Mobility management for handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. In some aspects, a network node may receive navigation information associated with a user equipment (UE). The network node may send an indication to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) based at least in part on the navigation information and the handover boundary. Numerous other aspects are described.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. 18 / 296,869, filed April 6, 2023, entitled "MOBILITY MANAGEMENT FORHANDOVERS BETWEEN A TERRESTRIAL NETWORK AND A NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORK", which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] All aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless communication in general, and to techniques and apparatus for mobility management for handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access technologies that enable communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a collection of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0005] A wireless network may include one or more network nodes that support communication for wireless communication devices, such as user equipment (UE) or multiple UEs. UEs may communicate with network nodes via downlink and uplink communication. "Downlink" (or "DL") refers to the communication link from the network node to the UE, and "uplink" (or "UL") refers to the communication link from the UE to the network node. Some wireless networks may support device-to-device communication, such as via local links (e.g., sidelinks (SL), wireless local area network (WLAN) links, and / or wireless personal area network (WPAN) links, etc.).

[0006] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide common protocols that enable different UEs to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and / or global level. New Radio (NR), which can be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink, CP- OFDM and / or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s- OFDM) on the uplink, support for half-duplex operation, and support for beamforming. Improvements to LTE and other radio access technologies can also be considered. For example, LTE can be improved to support new spectrum and air interface designs, to improve spectral efficiency, to introduce beamforming or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, to introduce network energy savings, to improve connectivity for machine type communications or other SUMMARY

[0007] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a network node. The method can include receiving navigation information associated with a user equipment (UE). The method can include transmitting an indication to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) for the UE based at least in part on the navigation information and a handover boundary.

[0008] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication at a network node. The apparatus can include a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The one or more processors can be configured to cause the network node to receive navigation information associated with a UE. The one or more processors can be configured to cause the network node to transmit an indication to perform a handover between a TN and a NTN for the UE based at least in part on the navigation information and a handover boundary.

[0009] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication by a network node. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, can cause the network node to receive navigation information associated with a UE. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, can cause the network node to transmit an indication to perform a handover between a TN and a NTN for the UE based at least in part on the navigation information and a handover boundary.

[0010] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus can include means for receiving navigation information associated with a UE. The apparatus can include means for transmitting an indication to perform a handover between a TN and a NTN for the UE based at least in part on the navigation information and a handover boundary.

[0011] Aspects generally include methods, apparatus, systems, computer program products, non-transitory computer-readable media, UEs, base stations, network entities, network nodes, wireless communication devices, and / or processing systems, as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings and specification.

[0012] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows can be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily utilized as bases for modifying or designing other for carrying the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions are not to depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the claims.

[0013] While aspects are described in the present disclosure by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that such aspects can be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. Techniques described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip implementations or other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, and / or artificial intelligence devices). Aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, and / or system-level components. Devices incorporating described aspects and features can include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspects. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals can include one or more components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders, and / or summers). It is intended that aspects described herein can be practiced in a wide variety of devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, and / or end-user devices of varying sizes, shapes, and constitution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] In order that the above-recited features and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description will be rendered by reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that the drawings are not limiting of the scope of the present disclosure, as described herein, and that the concepts apply to other equivalent aspects as would be recognized by one skilled in the art. Like reference numerals can refer to like elements throughout the various figures and the description.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of communication between a network node and a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network according to the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example decomposed base station architecture according to this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 These are illustrations of examples of regenerative satellite deployment and transparent satellite deployment in non-terrestrial networks.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of mobility in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) according to this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication process between a first network node, a UE, and a second network node according to this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a network node according to this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram of an example device for wireless communication according to the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Radio networks, including both terrestrial networks (TN) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN), can provide connectivity to user equipment (UE) in various operational scenarios. For example, a TN can provide service to a UE in areas with increased base station deployment, and an NTN can provide complementary coverage to a TN in areas with fewer base station deployments. For mobile UEs (such as those included in a vehicle), handover between terrestrial network nodes and non-terrestrial network nodes may occur more frequently than for stationary UEs and / or other UEs moving at slower rates relative to the vehicle. Handover between terrestrial network nodes and non-terrestrial network nodes may result in more signaling overhead than handover between a first terrestrial network node and a second terrestrial network node. Alternatively or additionally, a UE may experience delays while waiting to synchronize downlink signals from a target non-terrestrial network node and / or obtain ephemeris data associated with that target non-terrestrial network node. These delays may interrupt service to the UE, reduce data throughput, and / or increase data transmission latency.

[0024] Some of the technologies and apparatus described herein provide mobility management for handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. In some aspects, network nodes (e.g., terrestrial network nodes and / or non-terrestrial network nodes) can receive navigation information associated with a UE. The network node can, at least in part, transmit an instruction to the UE to perform a handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial network nodes based on this navigation information. In some aspects, and at least in part, based on the navigation information, the network node can obtain a handover boundary indicating a preferred network node, a preferred network node type (e.g., terrestrial network node type or non-terrestrial network node type), and / or a preferred location for performing the handover. Therefore, the network node can, at least in part, transmit an instruction to perform the handover based on the handover boundary.

[0025] By selecting the preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location for performing the handover based at least in part on navigation information and / or handover boundaries, the network node can reduce signaling overhead at the UE and / or improve UE performance (e.g., increased data throughput, increased signal quality, and / or reduced data transmission latency) compared to performing the handover to a non-preferred network node at a non-preferred location. Therefore, by instructing the handover to be performed to the preferred network node (and / or to the preferred network node type) at the preferred location, the network node can reduce signaling overhead at the UE and / or mitigate performance degradation at the UE, thereby achieving increased data throughput, reduced data transmission latency, and / or reduced UE service interruptions.

[0026] Various aspects of this disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any particular structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure herein, whether implemented independently of or in combination with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement an apparatus or method of practice. Furthermore, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover such apparatus or methods practiced using structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities other than or different from the various aspects of the disclosure herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0027] Several aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various devices and technologies. These devices and technologies will be described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively, “elements”). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole.

[0028] Although terms generally associated with 5G or New Radio (NR) Radio Access Technology (RAT) may be used herein to describe aspects, aspects of this disclosure may be applied to other RATs, such as 3G RAT, 4G RAT and / or 5G and later (e.g., 6G) RATs.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be a 5G (e.g., NR) network and / or a 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network, or may include elements of a 5G (e.g., NR) network and / or elements of a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, etc. The wireless network 100 may include one or more network nodes 110 (shown as network node 110a, network node 110b, network node 110c, and network node 110d), one or more UEs 120 (shown as UE 120a, UE 120b, UE 120c, UE 120d, and UE 120e), and / or other entities. Network node 110 is a network node that communicates with UE 120. As shown, network node 110 may include one or more network nodes. For example, network node 110 can be an aggregated network node, meaning that the aggregated network node is configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node (e.g., within a single device or unit). As another example, network node 110 can be a decomposed network node (sometimes referred to as a decomposed base station), meaning that network node 110 is configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more nodes (such as one or more central units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)).

[0030] In some examples, network node 110 is or includes network nodes (such as RUs) that communicate with UE 120 via a radio access link. In some examples, network node 110 is or includes network nodes (such as DUs) that communicate with other network nodes 110 via a fronthaul or midhaul link. In some examples, network node 110 is or includes network nodes (such as CUs) that communicate with other network nodes 110 via a midhaul link or with the core network via a backhaul link. In some examples, network node 110 (such as aggregated network node 110 or decomposed network node 110) may include multiple network nodes, such as one or more RUs, one or more CUs, and / or one or more DUs. Network node 110 may include, for example, NR base stations, LTE base stations, Node Bs, eNBs (e.g., in 4G), gNBs (e.g., in 5G), access points, Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), DUs, RUs, CUs, network mobility elements, core network nodes, network elements, network equipment, RAN nodes, or combinations thereof. In some examples, network nodes 110 can interconnect with each other or to one or more other network nodes 110 in the wireless network 100 using any suitable transport network through various types of fronthaul interfaces, midhaul interfaces, and / or backhaul interfaces (such as direct physical connections, air interfaces, or virtual networks).

[0031] In some examples, network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), depending on the context in which the term is used, the term "cell" may refer to the coverage area of ​​network node 110 and / or the network node subsystem serving that coverage area. Network node 110 may provide communication coverage for macrocells, picocells, femtocells, and / or another type of cell. A macrocell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A picocell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UE 120 with a service subscription. A femtocell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UE 120 associated with the femtocell (e.g., UE 120 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG)). Network node 110 used for macrocells may be referred to as a macro network node. Network node 110 used for picocells may be referred to as a pico network node. The network node 110 used for femtocells can be referred to as a femtocell network node or a home network node. Figure 1In the example shown, network node 110a can be a macro network node for macro cell 102a, network node 110b can be a pico network node for pico cell 102b, and network node 110c can be a femto network node for femto cell 102c. Network nodes can support one or more (e.g., three) cells. In some examples, the cells may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographical area of ​​the cells may move depending on the location of the mobile network node 110 (e.g., a mobile network node).

[0032] In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to an aggregated base station, a decomposed base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, or one or more components thereof. For example, in some aspects, "base station" or "network node" may refer to a CU, DU, RU, a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to a device configured to perform one or more functions (such as those described herein in conjunction with network node 110). In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to multiple devices configured to perform one or more functions. For example, in some distributed systems, each of multiple different devices (which may be located in the same geographical location or different geographical locations) may be configured to perform at least a portion of a function, or to repeatedly perform at least a portion of that function, and the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to any one or more of these different devices. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to one or more virtual base stations or one or more virtual base station functions. For example, in some aspects, two or more base station functions can be instantiated on a single device. In some aspects, the term "base station" or "network node" may refer to one base station function rather than another. In this way, a single device can include more than one base station.

[0033] Wireless network 100 may include one or more relay stations. A relay station is a network node that can receive data transmissions from upstream nodes (e.g., network node 110 or UE 120) and transmit data to downstream nodes (e.g., UE 120 or network node 110). A relay station may be a UE 120 that can relay transmissions to other UE 120s. Figure 1 In the example shown, network node 110d (e.g., a relay network node) can communicate with network node 110a (e.g., a macro network node) and UE 120d to facilitate communication between network node 110a and UE 120d. The network node 110 for relay communication may be referred to as a relay station, relay base station, relay network node, relay node, repeater, etc.

[0034] The wireless network 100 can be a heterogeneous network, comprising different types of network nodes 110, such as macro network nodes, pico network nodes, femto network nodes, relay network nodes, etc. These different types of network nodes 110 may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and / or different effects on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, macro network nodes may have high transmit power levels (e.g., 5 watts to 40 watts), while pico network nodes, femto network nodes, and relay network nodes may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 watts to 2 watts).

[0035] In some examples, and such as Figure 1 As shown, the cell can be provided at least partially by a non-terrestrial network node 110b of the NTN. Alternatively or additionally, the wireless network can provide coverage to the UE at least partially based on both the non-terrestrial network node 110b and the terrestrial network node 110a. That is, the wireless network can provide access to both the NTN and the TN. The non-terrestrial network node 110b may also be referred to as a non-terrestrial base station or a non-terrestrial access point. “NTN” can refer to a network that can be accessed at least partially based on a non-terrestrial network node (e.g., non-terrestrial network node 110b). In some NTN deployments, the non-terrestrial network node 110b may be located on an airborne platform or an orbital platform. Examples of such platforms include satellites (e.g., low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, and / or geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites), balloons, airships, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and / or drones.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, in some NTN deployments (e.g., transparent or bend-through architectures), non-terrestrial network node 110b may act as a relay station to relay communication between UE 120 and terrestrial network node 110a (e.g., a terrestrial base station located on the ground or in a tower). In this case, non-terrestrial network node 110b may perform frequency conversion and / or radio frequency amplification on the communication relayed between UE 120 and terrestrial network node 110a. For example, UE 120 may send uplink communication to non-terrestrial network node 110b, which may (e.g., after performing frequency conversion and / or radio frequency amplification) relay the uplink communication to terrestrial network node 110a. Terrestrial network node 110a may perform additional processing on the uplink communication and / or may send the uplink communication to the core network. As another example, terrestrial network node 110a may send downlink communication to non-terrestrial network node 110b, which may relay the downlink communication to UE 120 (e.g., after performing frequency conversion and / or radio frequency amplification). In some respects, UE 120 and / or terrestrial network node 110a may be referred to as a ground station (GS).

[0037] Network controller 130 may be coupled to or communicate with a group of network nodes 110, and may provide coordination and control for these network nodes 110. Network controller 130 may communicate with network nodes 110 via a backhaul or midhaul link. Network nodes 110 may also communicate directly with each other, or indirectly via a wireless or wired backhaul link. In some aspects, network controller 130 may be a CU or a core network device, or may include a CU or a core network device.

[0038] UE 120 may be distributed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. UE 120 may include, for example, access terminals, terminals, mobile stations, and / or subscriber units. UE 120 may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smartphone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet computer, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring or smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, and / or a satellite radio), a vehicle component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a GPS device, a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device configured to communicate via wireless or wired media.

[0039] Some UEs 120 may be considered Machine-Type Communication (MTC) or Evolved or Enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC UEs and / or eMTC UEs may include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, and / or location tags that can communicate with network nodes, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Some UEs 120 may be considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) devices. Some UEs 120 may be considered customer premises equipment. UEs 120 may be included within a housing that houses the components of the UE 120, such as processor components and / or memory components. In some examples, the processor components and memory components may be coupled together. For example, the processor components (e.g., one or more processors) and memory components (e.g., memory) may be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, and / or electrically coupled.

[0040] Generally, any number of wireless networks 100 can be deployed in a given geographical area. Each wireless network 100 can support a specific RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may be referred to as a radio technology, air interface, etc. A frequency may be referred to as a carrier, frequency channel, etc. Each frequency in a given geographical area can support a single RAT to avoid interference between wireless networks using different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0041] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using network node 110 as an intermediary device to communicate with each other). For example, UE 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communication, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (e.g., which may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocols, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols, or vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocols) and / or mesh networks. In such examples, UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by network node 110.

[0042] Devices in Wireless Network 100 can communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which can be subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, devices in Wireless Network 100 can communicate using one or more operating frequency bands. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency bands have been designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, although this is different from the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) band (30GHz-300GHz) designated as a “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0043] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as intermediate frequency (IF) bands. Recent 5G NR studies have designated the operating bands for these IF bands as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125GHz–24.25GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to IF band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been designated as the frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz–71GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz–114.25GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz–300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0044] Considering the examples above, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if the term "below 6 GHz" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies below 6 GHz, within FR1, or including intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies that can include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a, or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or within the EHF band. Modifications to frequencies included in these operating frequency bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, and / or FR5) are contemplated, and the techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0045] In some aspects, network nodes (e.g., network node 110, network node 110a, and / or network node 110b) may include a communication manager 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may receive navigation information associated with the UE; and, based at least in part on the navigation information and handover boundaries, transmit instructions to perform a handover between the TN and NTN for the UE. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0046] As indicated above, Figure 1 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 1 The examples described are different.

[0047] Figure 2This is a diagram illustrating example 200 of communication between network node 110 and UE 120 in a wireless network 100 according to the present disclosure. Network node 110 may be equipped with a set of antennas 234a to 234t, such as T antennas (T≥1). UE 120 may be equipped with a set of antennas 252a to 252r, such as R antennas (R≥1). Network node 110 of example 200 includes one or more radio frequency components, such as antennas 234 and modems 232. In some examples, network node 110 may include an interface, communication components, or another component facilitating communication with UE 120 or another network node. Some network nodes 110 may not include radio frequency components facilitating direct communication with UE 120, such as one or more CUs or one or more DUs.

[0048] At network node 110, transmitting processor 220 can receive data from data source 212 intended for use by UE 120 (or a group of UEs 120). Transmitting processor 220 can select one or more modulation and decoding schemes (MCS) for UE 120, at least in part, based on one or more Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs) received from UE 120. Network node 110 can process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for UE 120, at least in part, based on the MCS selected for UE 120, and can provide data symbols for UE 120. Transmitting processor 220 can process system information (e.g., for Semi-Static Resource Allocation Information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper-layer signaling), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmitting processor 220 can generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS) or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) or Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-decoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and can provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a set of corresponding modems 232 (e.g., T modems) (shown as modems 232a to 232t). For example, each output symbol stream can be provided to a modulator component (shown as MOD) of modem 232. Each modem 232 can use a corresponding modulator component to process the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 can also use a corresponding modulator component to process the output sample stream (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or up-convert) to obtain a downlink signal. Modems 232a to 232t can transmit a set of downlink signals (e.g., T downlink signals) via a set of corresponding antennas 234 (e.g., T antennas) (shown as antennas 234a to 234t).

[0049] At UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a to 252r) can receive downlink signals from network node 110 and / or other network nodes 110 and can provide a set of received signals (e.g., R received signals) to a set of modems 254 (e.g., R modems) (shown as modems 254a to 254r). For example, each received signal can be provided to a demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of modem 254. Each modem 254 can use a corresponding demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) the received signal to obtain an input sample. Each modem 254 can use the demodulator component to further process the input sample (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain a received symbol. MIMO detector 256 can obtain the received symbols from modem 254, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provide the detected symbols. The receiver processor 258 can process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for UE 120 to data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information and system information to controller / processor 280. The term "controller / processor" can refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. The channel processor can determine Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameters, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameters, Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) parameters, and / or CQI parameters, etc. In some examples, one or more components of UE 120 may be included in housing 284.

[0050] Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294, controller / processor 290, and memory 292. Network controller 130 may include one or more devices, for example, in a core network. Network controller 130 may communicate with network node 110 via communication unit 294.

[0051] One or more antennas (e.g., antennas 234a to 234t and / or antennas 252a to 252r) may include one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, a set or more sets of antenna elements and / or one or more antenna arrays, etc., or may be included within one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, a set or more sets of antenna elements and / or one or more antenna arrays, etc. Antenna panels, antenna groups, a set of antenna elements and / or antenna arrays may include one or more antenna elements (within a single housing or multiple housings), a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements and / or be coupled to one or more transmitting and / or receiving components (such as...) Figure 2 One or more antenna elements (one or more components in the process).

[0052] On the uplink, at UE 120, the transmit processor 264 can receive and process data from data source 262 and control information from controller / processor 280 (e.g., for reporting including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and / or CQI). The transmit processor 264 can generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 can be pre-decoded by the TX MIMO processor 266, where applicable, further processed by the modem 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to network node 110. In some examples, the modem 254 of UE 120 may include a modulator and demodulator. In some examples, UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and / or TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 280) and memory 282 to execute this document (e.g., reference). Figures 5 to 8 ( ) aspects of any of the methods described in the method.

[0053] At network node 110, uplink signals from UE 120 and / or other UEs may be received by antenna 234, processed by modem 232 (e.g., demodulator component of modem 232 (shown as DEMOD)), detected by MIMO detector 236 (where applicable), and further processed by receiver processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 120. Receiver processor 238 may provide the decoded data to data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller / processor 240. Network node 110 may include communication unit 244 and may communicate with network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Network node 110 may include scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink and / or uplink communication. In some examples, modem 232 of network node 110 may include modulator and demodulator. In some examples, network node 110 includes transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna 234, modem 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and / or TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 to execute this document (e.g., reference). Figures 5 to 8 ( ) aspects of any of the methods described in the method.

[0054] The controller / processor 240 of network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120 and / orFigure 2 Any other component in the system may perform one or more technologies associated with mobility management for handover between the TN and NTN, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or Figure 2 Any other component that can execute or direct, for example Figure 7 The operation of process 700 and / or other processes as described herein. Memory 242 and memory 282 may store data and program code for network node 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some examples, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and / or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors, UE 120 and / or network node 110 to perform or direct, for example, when executed by one or more processors of network node 110 and / or UE 120 (e.g., direct execution, or execution after compilation, transformation and / or interpretation). Figure 7 The operation of process 700 and / or other processes as described herein. In some examples, the execution instructions may include run instructions, transformation instructions, compilation instructions, and / or interpretation instructions, etc.

[0055] In some aspects, a network node (e.g., network node 110) includes: components for receiving navigation information associated with a UE; and / or components for transmitting an instruction to perform a handover between a TN and an NTN for the UE, based at least in part on the navigation information and the handover boundary. Components for the network node to perform the operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of the following: a communications manager 150, a transmit processor 220, a TX MIMO processor 230, a modem 232, an antenna 234, a MIMO detector 236, a receive processor 238, a controller / processor 240, a memory 242, or a scheduler 246.

[0056] Although Figure 2 The boxes in the diagram are illustrated as different components, but the functions described above for these boxes may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combined component, or in various combinations of components. For example, the functions described for transmit processor 264, receive processor 258, and / or TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of controller / processor 280.

[0057] As indicated above, Figure 2 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 2 The examples described are different.

[0058] The deployment of communication systems such as 5G NR systems can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, RAN nodes, core network nodes, network elements, base stations, or network equipment can be implemented in aggregated or decomposed architectures. For example, base stations (such as Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base stations, 5G NB, access points (APs), TRPs, or cells, etc.) or one or more units (or components) performing base station functions can be implemented as aggregated base stations (also known as standalone base stations or monolithic base stations) or decomposed base stations. A "network entity" or "network node" can refer to a decomposed base station or one or more units of a decomposed base station (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, one or more RUs, or combinations thereof).

[0059] Aggregated base stations (e.g., aggregated network nodes) can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node (e.g., within a single device or cell). Decomposed base stations (e.g., decomposed network nodes) can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more cells (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, or one or more RUs). In some examples, the CU may be implemented within a network node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other network nodes. DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU can also be implemented as a virtual cell, such as a Virtual Central Unit (VCU), a Virtual Distributed Unit (VDU), or a Virtual Radio Unit (VRU), etc.

[0060] Base station type operation or network design can take into account the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, decomposed base stations can be utilized in IAB networks, Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN (such as network configurations initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or Virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRAN, also known as Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN)) to facilitate the scaling of communication systems by separating base station functionality into one or more units that can be deployed individually. Decomposed base stations can include functionality implemented by two or more units across various physical locations, as well as functionality virtually implemented for at least one unit, which enables flexibility in network design. Each unit of a decomposed base station can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit of the decomposed base station.

[0061] Figure 3This is an illustration of an example disaggregated base station architecture 300 according to this disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310, which may communicate directly with the core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 via one or more disaggregated control units (such as near-RT RIC 325 via an E2 link, or a non-RT RIC 315 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 305, or both). The CU 310 may communicate with one or more DUs 330 via a corresponding midhaul link (such as via an F1 interface). Each DU 330 may communicate with one or more RUs 340 via a corresponding fronthaul link. Each RU 340 may communicate with one or more UEs 120 via a corresponding radio frequency (RF) access link. In some implementations, a UE 120 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 340.

[0062] Each unit in the clusters (including CU 310, DU 330, RU 340), as well as the near-RT RIC 325, non-RT RIC 315, and SMO frame 305, may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each unit in the cluster, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to one or more communication interfaces of the corresponding unit, may be configured to communicate with one or more units in other clusters via transmission media. In some examples, each unit in the cluster may include a wired interface and a wireless interface configured to receive signals via a wired transmission media or transmit signals to one or more units in other clusters, and the wireless interface may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) configured to receive signals via a wireless transmission media or transmit signals to one or more units in other clusters, or both.

[0063] In some aspects, the CU 310 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC) functions, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) functions, or Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) functions, etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to signal to other control functions hosted by the CU 310. The CU 310 can be configured to handle user plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP) functions), control plane functions (e.g., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP) functions), or combinations thereof. In some implementations, the CU 310 can be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface (such as an E1 interface). The CU 310 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 330 for network control and signaling purposes, as needed.

[0064] Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit comprising one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 340s. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers, at least in part, according to functional splits (such as those defined by 3GPP). In some aspects, the one or more high PHY layers may be implemented by one or more modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, and modulation and demodulation. In some aspects, the DU 330 may also host one or more low PHY layers, such as those implemented by one or more modules for Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), Digital Beamforming, or Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering. Each layer (which may also be referred to as a module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330 or with control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0065] Each RU 340 can implement lower-layer functionality. In some deployments, an RU 340 controlled by a DU 330 can correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions, such as performing FFT, performing iFFT, digital beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, based on function splitting (e.g., function splitting defined by 3GPP) (such as lower-layer function splitting). In this architecture, each RU 340 can be operated to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 120. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 340 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration allows each DU 330 and CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as vRAN architecture).

[0066] The SMO framework 305 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 305 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as the Open Cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 310, DU 330, RU 340, non-RT RIC 315, and near-RTTRIC 325. In some implementations, the SMO framework 305 may communicate with the hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 311) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 305 can communicate directly with each of one or more RUs 340 via a corresponding O1 interface. The SMO framework 305 may also include a non-RT RIC 315 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 305.

[0067] The non-RT RIC 315 can be configured to include logical functions enabling non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including AI / ML workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 325. The non-RT RIC 315 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 325 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 325 can be configured to include logical functions enabling near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface (e.g., via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CU 310s, one or more DU 330s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 325.

[0068] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 325, the non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 325 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 305 or the non-RT RIC 315. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 315 or near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 305 (such as reconfiguration via the O1 interface) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 interface policies).

[0069] As indicated above, Figure 3 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 3 The examples described are different.

[0070] Figure 4 These are illustrations of example 400, which illustrates the deployment of regenerative satellites in a non-terrestrial network, and example 410, which illustrates the deployment of transparent satellites.

[0071] Example 400 illustrates a regenerative satellite deployment in which a first UE 120-1 is served by satellite 420 via serving link 430-1. In some aspects, satellite 420 may include base station capabilities (e.g., capabilities associated with network node 110a and / or gNB) and may be referred to as a non-terrestrial base station, a regenerative repeater, or an onboard processing repeater. Based at least in part on including base station capabilities, satellite 420 may demodulate uplink radio frequency signals and may modulate baseband signals derived from uplink radio signals to generate downlink radio frequency transmissions. For illustration, satellite 420 may transmit downlink radio frequency signals over serving link 430-1. Satellite 420 may provide network access to UE 120-1 within a coverage area (e.g., a cell coverage area). The first UE 120-1 may include Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capabilities or Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities.

[0072] Example 410 illustrates a transparent satellite deployment, which may also be referred to as a bend-pipe satellite deployment. In Example 410, a second UE 120-2 is served by satellite 440 via serving link 430-2, wherein satellite 440 may be referred to as a transparent satellite. For illustration, satellite 440 may act as a relay by receiving a signal from gateway 450 via feeder link 460 and relaying that signal to UE 120-2 via serving link 430-2. Alternatively or additionally, satellite 440 may receive uplink RF transmissions from UE 120-2 via serving link 430-2 and may relay the uplink RF transmissions to gateway 450 via feeder link 460 without demodulating the uplink RF transmissions. In some aspects, satellite 440 may perform frequency conversion of the uplink RF transmissions from a first frequency (e.g., associated with serving link 430-2) to a second frequency (e.g., associated with feeder link 460) and may amplify and / or filter the uplink RF transmissions. When UE 120-2 operates within the coverage area associated with satellite 440, satellite 440 may provide network access to UE 120-2. The second UE 120-2 may include GNSS or GPS capabilities.

[0073] As shown in Example 410, satellite 440 and UE 120-2 may communicate with each other at least partially based on serving link 430-2. Serving link 430-2 may include an uplink for transmitting uplink communication (e.g., from UE 120-2 to gateway 450 via satellite 440) and / or a downlink for transmitting downlink communication (e.g., from gateway 450 to UE 120-2 via satellite 440). Similarly, satellite 440 and gateway 450 may communicate with each other at least partially based on feeder link 460, wherein feeder link 460 may include an uplink for transmitting uplink communication and / or a downlink for transmitting downlink communication.

[0074] Due to the movement of satellites 420 and 440 and / or the movement of UE 120-1 or UE 120-2, feeder link 460, serving link 430-1, and / or serving link 430-2 may each experience Doppler shift. The Doppler shift associated with satellite movement may be significantly greater than the Doppler shift associated with the terrestrial network, at least in part based on the speed of satellite movement. In some respects, transmitting devices may pre-compensate for satellite-based Doppler shift. For example, feeder link 460 between gateway 450 and satellite 440 may be a 1:1 link between a single transmitting device and a single receiving device. Based at least in part on the fact that feeder link 460 is a 1:1 link, gateway 450 and / or another network node may estimate the feeder link Doppler shift and pre-compensate (e.g., modify the transmitted signal) to mitigate the Doppler shift observed by satellite 440. Satellite 440 may communicate with multiple UEs at different locations based at least in part on a 1:N link, where N is an integer greater than 1. For illustration, satellite 440 can broadcast information received and processed by N UEs at different locations. The different locations of the receiving UEs may cause each UE to observe different serving link Doppler shifts. Therefore, satellite 440 can avoid applying pre-compensation for the serving link Doppler shift, at least in part, based on the 1:N link and the changes in the serving link Doppler shift observed between each UE. These frequency error sources can cause the downlink frequency received at UE 120 to deviate from the target downlink frequency.

[0075] As indicated above, Figure 4 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 4 The examples described are different.

[0076] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating example 500 of mobility in NTN according to this disclosure.

[0077] NTN can provide wireless access and / or service coverage in areas where terrestrial cellular service is unavailable and / or difficult to reach (e.g., mountaintops, bodies of water, and / or canyons). For example, UE 120 can receive downlink communication from gateway 502 via a first satellite 504. The first satellite 504 can wirelessly receive downlink communication from gateway 502 using feeder link 506 and relay the downlink communication to UE 120 using serving link 508. Alternatively or additionally, and as per [reference to...] Figure 4 As described, the first satellite 504 may include base station functionality and communicate with the UE 120 as a regenerating satellite. The service link 508 and / or feeder link 506 may optionally or additionally be used for uplink transmission.

[0078] As part of mobility support in the NTN, the UE can perform a handover from a first network node (e.g., a first satellite 504 or a first cell provided by the first satellite 504) to a second network node (e.g., a second satellite 510, a second cell provided by the second satellite 510, and / or a second cell provided by the first satellite 504). For example, the UE 120 can disconnect from the first satellite 504 (e.g., by dismantling the serving link 508) and connect to the gateway 502 at least in part based on the second serving link 512 to the second satellite 510 and the second feeder link 514 between the second satellite 510 and the gateway 502. The second serving link 512 and / or the second feeder link 514 can be optionally or additionally used for uplink transmission.

[0079] Alternatively or additionally, UE 120 may perform operations from ground network nodes (e.g., Figure 1 From ground network node 110a) to non-ground network node (e.g., Figure 1 The UE 120 may be implemented as an onboard unit (OBU) of a vehicle. In some aspects, the OBU may manage sidelink communication with other UEs, such as UEs included in another vehicle, UEs implemented as roadside units (RSUs), and / or UEs implemented as vulnerable road users (VRUs) (e.g., scooters and / or smartphones). Alternatively or additionally, the OBU may connect to a wireless network using access links and / or Uu links. The wireless network may include terrestrial and non-terrestrial network nodes, and the OBU may perform handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial network nodes at least in part based on the OBU's mobility (e.g., via a vehicle) and / or changes in the OBU's location and / or positioning.

[0080] Both TN and NTN wireless networks can provide connectivity to UE 120 in a variety of operating scenarios. For example, TN can provide service to the UE in most scenarios, such as urban areas with increased base station deployment and / or high-traffic roads (e.g., highways and / or expressways). NTN can provide complementary coverage to TN in other areas, such as remote locations with fewer base station deployments and / or areas where terrain presents challenges for terrestrial base stations (e.g., canyons and / or mountains). Therefore, in some areas, TN may have impaired service (e.g., no service, reduced service, and / or congested service), and UE 120 can perform a handover from a terrestrial base station to a non-terrestrial network node to access voice and / or data services provided by the wireless network. For example, in areas where terrestrial network nodes provide impaired service, a UE in the form of an OBU (On-Board Unit) of a mobile vehicle can perform a handover to a non-terrestrial network node to access broadband services for telematics applications, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications, and / or navigation applications. As another example, when ground network nodes are congested and / or the load is close to capacity, the UE can connect to non-ground network nodes to meet Quality of Service (QoS) conditions.

[0081] For mobile UEs (such as smartphones in vehicles and / or OBUs included in vehicles), handovers between terrestrial network nodes and non-terrestrial network nodes may occur more frequently than for stationary UEs and / or other UEs moving at a slower rate relative to the vehicle. For example, a vehicle may enter and / or leave coverage areas provided by terrestrial network nodes and / or non-terrestrial network nodes more quickly, at least in part, based on the faster rate at which the vehicle travels. Alternatively or additionally, fast-moving UEs may observe different channel conditions and different signal quality (e.g., RSSI and / or RSRP) relative to stationary UEs (and / or slower UEs), leading to performance degradation (e.g., reduced signal quality, reduced data throughput, and / or increased data transmission latency), and subsequently, more handovers may be performed to improve performance. For example, in addition to surrounding (non-serving) network nodes, the UE may also measure and / or evaluate the corresponding signal quality of serving network nodes to identify target network nodes with higher signal quality (e.g., higher RSSI and / or higher RSRP) relative to the source network node.

[0082] Compared to performing a handover between a first and second ground network node, performing a handover between a ground network node and a non-ground network node may result in increased signaling overhead. For example, to assess the signal quality of downlink signals from a non-ground network node, the UE may obtain first ephemeris data associated with the non-ground network node (e.g., timing information, current location and / or positioning, predicted location and / or predicted positioning, trajectory and / or orbit information, epoch time, velocity vector, position vector, and / or identifier). Alternatively or additionally, the UE may obtain second ephemeris data associated with the non-ground network node to transmit uplink communication to the non-ground network node. The first and second ephemeris data may be associated with different validity time windows, at least in part, based on different timing conditions associated with receiving downlink communication and transmitting uplink communication. Increased signaling overhead can lead to reduced data throughput and / or increased data transmission latency within the radio network (e.g., including TN and NTN). Alternatively or additionally, the UE may experience delays while waiting to synchronize with downlink signals from the target non-terrestrial network node and / or obtain ephemeris data associated with the target non-terrestrial network node. These delays may interrupt service to the UE, reduce data throughput, and / or increase data transmission latency.

[0083] Some of the technologies and apparatus described herein provide mobility management for handover between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. In some aspects, network nodes (e.g., terrestrial network nodes and / or non-terrestrial network nodes) can receive navigation information associated with a UE. For example, the navigation information may indicate the UE's location and / or position, a set of locations associated with the UE, landmarks, the UE's speed, the UE's direction, and / or any combination of the UE's speed. The network node may, at least in part, use this navigation information to send instructions to perform a handover between the terrestrial and non-terrestrial network nodes for that UE.

[0084] For illustration, and based at least in part on navigation information, a network node can obtain a handover boundary indicating a preferred network node, preferred network node type (e.g., a terrestrial network node type or a non-terrestrial network node type), and / or preferred location for performing the handover. The preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location can be selected by the network node at least in part based on satisfying operating conditions at the UE (such as operating conditions associated with QoS flows and / or UE capabilities). Alternatively or additionally, the network node can select the preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location at least in part based on coverage quality metrics associated with the preferred network node, as described below. That is, the network node can select a preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location for performing the handover, which reduces signaling overhead at the UE and / or improves performance at the UE (e.g., increased data throughput, increased signal quality, and / or reduced data transmission latency) compared to performing the handover to a non-preferred network node at a non-preferred location. Therefore, by instructing the handover to a preferred network node (and / or a preferred network node type) at a preferred location, the network node can reduce signaling overhead at the UE and / or mitigate performance degradation at the UE, thereby achieving increased data throughput, reduced data transmission latency, and / or reduced service interruptions for the UE.

[0085] As indicated above, Figure 5 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 5 The examples described are different.

[0086] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example 600 of a wireless communication process between a first network node 602 (e.g., a terrestrial network node 110a and / or a non-terrestrial network node 110b), a UE 604 (e.g., a UE 120), and a second network node 606 (e.g., another terrestrial network node 110a and / or another non-terrestrial network node 110b) according to this disclosure. In some aspects, the first network node 602 may be a terrestrial network node or a non-terrestrial node, and the second network node 606 may be a non-terrestrial network node or a terrestrial network node.

[0087] As shown by reference numeral 610 in the accompanying drawings, the first network node 602 and the UE 604 can establish a connection. For example, the UE 604 can power on in a coverage area provided by the first network node 602 and can establish a link with the first network node 602, such as by performing a registration procedure. As another example, the UE 604 can perform a handover to the first network node 602. As part of establishing a connection, the UE 604 can indicate capability information to the first network node 602. For illustration, the UE 604 can indicate to the first network node 602 (e.g., autonomously or in response to a request from the first network node 602) support for navigation-based handover and / or support for indicating navigation information.

[0088] Based at least in part on establishing a connection with UE 604, the first network node 602 may instruct UE 604 to enable navigation-based handover. In other examples, navigation-based handover may be implicitly enabled based at least in part on UE 604 indicating support for navigation-based handover and UE 604 connecting (e.g., a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection) to the first network node 602. That is, the first network node 602 and UE 604 will operate if navigation-based handover is enabled based at least in part on UE 604 indicating support for navigation-based handover (e.g., even if the first network node 602 does not send an explicit instruction to enable navigation-based handover). In other examples, applications and / or services may enable navigation-based handover, such as when the application and / or service is associated with QoS and / or 5G QoS identifier (5QI) values ​​(e.g., priority level, latency limit, error rate, and / or bit rate) that meet an enable threshold.

[0089] Alternatively or additionally, the first network node 602 may instruct the UE 604 to transmit navigation information. In some aspects, the first network node 602 may configure one or more parameters associated with the UE transmitting navigation information, such as periodicity, navigation format (e.g., coordinate-based navigation format and / or landmark-based navigation format), distance threshold, and / or time window. In some aspects, the first network node 602 may allocate one or more air interface resources to the UE 604 (e.g., characterized at least in part based on frequency partitioning and / or time partitioning) for transmitting navigation information, such as by allocating authorization to the UE 604 with a configuration associated with the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) and / or allocating resources in the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). However, in other examples, the first network node 602 may not configure one or more parameters associated with transmitting navigation information and / or may not allocate air interface resources to the UE 604.

[0090] Based at least in part on establishing a connection with UE 604, the first network node 602 can obtain one or more operating conditions associated with UE 604. As an example, the first network node 602 can establish one or more QoS flows with UE 604, and each QoS flow can have one or more corresponding operating conditions, such as one or more corresponding 5QI values ​​(e.g., priority level, latency limit, error rate, and / or bit rate). Other non-limiting examples of operating conditions may include operating conditions associated with UE capabilities, such as the number of antennas for TN communication, the number of antennas for NTN communication, antenna type, UE type (e.g., OBU, smartphone, and / or laptop computer), and / or power consumption operating conditions.

[0091] As shown by reference numeral 620 in the accompanying drawings, UE 604 can send navigation information, and the first network node 602 can receive the navigation information. While in example 600 UE 604 can send navigation information directly to the first network node 602, other examples may include UE 604 sending navigation information indirectly to the first network node 602, such as by sending the navigation information to an application server (e.g., in user data), and the application server forwarding the navigation information to the first network node 602 and / or the core network node associated with the first network node 602. The navigation information may include the UE 604's positioning and / or location and / or the UE 604's route of travel. As an example, UE 604 can send navigation information at least in part based on a positioning service (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and / or Global Positioning System (GPS)), such as by indicating one or more coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates). That is, the UE 604's positioning and / or location and / or the UE 604's route of travel can be indicated by one or more coordinates. For illustration, a route can be specified by including a set of coordinates in the route. Alternatively or additionally, and in a manner similar to coordinates, UE 604 can send landmark-based navigation information (e.g., a single landmark or a set of landmarks), such as, by way of example and not limitation, road names, street addresses, mile markers, start locations, end locations, and / or one or more intersections. In some aspects, UE 604 can report landmark-based navigation information at least partially based on distance thresholds, such as by reporting one or more landmarks at locations at distances from the UE that satisfy the distance threshold. UE 604 can send a single navigation message or a set of navigation information as navigation information. For illustration, UE 604 can send a single location (e.g., coordinates for a single location and / or a single landmark) or a set of locations (e.g., a set of coordinates for a set of locations and / or a set of landmarks) as navigation information. The set of navigation information can be at least partially based on distance thresholds (such as locations at distances from the UE that satisfy the distance threshold) and / or time windows (such as the location and / or positioning of the UE during the time window). Alternatively, additional locations, the navigation information group can indicate travel route information.

[0092] As described below with reference to reference numeral 640, UE 604 may iteratively transmit navigation information, such as by transmitting baseline navigation information and / or updated navigation information. For example, the baseline navigation information may be first absolute coordinates from GNSS, and the updated navigation information may be second absolute coordinates from GNSS (e.g., second absolute coordinates that have changed from the first absolute coordinates). As another example, the updated navigation information may be incremental coordinates, difference coordinates, and / or incremental values ​​indicating the difference in position relative to the first absolute coordinates of the baseline navigation information. In some aspects, the updated navigation information may specify updated route information and / or updated end position.

[0093] UE 604 can send navigation information (e.g., location information and / or route information) in various ways. As an example, UE 604 can send navigation information in application layer messages (e.g., in user data), such as application layer messages to V2X application servers and / or ADAS servers. In some aspects, the application server can forward the navigation information to network entities (e.g., core network entities) associated with the first network node 602. As another example, UE 604 can send navigation information in protocol layer messages. For illustration, UE 604 can send navigation information in non-access plane (NAS) messages forwarded to core network entities (e.g., access and mobility management function (AMF) network entities). As another example, UE 604 can send navigation information in access plane (AS) layer messages to radio access network (RAN) network nodes, which can forward the navigation information to AMF network entities, and the AMF network entities can forward the navigation information to application servers.

[0094] As indicated by reference numeral 630 in the accompanying drawings, the first network node 602 may obtain handover boundaries. For example, the first network node 602 may obtain a handover boundary map that specifies one or more handover boundaries selected by the network node for performing the handover (e.g., network-selected handover boundaries), and the first network node 602 may select handover boundaries from the handover boundary map based at least in part on any combination of operating conditions at UE 604, navigation information associated with UE 604, and / or coverage quality metrics associated with another network node. In some aspects, a coverage area map may indicate one or more coverage area boundaries associated with one or more ground network nodes and / or one or more non-ground network nodes. Alternatively or additionally, a coverage area map may indicate one or more corresponding coverage area quality metrics for a given coverage area, as described below. The first network node 602 may select a first handover boundary based at least in part on the location and / or position of UE 604, and / or at least in part on the expected location and / or position of UE 604 (e.g., at least in part on a planned route). The handover boundary and / or handover boundary map may be based at least in part on the coverage area map.

[0095] In some aspects, a handover boundary map may indicate one or more handover boundaries that differ from the coverage boundaries indicated by a coverage area map. For example, a coverage area map may indicate one or more boundaries and / or locations of coverage areas provided by network nodes (e.g., terrestrial and / or non-terrestrial) in a wireless network. The handover boundary map may indicate preferred locations, preferred network nodes, and / or preferred network node types for performing the handover. The preferred network nodes, preferred network node types, and / or preferred locations indicated by the handover boundaries may be based at least in part on one or more operating conditions at the UE (e.g., 5QI value and / or UE capability) and / or one or more operating conditions at the network nodes (e.g., coverage quality metrics, capacity metrics, and / or congestion metrics). For example, a coverage area map may indicate a coverage boundary at a first location between a first coverage area provided by a terrestrial network node and a second coverage area provided by a first non-terrestrial network node. The handover boundary map may indicate that handover from the first terrestrial network node and the first non-terrestrial network node should be avoided for the first location. That is, the handover boundary map may not include a handover boundary for the first location. For example, the handover boundary map may be determined, at least in part, based on coverage quality metrics, capacity metrics, and / or congestion metrics associated with the first non-terrestrial network node, which indicate that the first non-terrestrial network node may be unable to provide the UE with data throughput, data transmission latency, and / or signal quality that meet the UE's operating conditions.

[0096] Alternatively or additionally, a handover boundary map can indicate, through handover boundaries, a handover from a first ground network node to a second ground network node at a first location and / or a handover from a first ground network node to a second non-ground network node at a second location. For illustration, and in a manner similar to that described above, coverage quality metrics, capacity metrics, and / or congestion metrics associated with the second non-ground network node and / or the second ground network node can indicate that the respective network node is capable of providing the UE with data throughput, data transmission latency, and / or signal quality that meets the UE's operating conditions. Therefore, handover boundaries and / or handover boundary maps can identify one or more preferred handover locations, one or more preferred network node types, and / or one or more preferred network nodes that can provide the UE with improved performance (e.g., in addition to connectivity) and / or reduced signaling overhead compared to other handover locations, other network nodes, and / or other network node types.

[0097] In some aspects, the first network node 602 may obtain a handover boundary map and / or handover boundaries from an application server. As another example, the first network node 602 may obtain a handover boundary map and / or handover boundaries from core network entities and / or RAN network nodes. Alternatively or additionally, the first network node 602 may compute handover boundaries and / or handover boundary maps. For illustration, the first network node 602 may obtain from core network nodes and / or via backhaul links with other network nodes operating conditions associated with UE 604 as described with respect to reference numeral 610, navigation information from UE 604 as described with respect to reference numeral 620, and / or corresponding coverage quality metrics associated with one or more other network nodes (e.g., within a distance threshold of UE 604). The first network node 602 may compute handover boundaries and / or handover boundary maps in part based on any combination of UE operating conditions, navigation information, and / or corresponding coverage quality metrics. By way of example and not limitation, coverage quality metrics associated with a network node (e.g., a terrestrial network node and / or a non-terrestrial network node) may include experienced signal metrics (e.g., experienced RSSI and / or experienced RSRP), experienced data throughput, and / or experienced data rate as observed by another UE when connected to that network node. Alternatively or additionally, coverage quality metrics may indicate congestion metrics and / or load metrics.

[0098] In some respects, a handover boundary may indicate the boundary used to trigger and / or perform a handover between two network nodes (e.g., a location selected by the network node and / or application server). A handover boundary may implicitly indicate that performing a handover at the handover boundary (e.g., to a preferred network node and / or within a preferred location) can provide the UE with services and / or performance that satisfy the UE's operating conditions. Alternatively or additionally, a handover boundary may implicitly indicate that performing a handover at the handover boundary can provide the UE with commensurate (e.g., within a range of values ​​or within a threshold) data throughput, commensurate signal quality, and / or commensurate data rate from the (preferred) target network node, which is the source network node.

[0099] Entities that calculate handover boundaries and / or handover boundary maps (e.g., application servers, core networks, RAN network nodes, and / or first network nodes) may calculate handover boundaries and / or handover boundary maps based at least in part on coverage area maps and / or coverage quality metrics. In some aspects, entities may reject and / or avoid selecting a coverage area boundary (e.g., indicated by a coverage area map) associated with a potential network node as a handover boundary based at least in part on the failure of a coverage quality metric associated with the potential network node to meet a quality threshold. The quality threshold may be based at least in part on UE 604 operating conditions, such as QoS flows, 5QI values ​​associated with QoS flows, and / or UE capabilities. Alternatively or additionally, entities may select a second coverage area boundary (e.g., indicated by a coverage area map) associated with another network node as a handover boundary based at least in part on the second coverage quality metric associated with another network node meeting a quality threshold.

[0100] Therefore, a handover boundary (e.g., a network-selected handover boundary) can indicate the boundary associated with performing a handover to a preferred network node, the preferred network node type, and / or the preferred location for performing the handover to satisfy one or more operating conditions at UE 604. Alternatively or additionally, a handover boundary can implicitly indicate not performing a handover to another network node not associated with the handover boundary. A handover boundary can be associated with two network nodes, operating conditions, and / or coverage quality metrics. In some aspects, a handover boundary map can indicate multiple sets of handover boundaries, such as a first set of handover boundaries associated with a first coverage quality metric, a second set of handover boundaries associated with a second coverage quality metric, and / or a third set of handover boundaries associated with a third coverage quality metric. A handover associated with a handover boundary can include a handover from a source terrestrial network node to a target non-terrestrial network node. As another example, a handover associated with a handover boundary can be from a source non-terrestrial network node to a target terrestrial network node.

[0101] As shown by reference numeral 640, UE 604 may iteratively transmit and first network node 602 may iteratively receive navigation information, as described with respect to reference numeral 620. Alternatively or additionally, first network node 602 may iteratively obtain handover boundaries, such as by obtaining an updated handover boundary map and / or by selecting updated handover boundaries based at least in part on (updated) navigation information. In some aspects, UE 604 may transmit navigation information based at least in part on the distance by which the UE changes position to satisfy an update threshold. Alternatively or additionally, UE 604 may transmit navigation information periodically and / or on demand (e.g., in response to a query from first network node 602). UE 604 may transmit absolute navigation information (e.g., absolute GNSS coordinates) and / or incremental navigation information (e.g., navigation information relative to a baseline and / or the last previously updated navigation information). Alternatively or additionally, UE 604 may transmit updated route information and / or updated end position.

[0102] As indicated by reference numeral 650 in the accompanying drawings, the first network node 602 can transmit, and the UE 604 can receive, an instruction to perform a handover to the second network node 606. In some aspects, the first network node 602 may be a source network node serving the UE 604, such as a terrestrial network node and / or a non-terrestrial network node. In other aspects, the first network node 602 may be part of a decomposed base station connected to the source network node serving the UE 604 (e.g., as per [reference to...]). Figure 3 (As described). Instructions for performing a handover can be associated with a handover between a TN and an NTN, such as a first handover from a terrestrial network node to a non-terrestrial network node, or a second handover from a non-terrestrial network node to a terrestrial network node. Alternatively or additionally, the first network node 602 may send instructions based at least in part on the activation of navigation-based handover.

[0103] In some aspects, the first network node 602 may identify triggering events associated with sending an instruction to perform handover, such as distance-based triggering events. For example, the first network node 602 may calculate the distance between the UE's updated location and / or updated positioning (e.g., based on navigation information) and the handover boundary, and determine that this distance satisfies a handover distance threshold as a triggering event. Therefore, the first network node 602 may send the instruction to perform handover at least in part based on identifying the triggering event. In some aspects, the first network node 602 may send the instruction to perform handover without instructing the UE 604 to return a measurement report associated with the target network node (e.g., the second network node 606) and / or without obtaining the current quality metric associated with the target network node to be handed over. However, in other aspects, the first network node 602 may obtain the current quality metric (e.g., from the UE 604) and determine that the current quality metric satisfies a quality threshold as a triggering event. Therefore, the first network node 602 may send the instruction to perform handover at least in part based on the current quality metric satisfying the quality threshold. In some respects, the first network node 602 is a RAN network node, and the identification triggering event is based at least in part on the UE being attached to the RAN network node.

[0104] In some respects, the first network node 602 can send an instruction to perform a handover by sending a handover request to the core network entity of the source network node attached to the UE. For example, the core network entity could be an AMF network entity, and the first network node 602 could be part of a decomposed base station, as per [reference to...]. Figure 3 As described. Therefore, the first network node 602 can send an instruction (e.g., a handover request) to the AMF network entity to perform a handover to UE 604, and the AMF network entity can forward the instruction to the RAN network node that is the source network node to UE 604.

[0105] In some aspects, the first network node 602 may send an instruction to perform a handover based at least in part on an instruction received from an AMF network entity. For example, UE 604 may send navigation information to the application server based at least in part on AS layer messages, as described above. The application server may forward the navigation information to the AMF network entity based at least in part on User Plane Functions (UPF) and / or Session Management Functions (SMF). In some aspects, such as when the first network node 602 acts as the source network node, the AMF network entity may send an instruction to the first network node 602 instructing UE 604 to perform a handover, such as when UE 604 is within a distance threshold of the handover boundary. Therefore, the first network node 602 may send an instruction to perform a handover to the UE based at least in part on an instruction received from an AMF network entity.

[0106] Alternatively or additionally, the first network node 602 may be a different network entity from the RAN network entity that is the source network node, and the first network node 602 may send a handover request to the RAN network entity. However, in other respects, the first network node 602 may be a RAN network node (e.g., a source network node attached to UE 604) and may send the instruction to UE 604.

[0107] As shown by reference numeral 660 in the accompanying drawings, UE 604 can perform a handover from a source network node (e.g., a first network node 602 and / or a RAN network node) to a target network node (e.g., a second network node 606). Performing the handover may include UE 604 communicating with the first network node 602 and / or the second network node 606. As an example, as part of performing the handover, UE 604 may establish a link to the second network node 606 and dismantle the link with the first network node 602 (or another network node acting as the source network node).

[0108] In some aspects, the first network node 602 may instruct the UE 604 to generate and / or return a measurement report. After sending an instruction to perform a handover, the first network node 602 may instruct the generation and return of a measurement report. As an example, for a handover associated with a source terrestrial network node and a target non-terrestrial network node, the first network node 602 may instruct the UE 604 to generate a measurement report at least partially based on the target non-terrestrial network node, and / or send the measurement report to the source network node (e.g., the first network node 602 or the RAN network node). Therefore, the source network node can determine whether to proceed with the handover from the UE 604 to the second network node 606. Thus, the handover may be a conditional handover initiated at least partially based on a handover boundary, and performed at least partially based on the second network node 606's signal metrics meeting a handover threshold. However, in other examples, the UE 604 may perform a handover to the second network node 606 without generating and / or sending a measurement report associated with the second network node 606.

[0109] The handover boundary can indicate the preferred network node, preferred network node type (e.g., terrestrial network node type or non-terrestrial network node type), and / or preferred location for performing the handover. As described above, the preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location can be selected at least in part based on satisfying operating conditions at the UE and / or coverage quality metrics associated with the preferred network node. Selecting the preferred network node, preferred network node type, and / or preferred location for performing the handover can reduce signaling overhead at the UE and / or prevent the handover of non-preferred network nodes, thereby increasing data throughput, reducing data transmission latency, and / or reducing service interruptions at the UE.

[0110] As indicated above, Figure 6 This is provided as an example. Other examples are available with reference to [the relevant information]. Figure 6 The examples described are different.

[0111] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an example process 700 performed by a network node, for example, according to this disclosure. Example process 700 is an example in which a network node (e.g., network node 110) performs operations associated with mobility management for handover between TN and NTN.

[0112] like Figure 7 As shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include receiving navigation information associated with the UE (block 710). For example, a network node (e.g., using...) Figure 8 The receiving component 802 and / or communication manager 806 described above can receive navigation information associated with the UE.

[0113] like Figure 7 As further shown, in some aspects, process 700 may include sending an instruction to the UE to perform a handover between the TN and NTN, at least in part based on navigation information and handover boundaries (box 720). For example, network nodes (e.g., using...) Figure 8 The transmitting component 804 and / or the communication manager 806 described above can transmit instructions to the UE to perform a handover between the TN and NTN based at least in part on navigation information and handover boundaries.

[0114] Process 700 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere in this document.

[0115] In the first aspect, the navigation information includes at least one of baseline navigation information or updated navigation information.

[0116] In the second aspect, receiving navigation information includes receiving navigation information in at least one of application layer messages, NAS layer messages, or AS layer messages.

[0117] In the third aspect, receiving navigation information includes receiving updated navigation information that indicates the updated positioning of the UE.

[0118] In the fourth aspect, receiving updated navigation information includes periodically receiving updated navigation information.

[0119] Fifthly, navigation information is updated based, at least in part, on Global Navigation Satellite System coordinates.

[0120] In the sixth aspect, updating navigation information includes landmark identifiers or at least one of a set of locations.

[0121] In a seventh aspect, process 700 includes obtaining a handover boundary map that specifies a handover boundary for performing a handover between a TN and an NTN, the handover boundary being a first network selection handover boundary among the one or more network selection handover boundaries, and the handover boundary map being based at least in part on a first cell coverage area provided by the TN and a second cell coverage area provided by the NTN.

[0122] In the eighth aspect, obtaining the handover boundary map includes at least one of the following: obtaining the handover boundary map from the application server, obtaining the handover boundary map from the core network entity, or obtaining the handover boundary map from the RAN network node.

[0123] In the ninth aspect, obtaining the handover boundary map includes: calculating the handover boundary map based at least in part on at least one of the following: QoS flow, 5th generation QoS identifier value, or coverage quality metric.

[0124] In the tenth aspect, the coverage quality metric includes at least one of the following: experienced signal metric, experienced data throughput, or experienced data rate.

[0125] In the eleventh aspect, process 700 includes identifying a triggering event associated with sending an instruction to perform a handover to the UE, and sending the instruction to perform a handover to the UE is based at least in part on identifying the triggering event.

[0126] In the twelfth aspect, process 700 includes calculating the distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary based at least in part on navigation information, and determining that the distance satisfies a handover distance threshold as a trigger event.

[0127] In the thirteenth aspect, sending an instruction to perform a handover to the UE includes sending the instruction without obtaining the current quality metric associated with the target network node to be handed over.

[0128] In the fourteenth aspect, the network node is a RAN network node, and the identification triggering event is based at least in part on the UE being attached to the RAN network node.

[0129] In the fifteenth aspect, the RAN network node is a TN network node, and the handover is from TN to NTN.

[0130] In the sixteenth aspect, the RAN network node is the NTN network node, and the handover is from the NTN to the TN.

[0131] In the seventeenth aspect, sending instructions to perform a handover to the UE includes sending a handover request to the core network entity of the source network node attached to the UE.

[0132] In the eighteenth aspect, the core network entity is the AMF network entity.

[0133] In the nineteenth aspect, sending an instruction to perform a handover to the UE includes sending a handover request to the RAN network entity that is the source network node attached to the UE.

[0134] In the twentieth aspect, the network node is a RAN network node that is the source network node attached to the UE, and the process 700 includes: receiving a handover boundary indication from a core network entity; calculating, at least in part, the distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary based on navigation information; and determining that the distance meets a handover distance threshold, and sending an indication to perform a handover to the UE includes: sending a handover request to the core network entity, the handover request indicating a request to perform a handover between the TN and NTN.

[0135] In the twenty-first aspect, process 700 includes obtaining a current quality metric associated with the target network node to be handed over, and determining that the current quality metric meets a quality threshold. In some aspects, sending an instruction to perform a handover to the UE is based at least in part on the current quality metric meeting the quality threshold.

[0136] In the twenty-second aspect, the instruction to perform a handover to the UE is sent at least in part based on the activation of navigation-based handover.

[0137] although Figure 7 An example box of process 700 is shown, but in some respects, process 700 may include... Figure 7 The boxes depicted may be fewer, different, or arranged differently compared to additional boxes. Alternatively, two or more boxes in the process 700 may be executed in parallel.

[0138] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example device 800 for wireless communication according to the present disclosure. Device 800 may be a network node, or a network node may include device 800. In some aspects, device 800 includes a receiving component 802, a transmitting component 804, and / or a communication manager 806, which can communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). In some aspects, communication manager 806 is combined with... Figure 1 The described communication manager 150. As shown, device 800 can communicate with another device 808 (such as a UE or a network node (such as a CU, DU, RU or base station)) using receiving component 802 and transmitting component 804.

[0139] In some respects, device 800 can be configured to perform the functions described herein. Figures 5 to 7One or more operations described herein. Additionally or alternatively, device 800 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein (such as...). Figure 7 The process 700) or a combination thereof. In some respects, Figure 8 The illustrated device 800 and / or one or more components may include a combination Figure 2 One or more components of the described network node. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 8 One or more components shown can be combined Figure 2 Implementation within one or more of the described components. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the components in a set may be implemented at least partially as software stored in memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or processor to perform the function or operation of the component.

[0140] Receiver 802 may receive communications from device 808, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof. Receiver 802 may provide the received communications to one or more other components of device 800. In some aspects, receiver 802 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, demapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, etc.) and may provide the processed signals to one or more other components of device 800. In some aspects, receiver 802 may include combinations of... Figure 2 The described network node includes one or more antennas, modems, demodulators, MIMO detectors, receiver processors, controllers / processors, memory, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, receiver component 802 and / or transmitter component 804 may include or be included in a network interface. The network interface may be configured to acquire and / or output signals for device 800 via one or more communication links (such as backhaul links, midhaul links, and / or fronthaul links).

[0141] Transmitting component 804 can transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or combinations thereof, to device 808. In some aspects, one or more other components of device 800 can generate communications and provide the generated communications to transmitting component 804 for transmission to device 808. In some aspects, transmitting component 804 can perform signal processing (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, etc.) on the generated communications and can transmit the processed signals to device 808. In some aspects, transmitting component 804 may include combinations of... Figure 2The described network node includes one or more antennas, modems, modulators, transmit MIMO processors, transmit processors, controllers / processors, memory, or combinations thereof. In some aspects, the transmit component 804 may be co-located with the receive component 802 in a transceiver.

[0142] The communication manager 806 may support the operation of the receiving component 802 and / or the transmitting component 804. For example, the communication manager 806 may receive information associated with configuring the reception of communications by the receiving component 802 and / or the transmission of communications by the transmitting component 804. Additionally or alternatively, the communication manager 806 may generate control information and / or provide such control information to the receiving component 802 and / or the transmitting component 804 to control the reception and / or transmission of communications.

[0143] The communication manager 806 can receive navigation information associated with the UE through the receiving component 802. The communication manager 806 can send an instruction to the UE to perform a handover between the TN and NTN by the sending component 804, based at least in part on the navigation information and the handover boundary.

[0144] The communication manager 806 can obtain a handover boundary map through the receiving component 802. This handover boundary map specifies a handover boundary for one or more network selections used to perform the handover between the TN and NTN. This handover boundary is the handover boundary of a first network selection among the one or more network selection handover boundaries, and the handover boundary map is based at least in part on a first cell coverage area provided by the TN and a second cell coverage area provided by the NTN. Alternatively or additionally, the communication manager 806 can calculate the handover boundary map.

[0145] The communication manager 806 can identify triggering events associated with sending an instruction to perform a handover to the UE, and the sending of the instruction to perform a handover to the UE is based at least in part on identifying the triggering events.

[0146] The communication manager 806 can calculate the distance between the UE's updated positioning and handover boundary based at least in part on navigation information.

[0147] The communication manager 806 can determine whether the distance meets the handover distance threshold as a trigger event.

[0148] The receiving component 802 can obtain the current quality metric associated with the target network node to be handed over.

[0149] The communication manager 806 can determine whether the current quality metric meets the quality threshold.

[0150] Figure 8 The number and arrangement of components shown are provided as an example. In reality, they can exist in... Figure 8The components shown are compared to additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged in a different manner. Furthermore, Figure 8 The two or more components shown can be implemented within a single component, or Figure 8 The single component shown can be implemented as multiple distributed components. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 8 The collection of (one or more) components shown is executable and described as being composed of Figure 8 Another set of components shown performs one or more functions.

[0151] The following provides an overview of some aspects of this disclosure:

[0152] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication performed by a network node, the method comprising: receiving navigation information associated with a user equipment (UE); and transmitting an instruction to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) based at least in part on the navigation information and a handover boundary.

[0153] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, the navigation information includes at least one of the following: baseline navigation information or updated navigation information.

[0154] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein receiving the navigation information includes: receiving the navigation information in at least one of the following: application layer message, non-access layer message or access layer message.

[0155] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein receiving the navigation information includes: receiving updated navigation information indicating the updated positioning of the UE.

[0156] Aspect 5: According to the method of aspect 4, receiving the updated navigation information includes: periodically receiving the updated navigation information.

[0157] Aspect 6: The method according to aspect 4 or aspect 5, wherein the updated navigation information is based at least in part on Global Navigation Satellite System coordinates.

[0158] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 4 to 6, wherein the updated navigation information includes at least one of the following: a landmark identifier or a set of locations.

[0159] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7, the method further comprising: obtaining a handover boundary map, the handover boundary map specifying a handover boundary for performing the handover between the TN and the NTN, wherein the handover boundary is a first network selection handover boundary among the one or more network selection handover boundaries, and wherein the handover boundary map is based at least in part on a first cell coverage area provided by the TN and a second cell coverage area provided by the NTN.

[0160] Aspect 9: According to the method of aspect 8, obtaining the handover boundary map includes at least one of the following: obtaining the handover boundary map from an application server; obtaining the handover boundary map from a core network entity; or obtaining the handover boundary map from a radio access network (RAN) network node.

[0161] Aspect 10: According to the method of aspect 8, obtaining the handover boundary map includes: calculating the handover boundary map based at least in part on at least one of the following: quality of service (QoS) flow, 5th generation QoS identifier value, or coverage quality metric.

[0162] Aspect 11: According to the method of aspect 10, the coverage quality metric includes at least one of the following: experienced signal metric, experienced data throughput, or experienced data rate.

[0163] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, the method further comprising: identifying a triggering event associated with sending an instruction to perform the handover to the UE, wherein sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is at least in part based on identifying the triggering event.

[0164] Aspect 13: According to the method of aspect 12, the method further includes: calculating, at least in part, the distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary based on the navigation information; and determining that the distance satisfies a handover distance threshold as the triggering event.

[0165] Aspect 14: According to the method of aspect 13, sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE includes: sending the instruction without obtaining the current quality metric associated with the target network node of the handover.

[0166] Aspect 15: The method according to aspect 12, wherein the network node is a radio access network (RAN) network node, and wherein identifying the triggering event is at least in part based on the UE being attached to the RAN network node.

[0167] Aspect 16: The method according to aspect 15, wherein the RAN network node is a TN network node, and wherein the handover is from the TN to the NTN.

[0168] Aspect 17: The method according to aspect 15, wherein the RAN network node is an NTN network node, and wherein the handover is from the NTN to the TN.

[0169] Aspect 18: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 17, wherein sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE comprises: sending a handover request to a core network entity of the source network node attached to the UE.

[0170] Aspect 19: According to the method of aspect 18, the core network entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network entity.

[0171] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 19, wherein the network node is a core network entity, and wherein sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE comprises: sending a handover request to a radio access network (RAN) network entity that is a source network node attached to the UE.

[0172] Aspect 21: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 20, wherein the network node is a radio access network (RAN) network node attached to the UE as a source network node, and the method further includes: receiving a handover boundary indication from a core network entity; calculating a distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary based at least in part on the navigation information; and determining that the distance satisfies a handover distance threshold, wherein sending the indication to perform the handover to the UE includes: sending a handover request to the core network entity, the handover request indicating a request to perform the handover between the TN and the NTN.

[0173] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 21, the method further comprising: obtaining a current quality metric associated with the target network node to be handed over; and determining that the current quality metric satisfies a quality threshold; wherein sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is based at least in part on the current quality metric satisfying the quality threshold, wherein sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is based at least in part on the current quality metric satisfying the quality threshold.

[0174] Aspect 23: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 22, wherein the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is transmitted at least in part based on navigation-based handover being enabled.

[0175] Aspect 24: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 23.

[0176] Aspect 25: A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 23.

[0177] Aspect 26: An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising at least one component for performing the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 23.

[0178] Aspect 27: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, said code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in one or more of aspects 1 to 23.

[0179] Aspect 28: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method according to one or more of aspects 1 to 23.

[0180] The foregoing disclosure provides examples and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made based on the foregoing disclosure, or from practice in various aspects.

[0181] As used herein, the term "component" is intended to be interpreted broadly as hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. Whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names, "software" should be interpreted broadly as meaning instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, and / or functions, etc. As used herein, a "processor" is implemented in hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in various forms of hardware and / or combinations of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limiting in any way. Therefore, no specific software code is referenced herein to describe the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods, as those skilled in the art will understand that the software and hardware can be designed, at least in part, based on the descriptions herein, to implement the systems and / or methods.

[0182] As used in this article, depending on the context, "meeting the threshold" can mean a value greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, etc.

[0183] Although specific combinations of features are set forth in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically set forth in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with each other claim in the claim set. As used herein, the phrase referring to “at least one of” in the list of entries means any combination of these entries, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a+b, a+c, b+c, and a+b+c, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., a+a, a+a+a, a+a+b, a+a+c, a+b+b, a+c+c, b+b, b+b+b, b+b+c, c+c, and c+c+c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0184] No element, action, or instruction used herein should be construed as essential or necessary unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items and is used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the article “described” is intended to include one or more items mentioned in conjunction with the article “described” and is used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “group” and “cluster” are intended to include one or more items and are used interchangeably with “one or more.” If only one item is desired, the phrase “only one” or similar terminology will be used. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “have,” “possess,” “have,” etc., are intended to be open-ended terms that do not limit the elements they modify (e.g., an element “having” A may also have B). Furthermore, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “at least partially based on” unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be open-ended when used in a series and is interchangeable with “and / or” unless otherwise explicitly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with “any” or “only one”).

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, the apparatus comprising: Memory; and One or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to: Receive navigation information associated with user equipment (UE); and Instructions to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) are sent, at least in part based on the navigation information and the handover boundary.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in order to receive the navigation information, the one or more processors are configured to: The navigation information is received in at least one of the following: Application layer messages Non-access layer messages, or Access layer messages.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in order to receive the navigation information, the one or more processors are configured to: Receive updated navigation information indicating the updated location of the UE.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, in order to receive the updated navigation information, the one or more processors are configured to: The updated navigation information is received periodically.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the updated navigation information is based at least in part on Global Navigation Satellite System coordinates.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the updated navigation information comprises at least one of the following: Landmark identifier, or A set of locations.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Obtain a handover boundary map that specifies the handover boundaries for performing the handover between the TN and the NTN. The handover boundary is the first network-selected handover boundary among the one or more network-selected handover boundaries, and The handover boundary map is at least in part based on a first cell coverage area provided by the TN and a second cell coverage area provided by the NTN.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, in order to obtain the handover boundary map, the one or more processors are configured to: Obtain the handover boundary map from the application server; Obtain the handover boundary map from the core network entities; or The handover boundary map is obtained from the Radio Access Network (RAN) network nodes.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, in order to obtain the handover boundary map, the one or more processors are configured to: The handover boundary map is calculated based at least in part on at least one of the following: Quality of Service (QoS) flow, 5th generation QoS identifier value, or Coverage quality metrics.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the coverage quality metric includes at least one of the following: Measured signal received Data throughput experienced, or The rate of data experienced.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The triggering event associated with sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is identified. In order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are further configured to send the instruction at least in part based on identifying the triggering event.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary is calculated, at least in part, based on the navigation information; and The distance is determined to meet the handover distance threshold as the triggering event.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: The instruction is sent without obtaining the current quality metric associated with the target network node being handed over.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the network node is a radio access network (RAN) network node, and wherein identifying the triggering event is at least in part based on the UE being attached to the RAN network node.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RAN network node is a TN network node, and The transfer mentioned therein is from the TN to the NTN.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the RAN network node is an NTN network node, and The transfer mentioned therein is from the NTN to the TN.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: Send a handover request to the core network entity of the source network node attached to the UE.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the core network entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network entity.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network node is a core network entity, and In order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: A handover request is sent to the radio access network (RAN) network entity that is the source network node attached to the UE.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Receive handover boundary instructions from core network entities; The distance between the updated location of the UE and the handover boundary is calculated, at least in part, based on the navigation information; and Determine that the distance satisfies the handover distance threshold. In order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: A handover request is sent to the core network entity, the handover request instructing the execution of the handover request between the TN and the NTN.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Obtain the current quality metric associated with the target network node being handed over; and Determine that the current quality metric meets the quality threshold. In order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are further configured to send the instruction at least in part based on the current quality metric satisfying the quality threshold.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in order to send the instruction to perform the handover to the UE, the one or more processors are further configured to send the instruction at least in part based on navigation-based handover being enabled.

23. A method for wireless communication performed by a network node, the method comprising: Receive navigation information associated with user equipment (UE); as well as Instructions to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) are sent, at least in part based on the navigation information and the handover boundary.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: Obtain a handover boundary map that specifies the handover boundaries for performing the handover between the TN and the NTN. The handover boundary is the first network-selected handover boundary among the one or more network-selected handover boundaries, and The handover boundary map is at least in part based on a first cell coverage area provided by the TN and a second cell coverage area provided by the NTN.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein obtaining the handover boundary map comprises at least one of the following: Obtain the handover boundary map from the application server; Obtain the handover boundary map from the core network entities; or The handover boundary map is obtained from the Radio Access Network (RAN) network nodes.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein obtaining the handover boundary map comprises: The handover boundary map is calculated based at least in part on at least one of the following: Quality of Service (QoS) flow, 5th generation QoS identifier value, or Coverage quality metrics.

27. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: The triggering event associated with sending the instruction to perform the handover to the UE is identified. The instruction to perform the handover to the UE is sent at least in part based on identifying the triggering event.

28. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: Obtain the current quality metric associated with the target network node being handed over; as well as Determine that the current quality metric meets the quality threshold; The instruction to perform the handover to the UE is sent at least in part based on the current quality metric satisfying the quality threshold.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an instruction set for wireless communication, the instruction set comprising: One or more instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, cause the network node to: Receive navigation information associated with user equipment (UE); and Instructions to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN) are sent, at least in part based on the navigation information and the handover boundary.

30. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Components used to receive navigation information associated with user equipment (UE); and A component for transmitting an instruction to the UE to perform a handover between a terrestrial network (TN) and a non-terrestrial network (NTN), based at least in part on the navigation information and the handover boundary.

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