Providing neighbor relation information

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a solution for providing neighbor relations. A method comprises establishing a first connection between a first entity of a first device and a second device, the first device comprising the first entity and a second entity; sending a request to the second device, the request being for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; receiving a response to the request from the second device, the response comprising first information about at least one neighboring device of the second device; and initiating an Xn setup procedure with a neighboring device of the at least one neighboring device based on the first information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for providing neighbor relationship information. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of 5G technology, mobile base stations with Radio Access Backhaul (WAB) in Release 19 present new challenges and opportunities. The management of dynamic inter-gNB neighbor relationships and efficient Xn establishment is crucial for backhaul operations. Furthermore, the critical role of timely Xn establishment in network management tasks such as handover and load balancing highlights the need for innovative solutions. Therefore, it is worthwhile to explore advancements in WAB systems to enhance 5G network efficiency and user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: establish a first connection between a first entity of the first apparatus and a second apparatus, the first apparatus including the first entity and the second entity; send a request to the second apparatus for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first apparatus and the second apparatus; receive a response from the second apparatus to the request, the response including first information regarding at least one neighboring apparatus of the second apparatus; and, based on the first information, initiate an Xn establishment process with the neighboring apparatus among the at least one neighboring apparatus.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: establish a first connection between the second apparatus and a first entity of a first apparatus, the first apparatus including a first entity and a second entity; receive a request from the first apparatus for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first apparatus and the second apparatus; and send a response to the request to the first apparatus, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent apparatus of the second apparatus.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: establishing a first connection between a first entity of a first device and a second device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity; sending a request to the second device for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; receiving a response to the request from the second device, the response including first information regarding at least one neighboring device of the second device; and initiating an Xn establishment process with a neighboring device among the at least one neighboring device based on the first information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: establishing a first connection between a second device and a first entity of a first device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity; receiving a request from the first device for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; and sending a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for establishing a first connection between a first entity of the first apparatus and a second apparatus, the first apparatus including the first entity and the second entity; components for sending a request to the second apparatus for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first apparatus and the second apparatus; components for receiving a response to the request from the second apparatus, the response including first information relating to at least one neighboring apparatus of the second apparatus; and components for initiating an Xn establishment process with a neighboring apparatus among the at least one neighboring apparatus based on the first information.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: components for establishing a first connection between the second apparatus and a first entity of a first apparatus, the first apparatus including a first entity and a second entity; components for receiving a request from the first apparatus for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first apparatus and the second apparatus; and components for sending a response to the request to the first apparatus, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent apparatus of the second apparatus.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to at least execute the method according to a third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 2 An example deployment of the communication system is shown; Figure 3 Signaling diagrams of communications according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 4 Signaling diagrams of communications according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown; Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 6 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 7 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0015] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0016] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is claimed that, whether explicitly described or not, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that such feature, structure, or characteristic may be affected by other embodiments.

[0017] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0018] As used herein, “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and similar wording (where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0019] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the execution step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “possessing,” “containing,” and / or “covering” specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or (multiple) digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of (multiple) hardware processors, together with software (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when the software is not required to operate.

[0022] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including in any claim). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors in general) and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0023] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that embody the future types of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the aforementioned systems.

[0024] As used herein, the term "network device" or "radio access network (RAN) node" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NRNB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as a femtonode or piconode), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites), a spacecraft network device, etc. In some example embodiments, the radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB host node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE when facing its parent node, and a DU portion that behaves like a base station when facing the next-hop IAB node.

[0025] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback facilities, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal equipment may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment," "communication equipment," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0026] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as communication between a terminal device and a network device, or resources in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, or any other resource that enables communication.

[0027] In the following text, resources in the time domain will be used as examples of resources for describing some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Note that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains. In summary, the resources used herein include, but are not limited to, time resources or frequency resources, such as subband non-overlapping full-duplex time resources, dynamic time-division duplex time resources, full-duplex evolution time resources, subbands, subcarriers, or resource elements (REs).

[0028] As used herein, the term "Radio Access Network" (RAN) can refer to the component of a cellular telecommunications system that connects various devices to other parts of the network via radio connections. The RAN is responsible for managing radio communications between mobile devices (such as smartphones or tablets) and the core network, thereby facilitating functions such as radio resource management, mobility management, and handover decisions. For example, in the evolution from GSM to LTE and now to 5G, the RAN has been adapted to support higher data rates, lower latency, and increased connectivity for a growing number of wireless devices.

[0029] This disclosure pertains to Rel-19 WAB. The RAN outlines the following objectives for Radio Access Backhaul (WAB) research: - Research on support for WAB, including [RAN3, RAN2]; - Research supports the architecture and protocol stack of gNBs with MT functionality that provides PDU session backhaul; - Investigate the impact of existing WAB mobility within the RAN (e.g., neighbor relationships between gNBs).

[0030] - Identify the inter-gNB and gNB-to-CN signaling required to support WAB; and - Research signaling enhancements for resource reuse in WAB.

[0031] Example embodiments of this disclosure relate to a solution for providing neighbor relationships. A method includes: establishing a first connection between a first entity of a first device and a second device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity; sending a request to the second device for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; receiving a response from the second device to the request, the response including first information regarding at least one neighboring device of the second device; and initiating an Xn establishment process with a neighboring device among the at least one neighboring device based on the first information.

[0032] Example Environment Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a first device 110 and a second device 120, can communicate with each other.

[0033] Furthermore, the communication environment 100 may also include neighboring device 130-1 and neighboring device 130-2. For the purposes of discussion, neighboring device 130-1 and neighboring device 130-2 may be collectively referred to as or individually referred to as neighboring device 130.

[0034] As an example scenario, the first device 110 can be used as a radio access network (RAN) node or a relay network node (e.g., a mobile base station with a WAB, also referred to as a WAB for simplicity), and the first device 110 can include a first entity and a second entity, wherein the first entity is a logical mobile terminal of the first device 110 (e.g., WAB-MT), and the second entity is a logical network device of the first device 110 (e.g., WAB-gNB). Furthermore, the second device 120 can be used as a network device and can be a donor or parent network device serving the first device 110, and the adjacent devices(s) 130-1 and 130-2 can be(s) network devices. The first entity of the first device 110 (such as WAB-MT) terminates to the air interface (e.g., Uu interface) of the parent node. The second entity of the first device 110 (such as WAB-gNB) supports radio access links to(s) the terminal devices, such as NR access links.

[0035] exist Figure 1 In the example, the first device 110 may be a relay node, and the second device 120 may be a base station serving the first entity of the first device 110 and the UE.

[0036] It should be understood that Figure 1The number of devices and their connections shown are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it will be appreciated that one or more additional devices may be located within the coverage of a cellular cell, and one or more additional cellular cells may be deployed in communication environment 100. Note that although shown as a network device, the second device 120 may be a device other than a network device. Although shown as a RAN node, the first device 110 may be a device other than a RAN node.

[0037] In the following description, for illustrative purposes, some example embodiments are described in which the first device 110 operates as a RAN node and the second device 120 operates as a base station. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in connection with the RAN node can be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in connection with the network device can be implemented at the RAN node or other device.

[0038] In some example embodiments, the link from the second device 120 to the first entity of the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first entity of the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0039] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), 5.5G, and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0040] Now for reference Figure 2 It illustrates an example deployment 200 of a communication system. For example... Figure 2The diagram illustrates a hypothetical WAB deployment 200 and its relationship to the serving network. The WAB node comprises a complete gNB (also known as a WAB-gNB) providing radio connectivity for NR backhaul (BH) and a WAB mobile terminal (WAB-MT, also known as a WAB-UE). The main principle is that the BH connectivity of the WAB-gNB is provided to the serving network, such as the User Plane Function (UPF) (BH), via a BH Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session 205 established for the WAB-MT. Furthermore, the WAB-gNB Next Generation (NG) interface (used for both control and user planes) is transparently forwarded through the serving network. UEs connected to the WAB node treat the WAB cell as a normal cell and can establish PDU sessions to the UE's Next Generation Core (NGC) using existing signaling procedures. Therefore, the WAB deployment is transparent to the UE and requires no enhancements to legacy UEs.

[0041] In the context of Automatic Neighbor Relations (ANR) and Transport Network Layer (TNL) address discovery (e.g., Xn-CTNL address discovery), Neighbor Cell Relations (NCR) are cell-to-cell relationships, while Xn links are established between two gNBs. NCR is unidirectional, while Xn links are bidirectional. Neighbor information exchange that occurs during Xn establishment or gNB configuration updates can be used for ANR purposes. The ANR functionality residing in the gNB also allows Operations and Maintenance (OAM) to manage the Neighbor Cell Relation Table (NCRT). OAM can add and delete NCRs and change NCRT attributes, with the OAM system notified of these changes.

[0042] In addition, the gNB can build or update its NCRT based on OAM, ANR (e.g., UE measurement reports) and information received via Xn, including information about neighboring cells.

[0043] Before initiating an Xn establishment, the gNB needs to first establish a secure connection, such as IPSec, and then a Flow Control Transport Protocol (SCTP) connection. In the case of dynamically establishing Xn before initiating an Xn handover (HO), the time required for IPSec, SCTP, and XnAP establishment can delay the HO and may cause it to fail due to this delay. Therefore, ideally, Xn should be established well before initiating an Xn-HO. Xn can also be used for various purposes, such as the HO process, interference coordination, load balancing / management, etc.

[0044] A gNB can initiate an N2-HO or Next Generation Handover (NG-HO) to a target gNB for various reasons (e.g., no Xn, Xn-HO not allowed, AMF change, etc.). HO signaling includes a mandatory Target Identifier (ID) IE, as well as the target gNB's Tracking Area Identifier (TAI) and gNBID. Therefore, a gNB should know the target gNB's gNBID / TAI before initiating an N2-HO.

[0045] In the context of existing technology, the IAB in Rel-18 is designed to have gNB-Distributed Unit (DU) functionality, while the gNB-Centralized Unit (CU) functionality resides in the donor gNB. The donor gNB can know about neighboring gNBs in advance (and vice versa), regardless of whether the IAB exists. In other words, the Xn link between donors or between a donor and a neighboring gNB has already been established. Therefore, when an IAB node joins or leaves the network, it only causes the donor gNB to initiate an NG-RAN configuration update process. This process notifies neighboring gNBs of the addition or removal of the IAB's cell. It is worth noting that even if the Neighbor Cell Relationship Table (NCRT) is not updated to include the mobile IAB cell, the gNB can still initiate a Next Generation Handover (NG-HO) to the IAB cell by matching the IAB's NR cell identifier with the known donor gNB ID.

[0046] In contrast, the scenarios with IABs in versions 16 and 17 are similar to those in Rel-18, except that the IAB nodes are static rather than mobile.

[0047] Another aspect to consider is Operations and Maintenance (OAM) configuration. OAM can be used to configure the gNBID of neighboring gNBs in the WAB. However, it is desirable to reduce the workload of operators manually configuring gNBs / WABs. Due to the mobility of WABs, manually configuring WABs via OAM presents significant challenges and high complexity (similar to configuring the gNBID of WABs via OAM in neighboring gNBs).

[0048] Furthermore, the current Automatic Neighbor Relationship (ANR) feature allows gNBs to identify the gNBIDs of neighboring gNBs based on UE reports. However, only UEs of version 17 or higher support reporting the gNBID length. There is no guarantee that the WAB will always be able to receive the gNBIDs of neighboring gNBs from the UE, especially in scenarios where no UE provides such information.

[0049] In summary, the introduction of WABs brings new challenges to neighbor relationships between gNBs. Unlike Rel-18 Mobile IABs, where a new node appears as a new gNB-DU / cell to neighboring gNBs, a WAB appears as a new gNB entity to neighboring gNBs. It is expected that (multiple) neighboring gNBs will quickly detect the new gNB (i.e., the WAB), rather than just the new cell. This is because, to initiate an N2-HO (or Xn-HO), it is important that neighboring gNBs know the WAB's gNBID, not just the new cell's Physical Cell Identifier (PCI) / NR Cell Identifier (NCI). Furthermore, since most handovers between a WAB and neighboring gNBs involve Xn-HOs, an Xn interface should be established between the neighboring gNB and the WAB to initiate an Xn-HO. Due to the latency involved in dynamic Xn establishment (including IPSec, SCTP, and Xn establishment), it is important to establish a new Xn interface as early as possible when the WAB arrives.

[0050] Similarly, the WAB should also quickly detect new neighboring gNBs when it reaches the coverage area of ​​a new gNB. Therefore, an effective method for managing neighbor relationships between gNBs is beneficial, including detecting new gNBs and supporting dynamic Xn establishment between the WAB and neighboring gNBs.

[0051] This disclosure addresses the challenges of dynamic neighbor relationships and Xn link establishment within WAB systems, where current methods fall short in effectively managing these relationships and establishments, particularly in the context of new WAB deployments. Existing systems typically rely on static configuration or manual updates, leading to delays or inaccuracies in neighbor relationship management and Xn link establishment. Such approaches can result in inefficient handovers, potential service interruptions, and suboptimal network performance. The proposed method introduces an automated, dynamic process tailored to the unique requirements of WAB systems for detecting new gNBs and establishing Xn links. By leveraging real-time data and network conditions, this method ensures timely updates to neighbor relationships and Xn configurations, significantly enhancing network flexibility and reliability. The innovations of this disclosure not only address the inherent limitations of current practices but also lay the foundation for potential standardization of dynamic neighbor relationship and Xn link establishment management in future wireless networks.

[0052] Working principles and example signaling for communication This disclosure relates to solutions for providing neighbor relationships, and more specifically to solutions for providing dynamic inter-node neighbor relationships and Xn establishment in a mobile base station with a WAB system.

[0053] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For purposes of discussion, reference will be made to... Figure 1 The following embodiments are discussed, for example, by using a first device 110, a second device 120, and an adjacent device 130.

[0054] Additionally, for discussion purposes only, in the following embodiments, the first device 110 may be used as a radio access network (RAN) node or a relay network node, and the first entity is the logical mobile terminal of the first device, and the second entity is the logical network device of the first device. Furthermore, the second device 120 may be used as a network device and may be a donor or parent network device for / serving the first device 110, and the (plural) adjacent devices 130 may be network devices.

[0055] It should be understood that the operation of the first device 110 and the second device 120 should be coordinated. In other words, the second device 120 and the first device 110 should have a common understanding regarding configuration, parameters, etc. This common understanding can be achieved through any suitable interaction between the second device 120 and the first device 110 or by applying the same rules / policies to both the second device 120 and the first device 110.

[0056] In the following description, although some operations are presented from the perspective of the first device 110, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the second device 120. Similarly, although some operations are presented from the perspective of the second device 120, it should be understood that the corresponding operations should be performed by the first device 110. For the sake of brevity, some identical or similar content has been omitted here.

[0057] refer to Figure 3 The document illustrates a signaling flow 300 of communications according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] In operation, the first device 110 establishes a first connection (305-1) between its first entity (such as WAB-MT) and the second device 120. Therefore, the second device 120 establishes a first connection (305-2) between its first entity and the second device 120. As an example, the first connection is an access layer (AS) connection established between the first entity (such as WAB-MT) of the first device 110 and the second device 120 via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) procedure.

[0059] Furthermore, the first device 110 sends a request (310-1) to the second device 120, wherein the request is used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device 110 (such as WAB-gNB) and the second device 120. Therefore, the second device 120 receives a request (310-2) from the first device 110.

[0060] For the second device 120, upon receiving the request, the second device 120 sends (315-2) a response to the request, wherein the response includes first information about at least one neighboring device of the second device 120, and the first device receives (315-1) a response from the second device 120. For example, the first information may include information about neighboring device 130-1 and / or neighboring device 130-2. Additionally, the second device 120 may have already established (301) (multiple) connections with neighboring devices(s) 130. If so, more information about the neighboring devices(s) may be included in the response. Details regarding the content included in the response will be discussed later.

[0061] For the first device 110, based on information about neighboring devices, the first device 110 initiates (325) an Xn establishment process with at least one of the neighboring devices 130 indicated by a response. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 uses the TNL configuration of the neighboring device 130 to initiate the Xn establishment process with the neighboring device 130. Details on how to utilize the TNL configuration to initiate the Xn establishment process will be discussed later.

[0062] In order for the second device 120 to understand that the first device 110 is a device that includes both the first and second entities, the first device 110 needs to provide relevant information to the second device 120. In one example embodiment, the relevant information may be provided in a request. Alternatively, the relevant information may be provided during the establishment process of the first connection (e.g., during an RRC process). These example embodiments will be discussed separately below.

[0063] First, we will discuss examples of providing relevant information in a request. In some example embodiments, the request may include second information indicating at least one of the following: a first identifier of a first entity, a cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or an indication that the first device 110 includes a first entity and a second entity.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the request may be an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, and the request may include an information element carrying second information. As an example, the information element may be a newly introduced information element carrying second information.

[0065] For the second device 120, using the second information, the second device 120 can understand that the first device 110 includes a first entity and a second entity. As a result, the second device 120 can send a response (315-2) including the first information to the first device 110.

[0066] The following will discuss an example of providing relevant information during the establishment of the first connection.

[0067] In some example embodiments, during the establishment of the first connection, the first device 110 may send a second identifier of the second entity to the second device 120.

[0068] Additionally, in some example embodiments, the second identifier may be indicated by an information element in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. As an example, this information element is a newly introduced information element carrying the second identifier.

[0069] As for the second device 120, if the identifier included in the request corresponds to the second identifier received during the establishment of the first connection, the second device 120 may send a response including the first information (315-2) to the first device 110.

[0070] Based on the above process, the second device 120 can understand that the first device 110 includes a first entity and a second entity (such as WAB), and can accordingly provide the first device 110 with information about at least one adjacent device 130.

[0071] Details regarding information about at least one adjacent device 130 will be discussed below.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the response may be an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation, and the response includes information elements carrying first information about at least one neighboring device. In some example embodiments, the response may be another Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update initiated by the second device 120. For example, after the second device 120 determines that the peer node is a WAB, the second device 120 may detect a new neighboring gNB. The second device 120 may initiate an Xn NG-RAN node configuration update procedure to provide first information about the new neighboring gNB, thereby allowing the first device 110 to establish Xn with the new neighboring gNB.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the first information about at least one adjacent device may include at least one identifier of at least one adjacent device.

[0074] Alternatively or additionally, in some example embodiments, the first information regarding at least one neighboring device 130 may include at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of at least one neighboring device 130. For example, a second device 120 has already established a (301) connection with a neighboring device 130, and therefore the second device 120 may provide the TNL configuration and optionally provide other relevant information to the first device 110.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the TNL configuration may indicate at least one of the following: • For the transport layer address of the Xn control plane endpoint, • For transport layer addresses of Internet Protocol (IP) secure endpoints, or • Transport layer address for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

[0076] Based on the TNL configuration, the first device 110 can initiate (325) an Xn establishment process with the adjacent device 130. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may use a transport layer address for an Internet Protocol (IP) Security (IPSec) endpoint to establish an IPSec connection, which is also used to protect Xn control plane signaling and / or user plane traffic. In some other example embodiments, the first device 110 may use a transport layer address for an Xn control plane endpoint to establish a transport network layer connection, which is also used to deliver Xn Application Protocol (XnAP) signaling. In some other example embodiments, the first device 110 may use a transport layer address for a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) transport layer address to establish a transport network layer connection, which is also used to deliver Xn user plane traffic.

[0077] In some cases, the second device 120 may not know the TNL configuration of the neighboring device 130. In this case, the second device 120 may provide the identifier of the neighboring device 130. If so, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 may initiate a (320) TNL address discovery procedure (e.g., an Xn-CTNL address discovery procedure) to obtain the TNL configuration of the neighboring device based on the identifier of the neighboring device 130.

[0078] Example To better understand the above process, some example embodiments will be discussed below.

[0079] WAB will be used as an example of the first device 110, and the donor or parent of the WAB will be used as an example of the second device 120.

[0080] In operation, the WAB sends information to its donor so that the donor can detect the co-location of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB. In some example embodiments, the WAB (e.g., WAB-MT) sends the information to the donor via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) procedure. In some other example embodiments, the WAB sends the information to the donor via an Xn Establishment Request message that includes information about WAB-MT, thus allowing the donor to detect the co-location of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB, where the information about WAB-MT can be its ID, such as a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI). In some other example embodiments, the detection of co-location in the donor is also used for other purposes, such as for resource coordination.

[0081] For the donor, the donor receives information used to detect the co-addressing of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB. In some example embodiments, the donor receives information from the WAB via RRC. In some other example embodiments, the donor receives information from the WAB (e.g., WAB-gNB) via an Xn setup request message, including an indication that the source / initiating node is the WAB.

[0082] Next, the donor generates neighboring gNB information for neighboring cells and also sends an XN establishment response message to the WAB, which includes additional information about neighboring NG-RAN nodes. In some example embodiments, new neighboring NG-RAN node information (IE) is added to the Xn establishment response message, providing the necessary details for the WAB to effectively establish Xn with neighboring gNBs (i.e., to quickly establish IPSec, SCTP, and XnAP before Xn).

[0083] The WAB (e.g., WAB-gNB) receives an XN establishment response message from the donor. In other words, the donor sends an XN establishment response message to the WAB. This message contains information about neighboring NG-RAN nodes. The WAB then initiates an Xn establishment with the neighboring NG-RAN nodes using the received information.

[0084] Reference Figure 4 To discuss more details, Figure 4 Signaling diagram 400 illustrates communication according to some example embodiments of this disclosure.

[0085] like Figure 4 As shown, (405)Xn is established between gNB1402 (i.e., the donor or parent node of WAB401) and the adjacent gNB2403, and between gNB1402 and gNB3404. WAB401 (e.g., WAB-MT of WAB401) is connected to gNB1402 (410).

[0086] WAB401 initiates (415) an Xn establishment with gNB1402 by sending an Xn establishment request message. Specifically, the WAB discovers the donor's Xn-CTNL address and initiates an Xn establishment with the donor (e.g., gNB1402), where the Xn establishment request message can be sent to gNB1. In some example embodiments, the Xn establishment request message includes a new IE for WAB-MT information, so donor 402 can detect co-addressing between WAB-MT and WAB-gNB in ​​WAB401. The WAB-MT information can be the WAB-MT ID, such as C-RNTI, the cell ID of the serving cell, and / or an explicit indication, i.e., WAB. In some other embodiments, co-addressing in the donor needs to be detected, for example, for resource coordination.

[0087] In some example embodiments, donor 402 detects the co-addressing of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB via information about WAB-MT in the received Xn setup request message. In some other example embodiments, donor 402 detects the co-addressing of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB via a new XnAPIE for the information about WAB-MT. In some other example embodiments, donor 402 detects the co-addressing of WAB-MT and WAB-gNB via a new RRCIE for the information about WAB-gNB.

[0088] WAB401 can also include WAB-MT information during the establishment of Xn between WAB401 and other adjacent gNBs.

[0089] Alternatively, since the Xn setup request message received by donor 402 (415) from WAB401 includes the gNBID of WAB-gNB, co-addressing can be detected based on the gNBID. In some example embodiments, when WAB401 connects to gNB1402 (410) (i.e., when WAB-MT establishes an RRC connection with gNB1), WAB-MT can provide the gNBID of the co-addressed WAB-gNB to gNB1 via a new IE in the RRC. In some other example embodiments, when donor 402 receives (415) an Xn establishment request message from WAB 401 (i.e., when the co-located WAB-gNB initiates an Xn establishment with gNB 1), gNB 1 can compare the gNBID received (415) in the Xn establishment request message with the gNBID received via RRC (e.g., during the process of WAB 401 connecting with gNB 1 (410)), thereby knowing that the WAB-gNB is co-located with the WAB-MT that provides the same gNBID via RRC.

[0090] like Figure 4As shown, donor 402 sends an (420) XN establishment response message to WAB 401. Donor 402 generates neighboring NG-RAN information for neighboring cells, such as WAB neighboring NG-RAN node information. The XN establishment response message includes additional information about neighboring NG-RAN nodes, such as WAB neighboring NG-RAN node information. In some example embodiments, a new WAB neighboring NG-RAN node information IE is added to the XN establishment response message. The new WAB neighboring NG-RAN node information IE includes two entries, one for neighboring gNB 2403 and one for neighboring gNB 3404. For example, it includes the following information shown in Table 1.

[0091] Table 1

[0092] In some example embodiments, a message is sent by donor 402 (420) to WAB-gNB401 to deliver application data for the Xn-C interface instance, as shown in Tables 2-1 and 2-2.

[0093] Table 2-1

[0094] Table 2-2

[0095] In some example embodiments, gNB1402 may only know the gNBID of the adjacent gNB (e.g., gNB2403) but not establish an Xn connection with it. Accordingly, gNB1402 only provides the gNBID of gNB2403 to the WAB, and then the WAB can initiate an Xn-CTNL address discovery process to obtain the IP address of gNB2, and then initiate an Xn connection with gNB2403.

[0096] The current Xn establishment response message only includes the gNBID of the gNB that sent the (420) Xn establishment response message, but does not include the gNBID of (multiple) adjacent gNBs (i.e., does not include the gNBID of gNB2403 or gNB3404).

[0097] This also differs from the existing neighbor NG-RAN node list IE, which includes the gNBIDIE and the mandatory local NG-RAN node identifier IE. There are two reasons for this: First, the purpose is different. 38.423 specifies that the existing IE is used for "local NG-RAN node identifier conflict detection," while in some example embodiments, it is used for establishing new Xn with neighboring gNBs. Second, the content is different. The current neighbor NG-RAN node list IE includes the mandatory local NG-RAN node identifier IE, but neighboring gNBs may not have this local ID, and in some example embodiments, it is not necessary to include this IE.

[0098] If gNB1402 knows the XnTNL configuration information of gNB2403, it can provide it to WAB401. Therefore, WAB401 can use it to initiate Xn establishment and skip the Xn-CTNL address discovery process.

[0099] The IE used to transmit XnTNL configuration information for automatic Xn and SCTP association establishment via signaling is shown in Tables 3-1 and 3-2 below.

[0100] Table 3-1

[0101] Table 3-2

[0102] like Figure 4 As shown, WAB401 initiates (425) SCTP / Xn establishment with gNB2403 using the received XnTNL address of the NG-RAN node. Similarly, WAB401 initiates (425) SCTP / Xn establishment with gNB3404 using the received XnTNL address of the NG-RAN node. gNB2403 (and gNB3404) can now obtain information about WAB.

[0103] In some example embodiments, WAB401 only receives (420) the global NG-RAN node ID of the neighboring gNB. WAB401 uses the received global NG-RAN node ID and other information (i.e., cell ID, TAI) to initiate an Xn-CTNL address discovery process with gNB2403 (or gNB3404), and then uses the Xn-CTNL address to initiate (425) an Xn establishment with gNB2403 (or gNB3404). This is based on the assumption that WAB's neighboring gNB is likely also a neighbor of donor 402.

[0104] The method disclosed herein can quickly establish Xn with neighboring gNBs without relying on UE measurement reports.

[0105] Example Method Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The first device in the method of angular description 500.

[0106] At frame 510, the first device 110 establishes a first connection between the first entity of the first device and the second device, the first device including the first entity and the second entity.

[0107] In block 520, the first device 110 sends a request to the second device for establishing or updating the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device.

[0108] In block 530, the first device 110 receives a response to the request from the second device, the response including first information about at least one adjacent device of the second device.

[0109] In box 540, the first device 110 initiates an establishment process with the neighboring device Xn in the at least one neighboring device based on the first information.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: a first identifier of the first entity, a cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or an indication that the first device includes the first entity and the second entity.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, and the request includes an information element carrying second information.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 sends a second identifier of the second entity to the second device during the establishment of the first connection.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the second identifier is indicated by an information element in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation, and the response includes an information element carrying first information about at least one neighboring device. In some example embodiments, the response may be another Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update initiated by a second device.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the first information about at least one neighboring device includes at least one of the following: at least one identifier of at least one neighboring device, or at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of at least one neighboring device.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the TNL configuration in at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: a transport layer address for an Xn control plane endpoint, a transport layer address for an Internet Protocol IP security endpoint, or a transport layer address for a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

[0117] In some example embodiments, based on the determination that the TNL configuration of at least one of the neighboring devices is not included in the first information, the first device 110 initiates a TNL address discovery process to obtain the TNL configuration of the neighboring device based on the identifier of the neighboring device.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 is a radio access network (RAN) node, the first entity is a logical mobile terminal of the first device, the second entity is a logical network device of the first device, and the second device is a donor network device for / serving the first device.

[0119] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 Method 600 is described by the angle of the second device 120 in the middle.

[0120] At frame 610, the second device 120 establishes a first connection between the second device and a first entity of the first device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity.

[0121] In box 620, the second device 120 receives a request from the first device for establishing or updating the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device.

[0122] In block 630, the second device 120 sends a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information about at least one adjacent device of the second device.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: a first identifier of a first entity, a cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or an indication that the first device includes a first entity and a second entity, and the second device 120 sends a response including the first information to the first device based on determining that the request includes the second information.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, including information elements carrying second information.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 receives a second identifier of the second entity from the first device during the establishment of the first connection; and sends a response including first information to the first device based on the identifier included in the determination request corresponding to the second identifier received during the establishment of the first connection.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the second identifier is indicated by an information element in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation, including information elements carrying first information about at least one neighboring device. In some example embodiments, the response may be another Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update initiated by a second device.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first information about at least one neighboring device includes at least one of the following: at least one identifier of at least one neighboring device, or at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of at least one neighboring device.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the TNL configuration in at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: a transport layer address for an Xn control plane endpoint, a transport layer address for an Internet Protocol IP security endpoint, or a transport layer address for a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

[0130] In some example embodiments, the first device is a radio access network (RAN) node, the first entity is a logical mobile terminal of the first device, the second entity is a logical network device of the first device, and the second device is a donor network device for / serving the first device.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the first means capable of performing method 500 (e.g. Figure 1 The first device (in the process) may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 500. These components can be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components can be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device can be implemented as... Figure 1 The first device 110 may be included therein.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: components for establishing a first connection between a first entity of the first device and a second device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity; components for sending a request to the second device for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; components for receiving a response to the request from the second device, the response including first information about at least one neighboring device of the second device; and components for initiating an Xn establishment process with a neighboring device among the at least one neighboring device based on the first information.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: a first identifier of the first entity, a cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or an indication that the first device includes the first entity and the second entity.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, and the request includes an information element carrying second information.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first device sends a second identifier of the second entity to the second device during the establishment of the first connection.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the second identifier is indicated by an information element in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation, and the response includes an information element carrying first information about at least one neighboring device. In some example embodiments, the response may be another Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update initiated by a second device.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the first information about at least one neighboring device includes at least one of the following: at least one identifier of at least one neighboring device, or at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of at least one neighboring device.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the TNL configuration in at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: a transport layer address for an Xn control plane endpoint, a transport layer address for an Internet Protocol IP security endpoint, or a transport layer address for a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first device initiates a TNL address discovery process based on the identifier of the neighboring device to obtain the TNL configuration of the neighboring device, based on the determination that the TNL configuration of at least one of the neighboring devices is not included in the first information.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device is a radio access network (RAN) node, the first entity is a logical mobile terminal of the first device, the second entity is a logical network device of the first device, and the second device is a donor network device for / serving the first device.

[0142] In some example embodiments, a second device capable of performing method 600 (e.g. Figure 1 The second device 120 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 600. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, these components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The second device may be implemented as... Figure 1 The second device 120 may be included therein.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: components for establishing a first connection between the second device and a first entity of the first device, the first device including a first entity and a second entity; components for receiving a request from the first device for establishing or updating an Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; and components for sending a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: a first identifier of a first entity, a cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or an indication that the first device includes a first entity and a second entity, and the second device sends a response including the first information to the first device based on determining that the request includes the second information.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, including information elements carrying second information.

[0146] In some example embodiments, during the establishment of the first connection, the second device receives a second identifier of the second entity from the first device; and sends a response including first information to the first device based on the identifier included in the determination request corresponding to the second identifier received during the establishment of the first connection.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the second identifier is indicated by an information element in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation, including information elements carrying first information about at least one neighboring device. In some example embodiments, the response may be another Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update initiated by a second device.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first information about at least one neighboring device includes at least one of the following: at least one identifier of at least one neighboring device, or at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of at least one neighboring device.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the TNL configuration in at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: a transport layer address for an Xn control plane endpoint, a transport layer address for an Internet Protocol IP security endpoint, or a transport layer address for a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first device is a radio access network (RAN) node, the first entity is a logical mobile terminal of the first device, the second entity is a logical network device of the first device, and the second device is a donor network device for / serving the first device.

[0152] Example devices, equipment and media Figure 7 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The first device 110 or the second device 120 shown. As shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processors 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processors 710.

[0153] Communication module 740 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 740 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[0154] As a non-limiting example, processor 710 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 700 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock of a synchronous main processor.

[0155] Memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not retain data during power loss.

[0156] Computer program 730 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 710. The instructions of program 730 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 730 may be stored in memory (e.g., ROM 724). Processor 710 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

[0157] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 730, enabling device 700 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 6 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0158] In some example embodiments, program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 700 (such as memory 720) or other storage devices accessible by device 700. Device 700 may load program 730 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 722 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile) rather than on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0159] Figure 8 An example of a computer-readable medium 800 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. A program 730 is stored on the computer-readable medium 800.

[0160] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0161] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions that execute in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, such as those included in a program module, to perform any of the methods described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside in both local and remote storage media.

[0162] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0163] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0164] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0165] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or that all shown operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the discussion above, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0166] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: A first connection is established between a first entity of the first device and a second device, wherein the first device includes the first entity and the second entity; Send a request to the second device, the request being used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; Receive a response to the request from the second device, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device; as well as Based on the first information, initiate the process of establishing Xn with the adjacent device among the at least one adjacent device.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: The first identifier of the first entity, The cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or The first device includes indications of the first entity and the second entity.

3. The first apparatus of claim 2, wherein the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, and the request includes an information element carrying the second information.

4. The first apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor enable the first apparatus to: During the establishment of the first connection, the second identifier of the second entity is sent to the second device.

5. The first apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second identifier is indicated by an information element in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

6. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, and the response includes an information element carrying the first information about the at least one adjacent apparatus.

7. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first information regarding at least one adjacent device includes at least one of the following: At least one identifier of the at least one adjacent device, or The at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of the at least one adjacent device.

8. The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the TNL configuration in the at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: For the transport layer address of the Xn control plane endpoint, For transport layer addresses of Internet Protocol (IP) secure endpoints, or Transport layer address for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

9. The first device according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor enable the first device to: Based on the determination that the TNL configuration of the neighboring device among the at least one neighboring device is not included in the first information, a TNL address discovery process is initiated based on the identifier of the neighboring device to obtain the TNL configuration of the neighboring device.

10. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The first device is a radio access network (RAN) node. The first entity is the logical mobile terminal of the first device. The second entity is the logical network device of the first device, and The second device is a donor network device for the first device.

11. A second device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: A first connection is established between the second device and a first entity of the first device, wherein the first device includes the first entity and the second entity; Receive a request from the first device, the request being used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; as well as Send a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information relating to at least one neighboring device of the second device.

12. The second apparatus of claim 11, wherein the request includes second information indicating at least one of the following: The first identifier of the first entity, The cell identifier of the serving cell of the first entity, or The first device includes indications of the first entity and the second entity. And wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor enable the second device to: Based on the determination that the request includes the second information, the response including the first information is sent to the first device.

13. The second apparatus of claim 12, wherein the request is an Xn establishment request or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, including an information element carrying the second information.

14. The second apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor enable the second apparatus to: During the establishment of the first connection, a second identifier of the second entity is received from the first device; and Based on determining that the identifier included in the request corresponds to the second identifier received during the establishment of the first connection, the response including the first information is sent to the first device.

15. The second apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second identifier is indicated by an information element in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

16. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the response is an Xn establishment response or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update confirmation or an Xn Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node configuration update, including an information element carrying the first information about the at least one adjacent apparatus.

17. The second device according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the first information regarding the at least one adjacent device includes at least one of the following: At least one identifier of the at least one adjacent device, or The at least one transport network layer (TNL) configuration of the at least one adjacent device.

18. The second apparatus of claim 17, wherein the TNL configuration in the at least one TNL configuration indicates at least one of the following: For the transport layer address of the Xn control plane endpoint, For transport layer addresses of Internet Protocol (IP) secure endpoints, or Transport layer address for General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP).

19. The second device according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein, The first device is a radio access network (RAN) node. The first entity is the logical mobile terminal of the first device. The second entity is the logical network device of the first device, and The second device is a donor network device for the first device.

20. A method comprising: A first connection is established between a first entity of the first device and a second device at a first device, the first device comprising the first entity and the second entity. A request is sent to the second device, the request being used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device. The second device receives a response to the request, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device. Based on the first information, initiate the process of establishing Xn with the adjacent device among the at least one adjacent device.

21. A method comprising: A first connection is established at the second device between the second device and a first entity of the first device, the first device comprising the first entity and the second entity. A request is received from the first device, the request being used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device. Send a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information relating to at least one neighboring device of the second device.

22. A first device, comprising: A component for establishing a first connection between a first entity of the first device and a second device, the first device including the first entity and the second entity; A component for sending a request to the second device, the request being used to establish or update the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; A component for receiving a response to the request from the second device, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device; as well as A component for initiating an Xn establishment process with a neighboring device among the at least one neighboring devices based on the first information.

23. A second device, comprising: A component for establishing a first connection between the second device and a first entity of the first device, the first device including the first entity and the second entity; A component for receiving a request from the first device, the request being for establishing or updating the Xn interface between the second entity of the first device and the second device; as well as A component for sending a response to the request to the first device, the response including first information relating to at least one adjacent device of the second device.

24. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method of claim 20 or the method of claim 21.

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