Information transfer for femto systems

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication are described. The methods facilitate information transfer between network devices in a femto system. An example wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a network device, a message including assistance information for a local service, where the message is associated with a user device. Another example wireless communication method includes transmitting, by a network device, an Xn application protocol (XnAP) message including routing information. The method further includes receiving, by the network device, a reply XnAP message corresponding to the XnAP message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This patent document generally relates to wireless communication. Background Technology

[0002] Mobile telecommunications technologies are driving the world toward an increasingly interconnected and networked society. Compared to existing wireless networks, next-generation systems and wireless communication technologies will need to support a wider range of use case characteristics and provide more complex, granular access requirements and flexibility.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a wireless communication standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for mobile devices and data terminals. LTE Advanced (LTE-A) is a wireless communication standard that enhances the LTE standard. The fifth-generation wireless system (known as 5G) advances the LTE and LTE-A wireless standards and aims to support higher data rates, massive connectivity, ultra-low latency, high reliability, and other emerging service requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Techniques for performing information transmission between network devices in a femtosystem are disclosed. In some embodiments, the network device includes at least one of a femtonode or an access and mobility management function (AMF). The disclosed techniques also specify the content of the transmitted information and the message types used.

[0005] A first example wireless communication method includes: transmitting a message by a network device, the message including auxiliary information of a local service, wherein the message is associated with a user device.

[0006] A second example wireless communication method includes: a network device transmitting first auxiliary information for a local service in a first message, wherein the first message is associated with a user device. The method further includes: the network device transmitting second auxiliary information for the local service in a second message, wherein the second message is not associated with a user device.

[0007] The third example wireless communication method includes: a network device transmitting an Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) message, the XnAP message including routing information. The method further includes: the network device receiving a reply XnAP message corresponding to the XnAP message.

[0008] The fourth example wireless communication method includes: a network device transmitting a Next-Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message, the NGAP message being associated with a gateway (GW). The method also includes: the network device receiving a reply NGAP message, the reply NGAP message including the GW's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0009] It should be noted that this patent document discloses a method for transmitting information from a first network device to a second network device, which should be understood as also disclosing a method for the second network device to receive information from the first network device.

[0010] In yet another example embodiment, an apparatus configured or operable to perform the methods described above is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one processor configured to implement the methods described above.

[0011] In yet another example embodiment, the above-described method is embodied in processor-executable code and stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. When executed by a processor, the code included in the computer-readable storage medium causes the processor to implement the method described in this patent document.

[0012] The above and other aspects and their embodiments are described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, description and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 An example femtomicrostructure is shown.

[0014] Figure 2 This illustrates an example wireless access and backhaul (WAB) architecture.

[0015] Figures 3 to 6 This is an example flowchart for performing information transmission in a femtosecond system.

[0016] Figure 7 An example block diagram of a hardware platform that may be part of a network device or a wireless device is shown.

[0017] Figure 8 Examples of wireless communication including a base station (BS) and a user equipment (UE) based on some implementations of the disclosed technology are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The example headings in the following sections are for ease of understanding of the disclosed subject matter and do not limit the scope of the claimed subject matter in any way. Therefore, one or more features of one example section may be combined with one or more features of another example section. Furthermore, for clarity, the term "5G" is used, but the technologies disclosed in this document are not limited to 5G technology alone and can be used in wireless systems implementing other protocols.

[0019] I. Introduction This patent document describes how to transmit information between network devices in a femtosecond system. The problems addressed in this patent document include: how to access local services from 5G femtoseconds, and how to support Xn connections between femtosecond nodes in a scalable manner.

[0020] Based on the RP-234041 report published by the 3GPP organization, fifth-generation (5G) femtons are similar to the home evolved node B (HeNB) in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) concept, deployed in locations such as homes or businesses. HeNBs have been successfully and widely deployed in many LTE markets across multiple regions. Enabling 5G femtons use cases to provide New Radio (NR) access in home or business locations is beneficial. The research questions for 5G femtons are as follows: • The 5G femto architecture provides a cost-effective way to improve 5G indoor coverage, offload macro next-generation node B (gNB) network traffic, achieve better voice quality, and provide better support for enterprise mobility; • 5G femto-architecture uses higher frequency bands to extend coverage, thus making efficient and effective use of higher frequency spectrum; A large number of mobile sessions occur indoors, but indoor coverage of 5G mid-to-high frequency bands is limited. A solution is needed that enables simple plug-and-play for end users while allowing for customized access control. • 5G’s high bandwidth and throughput are needed in home and campus locations to enable new immersive applications such as augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) games, e-sports, ultra-high definition (UHD) 8K video, telepresence, etc.

[0021] Figure 1 This illustrates the architecture of 5G nanometers. (Example:) Figure 1 As shown, femtonodes possess Next-Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node functionality. Femtonodes can provide local services through the User Plane Function (UPF) co-located within them. This means that User Equipment (UEs) served by femtonodes can access the intranet without the service traversing the core network.

[0022] This patent document also applies to Wireless Access and Backhaul (WAB) architectures, as described below. A WAB node is analogous to a femtonode. For example, a host node or parent node is analogous to a gateway (GW) in a femtosystem.

[0023] Radio access and backhaul architectures (e.g., integrated access and backhaul (IAB) or WAB) support radio access and backhaul via NR, enabling flexible and very dense deployment of NR cells while reducing the need for wired transmission infrastructure.

[0024] Relay nodes (e.g., IAB or WAB nodes) support access and backhaul via NR. The terminating node for NR backhaul on the network side is called the host node, which represents a gNB with additional functionality to support radio access and backhaul. Backhaul can occur via single hops or multiple hops. Figure 2 An example of a wireless access and backhaul architecture is shown in the diagram. Figure 2 In this example, relay node 2 is the parent node of relay node 1, meaning relay node 1 is the child node of relay node 2. Relay node 3 is the parent node of relay node 2, meaning relay node 2 is the child node of relay node 3.

[0025] The relay node supports gNB functionality to terminate to the UE's NR access interface and to the Xn / NG protocol of the host node / Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). In addition to gNB functionality, the relay node also supports a subset of UE functionality called mobile termination (MT), which includes, for example, physical layer, layer-2, radio resource control (RRC), and non-access stratum (NAS) functions to connect to another relay node or host node and the core network.

[0026] Note that in the following embodiments, the step numbers do not necessarily mean that these steps must be performed in chronological order.

[0027] Various embodiments have been described to explain various features. Although described under specific embodiments, it should be understood that these techniques are also applicable to other embodiments.

[0028] II. Example 1 Example 1 provides a solution to the following problem: the core network needs to select a suitable UPF for the UE served by the femtonode to support local services.

[0029] Step 1: Send auxiliary information for local services from the femtonode to the AMF via Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages associated with the UE, such as initial UE messages or uplink NAS transport messages. The auxiliary information for local services includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the femtonode and the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the local UPF in the femtonode.

[0030] Step 2: The AMF sends auxiliary information of the local service to the Session Management Function (SMF).

[0031] Step 3: Based on this auxiliary information, the SMF selects the local UPF located in the femtonode for the UE served by the femtonode.

[0032] III. Example 2 Example 2 provides a solution to the following problem: the core network needs to select a suitable UPF for the UE served by the femtonode to support local services.

[0033] Step 1: Send the first auxiliary information for local services from the femtonode to the AMF via NGAP messages associated with the UE, such as the initial UE message or uplink NAS transmission message. The first auxiliary information for local services includes the identifier of the femtonode.

[0034] Step 2: Send the second auxiliary information for the local service from the femtonode to the AMF via a non-UE-associated NGAP message, such as a Next Generation (NG) Establishment Request message. The second auxiliary information for the local service includes the IP address of the local UPF in the femtonode.

[0035] Step 3: The AMF sends the auxiliary information for the local service to the SMF. The auxiliary information includes one of the following: first auxiliary information, second auxiliary information.

[0036] Step 4: Based on this auxiliary information, the SMF selects the local UPF located in the femtonode for the UE served by the femtonode.

[0037] IV. Example 3 Since femtonodes are primarily deployed in home or enterprise settings, their coverage area is relatively small. In this context, it's essential to be able to support a large number of 5G femtonodes in a scalable manner. The challenge lies in how to support Xn connectivity for femtonodes in a scalable way. Example 3 provides a solution to this problem.

[0038] The femtonodes are connected to the gateway via the Xn connection.

[0039] Step 1: The femtonode sends a first Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) message to the GW. In some embodiments, the first XnAP message includes a second XnAP message. The first XnAP message includes routing information. The routing information includes one of the following: the identifier of the target Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) node (e.g., the target NG RAN node may be a femtonode) and the identifier of the source NG RAN node (e.g., the source NG RAN node may be a femtonode).

[0040] If the first XnAP message does not contain a second XnAP message or the identifier of the target NG RAN node, then the GW stores the mapping information between the received identifier of the source NG RAN node and the IP address of the node that sent the XnAP message.

[0041] Step 2: In some embodiments, the GW routes the message to the corresponding target NG-RAN node based on the identifier of the target NG RAN node. In some embodiments, the target NG RAN node uses the identifier of the source NG RAN node for the reply; that is, the target NG RAN node includes the received identifier of the source NG RAN node in the reply XnAP message, and the received identifier of the source NG RAN node is used as the identifier of the target NG RAN node in the reply message.

[0042] V. Example 4 If an NG-RAN node knows the Radio Access Network (RAN) Node Identifier (ID) of a candidate NG-RAN node (e.g., through the Automatic Neighbor Relation (ANR) function), but does not know the Transport Network Layer (TNL) address applicable to Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) connections, the NG-RAN node can use the 5G Core Network (5GC) (to which it is connected in the AMF) to determine the TNL address. The problem lies in how to obtain the TNL address of an NG RAN node when a femtonode connects to another NG RAN node via a GW. Example 4 provides a solution to this problem.

[0043] Step 1: The femtonode transmits a first NGAP message (e.g., an uplink RAN ​​configuration transmission message) to the GW connected to it. The first NGAP message may include one of the following: the IP address of the GW connected to the femtonode, the identifier of the source NG RAN node, and the identifier of the target NG RAN node. The IP address of the GW in the first NGAP message can be used to indicate that it supports the GW.

[0044] Step 2: The GW sends a second NGAP message (e.g., an uplink RAN ​​configuration transport message) to the AMF.

[0045] Step 3: The AMF sends a third NGAP message (e.g., a downlink RAN ​​configuration transport message) to the target NG RAN node.

[0046] Step 4: The target NG RAN node includes the received GW IP address (e.g., used to indicate indirect Xn support through the indicated GW) in the fourth NGAP message (e.g., uplink RAN ​​configuration transport).

[0047] As an example, if the target NG RAN node is a femtonode, the femtonode may include the IP address of the GW connected to the femtonode, for example, indicating that indirect X2 is supported through the indicated GW.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a first example flowchart for performing information transmission in a femtosecond system. Operation 302 includes: transmitting a message including auxiliary information of a local service, wherein the message is associated with a user device, by a network device. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented according to Embodiment 1. In some embodiments, additional steps of the method may be performed based on better system performance than conventional protocols.

[0049] In some embodiments, the network device is a femtonode, and auxiliary information for local services is transmitted from the femtonode to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and further from the AMF to the Session Management Function (SMF).

[0050] In some embodiments, auxiliary information for local services includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the femtonode, or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the local user plane function (UPF) in the femtonode.

[0051] Figure 4 This is a second example flowchart for performing information transmission in a femtosecond system. Operation 402 includes: transmitting first auxiliary information for a local service in a first message by the network device, wherein the first message is associated with a user device. Operation 404 includes: transmitting second auxiliary information for a local service in a second message by the network device, wherein the second message is not associated with a user device. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented according to embodiment 2. In some embodiments, additional steps of the method may be performed based on better system performance than conventional protocols.

[0052] In some embodiments, the network device is a femtonode, wherein second auxiliary information of the local service is transmitted from the femtonode to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and at least one of the first or second auxiliary information of the local service is transmitted from the AMF to the Session Management Function (SMF).

[0053] In some embodiments, the first auxiliary information of the local service includes the identifier of the femtonode, and the second auxiliary information of the local service includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the local user plane function (UPF) in the femtonode.

[0054] Figure 5 This is a third example flowchart for performing information transmission in a femtosecond system. Operation 502 includes: the network device transmitting an Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) message including routing information. Operation 504 includes: the network device receiving a reply XnAP message corresponding to the XnAP message. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented according to Embodiment 3. In some embodiments, additional steps of the method may be performed based on better system performance than conventional protocols.

[0055] In some embodiments, the network device is a femtonode, and the routing information includes at least one of the identifiers of the target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node or the identifier of the source NG RAN node.

[0056] In some embodiments, an XnAP message includes another XnAP message.

[0057] In some embodiments, receiving a response XnAP message includes receiving a response XnAP message from a target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node, and the response XnAP message includes an identifier of the source NG RAN node received from the network device.

[0058] Figure 6 This is a fourth example flowchart for performing information transmission in a femtosecond system. Operation 602 includes: transmitting a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) message associated with a gateway (GW) by a network device. Operation 604 includes: receiving a reply NGAP message by the network device, including the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the GW. In some embodiments, the method may be implemented according to embodiment 4. In some embodiments, additional steps of the method may be performed based on better system performance than conventional protocols.

[0059] In some embodiments, the network device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), the NGAP message is received via a GW or another GW, the NGAP message is received from a femtonode connected to the GW, and the NGAP message includes at least one of the GW's IP address, the identifier of the source Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) node, or the identifier of the target NG RAN node.

[0060] In some embodiments, transmitting an NGAP message includes transmitting the NGAP message to a target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node, and receiving a reply NGAP message includes receiving the NGAP message from the target NG RAN node. In some embodiments, the target NG RAN node is a femtonode.

[0061] In some embodiments, the network device is a femtonode, transmitting an NGAP message includes transmitting an NGAP message from the femtonode to a GW, another GW, or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and receiving a reply NGAP message includes receiving a reply NGAP message from the GW, the other GW, or the AMF.

[0062] Figure 7 An example block diagram of a hardware platform 700 is shown. The hardware platform 700 may be part of a network device (e.g., a host node, femtonode, WAB node, AMF, or SMF) or a wireless device (e.g., a user equipment (UE)). The hardware platform 700 includes at least one processor 710 and a memory 705 storing instructions thereon. When the instructions are executed by the processor 710, the hardware platform 700 is configured to perform the various embodiments described in this patent document. Figures 1 to 6 The operation described herein. Transmitter 715 transmits or sends information or data to another device. For example, a network device transmitter may send a message to a user equipment. Receiver 720 receives information or data transmitted or sent by another device. For example, a user equipment may receive a message from a network device. For example, the UE, wireless device, or network device described in this document may be implemented using hardware platform 700.

[0063] The implementation methods discussed above will be applied to wireless communication. Figure 8An example of a wireless communication system (e.g., a 5G or NR cellular network) including a base station 820 and one or more user equipments (UEs) 811, 812, and 813 is shown. In some embodiments, the UE accesses the BS (e.g., the network) using a communication link to the network (sometimes referred to as the uplink direction, as shown by dashed arrows 831, 832, and 833), which then enables subsequent communication from the BS to the UE (e.g., the direction from the network to the UE, sometimes referred to as the downlink direction, as shown by arrows 841, 842, and 843). In some embodiments, the BS sends information to the UE (sometimes referred to as the downlink direction, as shown by arrows 841, 842, and 843), which then enables subsequent communication from the UE to the BS (e.g., the direction from the UE to the BS, sometimes referred to as the uplink direction, as shown by dashed arrows 831, 832, and 833). The UE can be, for example, a smartphone, tablet, mobile computer, machine-to-machine (M2M) device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. The UE described in this document can communicatively couple to... Figure 8 The base station 820 is depicted in the image.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will understand that this patent document discloses a method for facilitating information transmission in femtosecond systems, performed by network devices such as femtosecond nodes or AMFs. This patent document specifies the content of the transmitted information and the message types used. This patent document provides efficient and effective information transmission in femtosecond systems.

[0065] Some embodiments described herein are described in the general context of methods or processes that may be implemented in one embodiment by a computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, that are executed by a computer in a networked environment. Computer-readable media may include removable and non-removable storage devices, including but not limited to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), optical disc (CD), digital versatile optical disc (DVD), etc. Therefore, computer-readable media may include non-transitory storage media. Typically, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. Computer-executable or processor-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of program code for performing steps of the methods disclosed herein. A particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding actions for implementing the functionality described in such steps or processes.

[0066] Some disclosed embodiments may be implemented as devices or modules using hardware circuitry, software, or a combination thereof. For example, hardware circuitry implementations may include discrete analog and / or digital components integrated, for example, as part of a printed circuit board. Alternatively or additionally, the disclosed components or modules may be implemented as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and / or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Some implementations may additionally or alternatively include digital signal processors (DSPs) as dedicated microprocessors, whose architecture is optimized for the operational requirements of digital signal processing associated with the disclosed functions of this application. Similarly, the various components or sub-components within each module may be implemented using software, hardware, or firmware. Interconnections between modules and / or between components within a module may be provided using any connection methods and media known in the art, including but not limited to communication via the Internet, wired, or wireless networks using appropriate protocols.

[0067] While this document includes numerous details, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention or any possible claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described herein in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. Furthermore, while features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination and even initially claimed in this way, in some cases one or more features of the claimed combination may be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination may involve sub-combinations or variations thereof. Similarly, while operations are depicted in a specific order in the figures, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific or sequential order shown, or that all shown operations must be performed to achieve the desired result.

[0068] Only a few implementation methods and examples are described, and other implementation methods, enhancements and modifications can be made based on the content described and illustrated in this patent document.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: A message is transmitted by a network device, the message including auxiliary information for local services, wherein the message is associated with a user device.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The network device is a femtonode, and the auxiliary information for the local service is transmitted from the femtonode to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and further from the AMF to the Session Management Function (SMF).

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, The auxiliary information for the local service includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the femtonode, or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the local user plane function (UPF) in the femtonode.

4. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The network device transmits first auxiliary information for local services in a first message, wherein the first message is associated with a user device; as well as The network device transmits second auxiliary information for the local service in a second message, wherein the second message is not associated with the user device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The network device is a femtonode, wherein the second auxiliary information of the local service is transmitted from the femtonode to the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and wherein at least one of the first and second auxiliary information or the second auxiliary information of the local service is transmitted from the AMF to the Session Management Function (SMF).

6. The method as described in claim 4 or 5, wherein, The first auxiliary information of the local service includes the identifier of the femtonode, and the second auxiliary information of the local service includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the local user plane function (UPF) in the femtonode.

7. A method for wireless communication, comprising: The network device transmits Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) messages, which include routing information; as well as The network device receives a reply XnAP message corresponding to the XnAP message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The network device is a femtonode, and the routing information includes at least one of the identifiers of a target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node or a source NG RAN node.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein, The XnAP message includes another XnAP message.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein, Receiving the reply XnAP message includes receiving the reply XnAP message from a target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node, and wherein the reply XnAP message includes an identifier of a source NG RAN node received from the network device.

11. A method for wireless communication, comprising: Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages are transmitted by network devices, and these NGAP messages are associated with a gateway (GW). as well as The network device receives a response NGAP message, which includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the GW.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The network device is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), wherein the NGAP message is received via the GW or another GW, wherein the NGAP message is received from a femtonode connected to the GW, and wherein the NGAP message includes at least one of the IP address of the GW, an identifier of a source Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) node, or an identifier of a target NG RAN node.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, Transmitting the NGAP message includes transmitting the NGAP message to a target next-generation radio access network (NG RAN) node, and receiving the reply NGAP message includes receiving the NGAP message from the target NG RAN node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The target NG RAN node is a femtonode.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein, The network device is a femtonode, wherein transmitting the NGAP message includes transmitting the NGAP message from the femtonode to the GW, another GW, or the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and wherein receiving the reply NGAP message includes receiving the reply NGAP message from the GW, the other GW, or the AMF.

16. A device for wireless communication, comprising a processor, wherein, The processor is configured to implement the method as described in any one or more of claims 1 to 15.

17. A computer-readable program storage medium having code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method as described in any one or more of claims 1 to 15.

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