Base station, mobile terminal, node in wireless communication system, and

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a base station, a mobile terminal, a node in a wireless communication system, and methods performed by the same. A method performed by a wireless access backhaul, WAB, base station in a wireless communication system, comprising: transmitting a first message to a second node, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; and receiving, from the second node, a message in response to the request, the first message comprises at least one of the following information: first time information related to time for suspending the NG interface, first historical position information of the WAB base station, and second historical position information of a co-located wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) of the WAB base station; the information is related to the context of the NG interface which is suggested to be released by the WAB base station, and the information is related to the context of the NG interface which is not suggested to be released by the WAB base station.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically, to base stations, mobile terminals, nodes, and methods thereof in wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the increased demand for wireless data communication services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or near-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or near-5G communication systems are also referred to as "super 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems".

[0003] Wireless communication is one of the most successful innovations in modern history. Recently, the number of subscribers to wireless communication services surpassed 5 billion and continues to grow rapidly. The demand for wireless data services is growing rapidly due to the increasing prevalence of smartphones and other mobile data devices (such as tablets, laptops, netbooks, e-book readers, and machine-type devices) among consumers and businesses. To meet the rapid growth of mobile data services and support new applications and deployments, improving the efficiency and coverage of wireless interfaces is crucial. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a method performed by a Radio Access Backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system, comprising: sending a first message to a second node, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; and receiving a message from the second node responding to the request, wherein the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of a co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) of the WAB base station, information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release; wherein the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0005] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0006] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: sending an NG removal request related to the NG interface to the second node and / or performing a removal operation related to the NG interface.

[0007] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending an NG removal request message related to the NG interface to a third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the identifier of the WAB base station is sent by the third node to the second node.

[0008] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal response message from the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node, wherein the name information of the second node is sent by the second node to the third node.

[0009] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0010] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending a fourth message to the second node, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0013] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a method executed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; and sending a message responding to the request to the WAB base station, wherein the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of a co-located wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) of the WAB base station, context-related information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and context-related information of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release; wherein the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0015] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request related to the NG interface from the WAB base station and / or performing a removal operation related to the NG interface.

[0016] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving the identifier of the WAB base station from a third node, wherein an NG removal request message related to the NG interface is sent from the WAB base station to the third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station.

[0017] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending an NG removal response message to the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the name information of the second node is sent to the WAB base station by the third node.

[0018] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0020] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a fourth message from the WAB base station, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0021] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0022] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a method performed by a Wireless Access Backhaul Mobile Terminal (WAB-MT) in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving a first message from a WAB base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and a second node; sending the first message to the second node; and receiving a message responding to the request from the second node, wherein the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located WAB-MT of the WAB base station, context-related information of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and context-related information of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release; wherein the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0023] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0024] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request related to the NG interface from the WAB base station; and sending an NG removal request related to the NG interface to the second node.

[0025] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request message related to the NG interface from the WAB base station; and sending the NG removal request message to a third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the identifier of the WAB base station is sent to the second node by the third node.

[0026] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal response message from the third node; and sending the NG removal response message to the WAB base station, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node, wherein the name information of the second node is sent by the second node to the third node.

[0027] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0028] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0029] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a fourth message from the WAB base station; and sending the fourth message to the second node, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0030] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0031] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system, comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any method performed by the WAB base station in the wireless communication system according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0032] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a node device in a wireless communication system, including: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any method performed by any node device, such as a second node in the wireless communication system, according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) in a wireless communication system, comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit and receive signals; and a controller coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any method performed by the WAB-MT in the wireless communication system according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0034] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement any method performed by a node device, WAB base station, and / or WAB-MT in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0035] The method provided in this disclosure, performed by node devices, WAB base stations, and / or WAB-MTs in a wireless communication system, can effectively enhance the NG interface by interacting with information related to NG interface suspension. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0037] Figure 1 This is an exemplary system architecture for System Architecture Evolution (SAE);

[0038] Figure 2 These are exemplary system architectures based on various embodiments of this disclosure;

[0039] Figure 3A An example structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 3B An example structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0041] Figure 3C An example structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an example architecture of a WAB node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] Figure 5A An example flow for establishing an NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0044] Figure 5B An example flow for removing the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0045] Figure 5C Another example process for removing the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0046] Figure 6A An example flow of NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0047] Figure 6B An example flow of NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0048] Figure 7A An example flow of NG interface hang failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0049] Figure 7B An example flow of NG interface hang failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0050] Figure 8A An example flow for NG interface recovery according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0051] Figure 8B An example flow for NG interface recovery according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0052] Figure 9A An example flow of NG interface recovery failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0053] Figure 9B An example flow of NG interface recovery failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0054] Figure 10 An example flow of NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0055] Figure 11 An example flow of the NG interface from a suspended state to a released state according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0056] Figure 12 An example flow for preventing the release of a BH PDU session used for NG interface suspension, according to an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown.

[0057] Figure 13A An example method for indicating the PDU session type according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0058] Figure 13B An example method for indicating the PDU session type according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0059] Figure 14 Another method for obtaining historical location information of WAB-gNB according to embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0060] Figures 15A-15D An example of the context of the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0061] Figure 15E An example procedure for context recovery of the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0062] Figure 16A An example flow for sending auxiliary information to a BH gNB via the Uu interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0063] Figure 16B Another example flow for sending auxiliary information to a BH gNB via the Uu interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0064] Figure 17 An example of a mapping between BH PDU sessions and resources according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0065] Figure 18 A flowchart is shown of a method 1800 performed by a wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 19 A flowchart of a method 1900 performed by a second node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0067] Figure 20 A flowchart is shown of a method 2000 performed by a wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of a node 2100 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0069] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of a WAB base station 2200 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0070] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of a WAB-MT 2300 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0071] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, is provided to aid in a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. This description includes various specific details to aid understanding but should be considered exemplary only. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted.

[0072] The terms and wording used in the following description and claims are not limited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used by the inventors to enable a clear and consistent understanding of this disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of this disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the purpose of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0073] It should be understood that the singular forms of “one,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, the reference to “component surface” includes one or more such surfaces.

[0074] The terms “comprising” or “may include” refer to the presence of a corresponding disclosed function, operation, or component that may be used in the various embodiments of this disclosure, rather than limiting the presence of one or more additional functions, operations, or features. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” or “having” may be interpreted as indicating certain characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but should not be construed as excluding the possibility of the presence of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0075] The term "or" as used in the various embodiments of this disclosure includes any of the listed terms and all combinations thereof. For example, "A or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0076] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this disclosure (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as understood by one of those skilled in the art as described herein. Common terms as defined in dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context in the relevant technical field and should not be interpreted ideally or overly formally unless expressly defined in this disclosure.

[0077] The accompanying drawings and various embodiments used to illustrate the principles of this disclosure in this patent document are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or apparatus.

[0078] Figure 1This is an exemplary system architecture 100 of System Architecture Evolution (SAE). User Equipment (UE) 101 is a terminal device used to receive data. Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 102 is a radio access network, including macro base stations (eNodeB / NodeB) that provide the UE with an interface to access the radio network. Mobility Management Entity (MME) 103 is responsible for managing the UE's mobility context, session context, and security information. Serving Gateway (SGW) 104 primarily provides user plane functions; MME 103 and SGW 104 may reside in the same physical entity. Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) 105 is responsible for functions such as charging and lawful interception, and may also reside in the same physical entity as SGW 104. Policy and Charging Rules Function Entity (PCRF) 106 provides Quality of Service (QoS) policies and charging criteria. Universal Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN) 108 is a network node device in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) that provides routing for data transmission. The Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 109 is the UE's home subsystem, responsible for protecting user information including the UE's current location, the address of the serving node, user security information, and the UE's packet data context.

[0079] Figure 2 This is an exemplary system architecture 200 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments of the system architecture 200 can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] User Equipment (UE) 201 is the terminal equipment used to receive data. Next-Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) 202 is the radio access network, which includes base stations (gNBs or eNBs connected to the 5G core network 5GC; eNBs connected to the 5GC are also called ng-eNBs) that provide the UE with access to the radio network interface. Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entity 203 is responsible for managing the UE's mobility context and security information. User Plane Function (UPF) entity 204 primarily provides user plane functions. Session Management Function (SMF) entity 205 is responsible for session management. Data Network (DN) 206 includes services such as operator services, internet access, and third-party services.

[0081] In NR systems, to support network function virtualization and more efficient resource management and scheduling, the base station (gNB / ng-eNB) providing the wireless network interface for the terminal (UE) can be further divided into centralized units (e.g., gNB-CU / ng-eNB-CU (gNB central unit / ng-eNB central unit)) and distributed units (e.g., gNB-DU / ng-eNB-DU (gNB distributed unit / ng-eNB distributed unit)) (hereinafter referred to as CU and DU). Figure 3A As shown. The gNB-CU has Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol layers, while the ng-eNB-CU has RRC and PDCP layers. The gNB-DU / ng-eNB-DU has Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical Layer (PHY). The gNB-CU and gNB-DU use a standardized public interface F1, and the ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU use a standardized public interface W1. The F1 interface is divided into a control plane F1-C and a user plane F1-U. The F1-C transport network layer is based on IP transmission. To provide more reliable signaling transmission, the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is added on top of IP. The application layer protocol is the F1 Application Protocol (F1AP). SCTP can provide reliable application layer message transmission. The F1-U's transport layer is UDP / IP, and the GPRS Tunneling Protocol-User plane (GTP-U) runs on top of UDP / IP to carry User Plane Protocol Data Units (PDUs). Furthermore, for gNB-CU, such as... Figure 3BAs shown, the gNB-CU can include gNB-CU-CP (the control plane portion of the base station's centralized unit) and gNB-CU-UP (the user plane portion of the base station's centralized unit). gNB-CU-CP contains the control plane functions of the base station and has RRC and PDCP protocol layers. gNB-CU-UP contains the user plane functions of the base station and has SDAP and PDCP protocol layers. The interface between gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP is a standardized public interface E1, using the E1 Application Protocol (E1AP). The interface between the control plane portion of the base station's centralized unit and the base station's distributed unit is the F1-C interface, i.e., the F1 control plane interface. The interface between the user plane portion of the base station's centralized unit and the base station's distributed unit is the F1-U interface, i.e., the F1 user plane interface. Furthermore, in the NR system, the base station providing the E-UTRA user plane and control plane that accesses the 5G core network is called an ng-eNB. To support virtualization, this base station (ng-eNB) can be further divided into a centralized unit ng-eNB-CU (gNB central unit / ng-eNB central unit) and a distributed unit ng-eNB-DU (gNB distributed unit / ng-eNB distributed unit) (hereinafter referred to as CU and DU, respectively). Figure 3C As shown. The ng-eNB-CU has RRC and PDCP layers. The gNB-DU / ng-eNB-DU has Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and physical layers. The ng-eNB-CU and ng-eNB-DU share a standardized public interface, W1. The W1 interface is divided into a control plane (W1-C) and a user plane (W1-U). The transport network layer of W1-C is based on IP transmission. For more reliable signaling transmission, the SCTP protocol is added on top of IP. The application layer protocol is the W1 Application Protocol (W1AP). The transport layer of W1-U is UDP / IP, and GTP-U is used to carry user plane protocol data units (PDU) on top of UDP / IP.

[0082] 5G communication technology achieves faster transmission speeds than 4G due to the use of higher frequency bands. However, higher frequency bands also result in shorter transmission distances, necessitating the deployment of more base stations to ensure 5G network coverage. In reality, some areas cannot be properly deployed with 5G base stations due to environmental or cost constraints. Therefore, to address the lack of 5G base station coverage in these areas, Wireless Access Backhaul (WAB) technology was proposed to ensure uninterrupted communication for users.

[0083] A WAB node (or simply WAB) can consist of two parts: a WAB base station (e.g., WAB-gNB) and a WAB-MT (mobile terminal). Specifically, Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an example architecture of a WAB node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 As shown:

[0084] WAB-gNB provides communication services to the UE via the air interface (e.g., NR Uu);

[0085] WAB-MT connects to the backhaul (BH) radio access network node (BH-RAN-Node) (e.g., BHgNB) via the air interface, thereby providing backhaul for WAB-gNB;

[0086] The BH gNB connects to the BH 5GC, which is the 5GC of WAB-MT. The BH gNB and BH 5GC establish a BHPDU session (BH Protocol Data Unit session, BH PDU session) for WAB-MT.

[0087] BH 5GC connects to UE's 5GC, and UE's 5GC provides communication services for UEs under WAB-gNB;

[0088] The WAB-gNB transmits UE data to the UE via the BH PDU session and 5GC.

[0089] The WAB-gNB establishes an NG interface (e.g., NG-C / NG-U) with the UE's 5GC through a BH PDU session, and establishes an Xn interface (e.g., Xn-C / Xn-U) with neighboring base stations through a BH PDU session.

[0090] WAB is mobile; WAB-MT can support at least some of the UE's functions; and WAB-gNB can be a complete base station. WAB-gNB can establish and remove the NG interface with the UE's 5GC through a BH PDU session, the process of which is as follows: Figures 5A-5C As shown below. In the following description, the NG-RAN node is used as an example of WAB-gNB, and the AMF is used as an example of UE 5GC.

[0091] Figure 5A An example flow established according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5AAs shown, the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) sends an NG SETUP REQUEST message to the AMF. If the AMF agrees to the WAB-gNB's NG SETUP REQUEST, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with an NG SETUP RESPONSE message.

[0092] Figure 5B An example flow for removing the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 5B As shown, the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) sends an NG Removal Request message to the AMF. If the AMF agrees to the WAB-gNB's NG Removal Request, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with an NG Removal Response message.

[0093] Figure 5C Another example flow for removing the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 5C As shown, the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) sends an NG removal request message to the AMF. If the AMF disagrees with the WAB-gNB's NG removal request, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with an NG removal failure message.

[0094] Because WABs are mobile, they may move from the service area of ​​an old AMF (e.g., the first AMF) to the service area of ​​a new AMF (e.g., the second AMF). In this case, the NG interface established between the WAB-gNB and the old AMF does not need to be retained; that is, the NG connection between the WAB-gNB and the old AMF can be removed. However, there is another scenario: the WAB may move from the service area of ​​the old AMF to the service area of ​​the new AMF, and then return from the service area of ​​the new AMF to the service area of ​​the old AMF. In this case, if the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the old AMF is removed, when the WAB-gNB returns to the old AMF, the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the old AMF needs to be re-established, resulting in more wasted time and greater signaling overhead. The resulting greater latency will also affect the UEs served by the WAB-gNB. Therefore, for this situation, it is necessary to introduce an NG suspension (or NG suspend) mechanism, that is, to suspend / pause the use of the NG interface, rather than completely removing it.

[0095] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this disclosure proposes several methods for processing NG interfaces, thereby enabling transitions between different states of the NG interface (e.g., NG Connection state, NG Suspend state, NG Removal state, etc.), for example:

[0096] • The NG Connection state transitions to the NG Suspend state;

[0097] • The NG Suspend state transitions to the NG Connection state;

[0098] • The NG Suspend state is changed to the NG Removal state, etc.

[0099] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0100] The text and accompanying drawings are provided by way of example only to aid in understanding this disclosure. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Although certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the content disclosed herein, that changes may be made to the illustrated embodiments and examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0101] Before proceeding with the specific details, the following are some assumptions and definitions of this disclosure.

[0102] The message names in this disclosure are just examples; other message names may also be used.

[0103] The use of terms such as "first" and "second" in the message titles disclosed herein is merely an example and does not represent the order of execution.

[0104] Detailed descriptions of steps that are not related to this disclosure have been omitted from this disclosure.

[0105] In this disclosure, the steps in each process can be executed in combination or individually. The execution steps of each process are merely examples, and other possible execution sequences are not excluded.

[0106] In this disclosure, the base station can be a 5G base station (e.g., gNB, ng-eNB, etc.), a 4G base station (e.g., eNB, etc.), a 6G base station, a WAB node or WAB-gNB, or other types of access nodes.

[0107] In this disclosure, data transmission refers to the receipt or sending of data.

[0108] In this disclosure, "agree" and "accept" can be used interchangeably, as can "disagree" and "dissatisfy" (or "reject").

[0109] First aspect: The status and related processes of the NG interface

[0110] Because the state of the NG interface (e.g., connected, removed, or suspended) is related to the location and movement status of the WAB-gNB, the WAB-gNB itself knows its location information, and the AMF can also obtain the location information of the WAB-gNB through Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM), so the suspension process of the NG interface can be triggered by the WAB-gNB or by the AMF.

[0111] Figure 6A An example flow for NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. When the NG suspension flow is triggered by WAB-gNB, the flow is as follows: Figure 6A As shown, the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) sends a first message (e.g., an NG SUSPEND REQUEST message) to the AMF, associated with a request to suspend the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the AMF. If the AMF agrees to the request, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with a second message (e.g., an NG SUSPENDRESPONSE message). The second message may be related to the acceptance of the NG suspension request.

[0112] Figure 6B An example flow for NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. When the NG suspension flow is triggered by the AMF, its flow is as follows: Figure 6B As shown, the AMF sends a first message (e.g., an NG suspend request) to the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) associated with a request to suspend the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the AMF. If the WAB-gNB agrees to the request, it can reply to the AMF with a second message (e.g., an NG suspend response).

[0113] An entity receiving an NG suspend request (e.g., WAB-gNB or AMF) can reject the request if it cannot correctly parse certain information elements (IEs) in the message or does not want to accept the NG interface suspend request.

[0114] Figure 7AAn example flow of NG interface suspend failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. When the NG suspend process is triggered by WAB-gNB, if the AMF cannot correctly parse some IEs in the first message sent by WAB-gNB (e.g., NG suspend request), or does not want to accept the NG interface suspend request, the AMF can reply to WAB-gNB with a third message (e.g., NG SUSPEND FAILURE), such as... Figure 7A As shown. The third message can be related to the NG pending request being rejected or failing.

[0115] Figure 7B An example flow of NG interface suspension failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. When the NG suspension process is triggered by the AMF, if the WAB-gNB cannot correctly parse some IEs in the first message (e.g., NG suspension request) sent by the AMF, or does not want to accept the NG interface suspension request, the WAB-gNB can reply to the AMF with a third message (e.g., NG suspension failed), such as... Figure 7B As shown.

[0116] When the NG interface is in a suspended state, if WAB-gNB or AMF wants to restore the NG interface connection, it can initiate the NG interface restoration process.

[0117] Figure 8A An example flow for NG interface recovery according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. When the NG interface recovery flow is triggered by WAB-gNB, the flow is as follows: Figure 8A As shown, the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node) sends a fourth message (e.g., an NG RESUME REQUEST message) to the AMF. If the AMF agrees to the request, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with a fifth message (e.g., an NG RESUME RESONSE message). The fourth message can be a message related to the request to restore the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the AMF.

[0118] Figure 8B An example flow for NG interface recovery according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. When the NG interface recovery flow is triggered by the AMF, the flow is as follows: Figure 8B As shown, the AMF sends a fourth message (e.g., an NG recovery request) to the WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG-RAN node). If the WAB-gNB agrees to the request, it can reply to the AMF with a fifth message (e.g., an NG recovery response).

[0119] When the NG interface is in a suspended state and the NG interface recovery process is executed, the entity receiving the NG recovery request (e.g., WAB-gNB or AMF) may refuse the recovery request if it cannot correctly parse some IEs in the message or does not want to accept the NG interface recovery request.

[0120] Figure 9A An example flow of NG interface recovery failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. When the NG interface recovery process is triggered by WAB-gNB, if the AMF cannot correctly parse some IEs in the fourth message (e.g., NG recovery request) sent by WAB-gNB, or does not want to accept the NG interface recovery request, the AMF can reply to WAB-gNB with a sixth message (e.g., NG recovery failed), such as... Figure 9A As shown.

[0121] Figure 9B An example flow of NG interface recovery failure according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated. When the NG interface recovery process is triggered by the AMF, if the WAB-gNB cannot correctly parse some IEs in the fourth message (e.g., NG recovery request) sent by the AMF, or does not want to accept the NG interface recovery request, the WAB-gNB can reply to the AMF with a sixth message (e.g., NG recovery failed), such as... Figure 9B As shown.

[0122] It should be understood that during the establishment, removal, suspension, or resumption of the NG interface as described above, all operations of the NG interface and the corresponding signaling enhancements need to be completed through the BH PDU session established between WAB-MT and BH gNB / BH-5GC. For example, when WAB-gNB sends a message to AMF, WAB-gNB may first send the message to WAB-MT, and then WAB-MT may send the message to AMF (e.g., through the BH PDU session established between WAB-MT and BH gNB / BH-5GC, and the connection between BH-5GC and AMF, etc.). Similarly, when AMF sends a message to WAB-gNB, AMF may first send the message to WAB-MT, and then WAB-MT may send the message to WAB-gNB.

[0123] Furthermore, the following description uses WAB-gNB triggering processes such as NG removal, NG suspension, and NG resumption as examples to illustrate the methods of this disclosure. However, the corresponding processes triggered by AMF are not excluded. Depending on the actual implementation, the methods of WAB-gNB triggering processes such as NG removal, NG suspension, and NG resumption described in this disclosure can also be appropriately applied to NG removal, NG suspension, and NG resumption processes triggered by AMF.

[0124] Secondly: Optimization of the NG interface suspended state

[0125] When a WAB-gNB moves from one AMF (e.g., the first AMF) to another AMF (e.g., the second AMF), in some scenarios, the WAB node is aware of its future movement trajectory. That is, the WAB node knows whether it will return to the service range of the first AMF, and even when it can return. In this case, if the WAB-gNB adds some auxiliary information during the NG suspension request process and provides it to the AMF, it can prompt the AMF to agree to the WAB-gNB's NG interface suspension request.

[0126] Figure 10 An example flow of NG interface suspension according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 10 The example process of NG interface suspension and the corresponding enhancements are described below.

[0127] When WAB-gNB sends the first message to AMF (e.g., NG suspend request), the first information can be added to the first message.

[0128] The first information may include first time information, which can be associated with the time used to suspend the NG interface. For example, it can be a time threshold, time period, time range, duration, timer, timer value, etc. Figure 10 Taking Timer 1 as an example, it can be used to instruct the AMF that after Timer 1 expires (more generally, after the time indicated by the first time information), the AMF can execute the NG removal procedure, that is, release the suspended NG interface. Based on the first information, the AMF can know how long the NG interface needs to be suspended, and at the same time, it can reduce the signaling overhead of releasing the NG interface by executing the NG removal procedure.

[0129] Optionally, the AMF can obtain the historical location information of the WAB-gNB from the OAM of the WAB-gNB based on the WAB-gNB identifier (WAB-gNB ID) carried in the first message and / or NG suspension request, in order to help the AMF make a decision (e.g., whether to agree to or reject the NG suspension request).

[0130] AMF can reply with a second message to WAB-gNB (e.g., an NG suspend response).

[0131] In some implementations, if the first message does not include the first information, the AMF may optionally add second information in a second message. The second information may include second time information, which may be associated with the time used to suspend the NG interface; for example, it may be a time threshold, time period, time range, duration, timer, timer value, etc. Figure 10 Taking Timer 2 as an example, it can be used to indicate to WAB-gNB that after Timer 2 times out (more generally, after the time indicated by the second time information), AMF will execute the NG removal procedure, that is, release the suspended NG interface.

[0132] In some implementations, if the first message includes the first information and the AMF agrees to the NG suspension request and the first information, the AMF can directly reply to the WAB-gNB with a second message. In this disclosure, the second message may include information related to the acceptance of the NG suspension request (e.g., an "Accepted" flag).

[0133] In some implementations, if the first message includes the first information and the AMF agrees to the NG suspension request but does not accept the first information (e.g., timer 1), the second information (e.g., timer 2) as described above can also be added to the second message to indicate to the WAB-gNB that after timer 2 expires, the AMF will execute the NG removal procedure, that is, release the suspended NG interface.

[0134] More generally, according to embodiments of this disclosure, regardless of whether the first message includes the first information, the AMF may reply with a second message including information related to the acceptance of the NG suspension request (e.g., an "Accepted" identifier) ​​and / or the second information as shown above.

[0135] Figure 11 An example flow of the NG interface from a suspended state to a released state according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0136] When WAB-gNB is with the first AMF (e.g., Figure 11 When the NG interface between AMF1 and WAB2 is in a connected or suspended state, due to the mobility of WAB nodes, the WAB-MT of a WAB node may switch from the first BH gNB to the second BH gNB (e.g., Figure 11The new BH gNB in ​​the middle). Because the WAB-MT and BH gNB can establish corresponding BH PDU sessions for different types of interface data (e.g., Xn traffic, NG traffic, or OAM traffic), when the WAB-MT switches to the second BH gNB, the second BH gNB may release the BH PDU session originally used for the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the first AMF, and create a new BH PDU session for the WAB-gNB and the second AMF (e.g., Figure 11 A new BH PDU session is established between the NG connection of AMF2 and the first AMF, resulting in the disconnection of the NG interface between WAB-gNB and the first AMF. In this case, WAB-gNB knows that the BH PDU session maintaining the NG interface between WAB-gNB and the first AMF has been released, but the first AMF does not, so the first AMF may still retain the context of the corresponding NG interface. Therefore, WAB-gNB needs to initiate an NG removal procedure to the first AMF to release the context of the corresponding NG interface. An example procedure is as follows: Figure 11 As shown, the specific steps are as follows.

[0137] WAB-gNB can send an NG removal request message to AMF2 and add third-party information to that message.

[0138] The third piece of information may include the name of the old AMF (e.g., AMF1 name) and / or the node identifier of the WAB-gNB (e.g., global RAN node ID, etc.).

[0139] After AMF2 receives the NG removal request message from WAB-gNB, if AMF2 finds that the AMF name included in the message is not its own name (e.g., AMF2 name), it will not release the connection of the NG interface between AMF2 and WAB-gNB. If AMF2 finds that the third information includes the name of AMF1, then AMF2 can send the NG removal request to AMF1, including the node identifier of WAB-gNB (e.g., global RAN node ID, etc.).

[0140] After AMF1 receives the NG removal request sent by AMF2, it can release the NG interface between AMF1 and WAB-gNB based on the third information, that is, completely remove the connection of the NG interface between AMF1 and WAB-gNB.

[0141] AMF1 sends an NG removal response message to AMF2, and may include a fourth piece of information.

[0142] The fourth piece of information may include the name of AMF1 and / or the node identifier of WAB-gNB (e.g., global RAN node ID, etc.).

[0143] After AMF2 receives the NG removal response from AMF1, it can send the NG removal response back to WAB-gNB based on the fourth information.

[0144] After receiving the NG removal response from AMF2, WAB-gNB can determine from the fourth information that AMF1 has agreed to release the NG interface connection between AMF1 and WAB-gNB.

[0145] The above process can also be applied to the scenario of releasing multiple NG interfaces between AMFs and WAB-gNB. That is, WAB-gNB can release NG interfaces with, for example, AMF1, AMF3, and AMF4 via AMF2. In this case, WAB-gNB needs to add the names of AMF1, AMF3, and AMF4, as well as the node identifier of WAB-gNB (e.g., global RAN nodeID) to the NG removal request sent to AMF2. After receiving this message, AMF2 can then resend the NG removal request to AMF1, AMF3, and AMF4 based on their names. The subsequent process is similar to the example above and will not be repeated here.

[0146] When WAB-MT at the WAB node switches from the first BH gNB to the second BH gNB, the second BH gNB retains its original configuration used for WAB-gNB and the first AMF (e.g., Figure 11 The BH PDU session between the NG interface of AMF1 and the second AMF (e.g., in the WAB-gNB), and also for the WAB-gNB and the second AMF (e.g., Figure 11 When a new BH PDU session is established between the NG connection of the first AMF and the first AMF, the WAB node may also proactively send an NG removal request to the first AMF. Once the NG interface between the WAB node and the first AMF is removed, the corresponding BH PDU session may no longer be needed. Therefore, the WAB-MT can send an indication message to the BH 5GC via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, instructing the BH 5GC to release the corresponding BH PDU session (or BH PDU session ID).

[0147] As mentioned above, due to the mobility of WAB, the first BH gNB (e.g., Figure 12 The source BH gNB in ​​the middle may switch WAB-MT to the second BH gNB (e.g., Figure 12 The target BH gNB is used in the process. To prevent the second BH gNB from releasing the BH PDU session originally used for the NG interface between the WAB-gNB and the first AMF, corresponding enhancements are needed during the WAB-MT handover process.

[0148] Figure 12 An example flow for preventing the release of a BH PDU session used for NG interface suspension, according to an embodiment of this disclosure, is shown. Specific steps are described below.

[0149] When the source BH gNB decides to switch the WAB-MT to the target BH gNB, it can send a handover request message to the target BH gNB and add the fifth piece of information to the message.

[0150] Optionally, the fifth piece of information can be provided to the source BH gNB by the WAB-MT via RRC messages (e.g., UE assistance information). It can also be provided to the source BH gNB by the BH AMF via NG interface signaling (e.g., core network assistance information), and so on.

[0151] The fifth piece of information may include information associated with one or more PDU session IDs, and may be used to indicate at least one of the following information to the target BHgNB:

[0152] This one or more PDU session IDs cannot be released;

[0153] One or more PDU session IDs need to be retained;

[0154] The one or more PDU session IDs are BH PDU sessions;

[0155] The one or more PDU session IDs are BH PDU sessions and are used to maintain the NG interface of WAB-gNB;

[0156] The one or more PDU session IDs are BH PDU sessions and are used to maintain the Xn interface of WAB-gNB;

[0157] The one or more PDU session IDs are BH PDU sessions, and are used to maintain OAM-related data traffic for WAB-gNB.

[0158] The fifth piece of information may also include information for instructing the target BH gNB to allocate resources for the one or more PDU session IDs and / or how many resources to allocate (i.e., the amount of resources allocated).

[0159] The fifth piece of information may also include the PDU session type of one or more PDU session IDs.

[0160] Figure 13A An example method for indicating the PDU session type according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 13A As shown, a new type can be added to the existing PDU session types, for example, BH PDU session. The target BH gNB can then determine which PDU session IDs correspond to BH PDU sessions based on the fifth piece of information.

[0161] Figure 13B An example method for indicating the PDU session type according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 13B As shown, a new IE can be introduced, such as BH PDU Session Type, and specific options for BH PDU session types such as Xn traffic, NG traffic, and OAM traffic can be included in this IE. The target BH gNB can then determine which PDU session IDs correspond to BH PDU sessions based on the fifth piece of information, and further identify whether these BH PDU sessions are used to transmit Xn traffic, NG traffic, or OAM traffic.

[0162] After the target BH gNB receives the handover (HO) request message, if the target BH gNB agrees to the handover request, it can reply to the source BH gNB with a handover request ACK message, adding a sixth piece of information to the message. This sixth piece of information can be used to indicate at least one of the following to the source BH gNB:

[0163] The one or more PDU session IDs are released, indicating whether the user agrees or disagrees (rejects).

[0164] You agree or disagree that one or more PDU session IDs are retained;

[0165] Agree or disagree to allocate corresponding resources for this one or more PDU session IDs;

[0166] When the fifth information includes one or more PDU session IDs, the sixth information may indicate which PDU sessions corresponding to which PDU session IDs are agreed to be retained, and / or which PDU sessions corresponding to which PDU session IDs are not agreed to be retained;

[0167] When the fifth message contains one or more PDU session IDs, the sixth message may indicate which PDU session IDs are agreed to be allocated corresponding resources, and / or which PDU session IDs are not agreed to be allocated corresponding resources.

[0168] The sixth information can be transmitted using existing PDU Session Resources Admitted List IEs and / or PDU Session Resources Not Admitted List IEs, or it can be transmitted through any new IE; this document does not impose any restrictions.

[0169] As mentioned above, AMF can obtain the historical location information of WAB-gNB from the OAM of WAB-gNB. Figure 14 Another method for obtaining historical location information of WAB-gNB according to embodiments of this disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 14 As shown, in the first case (e.g., WAB-gNB is connected to AMF, and WAB-gNB expects to suspend in NG):

[0170] When WAB-gNB sends an NG suspension request message to AMF, a seventh piece of information can be added to the message to assist AMF in making a decision, such as whether to agree to WAB-gNB's request for NG suspension.

[0171] The seventh piece of information may include at least one of the historical location information of WAB-gNB and / or the historical location information of co-located WAB-MT.

[0172] After the AMF receives the NG suspension request including the seventh information, if the AMF does not agree to the NG suspension request of WAB-gNB and expects to perform the NG removal operation, it can reply to WAB-gNB with an NG suspension failure message and add the eighth information to the message.

[0173] The eighth message may include a first cause value, which can be used to indicate to WAB-gNB the reason for the NG suspension failure. For example, AMF disagrees with WAB-gNB's request to suspend the NG and instead instructs WAB-gNB to remove the NG.

[0174] After the WAB-gNB receives an NG suspension failure including the eighth information, the WAB-gNB can (e.g., based on the first cause value) directly perform the NG removal operation without sending an NG removal request to the AMF. Simultaneously, the AMF can also directly perform the NG removal operation. In this case, the behavior of the WAB-gNB can be consistent with its behavior after receiving the NG removal response. Furthermore, after the WAB-gNB receives an NG suspension failure including the eighth information, the WAB-gNB can also (e.g., based on the first cause value) send an NG removal request to the AMF.

[0175] In the second scenario (e.g., the WAB-gNB is connected to the AMF and the WAB-gNB expects NG removal):

[0176] When WAB-gNB sends an NG removal request message to AMF, a seventh piece of information can be added to the message to assist AMF in making a decision, such as whether to agree to WAB-gNB's request for NG removal.

[0177] The seventh piece of information may include at least one of the historical location information of WAB-gNB and / or the historical location information of co-located WAB-MT.

[0178] After the AMF receives the NG removal request including the seventh information, if the AMF disagrees with the WAB-gNB's NG removal request and expects to perform an NG suspension operation, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with an NG removal failure message and add the ninth information to the message.

[0179] The ninth message may include a second cause value, which can be used to indicate to WAB-gNB the reason for the NG removal failure. For example, AMF disagrees with WAB-gNB's request for NG removal and instead instructs WAB-gNB to suspend the NG.

[0180] After the WAB-gNB receives a failed NG removal request including the ninth information, it can (e.g., based on the second reason value) directly suspend the NG without sending an NG suspension request to the AMF. Simultaneously, the AMF can also directly suspend the NG. In this case, the WAB-gNB's behavior is consistent with its behavior after receiving the NG suspension response. Furthermore, after the WAB-gNB receives a failed NG removal request including the ninth information, it can also (e.g., based on the second reason value) send an NG suspension request to the AMF.

[0181] In the third scenario (e.g., the WAB-gNB is connected to the AMF, and the WAB-gNB expects NG removal or NG suspension):

[0182] When WAB-gNB sends an NG removal request message or an NG suspension request message to AMF, a seventh piece of information can be added to the message to assist AMF in making a decision, such as whether to agree to WAB-gNB's request for NG removal or NG suspension.

[0183] The seventh piece of information may include at least one of the historical location information of WAB-gNB and / or the historical location information of co-located WAB-MT.

[0184] After the AMF receives an NG removal request or NG suspension request including the seventh information, if the AMF disagrees with the WAB-gNB's NG removal request or NG suspension request and wants to prevent the WAB-gNB from initiating NG removal requests or NG suspension requests too frequently, it can reply to the WAB-gNB with an NG removal failure message or NG suspension failure message and add the tenth information to that message.

[0185] The tenth piece of information may include third-time information, which can be associated with the time used to disable the suspend request for the NG interface. For example, it could be a time threshold, time period, time range, duration, timer, timer value, etc. Figure 14 Taking Timer 3 as an example, it can be used to indicate to WAB-gNB that NG removal requests or NG suspension requests cannot be triggered again before Timer 3 expires.

[0186] After WAB-gNB receives an NG removal failure or NG suspension failure message including the tenth information, WAB-gNB will not perform any NG removal or NG suspension operations, and will not initiate any NG removal or NG suspension requests before timer 3 expires.

[0187] How WAB-gNB and AMF handle the context of the NG interface when the NG interface is in the NG suspended state is also a problem that needs to be solved.

[0188] Figures 15A-15D An example of the context of an NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. When a WAB-gNB establishes an NG interface with an AMF, a context such as... Figure 15A The context of the NG interface is shown. Regarding how to handle the context of the NG interface in the NG suspended state, this disclosure proposes the following processing methods:

[0189] No NG interface context or related information is released; that is, all NG interface context or related information is retained.

[0190] Release (or delete) all IE-related information where the Presence attribute is set to optional;

[0191] Retain all relevant information for IE instances where the Presence attribute is set to mandatory;

[0192] Release information related to frequently changing and / or potentially changing Internet Explorers (IEs), such as one or more of the following IEs: supported TA list, default paging DRX, UE retention information, NB-IoT default paging DRX, etc.

[0193] Retain relevant information for IEs that do not change frequently and / or will not change, such as one or more of the following IEs: node identifier (e.g., global RAN node ID), RAN node name, extended RAN node name, etc.

[0194] In addition to the pre-defined methods mentioned above, dynamic instructions can also be used to interact with information related to the NG context that needs to be retained or released.

[0195] For example, WAB-gNB can also add eleventh information to the NG suspend request. The eleventh information can indicate to the AMF at least one of the following: the NG context (or IE) that the AMF can release, the NG context (or IE) that the AMF cannot release, the NG context (or IE) that WAB-gNB expects (or suggests) to release, the NG context (or IE) that WAB-gNB does not expect (or suggests) to release, etc.

[0196] AMF can also add a twelfth message to the NG suspend response. The twelfth message can indicate to WAB-gNB which NG context (or IE) AMF agrees to release and / or which NG context (or IE) AMF refuses to release.

[0197] The twelfth message may also instruct WAB-gNB to: agree to release all NG contexts indicated by WAB-gNB in ​​the eleventh message, and / or disagree to release all NG contexts indicated by WAB-gNB in ​​the eleventh message.

[0198] One or more of the above processing methods can be used in combination, and this article does not impose any restrictions.

[0199] When the NG interface is in the NG suspended state, if WAB-gNB wants to restore the connection of the NG interface, it needs to restore the context of the NG interface. Figure 15E An example procedure for context recovery of the NG interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0200] like Figure 15E As shown, when the WAB-gNB expects to resume from the NG suspended state to the NG connected state, it can send an NG resume request message to the AMF, adding thirteenth information to this message. The thirteenth information can be information used to indicate the resumption of the NG interface context, which may include information about the NG interface context that needs to be resumed. The NG interface context that needs to be resumed may include at least one of the following:

[0201] The entire NG context content (i.e., all IEs within the NG context);

[0202] Released and / or the Presence attribute is optional in IE;

[0203] IE with changes and / or a mandatory Presence attribute;

[0204] Frequently changing Internet Explorers (IEs), such as one or more of the following IEs: supported TA list, default paging DRX, UE retention information, NB-IoT default paging DRX, etc.

[0205] The 11th message indicates that the AMF needs to release the NG context;

[0206] The twelfth message indicates that the WAB-gNB agrees to release the NG context in the eleventh message;

[0207] The twelfth message indicates that the WAB-gNB agrees to release the NG context.

[0208] The thirteenth piece of information can be the complete NG context content that the WAB-gNB needs to send, or it can be incremental (delta) information, which is the difference between the NG context retained in the NG suspended state and the NG context that needs to be restored when the NG resumes. For example, suppose a certain IE is retained or not released when the NG is suspended, and when the NG needs to be restored, the value of the IE has changed compared to when the NG was suspended. In this case, the WAB-gNB only needs to send the incremental information (e.g., the difference) of the IE when the NG resumes and when the NG was suspended.

[0209] Thirdly: The impact of transmission between WAB-MT and BH gNB on the UEs served by WAB-gNB

[0210] Data for the UEs served by the WAB-gNB needs to be transmitted through the BH PDU session established between the WAB-MT and the BH gNB. Therefore, the amount of air interface resources allocated by the BH gNB to the WAB-MT may directly affect the data transmission between the WAB-gNB and the UEs it serves. Therefore, corresponding enhancements are needed to ensure that the BH gNB allocates sufficient resources to the WAB-MT to guarantee data transmission between the WAB-gNB and the UEs it serves.

[0211] Figure 16A An example flow for sending auxiliary information to a BH gNB via the Uu interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 16A As shown:

[0212] WAB-MT sends a seventh message to BH gNB. The seventh message can be an RRC message and contains at least one of the following information:

[0213] BH gNB requests (more) resources to WAB-MT;

[0214] The number of UEs served by WAB-gNB;

[0215] Data traffic profile of the UEs served by WAB-gNB;

[0216] The amount of resources expected by WAB-gNB;

[0217] Co-located WAB-gNB ID.

[0218] After receiving the seventh message, the BH gNB can reply with an eighth message to the WAB-MT. The eighth message can be an RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message, or other RRC messages; this disclosure does not limit its scope. The eighth message can be used to indicate the time-frequency domain resources allocated to the WAB-MT.

[0219] Figure 16B Another example flow for sending auxiliary information to a BH gNB via the Uu interface according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 16B As shown:

[0220] After the WAB-gNB and BH gNB establish the Xn interface, the WAB-gNB can send a ninth message to the BH gNB. The ninth message can be a message on the Xn interface. The ninth message may include at least one of the following information:

[0221] BH gNB requests (more) resources to WAB-MT;

[0222] The number of UEs served by WAB-gNB;

[0223] Data traffic profile of the UEs served by WAB-gNB;

[0224] The amount of resources expected by WAB-gNB;

[0225] Co-located WAB-MT ID.

[0226] After receiving the ninth message, the BH gNB can reply to the WAB-gNB with a tenth message, which may include information indicating at least one of the following:

[0227] The resources and / or the amount of resources to be allocated to WAB-MT;

[0228] Accept or reject WAB-gNB's request for (more) resources.

[0229] After BH gNB sends the tenth message to WAB-gNB, if it agrees to WAB-gNB's request for (more) resources, it can allocate the corresponding resources to WAB-MT.

[0230] As shown above Figure 16A and Figure 16B In the example process, the ways to request resources can be divided into the following two types:

[0231] The first scenario: The amount of resources expected by WAB-gNB in ​​the seventh and ninth messages is the total amount of resources required.

[0232] The second method: The amount of resources expected by the WAB-gNB in ​​the seventh and ninth messages can be indicated to the BH gNB per BHPDU session, such as... Figure 17 As shown.

[0233] For example, BH PDU session IDs 1 and 2 are used to transmit Xn and NG data traffic, respectively, and the corresponding expected amount of resources also varies depending on the BH PDU session ID;

[0234] BH gNB can configure corresponding resources for WAB-MT according to different BH PDU sessions.

[0235] As mentioned above, the data of the UE served by the WAB-gNB needs to be transmitted through the BHPDU session established between the WAB-MT and the BH gNB. Therefore, the signal quality of the Uu interface between the BH gNB and the WAB-MT directly affects the data transmission between the WAB-gNB and the UE it serves. Therefore, corresponding enhancements are needed so that when the air interface signal of the WAB-MT is poor, the BH gNB can promptly switch the WAB-MT to the target BH gNB with a better signal.

[0236] One implementation could be to use a higher reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold (compared to a normal UE) when the WAB-MT performs cell selection, cell reselection, or cell handover, so that the WAB-MT can be served by a cell with better signal quality.

[0237] Specifically as follows:

[0238] Cell Selection: When the WAB-MT is idle, a new offset value (e.g., a first offset value, or offset1) can be introduced to the WAB-MT. This means the first offset value can be applied only to the WAB-MT and not to ordinary UEs. The first offset value can be communicated to the WAB-MT via cell broadcast information (SIB message). Upon receiving this information, the WAB-MT can use it to determine whether a specific cell meets the cell selection criteria (e.g., S criterion).

[0239] Srxlev (Cell selection RX level value (dB)) = Srxlev + offset1

[0240] Squal(Cell selection quality value (dB)) = Squal + offset1.

[0241] As mentioned above, since the Srxlev or Squal values ​​for WAB-MT are increased by an offset value (which can be a positive value) compared to ordinary UEs, cells with better quality will be selected compared to ordinary UEs.

[0242] Cell Reselection: When the WAB-MT performs cell reselection, a new offset value (e.g., a second offset value, or offset2) can be introduced for the WAB-MT. This means the second offset value can be applied only to the WAB-MT and not to ordinary UEs. The second offset value can be provided to the WAB-MT via cell broadcast information (SIB message) or RRC messages (e.g., RRC release message).

[0243] Rs = Rs + offset2 (Rs: cell-ranking criterion for serving cell)

[0244] Rn = Rn + offset2 (Rn: cell-ranking criterion for neighboring cells)

[0245] As mentioned above, since Rs or Rn for WAB-MT is offset by an offset value (which can be a positive value) compared to a regular UE, a cell with better quality will be selected compared to a regular UE.

[0246] Cell handover: The source BH gNB configures measurement settings for the WAB-MT to enable it to perform frequency measurements and report them to the source BH gNB. This information is then used by the source BH gNB for reference and to facilitate cell handover for the WAB-MT. Therefore, a new offset value (e.g., a third offset value, or offset3) can be introduced to the WAB-MT. This means the third offset value can be applied only to the WAB-MT and not to ordinary UEs. The third offset value can be provided to the WAB-MT via cell broadcast information (SIB message) or RRC messages (e.g., RRC reconfiguration message).

[0247] Reported RSRP / RSRQ = Measured RSRP / RSRQ – offset3

[0248] According to the above formula, the reported RSRP / RSRQ is smaller than the actual measured RSRP / RSRQ value, so the source BHgNB can switch WAB-MT to a better cell in advance.

[0249] Offset3 can be a fixed value (which can be a positive value) or a variable value that varies within a certain range.

[0250] Another implementation method can be based on BH gNB, and the specific process is as follows:

[0251] WAB-MT can tell BH gNB whether it is a WAB-MT or a WAB node via RRC messages (e.g., Msg5, or other RRC messages).

[0252] Once the BH gNB knows that it is a WAB-MT or a WAB node, it can ensure the connection quality of the Uu port between the BH gNB and the WAB-MT through implementation.

[0253] Another implementation method is to report auxiliary information to the BH gNB via WAB-MT, the specific process of which is as follows:

[0254] When the connection quality of the Uu interface between the BH gNB and the WAB-MT is insufficient to guarantee the service quality of the UE served by the WAB-gNB, the WAB-MT can be aware of this situation. In this case, the WAB-MT can proactively send an eleventh message to the BH gNB, which may include the fourteenth information.

[0255] The eleventh message can be UE assistance information or other RRC messages; no specific restriction is made here.

[0256] The fourteenth information may include at least one of the following:

[0257] Instruct the BH gNB to perform a cell handover operation for it;

[0258] Instruction BH gNB: The WAB-MT expects to perform a cell handover operation;

[0259] The cell ID that WAB-MT expects to switch to;

[0260] The WAB-MT target BH gNB is expected to allocate a certain amount of resources.

[0261] WAB-MT expects the target BH gNB to allocate the amount of resources for a given BH PDU session ID, as well as the ID of that BH PDU session.

[0262] It should be understood that, depending on the application scenario, the various examples, methods, steps, processes, etc. shown above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings can be implemented individually or in any combination, and this document does not impose any restrictions.

[0263] Next, Figure 18 A flowchart of a method 1800 performed by a wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0264] like Figure 18As shown, a method 1800 performed by a WAB base station in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure may include: in step S1801, sending a first message to a second node, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; and in step S1802, receiving a message from the second node responding to the request. In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) of the WAB base station, context-related information regarding the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing, and context-related information regarding the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0265] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0266] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: sending an NG removal request related to the NG interface to the second node and / or performing a removal operation related to the NG interface.

[0267] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending an NG removal request message related to the NG interface to a third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the identifier of the WAB base station is sent by the third node to the second node.

[0268] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal response message from the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node, wherein the name information of the second node is sent by the second node to the third node.

[0269] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0270] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0271] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending a fourth message to the second node, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0272] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0273] Figure 19 A flowchart of a method 1900 performed by a second node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0274] like Figure 19As shown, a method 1900 performed by a second node in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure may include: in step S1901, receiving a first message from a radio access backhaul (WAB) base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; and in step S1902, sending a message responding to the request to the WAB base station. In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of a co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) of the WAB base station, context-related information regarding the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing, and context-related information regarding the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0275] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0276] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request related to the NG interface from the WAB base station and / or performing a removal operation related to the NG interface.

[0277] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving the identifier of the WAB base station from a third node, wherein an NG removal request message related to the NG interface is sent from the WAB base station to the third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station.

[0278] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: sending an NG removal response message to the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the name information of the second node is sent to the WAB base station by the third node.

[0279] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0280] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0281] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a fourth message from the WAB base station, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0282] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0283] Figure 20 A flowchart is shown of a method 2000 performed by a wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0284] like Figure 20As shown, a method 2000 performed by a WAB-MT in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure may include: in step S2001, receiving a first message from a wireless access backhaul WAB base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend an NG interface between the WAB base station and a second node; in step S2002, sending the first message to the second node; and in step S2003, receiving a message from the second node responding to the request. In some embodiments, the first message includes at least one of the following: first time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located wireless access backhaul mobile terminal WAB-MT of the WAB base station, context-related information related to the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and context-related information related to the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release. In some embodiments, the message includes at least one of the following: second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface, and third time information related to the time for prohibiting the suspension request of the NG interface.

[0285] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, the second message including second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

[0286] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the message is a third message, which includes at least one of the following: a first reason value related to the rejection of the request, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request of the NG interface is prohibited. In the case that the third message includes the first reason value, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request related to the NG interface from the WAB base station; and sending an NG removal request related to the NG interface to the second node.

[0287] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal request message related to the NG interface from the WAB base station; and sending the NG removal request message to a third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station, wherein the identifier of the WAB base station is sent to the second node by the third node.

[0288] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an NG removal response message from the third node; and sending the NG removal response message to the WAB base station, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node, wherein the name information of the second node is sent by the second node to the third node.

[0289] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends releasing includes at least one of the following: information element IE with optional existence attribute, information element IE that changes frequently, supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and narrowband IoT NB-IoT default paging discontinuous reception DRX; and wherein the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: all information elements IE in the context of the NG interface, information element IE with mandatory existence attribute, information element IE that does not change frequently, global RAN node identifier, RAN node name, and extended RAN node name.

[0290] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second message further includes at least one of the following: information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

[0291] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a fourth message from the WAB base station; and sending the fourth message to the second node, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface, wherein the fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

[0292] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the restored context of the NG interface includes at least one of the following: all information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, a supported timed advance TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reservation information, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX, and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

[0293] It should be understood that methods 1800, 1900, and 2000, etc., according to embodiments of this disclosure may also include one or more of the methods or steps described above in conjunction with any examples, aspects, or drawings, which will not be repeated here.

[0294] Next, Figure 21 A schematic diagram of a node 2100 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0295] like Figure 21As shown, node 2100 according to embodiments of this disclosure (e.g., may be a second node as described above) may include transceiver 2110 and processor 2120. Transceiver 2110 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. Processor 2120 may be coupled to transceiver 2110 and may be configured (e.g., to control transceiver 2110) to perform any method performed by a second node or similar entity in a wireless communication system according to embodiments of this disclosure. In this document, the second node may include any core network node, such as the AMF as described above.

[0296] In this article, a node may also be referred to as a node device. A processor may also be referred to as a controller.

[0297] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of a WAB base station 2200 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0298] like Figure 22 As shown, a WAB base station 2200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure may include a transceiver 2210 and a processor 2220. The transceiver 2210 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. The processor 2220 may be coupled to the transceiver 2210 and may be configured (e.g., to control the transceiver 2210) to perform any method performed by a WAB base station in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0299] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of a WAB-MT 2300 in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0300] like Figure 23 As shown, the WAB-MT 2300 according to an embodiment of this disclosure may include a transceiver 2310 and a processor 2320. The transceiver 2310 may be configured to transmit and receive signals. The processor 2320 may be coupled to the transceiver 2310 and may be configured (e.g., to control the transceiver 2310) to perform any method performed by the WAB-MT in the wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0301] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, can be used to implement any method according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0302] Various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented as computer-readable code embodied on a computer-readable recording medium from a particular perspective. A computer-readable recording medium is any data storage device capable of storing data readable by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media may include read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, carrier wave (e.g., data transmission via the Internet), and the like. Computer-readable recording media can be distributed via computer systems connected via a network, and thus computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. Furthermore, the functional programs, code, and code segments used to implement the various embodiments of this disclosure can be readily interpreted by those skilled in the art applying the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0303] It will be understood that embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Software can be stored as processor-executable program instructions or computer-readable code on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROM, digital video disc (DVD), etc.). Non-transitory computer-readable recording media can also be distributed across a network-coupled computer system, such that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium can be read by a computer, stored in memory, and executed by a processor. Various embodiments can be implemented by a computer or a portable terminal including a controller and memory, and the memory can be an example of a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium suitable for storing a program(s) having instructions for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. This disclosure can be implemented by a program having code for specifically implementing the apparatus and methods described in the claims, the program being stored in a machine (or computer)-readable storage medium. The program can be carried electronically on any medium, such as communication signals transmitted via wired or wireless connections, and this disclosure suitably includes its equivalents.

[0304] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure, and such changes or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system, comprising: Send a first message to the second node, the first message being associated with a request to suspend the NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; as well as Receive a message responding to the request from the second node. The first message includes at least one of the following: First time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal WAB-MT of the WAB base station, information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release. The message includes at least one of the following: Second time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request for the NG interface is prohibited.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, and the second message includes second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The message is a third message, and the third message includes at least one of the following: The first reason value associated with the rejection of the request, and the third time information associated with the time during which the suspend request for the NG interface was prohibited. Wherein, if the third message includes the first cause value, the method further includes: Send an NG removal request related to the NG interface to the second node and / or perform a removal operation related to the NG interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Send an NG removal request message related to the NG interface to the third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station. The identifier of the WAB base station is sent to the second node by the third node.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Receive an NG removal response message from the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node. The name information of the second node is sent by the second node to the third node.

6. The method according to claim 1, in, The context of the NG interface that the WAB base station proposes to release includes at least one of the following: Information elements with optional attributes include IE, frequently changing information elements include IE, supported advance timing TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX. and The context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: All information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, information elements (IEs) with the existence attribute set to "mandatory", information elements (IEs) that do not change frequently, global RAN node identifiers, RAN node names, and extended RAN node names.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The second message also includes at least one of the following: Information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A fourth message is sent to the second node, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface. The fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The context of the restored NG interface includes at least one of the following: All information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, the supported advance timing TA list, the default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, the default paging discontinuous reception DRX for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

10. A method performed by a second node in a wireless communication system, comprising: A first message is received from the wireless access backhaul WAB base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend the NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; as well as Send a message responding to the request to the WAB base station. The first message includes at least one of the following: First time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal WAB-MT of the WAB base station, information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release. The message includes at least one of the following: Second time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request for the NG interface is prohibited.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The message is a second message related to the acceptance of the request, and the second message includes second time information related to the time for suspending the NG interface.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The message is a third message, and the third message includes at least one of the following: The first reason value associated with the rejection of the request, and the third time information associated with the time during which the suspend request for the NG interface was prohibited. Wherein, if the third message includes the first cause value, the method further includes: Receive NG removal requests related to the NG interface from the WAB base station and / or perform removal operations related to the NG interface.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Receive the identifier of the WAB base station from the third node. The NG removal request message related to the NG interface is sent from the WAB base station to the third node, wherein the NG removal request message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: The NG removal response message is sent to the third node, wherein the NG removal response message includes the name information of the second node and the identifier of the WAB base station. The name information of the second node is sent to the WAB base station by the third node.

15. The method according to claim 10, in, The context of the NG interface that the WAB base station proposes to release includes at least one of the following: Information elements with optional attributes include IE, frequently changing information elements include IE, supported advance timing TA list, default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) default paging discontinuous reception DRX. and The context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend releasing includes at least one of the following: All information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, information elements (IEs) with the existence attribute set to "mandatory", information elements (IEs) that do not change frequently, global RAN node identifiers, RAN node names, and extended RAN node names.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The second message also includes at least one of the following: Information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node agrees to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the second node does not agree to release.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising: A fourth message is received from the WAB base station, the fourth message being associated with a request to restore the NG interface. The fourth message includes information related to the context of restoring the NG interface.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The context of the restored NG interface includes at least one of the following: All information elements (IEs) in the context of the NG interface, IEs released in the context of the NG interface, IEs that have changed in the context of the NG interface and have a mandatory attribute, the supported advance timing TA list, the default paging discontinuous reception DRX, UE reserved information, the default paging discontinuous reception DRX for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and incremental information of the changed information elements (IEs).

19. A method performed by a wireless access backhaul mobile terminal (WAB-MT) in a wireless communication system, comprising: A first message is received from the wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station, the first message being associated with a request to suspend the NG interface between the WAB base station and the second node; Send the first message to the second node; as well as Receive a message responding to the request from the second node. The first message includes at least one of the following: First time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, first historical location information of the WAB base station, second historical location information of the co-located radio access backhaul mobile terminal WAB-MT of the WAB base station, information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station recommends to release, and information related to the context of the NG interface that the WAB base station does not recommend to release. The message includes at least one of the following: Second time information related to the time used to suspend the NG interface, and third time information related to the time when the suspension request for the NG interface is prohibited.

20. A wireless access backhaul (WAB) base station in a wireless communication system, comprising: A transceiver is configured to send and receive signals; as well as A controller, coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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