bit in a master information block (MIB) associated with the source DU to reject camped UEs and incoming idle UEs or inactive UEs; Setting a reserved bit in a system information block (SIB) associated with the source DU to reject camped UEs and upcoming idle UEs or inactive UEs; and / or reducing the transmit power associated with the source DU.

8. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU by at least: The source DU notifies the UE to perform the inter-donor complete migration through one of paging, short message, or group downlink control information (DCI).

9. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least: A specific cell ID is assigned to a target DU of the mobile IAB node, wherein the specific cell ID is selected from a reserved list, and wherein each cell ID in the reserved list is preconfigured to not trigger the RNAU operation.

10. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least: The target DU of the mobile IAB node is configured to notify the UE not to trigger the RNAU operation.

11. The network device of claim 10 , wherein a source centralized unit (CU) of the mobile IAB node implements the source DU and the target DU during the inter-donor full migration, and wherein the one or more operations include at least: The stored UE context of each UE is forwarded to the target CU.

12. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to prevent the UE from performing the RNAU operation by at least: A RAN region information element is sent in a system information block (SIB) associated with a target DU of the mobile IAB node, wherein the RAN region information element is used by the UE to update a stored RNA region configuration of the UE without operation of the RNAU.

13. The network device according to claim 12, wherein the RAN region information element in the SIB is the same as a RAN region configuration stored by the target DU of the mobile IAB node.

14. A user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one antenna; at least one radio coupled to the at least one antenna; and a processor coupled to the at least one radio; wherein the processor is configured to: performing one or more operations related to an inter-donor full migration associated with a mobile integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node; The one or more operations include one or more of the following: reporting information to a network device for determining whether the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB node; Avoid performing cell reselection or cell selection to a source distribution unit (DU) of the mobile IAB node; or Avoid performing RAN-based Notified Area Update (RNAU) operations.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to report the information at least by: A status report associated with a co-carrying status of the UE is sent to the network device, the status report indicating whether the UE is co-carrying with respect to the mobile IAB node.

16. The UE of claim 15 , wherein the status report is sent in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; a state change of the co-carrying state of the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or determining that the UE has camped on a cell associated with the mobile IAB node for a configured period of time.

17. The UE according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to report the information at least by: Sending the moving speed and direction of the UE to the network device.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the moving speed and direction of the UE are sent in response to at least one of: a request sent from the network device to the UE; expiration of a configured periodic timer associated with the UE; and / or determining that the movement speed and direction of the UE has satisfied one or more configured conditions.

19. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU based on at least one of: receiving a set inhibit bit in a master information block (MIB) associated with the source DU; Receiving a set reserved bit in a system information block (SIB) associated with the source DU; and / or A reduced transmit power associated with the source DU is detected.

20. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid cell reselection or cell selection to go to the source DU by at least: receiving a notification from the source DU to perform the inter-donor full migration; After receiving the notification, perform at least one of the following: During cell reselection or cell selection, considering the source DU as the candidate cell with the lowest priority; or Mobility operations are suspended until the migration of the mobile terminal (MT) and DU of the mobile IAB has been completed.

21. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: receiving a specific cell ID assigned to a target DU in mobile IAB mode; and In response to determining that the specific cell ID is in the reserved list, determining not to trigger the RNAU operation.

22. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: In response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode, determining not to trigger the RNAU operation.

23. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: receiving a notification from a target DU of the mobile IAB mode; and In response to receiving the notification, it is determined not to trigger the RNAU operation.

24. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to avoid performing the RNAU operation by at least: Determining that the UE is co-loaded with the mobile IAB node; receiving a RAN region information element in a system information block (SIB) associated with the target DU of the mobile IAB node; In response to determining that the UE is co-carried with respect to the mobile IAB mode, updating a stored RNA region configuration of the UE based on the RAN region information element and without operation of the RNAU.

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