System and method for efficient uploading or downloading of transmission data via a mobile access device - Patents.com

Abstract

The present invention proposes to provide improved download capabilities for terminal devices (e.g. smartphones or IoT devices) in a network system by introducing the capability to cache requested data in the mobile access device (e.g. a base station (such as a gNB) or an access point) and to optimize the scheduling / transfer of data between the terminal device and the mobile access device, and between the mobile access device and a macro access device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to data distribution in wireless networks having mobile access devices, such as - but not limited to - cellular networks. [Background technology]

[0002] Small cell technology is a new development in fifth generation cellular networks (5G networks), but small cells are not the only access devices (i.e., base stations or Node Bs) that will provide network connectivity. 5G networks will also use macro cells -- such as cell towers -- for connectivity, and these larger base stations may enable lower 5G frequencies compared to the higher frequency millimeter wave capabilities of small cells.

[0003] A macro cell is a cellular base station that transmits and receives radio signals through large towers and antennas to provide cellular coverage in the km range, whereas a small cell is another type of cellular base station that is physically smaller to boost wireless network connectivity in a particular area with high-speed broadband connectivity. Moreover, a femto cell is a wireless access point that is used to boost indoor cellular connectivity. Unlike other cellular connectivity options, a femto cell connects back to the Internet to provide cellular connectivity in the home or office. A femto cell looks and acts like a router, and users can install a femto cell near their current network hardware installation. A femto cell is accessible to anyone who wants to buy one. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some situations, a terminal device (a mobile user device (e.g., User Equipment (UE) such as a mobile phone, smartphone, laptop, notebook, tablet, etc.) or an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor or similar)) may have high bandwidth needs, e.g. due to the requirement to download a big data file. Retrieving such a big data file may nevertheless cause problems while connected to a macro cell of a cellular network, if the macro cell only has limited connectivity or if the mobile repeater may only have good / fast connectivity for a very limited time, so that the terminal device must first connect to a mobile repeater (e.g., a mobile cellular access device such as a gNodeB (gNB) in a 5G network) and therefore can only trigger the download of the file.

[0005] An example use case is a UE connected to a cellular network through a macro cell and has some bandwidth needs that the current macro cell cannot fully handle, for example a medical user has a video conference and may also be requesting to download a big genomic file, or a mobile user wants to pull some videos and the current connection through the macro cell does not support the connection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to enable improved data delivery in wireless networks.

[0007] This object is achieved by an apparatus according to claim 1, by a wireless communication system according to claim 6, by a terminal device according to claim 14, by a method according to claim 15 and by a computer program product.

[0008] According to a first aspect relating to a core network device or function (e.g., AMF, SMF, or IAB coordinator) of a wireless network, or a terminal device (target device), there is provided an apparatus for controlling uploading or downloading of transmission data in a wireless network, the apparatus comprising: - selecting a mobile access device based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device; - scheduling transfer of the transmission data to the access device and subsequent transfer of the transmission data from the access device to the target device or to a core network of the wireless network based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device; The present invention is configured to:

[0009] According to a second aspect relating to a core network device or function or a terminal device (target device), there is provided a method for controlling uploading or downloading of transmission data in a wireless network, the method comprising: - selecting a mobile access device based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device; - scheduling the transfer of the transmission data to the mobile access device and subsequent transfer of the requested data from the mobile access device to the target device or to a core network of the wireless network based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device; has.

[0010] According to a third aspect relating to a core network device or function or a terminal device (target device), there is provided a method for controlling uploading or downloading of transmission data in a wireless network, the method comprising: - selecting a mobile access device based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device; - scheduling transfer of transmission data between the target device and the core network through the mobile access device based on estimated location information of the mobile access device, location information of the target device, and the estimated location of the mobile access device optimizing communication performance; has.

[0011] Communication performance includes, for example, end-to-end throughput (average or instantaneous), overall network throughput (average or instantaneous), most efficient communication in terms of power consumption, lowest level of interference. Other metrics for the definition of optimal communication performance can be considered, such as throughput time, data rate, or latency.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a wireless communication system comprising the apparatus of the first aspect and at least one mobile access device.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a terminal device (eg, a wireless communication device (UE) or an IoT device) comprising the apparatus of the first aspect.

[0014] Finally, according to a sixth aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising code means for producing the steps of the above method of the second aspect when executed on a computing device.

[0015] Thus, better upload or download capabilities for the target device (e.g., terminal device, IoT device, etc.) can be achieved by optimizing at least one of the mobility and network topology, transfer of data using the mobile access device between the target device and the donor access device, for example by caching the requested data in the mobile access device and allocating communication parameters between the target device and the mobile access device and / or between the mobile access device and the macro access device. The donor access device may be a macro cell or any other cell, for example pico / femto / small cell, fixed or mobile, capable of making a connection to the mobile access device.

[0016] Since the above optimizations are based on the positioning information of the mobile access device, the communication can be prepared in advance in such a way that data communication is not affected, the upload or download of related files is put on hold in the macro cell, e.g. because it is currently overloaded, the mobile access device starts caching the requested data upload or download, and the target and the mobile access device can be made aware of their location / trajectory in order to adapt and plan their Radio Access Network (RAN) communication settings.

[0017] According to a variant used in any of the first to sixth aspects of the invention, it is proposed that the apparatus is configured to initiate caching of the transmission data to the selected mobile access device.

[0018] According to a first option combined with any of the first to sixth aspects above, the requested data is uploaded or downloaded via the macro access device when the mobile access device is within a predefined range of the macro access device, thereby ensuring that the transmitted data is transferred over a short distance to achieve an improved connection.

[0019] According to the second option combined with the first option or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the transmitted data is a data file to be uploaded or downloaded, data streaming from a streaming service, or software updates, thus allowing a large amount of data to be more effectively transferred to and from the target device via the mobile access device.

[0020] According to a third option, which can be combined with the first or second option or any of the first to sixth aspects above, determining which of the plurality of mobile access devices will be within a predefined range of the target device taking into account current movement schedules of the mobile access devices, and identifying which of the plurality of mobile access devices are capable of delivering transmission data to the target device taking into account location information of the target device at a predefined time, respective locations of the plurality of mobile access devices at a predefined time, and communication requirements of a user of the target device at a predefined time, thereby allowing selection of the mobile device most suitable for efficient transfer of the transmission data.

[0021] According to a fourth option, combinable with any of the first to third options or with any of the first to sixth aspects above, the selected mobile access device is informed about at least one of the presence of target devices along the route of the mobile access device, the data requirements of a user of the target device and the location of the target device, so that the selected mobile access device can pre-optimize transmission parameters or pre-allocate transmission resources, thereby ensuring an efficient transfer of the transmission data at the mobile access device.

[0022] According to a fifth option, combinable with any of the first to fourth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the target device is informed through the macro cell when a mobile access device is nearby and available for uploading or downloading transmission data, thus enabling the target device to prepare an efficient transfer of the transmission data.

[0023] According to a sixth option, which can be combined with any of the first to fifth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, a suitable location of the mobile access device for the transfer of transmission data and a suitable start time for uplink or downlink communication between the selected mobile access device and a macro access device serving the target device are selected, thereby enabling an effective scheduling of the transfer of the transmission data to be achieved.

[0024] According to a seventh option, which may be combined with any of the first to sixth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the transmission data is forwarded through two or more mobile access devices if a single mobile access device cannot handle all the transmission data.

[0025] According to an eighth option, combinable with any of the first to seventh options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the mobile access device is an in-vehicle access device configured to serve terminal devices in the vehicle or within a predefined range of the vehicle, thereby allowing installation of multiple mobile access devices in public transport vehicles having predefined travel routes and schedules to facilitate effective scheduling of transfer of transmission data and provide enhanced connectivity.

[0026] According to a ninth option, which may be combined with any of the first to eighth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the mobile access device comprises an intermediate user plane function (I-UPF) or a local application function (AF) or is configured to host an edge computing application or an edge application server. This measure provides the advantage that the transfer of transmission data from a data source to the mobile access device may be more efficient.

[0027] According to a tenth option, combinable with any of the first to ninth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the mobile access device is configured to pre-allocate and configure communication resources for uploading or downloading transmission data taking into account one or more of the following: the amount of data required for transfer, the location information of the target device, the expected trajectory of the mobile access device, the expected time period during which the target device or the macro access device and the mobile access device should be within a predetermined range, so that transfer of the transmission data can be optimized at the mobile access device.

[0028] According to an eleventh option, combinable with any of the first to tenth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the core network functionality is configured to trigger a conditional handover request to the mobile access device once the mobile access device is selected, or the target device is configured to send a radio resource control measurement report triggering the conditional handover request, or the target device is configured to send a request to trigger the conditional handover directly to the core network of the wireless network, or the target device is configured to join the mobile access device if a predefined condition is met, whereby data transfer via the mobile access device can be effectively initiated by a handover operation.

[0029] According to a twelfth option, combinable with any of the first to eleventh options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the mobile access device and the macro access device serving the target device are instances of sharing between a central unit and a distributed unit, the mobile access device being a distributed unit, the macro access device being a central unit, the central unit being configured to send a connection reconfiguration message to the target device including timing and conditions for moving from the source distributed unit to the target distributed unit, the target device being configured to include information about data delivery status in the random access procedure and / or the connection reconfiguration complete message, and the transmitted data being cached in the target distributed unit. These measures facilitate handover-based data transfer via the mobile access device.

[0030] According to a thirteenth option, combinable with any of the first to twelfth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor unit is provided, configured to generate communication parameters in response to estimated movement information of a mobile access device, to activate the communication parameters when the mobile access device is within a predefined range of the IAB donor unit, and to reserve the communication parameters when the mobile access device is out of range of the IAB donor unit, thereby ensuring that appropriate communication parameters are readily available when transmission data is to be transferred.

[0031] According to a fourteenth option, combinable with any of the first to thirteenth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the transmission data is distributed within a mobile edge or multi-access edge computing (MEC) environment, a MEC orchestrator in a core network of the wireless network is configured to select a mobile access device for delivering the transmission data to a target device, a MEC application is initially run on the selected mobile access device, and the transmission data is forwarded at the request of the MEC orchestrator based on an application request from the target device, ensuring an effective forwarding of the transmission data from the application to the target device via the selected mobile access device.

[0032] According to a fifteenth option, combinable with any of the first to fourteenth options or with any of the first to sixth aspects above, the macro access device serving the target device is configured to collect positioning information of the mobile access device during the learning phase and to estimate the actual location of the mobile access device during the prediction phase using the collected positioning information, thereby enabling an effective scheduling of the transfer of the transmission data and an improved connection during the transfer to be achieved.

[0033] According to a sixteenth option, which may be combined with any of the first to fifteenth options or any of the first to sixth aspects above, the terminal device is configured to decide whether to connect to the mobile access device based on at least one of location information of the target device and estimated location information of the mobile device.

[0034] It is pointed out that the above apparatus may be implemented based on a discrete hardware circuit arrangement having discrete hardware components, an integrated chip, or a chip module arrangement, or based on a signal processing device or chip controlled by a software routine or program stored in a memory, written on a computer readable medium, or downloaded from a network such as the Internet.

[0035] It is to be understood that the apparatus according to claim 1, the wireless communication system according to claim 7, the terminal device according to claim 15, the method according to claim 16 and the computer program product have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular as defined in the dependent claims.

[0036] It is to be understood that preferred embodiments of the invention can also be a combination of the dependent claims or any of the above embodiments with the respective independent claim.

[0037] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a cellular network architecture in which the present invention can be implemented; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of an embodiment of scheduled data download from a mobile base station to a non-built-in terminal device. [Diagram 3] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the signals and processing of an example planned data download. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of signals and processing for data distribution in a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) environment according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary implementation of a mobile base station and an overall system in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 6] 11 is a schematic diagram of example signaling and processing according to an embodiment where downlink data is cached in a mobile base station until it can be delivered. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a first responder network location and mapping procedure in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram of a characteristic curve of downlink throughput between a macro base station and a mobile base station versus location based on historical data. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram of characteristic curves of downlink throughput between two mobile base stations and a terminal device versus location based on historical data; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an example of an embodiment of scheduled data download to a non-built-in terminal device through a mobile base station. [Figure 11]A diagram of characteristic curves of downlink throughput between a macro base station and a mobile base station and between a mobile base station and a UE versus locations based on historical data, showing locations L1 and L3 for optimizing individual communication links and location L2 for optimizing an end-to-end communication link. [Figure 12] 13 is a diagram of characteristic curves of downlink throughput between a macro base station and a mobile base station, and between a mobile base station and a UE, versus location based on historical data. [Figure 13] A diagram of a beamforming arrangement for broadcasting synchronization signal blocks through different beams where the beams are arranged relative to the direction of movement of a mobile base station. [Figure 14] A diagram of a beamforming arrangement for broadcasting synchronization signal blocks through different beams, where the beams maintain a fixed arrangement independent of the direction of movement of the mobile base station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Based on a 5G cellular network environment, an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0040] Throughout this disclosure, the abbreviation "gNB" (5G terminology) is intended to mean an access device, such as a cellular base station or a WiFi access point. The gNB consists of a centralized control plane unit (gNB-CU-CP), multiple centralized user plane units (gNB-CU-UP), and / or multiple distributed units (gNB-DU). The gNB is part of the Radio Access Network (RAN) and provides an interface to functions in the Core Network (CN). The RAN is part of a wireless communication network. The RAN implements the Radio Access Technology (RAT). Conceptually, the RAN is between the communication devices, such as mobile phones, computers, or any remote control machine, and connects with the CN of the RAN. The CN is the core part of the communication network and provides numerous services to users interconnected through the RAN. More specifically, the CN directs the communication streams through the communication network and possibly other networks.

[0041] It is noted that throughout this disclosure, only blocks, components, and / or devices related to the proposed data distribution functions are shown in the accompanying drawings, other blocks are omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a cellular network in which the invention can be implemented.

[0043] The architecture of Figure 1 illustrates a mobile access device 30 for relaying data between a donor access device (e.g., gNB) 20 (i.e., a macro access device) and a terminal device (e.g., a wireless communication device such as a UE) 10. The donor access device 20 provides a connection to a 5G core network 40.

[0044] In the example, the mobile access device 30 is an in-vehicle repeater, which can be defined as a mobile base station serving terminal devices (e.g., UEs) in or near the vehicle, and may also host and perform some network functions to deliver the communication services mentioned in the various embodiments.

[0045] The mobile access device 30 is connectable to the donor access device 20 via a first wireless link 110 and to the terminal device 10 via a second wireless link 120 (e.g., as described in Figure 4-1 of 3GPP specification TR_22839).

[0046] It is pointed out that the functionality of the mobile access device 30 for realizing the use cases of the following embodiments goes beyond the functionality performed by a conventional static access device (e.g., gNB). In particular, the mobile access device 30 needs to perform some network functions, such as an intermediate user plane function (I-UPF) or a local application function (AF). The mobile access device 30 also needs to host edge computing applications or edge application servers.

[0047] According to various embodiments, use cases and protocol flows are described in which a 5G system or other wireless network delivers better download capabilities for terminal devices using a mobile access device 30 between the terminal device 10 and a macro (donor) access device 20 by optimizing at least one of the following: mobility and network topology, forwarding of data by caching data on the mobile access device 30, and allocation of communication parameters between the terminal device 10 and the mobile access device 30 and / or between the mobile access device 30 and the macro access device 20.

[0048] If the above optimization is based on the positioning information of the mobile access device 30, the communication is prepared in advance so that data communication (e.g. video call) is not affected, the download of the relevant file is put on hold in the macro cell since it is currently overloaded, the mobile access device (relay station) 30 starts caching the download of the data requested by the terminal device 10, and the terminal device 10 and the mobile access device 30 are aware of their location / trajectory in order to adapt and plan their Radio Access Network (RAN) communication settings.

[0049] In an example, data downloads are coordinated through mobile base stations to improve communication performance of wireless networks such as 5G. To achieve this, RAN protocols are adapted for optimized mobility, including handover protocols or modifications in Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), for example, for multi-hop backhauling based on the mobility patterns of the mobile access devices 30.

[0050] In other examples, protocols for scheduled data downloads include dynamic setup of edge servers or data caching to the mobile access device 30 .

[0051] In a further example, the RAN connection between a terminal device 10, e.g. a static terminal device, and a mobile access device 30 and / or between the mobile access device 30 and its macro cell is optimized based on knowledge of positioning information of the mobile access device 30.

[0052] In a further example, a vehicle with an on-board base station, a so-called mobile base station (MBS), is configured to act as a repeater and help to perform efficient data delivery. This use case addresses the needs of users who are not moving with the mobile base station but can benefit from the connectivity provided by the MBS when the user and the mobile base station are in close proximity. In particular, this use case addresses the needs of terminal devices (e.g., UEs) that have limited connectivity (e.g., when connected to a macro cell) or have very demanding bandwidth needs.

[0053] FIG. 2 shows a schematic example of a scheduled data download from a mobile base station to a non-internal terminal device.

[0054] In Fig. 2, an urban environment where each shaded square corresponds to a block of houses 200. A fixed gNB 20 acts as a donor gNB and a UE 10 is shown in a location with poor connectivity, two blocks away from the donor gNB 20. Additionally, a mobile gNB 30 and its route (thick dotted arrow) are shown. The route includes locations L0 to L3 from time T0 to T3. At location L1 and time T1, the mobile gNB 30 receives a first data transfer 210 from the donor gNB 20, which is "relayed" to the UE 10 at location L3 at time T3 by a second data transfer 220 to the UE 10.

[0055] For example, a user, Tom, is waiting for bus number 23. While doing so, Tom is watching a series on his favorite video streaming service via his UE 10. Tom is also on a call with a friend. Yet, Tom's network connection at his current location is insufficient to handle the video streaming service in particular, since the donor gNB 20 is far away from Tom's UE 10. In this example, it would be beneficial if the UE 10 could request a download of the series and schedule its delivery through a suitable mobile repeater in the user's vicinity, for example bus number 45, which is scheduled to arrive at the bus stop shortly. Data transfer 220 from bus number 45 with mobile base station (gNB) 30 to the UE 10 is performed at time T3 and location L3.

[0056] The above example is required as a prerequisite for a mobile network operator (MNO) to operate mobile base stations and macro cells in a city, and a user, Tom, has a UE, subscribes to the MNO, is connected to a macro base station (not shown in Figure 2), and needs to retrieve a particular file (e.g., a movie or website).

[0057] The proposed data transfers 210 and 220 involve the following service flows: ● The user's UE 10 is connected to the (5G) macro network. ● (5G) macro networks have the capability to deliver users' typical communication needs, especially low latency and low bandwidth communication needs, but offer only limited capacity due to spotty coverage and large amounts of data downloads by a large number of UEs. ● The MNO operates mobile base stations that provide spare additional capacity, and the mobile network determines that user, Tom,’s download needs can be met by mobile base station (gNB) 30, which is approaching Tom’s location, i.e. bus number 45. ● The 5G system caches Tom's requested downlink traffic in the mobile base station (gNB) 30 that is approaching Tom's location, and the download of this data to the mobile base station (gNB) 30 can be performed very fast because it occurs at time T1 and location L1 when the mobile base station (gNB) 30 is very close to the macro base station (gNB) 20. ● Then, when the mobile base station (gNB) 30 approaches Tom's UE 10 at time T3 and location L3, the UE 10 connects to the mobile base station (gNB) 30 and the UE 10 quickly receives all requested data. ● When the mobile base station (gNB) 30 moves away, Tom's UE 10 releases its connection with the mobile base station (gNB) 30.

[0058] As a result, the user can enjoy a high speed downlink connection and retrieve all the files he or she requests without affecting the user's call.

[0059] To achieve this, cellular (5G) systems provide at least one of the following: means for scheduling and caching data downloads at the mobile base station; means for optimizing the movements between macro base stations and mobile base stations required to deliver high speed data downloads; or means for planning and optimizing RAN communications between a terminal device (e.g., UE) and a mobile base station before the terminal device and the mobile base station are connected.

[0060] In another example, user Tom is an emergency physician who has just arrived at a car accident. Tom is examining several injured people. Tom is on the phone with other clinicians at a nearby hospital discussing the patient's health status and which hospital the patient should be transferred to. Tom also wants to retrieve the patient's electronic health record for a better evaluation. Nevertheless, the network connection at Tom's current location - the accident area - is insufficient to download some of the larger files, especially in the patient's EHR. In this situation, it would be beneficial if Tom's UE could schedule the EHR download. This can be done by a relay mounted on one of the ambulances that is already approaching the accident area. This example can also be illustrated by FIG. 2. At location L0 and time T0, an EHR data transfer is requested by the UE. A mobile base station, i.e., an ambulance-mounted relay (AMR), receives the EHR data from the macro cell at location L1 and time T1. The AMR caches this EHR data. When the AMR is at location L3 at time T3, the AMR can quickly deliver the requested EHR data to Tom's UE. In an alternative example, the terminal device is an IoT device requesting delivery of a software update. Some IoT devices may not be able to continuously connect to a macro cell, and the IoT device may be capable of retrieving the software update from a mobile base station (gNB) when the mobile base station (gNB) is in close proximity. In an alternative example, the mobile base station is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a satellite.

[0061] In these relevant examples and embodiments, a UE, e.g., an IoT device, can be configured with a wake-up schedule that corresponds to a movement pattern of a mobile base station. Alternatively, the mobile base station is configured with a movement pattern that fits the wake-up schedule of a UE, e.g., an IoT device. It is also possible that the movement pattern and the wake-up schedule are designed to complement each other.

[0062] In an embodiment, a management entity, e.g. a network function of the core network or a donor gNB having access to the movement pattern of at least one mobile base station, will use and / or retrieve the identity and location of one or more UEs from another network function, e.g. the AMF, and set a wake-up schedule for the UE that fits this movement pattern, i.e. the UE will be configured to wake up when a mobile base station approaches. The management entity may have access to all information (e.g. UE movement pattern, identity and location), e.g. stored in a database, or may need to request data from other management entities or network functions of the network. The wake-up schedule is such that it is capable of handling potential time differences in the arrival times of the mobile base stations, e.g. noticing before or after the expected arrival time. This can be a configurable parameter.

[0063] In an embodiment, if the UEs are placed according to a given distribution, e.g. a row of smart meters in houses adjacent to a street, or a line of lampposts adjacent to a street, the UEs may also communicate with each other, e.g. via a PC5 interface, to get an indication of the arrival time of the mobile base station from the other UEs or to inform the other UEs of the arrival time. For example, if a mobile base station is to reach UE1 at 14:00 and UE2 at 14:02, and UE1 is configured to wake up at 13:59 and stay awake for 2 minutes, and UE2 is configured to wake up at 14:01 and stay awake for 2 minutes, and the mobile base station arrives slightly late at UE1, e.g. at 14:00:30, UE1 may exchange this information via a communication interface (e.g. a PC5 interface) so that the second UE can take into account the information regarding the arrival (e.g. on time, late, early, ...) of the mobile base station, e.g. by scheduling to sleep until the actual arrival of the mobile base station.

[0064] In an embodiment, the movement patterns of the mobile base stations may be influenced by at least the wake schedules of the UEs, where a network function of the core network or a donor gNB having access to the wake schedules of one or more UEs may determine the movement patterns of the mobile base stations (e.g., drones or vehicles) and configure such movement patterns accordingly.

[0065] In an embodiment, a UE requesting access to a given resource, e.g., a software update or an app update, may announce the request in advance to a management entity, e.g., a network function or a base station. The management entity can subscribe to the corresponding resource updates on behalf of the UE. The management entity will retrieve or be notified of such updates and make them available to the mobile base station. The UE can then retrieve or receive the updates from the mobile base station, e.g., when the UE is awake and / or when the mobile base station is in the vicinity.

[0066] Figure 10 is similar to Figure 2 and shows a schematic example of a planned data download from a donor gNB through a mobile base station to a non-internal terminal device. In Figure 10, notice that an EHR data transfer is requested by the UE at location L0 and time T0. This time may also represent application knowledge that the UE knows or predicts to use or transmit certain data. In this case, the data is transferred end-to-end from the donor gNB to the UE at location L2 and time T2. Location L2 is chosen to optimize the end-to-end connection from the donor gNB to the UE via the ambulance mounted repeater (AMR). This optimization can be performed based on knowledge of historical or predicted throughput curves between the UE and the AMR and between the AMR and the donor gNB. This predicted throughput is shown in Figure 11, where notice that L2 is the location with the best possible end-to-end communication link in the path of the AMR. It should be noted that L2 does not provide as good a throughput as the individual communication links at locations L1 (AMR-donor gNB) and L3 (UE-AMR).

[0067] Figure 3 shows a schematic signal and processing diagram of the example scheduled data download shown in Figure 2. The devices involved are a UE 10, a macro base station (gNB) 20, a CN 50, a domain name server (DN) 60, and a mobile base station (gNB) 30.

[0068] In the signal and processing sequence of Figure 3, and subsequently in Figures 4 and 6, the vertical direction from top to bottom corresponds to a time axis, so that messages or processing steps shown above other messages or processing steps occur earlier in time.

[0069] In step 301, the UE 10 announces its bandwidth / processing needs. This can be communicated to the CN 50 or the UE 10 may inform a third party application in a given data network. For example, the UE 10 can announce that it requests a particular data file to be downloaded. This information can be extracted from a higher application layer or the request can be provided directly to the application provider. For example, if a user is trying to watch a two-hour long movie on a streaming service (e.g., a Content Platform (CP)), the UE 10 can predict that the entire data file will need to be streamed in the next two hours. This is the data that needs to be delivered from the streaming service through the mobile network (i.e., the CN 50 and the RAN).

[0070] It is noted that the CN50, the DN60, and the streaming application can also predict user behavior and user needs. For example, if a user watches an episode of a television (TV) series every night, the DN60 can identify the communication needs of the user. This may also be true for commuting users, since some of these users typically utilize some data resources in a predictable manner, e.g., watching such TV series during the user's commute time, and thus the communication needs are predictable based on the user's commute behavior. If the DN60 knows the user's requirements and the CN50 is aware of the user's movement patterns, the cooperation between the DN60 and the CN50 can place the requested resources at the right place and time so that these resources are efficiently available to the user.

[0071] In step 302, the DN 60 requests the CN 50 to allocate resources for data delivery to the UE 10. This can be an action taken on demand for a particular user and data request. Alternatively, this can be an initial configuration step where the DN 60 and the CN 50 agree to deliver data to the user in an optimized manner. Based on this agreement, the CN 50 may allocate resources and move the application / data so that it is delivered efficiently to the end user, for example placing the application / data closer to the UE, for example in an edge server closer to the donor gNB 20.

[0072] In step 303, the CN50 knows the routes of the mobile base stations as well as the location of the user and the user's macro cell. The CN50 pre-determines which of the mobile base stations will be in close proximity to the user, taking into account the current schedules of the mobile base stations. Based on this, the CN50 can identify which mobile base stations can deliver which loads to which UEs, taking into account at least one of the location of each UE at time t, the location of each mobile base station at time t, and the communication requirements of the user at time t.

[0073] A simple exemplary strategy is to check which mobile base station is going to approach the UE 10 next and whether the available communication link between the UE 10 and the potential mobile base station will be sufficient to handle the communication requirements of the UE 10. The available communication link refers to the communication resources available when the UE 10 and the potential mobile base station meet, taking into account the distance and expected duration of the communication link.

[0074] In step 304, the CN50 informs the selected mobile base station 30 of the presence of users along the route of the mobile base station 30, the data requirements of the UE 10 user and / or the location of the UE 10, so that the mobile base station 30 can pre-optimize transmission parameters, e.g. beamforming or pre-allocation of frequency or transmission resources.

[0075] In step 305, the CN 50, triggered for example by the DN request, allocates resources to the mobile base station 30. These resources can be storage resources for caching the data transfer or communication resources for performing the data transfer. The CN 50 initiates a local download (for example caching as in a content delivery network) of the resources requested by the user to the mobile base station 30.

[0076] In step 306 , data caching or local storage may be performed in the mobile base station 30 .

[0077] In step 307, the mobile base station 30 pre-allocates and configures communication resources for transmission of the requested data taking into account at least one of the amount of data required to be transferred, the known location of the user, the expected trajectory of the mobile base station 30, and the expected time that the UE 10 and the mobile base station 30 should be within range.

[0078] These communication resources may include coding (e.g. scrambling codes, channelization codes), timing and frequency resources, and / or beamforming over time. Some of these parameters are pre-configurable since the mobile base station 30 knows its positioning information and historical data, e.g. regarding the reported channel quality indication (CQI). Parameters such as beamforming can be optimized and pre-configured since the location of the UE 10 is known (which in some cases can be assumed to be static) and the orbit of the mobile base station 30 is also known.

[0079] In step 307a, for efficiency, the allocation of communication resources for the mobile base station 30 is performed through the macro cell (i.e. the macro base station 20), i.e. before the mobile base station 30 is within range and the UE 10 is connected to the mobile base station 30, or even before the handover procedure begins. Similarly, in the context of a conditional handover (CHO), which includes for example the conditions necessary for joining and leaving a mobile base station, the UE 10 is informed of the mobile base station 30 through the macro cell.

[0080] In step 308, the CN 50 can inform the UE 10 - through the macro cell (i.e. the macro base station 20) - when the mobile base station 30 is nearby and available for delivery. Optionally, the CN 50 also informs the UE 10 of the physical cell identifier and beam index to be used to speed up cell acquisition. As another option, the CN 50 provides handover and transmission parameters to the mobile base station 30. If the system information broadcast by the mobile base station 30 (e.g. Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block 1 (SIB1)) is signed, the CN 50 can provide this information to the UE 10 through the macro cell as well, so that the information can be pre-verified.

[0081] In step 309, the UE 10 pre-schedules the handover. The UE 10 also pre-receives communication parameters, including for example beamforming parameters, since the UE 10 knows the expected trajectory of the mobile base station 30.

[0082] In step 310, the UE 10 connects to the mobile base station 30 when it appears as scheduled. In some circumstances, the UE 10 also requests the necessary resources (data) again and then triggers a local download, e.g. from the mobile base station 30 or from an edge server, e.g. co-located with the donor gNB 20. In some circumstances, the data has already been requested and will be downloaded directly as soon as the UE 10 and the mobile base station 30 are connected.

[0083] In step 311, once the UE 10 and the mobile base station 30 are connected to each other, communication parameters have been pre-configured so that data transfer can occur with minimal latency and the UE 10 can download data directly from the mobile base station 30 or a nearby edge server, for example co-located with a donor gNB, that has cached the data when the UE 10 is in close proximity to it.

[0084] In step 312, the cached data is removed at the mobile base station 30 or near an edge server.

[0085] Finally, in step 313, once the large data exchange is over, the UE 10 reconnects to the previous macro cell (ie, the macro base station 20) to which the UE 10 was then disconnected.

[0086] More generally, steps 308-313 may define a method for performing a conditional handover between a first communication device (e.g., a UE), a second communication device (e.g., a donor cell / macro base station), and a third communication device (e.g., a mobile base station) based at least on a movement pattern of the third communication device, where the first communication device moves from the second communication device to the third communication device and then back to the second communication device. Such a method may be used independently of (and in combination with) other methods and examples shown throughout the description of this embodiment.

[0087] Similarly, the first device (e.g., UE) may be configured to perform a conditional handover from the second communication device (e.g., donor cell / macro base station) to the third communication device (e.g., mobile base station) and then back to the second communication device based at least on a movement pattern of the third communication device, as described in steps 308 to 313.

[0088] Similarly, the second communication device (e.g., a donor cell / macro base station) may be configured to manage a conditional handover from the first communication device (e.g., a UE) to the third communication device (e.g., a mobile base station) and then back to the second communication device based at least on the movement pattern of the third communication device, as described in steps 308 to 313.

[0089] Moreover, and more generally, step 306 in the context of steps 307-313 defines a method including caching data in the third communication device for efficient exchange of data with the first communication device when a communication link between the first and third communication devices is suitable based on the movement pattern of the third communication device. Such a method can be used independently of (and in combination with) other methods and examples shown throughout the description of this embodiment.

[0090] Similarly, the second communication device (e.g., a donor cell / macro base station) may be configured to forward data intended for the first communication device (e.g., a UE) towards the third communication device, based on the movement pattern of the third communication device, as described in step 306 in the context of steps 307 to 313, to cache the received data until the communication link between the first communication device and the third communication device is suitable.

[0091] Similarly, the third communication device can be configured to receive data from the second communication device (e.g., a donor cell / macro base station), the data being intended for the first communication device (e.g., a UE), and the third communication device includes a memory adapted to cache the received data until a communication link between the first communication device and the third communication device becomes suitable based on a movement pattern of the third communication device as described in step 306 in the context of steps 307 to 313.

[0092] It is noted that the present embodiment is also applicable to satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) scenarios where the satellite and UAV are to connect to a terrestrial UE or UE Access Point (AP).

[0093] Therefore, optimized mobility is performed to ensure fast data transfer between the macro cell and the mobile base station, and between the mobile base station and the terminal device. Mobility optimization can be achieved at several levels within the RAN. One of these refers to handover procedures. Another option is a multiple hop communication UE-mobile base station-macro cell.

[0094] Regarding the handover (HO) procedure, this procedure can be optimized by using the mobility patterns. The optimized handover procedure based on CHO is based on at least one of the following options: a) Once the CN has determined which mobile base station will be the most suitable for data delivery, the CHO request may not be triggered by the UE but by the CN itself, for example the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) or Session Management Function (SMF) of a 5G network. This may be required since the CN knows the routes of the mobile base stations and can plan the handover. b) Even if the UE sends a radio resource control (RRC) measurement report that triggers a CHO request, the donor gNB (macro base station) may not know which mobile base station is approaching. To address this issue, the fixed base stations (macro cells) along the route of the mobile base station can be configured with a schedule of the mobile base station. This can be a one-time configuration step. Similarly, the mobile base station can be informed of the macro cells by the CN accordingly. c) As an alternative to option b, the macro cell may forward the request from the UE to the CN so that the CN sends - on demand - to the macro cell input about mobile base stations that may be suitable to handle the connection requested by the UE. This involves the mobile base stations sending updates to the CN on their way thereto so that the CN is aware of the updates. d) As an alternative to option c, the request sent by the UE to trigger a CHO may be sent directly to the CN. e) The RRC reconfiguration message returned by the mobile base station may contain at least one of the following: the fact that this is a mobile base station, positioning information of the mobile base station (over time) such that the UE can take this information into account, connection parameters for several instants as the position of the mobile base station changes (these connection parameters can become available when the macro cell informs the mobile base station of the UE's location), configured grant parameters for the uplink (ConfiguredGrantConfig including the parameter rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGran) and Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) for the downlink based on pre-configured / predicted communication parameters. f) RRC reconfiguration is sent by the mobile base station to the donor gNB (macro base station) when requested by a CN, e.g., AMF. g) The cell switch conditions delivered to the UE in the CHO configuration message include at least one of the Physical Cell Identity (PCI) of the mobile base station (gNB) when the mobile base station is close to the UE, the time when the mobile base station is predicted to be in-range taking into account its positioning information (e.g. current location, speed, acceleration, turning, ...) and the time when the mobile base station is predicted to be out of range taking into account its positioning information (e.g. current location and speed), considering that the mobile base station may use multiple PCIs to avoid collisions when the mobile base station is moving. h) If the UE meets the conditions, for example if the UE is going to be in the immediate vicinity long enough and has the capability to deliver the requested connection, the UE joins the mobile base station.

[0095] The above proposed options for a CHO optimized for vehicle-mounted repeaters apply to other use cases, independent of the main use case described in the embodiment, as described in the 3GPP specification TR22.839, for example, in use cases where it is desirable to optimize the upload of data from the UE towards the CN.

[0096] Another option for HO optimization is the case where the mobile base station (gNB) and the macro base station (gNB) are shared between a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In this case, the mobile base station and the macro base station are not two completely independent base stations. The macro base station includes the CU of the mobile base station and the fixed DU. The mobile base station (repeater) is the DU of the macro base station. The optimized handover then refers to the CU's decision on which DU should be used when delivering a given communication link to the UE. Each DU may support multiple cells, and each cell may support multiple beams. In this case, a GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Data (GTP-U) tunnel is used to connect with the User Plane Function (UPF) through the N3 interface. This handover can be implemented by a DU / CU sharing architecture, for example as described in 3GPP TS38.401 section 8.2. Nevertheless, some of these procedures can be optimized for the mobile base station (gNB) taking into account the mobile base station's positioning information. As an example, Figure 8.2.1.1-1 of TS38.401 shows how inter-gNB DU mobility in NR is performed. In this case, the source gNB-DU reports measurement reports from the UE to the CU which then sends a request for context setup to the target DU. The target DU then sends a response to acknowledge the UE context setup. The CU then sends a request to the source DU to modify the UE context. As a result, the source DU sends an RRCConnectionReconfiguration to the UE, delivering the current status of downlink data delivery to the CU and confirming the modification of the UE context. The UE can then perform a random access procedure with the target DU until the UE sends an RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete to the target DU which is then forwarded to the CU. At the same time, the CU sends the downlink user data to the target DU to be delivered to the UE.The target DU can also start receiving uplink user data.

[0097] This protocol can benefit from knowledge of the positioning information (location, velocity vector, etc.) of the mobile DUs (i.e. mobile base stations) since it can estimate when the UE is going to send a given measurement report that will trigger a handover. It can also predict which DU is going to be the target gNB. With this knowledge, data delivery performance can be improved as follows: a) By sending an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message from the CU to the UE, which includes the timing and conditions for moving from the source DU to the target DU, the UE can directly perform a random access procedure with the target DU and does not need to wait for RRCConnectionReconfiguration. b) By including information about the downlink data delivery status in the random access procedure and / or in the RRCConnectionReconfigurationComplete message sent by the UE to the target DU, the target DU can select downlink user data to begin transmission. c) By pre-caching downlink user data in the target DU. Caching of downlink data may involve co-locating the UPF with the gNB, since the UPF has the ability to buffer downlink data steered by the SMF.

[0098] In an exemplary embodiment, the use of the above handover related examples and options is illustrated in the context of the conditional handover procedure as described in clause 9.2.3 of TS 38.300. To the general conditions of clause 9.2.3.4.1, the following additions / modifications may be considered individually or in combination: (1) The execution conditions may be generated by the donor gNB and / or the core network. (2) Execution conditions may include the movement patterns of the mobile base station (location, speed, acceleration, schedule, route, etc.) and / or external factors / data that affect the location of the VMR (e.g., traffic light status, congestion). (3) While performing CHO, the UE may need to continue to monitor the source cell, especially in case the UE (e.g., a UE outside the mobile base station) has to perform a subsequent handover back to the original source cell, and in general the UE may need to continue to monitor a list of cells that are expected to provide a connection to the UE based on its cell movement pattern.

[0099] More generally, a method may be proposed for enabling a handover of a first communication device (e.g. a UE) from a second communication device (e.g. a source cell or a donor gNB) to at least a third communication device (e.g. a target cell or a mobile base station), whereby - the execution condition is generated by the second communications device and / or the core network; and / or The execution conditions include the movement patterns (location, speed, acceleration, schedule, route, etc.) of the third communication device, and / or external factors / data that affect the location of the third communication device (e.g. traffic light status, congestion), and / or The first communication device needs to keep monitoring the second communication device and / or the third communication device that is expected to connect to the UE based on the movement pattern of the third communication device. Similarly, it is suggested for the first communication device to keep monitoring the second communication device when a handover to the third communication device based on the movement pattern of the third communication device is performed.

[0100] Similarly, a second communication device is proposed adapted to generate, alone and / or in cooperation with the core network, execution conditions for handover of the first communication device to and / or back from the third communication based on a movement pattern of the third communication, the execution conditions including the movement pattern of the third communication device (location, speed, acceleration, schedule, route, etc.) and / or external factors / data affecting the location of the third communication device (e.g. traffic light status, congestion).

[0101] These aspects may be implemented independently of other embodiments described herein or may be proposed as additional options in combination with one or more of the described embodiments, variants, and / or examples described herein.

[0102] Regarding the C-plane handling in clause 9.2.3.4.2, the following additions / modifications are considered individually or in combination: (1) Preparation and execution of CHO (conditional handover) may require the involvement of 5GC since 5GC has knowledge about the location / speed / acceleration of the mobile base station (in general, the movement pattern) and other factors that affect the location / speed / acceleration of the mobile base station (e.g. traffic signals, traffic jams, ...), in particular the AMF may provide information about the source gNB (e.g. the donor gNB or the first mobile base station) and the target gNB (e.g. the second mobile base station) involved in the movement scenario (UE-donor gNB) → (UE-mobile base station) → (UE-donor gNB), where AB means that A is connected to B, and (AB) → (AC) means that A is first connected to B and performs handover to connect to C. In such a mobility scenario or others involving several subsequent handovers triggered by the mobility pattern of the cells, the source gNB, donor gNB, or gNB-CU may schedule handovers, e.g., CHO with a first handover from the source gNB to the target gNB (mobile base station) and a second handover from the target gNB (mobile base station) to the source gNB when more mobile base stations are involved. (2) With regard to step 0 of Figure 9.2.3.4.2.1-1, the AMF may provide the source gNB, which may also act as a donor gNB, with information on mobility patterns and external factors related to the mobile base stations. (3) With regard to steps 1 and 2 of Figure 9.2.3.4.2.1-1, the source gNB based on the location and measurements of the UE may decide to connect the UE via the target gNB, which should be closer to the UE and is expected to provide a better communication link overall. (4) Regarding steps 3-5 in Figure 9.2.3.4.2.1-1, the source gNB cooperates with the target gNB (mobile base station).(5) With regard to steps 6 and 7 of Figure 9.2.3.4.2.1-1, the source gNB may inform the UE of the conditions for connecting to the target gNB including the approaching target gNB and the target location of the target gNB (in this case the location may be broadcast by the mobile base station / target gNB), and the source gNB may also inform the UE of the conditions for subsequently connecting back to the source gNB (or another target gNB), and the source gNB may also inform the UE of the information required to access the target cell, e.g. the target cell ID, and / or the new C-RNTI, and / or the security algorithm identifier of the target gNB for the selected security algorithm, and / or the dedicated RACH resources, and / or the association between the RACH resources and SSB, and / or the association between the RACH resources and a UE-specific CSI-RS configuration, and / or the common RACH resources, as well as the system information of the target cell, and / or a specific beam configuration. (6) Regarding steps CHO condition evaluation and detachment in FIG. 9.2.3.4.2.1-1, if the CHO is for a mobile base station and a UE outside the mobile base station, the UE may not need to completely detach from the old cell.

[0103] Before, during and after the handover is performed, the U-plane handling (related to clause 9.2.3.2.2 of TS38.300) may involve some additions / modifications that may be applicable individually or in combination: (1) User data may already be transferred from a source gNB (e.g. donor gNB) to a target gNB (mobile base station) before the HO is performed, and generally, a method is provided that allows a second communication device (e.g. source gNB or donor gNB) to transfer data to a third communication device (e.g. target gNB or mobile base station) before a handover with a first communication device (e.g. UE) is performed, as well as a (second communication) device to transfer data to a third communication device (e.g. target gNB or mobile base station) before a handover with a first communication device (e.g. UE) is performed. (2) Since the target gNB is expected to perform a handover back to the original source gNB, a path switching request may not be sent to the AMF, and generally, a method is provided that allows the third communication device to continue to deliver data forwarded by the second communication device to the first communication device without requiring the fourth communication device (e.g., the AMF) to send a message indicating completion of the handover of the first communication device from the second communication device to the third communication device. (3) User data may be forwarded to the target gNB (mobile base station) so that it is cached for efficient delivery as soon as the UE is connected to the target gNB, and generally, a method is described that allows the third communication device to cache forwarded data for the first communication device and deliver this data once the first and third communication devices are connected.(4) The target gNB may send a path switch request message to the AMF before the UE completes the handover to inform the AMF that the UE intends to access and then the AMF triggers a path switch regarding 5GC internal signaling and an actual path switch of the source gNB to the target gNB in ​​the UPF; generally, a method is provided that enables a third communication device to send a message to a fourth communication device (e.g., the AMF) indicating the expected completion of a handover procedure of the first communication device from the second communication device to the third communication device so that the fourth communication device can instruct a fifth communication device (UPF) that data destined for the first communication device should be sent to the third communication device. (5) Alternatively, a method is provided that allows the third communication device to send a message to a fourth communication device (e.g., AMF) indicating the expected completion of the handover procedure of the first communication device from the second communication device to the third communication device, so that the fourth communication device can directly or indirectly activate a fifth communication device (I-UPF) that may be co-located with the third communication device, where the I-UPF may be activated as shown in some embodiments. (6) The source gNB (e.g., donor gNB) may remain in charge of the allocation of the downlink PDCP SN even after the source gNB has received a handover success message or after the handover to the target gNB (e.g., mobile base station) has been completed, which applies in particular to the case of mobility scenarios (UE-donor gNB) → (UE-mobile base station) → (UE-donor gNB). (7) For security synchronization purposes, the HFN for forwarded downlink SDUs with PDCP SN assigned by the source gNB is maintained, which applies especially for the case of mobility scenario (UE-donor gNB) → (UE-mobile base station) → (UE-donor gNB).(8) During and / or after the handover execution, the target gNB (mobile base station) does not perform ROHC header compression, encryption, and PDCP header addition, and only the source gNB is responsible for these operations. In general, a method is described that allows the second communication device to manage communication parameters used when communicating with the first communication device as soon as the first communication device completes the first handover with the third communication device, and the first communication device only processes data received from the third communication based on the communication parameters managed by the second communication device. (9) Establishment of a forwarding tunnel in uplink communication is mandatory. (10) The HFN and PDCP SN are maintained in the source gNB (donor gNB).

[0104] In an embodiment that may be combined with other embodiments, the mobile base station is realized by an RF repeater, e.g., a smart RF repeater or an intelligent reflective surface, mounted on the vehicle that enables efficient communication between the UE and the donor gNB, where the donor gNB is entrusted with control of the communication parameters of the RF repeater based, e.g., on the vehicle's movement pattern or on measurements reported by the UE on signals received through the RF repeater. When the donor gNB measures a suitable communication link with the UE through the RF repeater, the donor gNB will transmit and receive data to and from the UE through the RF repeater mounted on the vehicle, while the donor gNB controls its communication parameters (e.g., beamforming) to keep track of the RF repeater and control the communication parameters of the RF repeater (e.g., beamforming) such that they are coordinated with the UE and donor gNB based on the movement pattern of the vehicle, including measurements / information from the RF repeater mounted on the vehicle reported to the donor gNB related to its (e.g., current / real-time / future) movement pattern.

[0105] The above proposed capabilities apply not only to the main use case in the above embodiment, but also to other use cases, for example as described in 3GPP TR22.839, e.g., this is applicable to use cases where it is desirable to optimize the upload of data from the UE to the CN.

[0106] In other embodiments, aspects of Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) are considered for mobility optimization. Section 6.1.3 of 3GPP TS 38.401 describes the IAB architecture. Section 6.1.4 describes the protocol stack for IAB. From the IAB perspective, a mobile base station can be a DU that connects to a parent DU that plays the role of an IAB donor base station (gNB). A mobile base station may also connect to multiple parent DUs under the same IAB gNB donor or multiple IAB gNB donors when changing its location. There are several challenges for IAB in the mobile repeater context, one of which is that IAB communication parameters such as L2 identifiers, IP addresses, or routing tables become less static due to the mobility of mobile base stations. In fact, the current TR 22.839 prefers to limit the number of hops to a single hop. However, even in this case, if the mobile base station continues to move, it will need to register again as it moves out of range of its current parent node and approaches another base station (a potential parent node).

[0107] In an embodiment, it is determined that a mobile base station approaches multiple macro base stations or IAB nodes. For mobile base stations that periodically travel the same route, or in general only along known routes, the optimization consists in announcing or communicating that the mobile base station is the mobile base station in question, including its route timing. The IAB donor CU / DU takes this fact into account to create communication parameters such as routing information depending on the mobile base station's mobility information. When the mobile base station is in the vicinity of the IAB donor CU / DU, the communication parameters can be (re)enabled. When the mobile base station goes out of range, the communication parameters for the mobile base station are reserved by the IAB donor CU / DU and a different IAB configuration is applied. This approach can be implemented at several levels.

[0108] For example, in an embodiment, when a mobile base station moves under different DUs controlled by the same gNB-CU, the F1 interface (interconnection between gNB-CU and gNB-DU) can remain valid and only the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) routing table needs to be updated to account for the mobile base station moving away from the old DU to the new DU. In this case, the BAP routing table can contain entries that can be valid or invalid depending on the presence of the mobile base station. When dealing with a mobile base station, the parent node transition / topology adaptation strategy is improved as follows: o When a mobile base station requests the release of a backhaul (BH) link (with its old parent IAB), the BH link and the BAP layer route are not released but are put into a dormant state so that they can be re-established later more quickly. o When a mobile base station requests the establishment of a BH link (with a new parent IAB), the BH link and BAP layer route are either established if not available or re-enabled if available from a previous connection.

[0109] More generally, in this embodiment, a method is proposed for reducing the (re)configuration overhead in a first communication device (e.g. a donor gNB or a first mobile base station) and a second communication device (e.g. a second mobile base station) by storing in both the first and second communication devices a set of IAB communication parameters, such as BAP entries, IP addresses, L2 parameters, F1 interfaces, etc., that are (de)activatable based on the movement pattern of the second communication device and the location of the first communication device. This aspect may be performed independently or in combination with other embodiments described herein.

[0110] Furthermore, the above embodiments can be enhanced by methods that can store information regarding the location and / or movement patterns of the second communication device in the first communication device and / or store information regarding the location and / or movement patterns of the first communication device in the second communication device.

[0111] In general, the above embodiments can be enhanced by a method providing a core network, e.g. the AMF, with the ability to configure (store, manage, ...) communication parameters, or certificates required to establish communication parameters, in communication devices authorized to interact with each other.

[0112] Similarly, in this embodiment a first communication device is proposed, adapted to store configuration parameters for a communication link with a second communication device and configured to enable or disable the communication parameters and the communication link taking into account the movement pattern of the second communication device.

[0113] Similarly, the above embodiments provide a second communication device adapted to store configuration parameters for a communication link with the first communication device and configured to enable or disable the communication parameters and the communication link taking into account the movement pattern of the second communication device.

[0114] Similarly, this first (or second) communication device is also capable of receiving communication parameters or certificates from a fourth communication device (e.g. a core network function) used to establish communication parameters with the second (or first) communication device.

[0115] For example, in an embodiment, when the second communication device first enters the RAN communication range of the first communication device, a set of IAB communication parameters between the first communication device and the second communication device may be initially established according to current procedures.

[0116] For example, in an embodiment, a set of IAB communication parameters between a first communication device and a second communication device may be configured in a core network before the second communication device enters RAN communication range of the first communication device, in which case only authorized devices may be allowed to receive the set of communication parameters during an initial configuration and provisioning phase.

[0117] For example, in an embodiment, a set of IAB communication parameters between the first and second communications devices may be established between the second and first communications devices before both devices enter RAN communications range, for example, by performing existing methods (e.g., F1 interface) over a tunnel or by retrieving / pushing a configuration from the first communications device.

[0118] For example, in an embodiment, the ability to block a mobile base station from becoming a parent node in the IAB can be used to ensure that the routing table in the BAP remains relatively stable. This can be implemented by modifying the integration procedure of 3GPP TS 38.401, section 8.12, phase 1. Here, the IAB Mobile Termination (IAB-MT) includes an IAB node indication in the RRCSetupComplete message to indicate its IAB capabilities, and the mobile gNB node can publish such a connection request when this connection is established via the mobile gNB node. An alternative implementation or design consists in including information about the type of base station in the system information broadcasted by the gNB-DU, for example the system information SIB1. For example, a bit may be included in the SIB to indicate whether the base station is a mobile repeater or not. The IAB MT may include a policy to skip base stations that identify themselves as mobile base stations. An addition to this is that this policy may also take into account the positioning information of such (mobile) base stations. For example, if a mobile base station A is moving together with another mobile base station B (e.g. two buses moving in tandem) and the mobile base station A becomes aware of this positioning information (e.g. if the mobile base station B discloses this in a SIB or if the mobile base station A is informed by the CN), the mobile base station A may also prefer the mobile station B as a parent IAB. The above embodiment ensures that the UE can only connect to a mobile base station directly connected to the donor gNB. The above approach can be generalized where the IAB node indicates its IAB capabilities in RRCSetupComplete and the receiving IAB node rejects or accepts the connection based on a given policy configured by the core network and its own configuration data. For example, if the receiving IAB node, which is also a base station 1 / 2 hops away from the donor gNB, has a policy specifying that the mobile base station supports a maximum of e.g. 2 hops, the receiving IAB node will accept / reject the connection.Similarly, the above approach can be generalized where an IAB node (mobile base station) broadcasts its presence, including whether other mobile base stations can connect to it, or possibly the maximum number of hops that can be connected. For example, if a maximum number of 3 hops is allowed, a first mobile base station one hop away from a donor gNB may indicate in its SIB that two hops are available. Thus, if a second mobile base station serving a third base station tries to connect, the second mobile base station will try (as this is allowed by policy) or the first mobile base station will allow (as this is allowed by policy).

[0119] More generally, a method is therefore proposed for limiting the depth of a multi-hop communication link (e.g. an IAB-based connection via a mobile base station) based on information shared in a broadcast (e.g. SIB) or unicast (e.g. RRCSetupComplete) message, policies configured by, e.g., a management entity (e.g. a donor gNB or a core network), including, e.g., a maximum number of hops allowed, and a locally configured value (e.g., a number of hops from a donor gNB). This aspect can therefore be implemented independently or in combination with other embodiments of the invention. Similarly, a first communication device (e.g. a mobile base station) is proposed which seeks to establish a communication link with a management entity (e.g. a donor gNB) via at least a second communication device (e.g. a mobile base station) connected to a management entity adapted to determine whether it is allowed to establish a connection based on information fields in a broadcast message (e.g. SIB1) or a unicast message (e.g. an RRC message) sent by the second communication device and on a policy configured in the first communication device.

[0120] Similarly, in this embodiment a second communication device (e.g. a mobile base station connected to a management entity (e.g. a donor gNB)) is proposed adapted to determine whether the first communication device (e.g. a mobile base station) is allowed to establish a connection based on an information field in a unicast message (e.g. an RRC message) sent by the first communication device and on policies and local configuration values ​​configured in the second communication device.

[0121] For example, in an embodiment, section 8.9.13 of 3GPP TS38.401 describes IP address allocation for IAB nodes. In the case of a mobile base station, instead of requesting re-allocation of communication parameters every time, the IAB node can request only re-activation of communication parameters (e.g., IP address) from the IAB donor CU via RRC. This re-activation may also include re-activation of mapping between Internet Protocol (IP) header fields and L2 parameters (e.g., BAP routing ID, BH Radio Link Control (RLC) channel) used for downlink (DL) traffic. When the IP address is reactivated, the corresponding F1 interface can also be re-enabled. As soon as the re-activation request is sent, the IAB node in the mobile base station can start communicating.

[0122] For example, in an embodiment, 3GPP TS38.401 states in section 8.9.12 that when an IAB-MT enters an inactive state (e.g., INACTIVATE), it is up to the embodiment to maintain or release the F1 connection of the co-located IAB-DU. This F1 connection connects to a CU. If the mobile base station travels along a given, e.g., periodic, route that results in the DU connecting to the same CU multiple times, the F1 connection is not released (e.g., as described in 3GPP TS38.401, section 8.9.10.1) and remains pre-configured with the IAB-DU so that the F1 connection can be quickly enabled when the MT reconnects to the parent of the same DU under the same CU. Similarly, the CU stores the F1 configuration so that the F1 configuration can be quickly re-enabled. The control part (CP) of the gNB-CU can instruct the user part (UP) of the gNB-CU via the E1 interface (connecting the CP and UP) whether the F1 interface is enabled or not, and whether the F1 interface can or should be re-enabled.

[0123] The above proposed options for improving IAB in the context of in-vehicle repeaters may not only be applied to the use case of the above embodiment, but also to other use cases independently, as described, for example, in 3GPP TR22.839.

[0124] 4 shows a schematic signaling and processing diagram for data delivery in a mobile edge or multi-access edge computing (MEC) environment according to an embodiment. The devices involved are a UE 10, a macro base station (gNB) 20, a CN 50 (having an AMF 52, a CN MEC host 54, and a MEC orchestrator 56), a domain name server (DN) 60, and a mobile base station (gNB) 30.

[0125] The MEC network architecture concept enables cloud computing capabilities and IT service environments at the edge of cellular networks (e.g. 5G networks) or any other network. The basic idea behind MEC is that by running applications and related processing tasks closer to the cellular users, network congestion is reduced and applications are better performed. MEC technology is designed to be implemented at cellular base stations or other edge nodes, allowing flexible and rapid deployment of new applications and services for users. Combining elements of information technology and telecommunications networking, MEC also allows cellular operators to open up their RAN to authorized third parties such as application developers and content providers.

[0126] In step 401 of FIG. 4, the UE 10 requests application data from the DN 60 .

[0127] In step 402, the application requests the MEC orchestrator 56 to allocate MEC applications / data close to the user. This may be a one-off request or a configuration request for this particular application and UE 10. The MEC orchestrator 56 is assumed to be within the CN 50 since it requests allocation of resources for a given application at the mobile base station. Yet in other architectures the MEC orchestrator 56 may be external to the CN.

[0128] In step 403 , the application uploads data to the MEC host 54 .

[0129] In step 404, the requested upload data is cached in the MEC host 54 of the CN 50, for example in the 5G Core (5GC). This action may occur based on a specific request from the UE 10. This action may also occur proactively (e.g., overnight) depending on application settings.

[0130] In step 405, the MEC orchestrator 56 checks with a corresponding 5G network function (NF), e.g. AMF 52 or SMF, for a suitable mobile base station to deliver the data to the UE 10. This base station will host the MEC application / data (or edge application server).

[0131] In step 406, the CN 50 (e.g., AMF 52) selects a mobile base station (gNB) 30 based on the MEC requirements as received from the MEC orchestrator 56 and based on at least one of the gNB status, the positioning information, and the UE location.

[0132] In step 407, the CN 50 (eg, AMF 52) informs the MEC orchestrator 56 of the selection, and the MEC orchestrator 56 shares the configuration data for the MEC application.

[0133] In step 408, the CN 50 (e.g., AMF 52) forwards a request to the selected mobile base station (gNB) 30, via the macro base station (gNB) 20, to request the MEC application for the given configuration parameters. In particular, the local DNS server becomes configurable at this stage so that future UE requests are redirected to the edge application that will be hosted at the mobile base station 30. With reference to the example of Figure 2, this is performed at location L0 and time T0.

[0134] In step 409, the MEC application / data is hosted in the mobile base station (gNB) 30.

[0135] In step 410, resource allocation is performed between the macro base station (gNB) 20 and the mobile base station (gNB) 30 for transferring MEC applications / data.

[0136] In step 411, the MEC application / data is transferred from the CN 50 (e.g. MEC host 54) to a MEC host (not shown) in the mobile base station (gNB) 30. Referring to the example of Figure 2, this is performed at location L1 and time T1. Note that this step requires the mobile base station 30 to join a macro cell, and involves mobility and RAN optimization as described in other embodiments.

[0137] In step 412, the MEC host at the mobile base station 30 hosts the requested application / data.

[0138] In step 413, the UE 10 requests application data from the mobile base station 30. Note that this step requires the UE 10 to join the mobile base station 30, which involves mobility and RAN optimization as described in other embodiments.

[0139] Finally, in step 414, the requested application data is forwarded to the UE 10. Referring to the example of Figure 2, this is performed at location L3 and time T3.

[0140] In this embodiment, the UE 10 can have an active communication link with reduced communication delay due to relaying data. More specifically, the MEC application is initially requested at the mobile base station (gNB) 30, where the data is forwarded by the MEC infrastructure (e.g., at location L1 and time T1 in FIG. 2) upon request of the CN 50 (where the MEC orchestrator 56 is) based on the application request. The UE 10 has accessed the MEC application (e.g., at location L3 and time T3 in FIG. 2) mimicking an end-to-end communication architecture.

[0141] FIG. 5 illustrates generally a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a mobile base station and an overall system capable of implementing the data distribution procedure of FIG.

[0142] In FIG. 5, an exemplary mobile network deployment with mobile base station 30 includes an Initial User Plane Function (I-UPF) routed by the UPF (e.g. using an uplink (UL) classifier (CL) or branch point (BP)). Such an I-UPF is placed close to the access network (e.g. RAN) and can be deployed on-demand or pre-configured in step 409 of FIG. 4. Communication flows can be controlled by the I-SMF through the N4 interface. The protocol used here is the Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) (as described in 3GPP TS 29.244).

[0143] Furthermore, the I-SMF controls the operation of a local UPF function connected to the macro base station 20 via the F1 interface. The configuration of the I-SMF is delivered from the SMF of the 5G CN50. Furthermore, the local access DN 55 is configured to host an edge application server (EAS) or MEC application, which is the data that the UE 10 has requested or will request and which is downloaded to the mobile base station 30 in step 411 of Figure 4.

[0144] After the flow of Figure 6.46.2-1 of 3GPP TS 23.548, a local packet data unit (PDU) session anchor (PSA) UPF (equivalent to I-UPF of Figure 5) can monitor the quality of service (QoS) (e.g., of the RAN). This information can be reported to a local network exposure function (NEF). This local NEF can also be deployed in step 409 of Figure 4. The local NEF can then inform a local application function (AF) that can be further deployed in step 409 of Figure 4. If a low QoS is reported, PSA relocation and / or EAS relocation occurs, as described in section 6.3 of 3GPP TS 23.548. For example, the first local AF may be a local AF of the 5G CN 50 that handles delivery of data through the macro cell (i.e., the macro base station 20). If this local AF signals a degraded QoS when downloading data as requested by the UE 10, a new local AF, local NEF or local PSA of the mobile base station 30 can be asked to meet the needs of the UE 10. The underlying message flow corresponds for example to that described in Figure 6.3.3.3.1.1-1 of 3GPP TS 23.548. Nevertheless, it is pointed out that this situation may also trigger other actions, such as a CHO as mentioned above.

[0145] 3GPP TS 23.548 describes multiple connection modes for edge computing in 5G CN50, including distributed anchor points, session breakout, and multiple PDU sessions. Figure 4 describes an approach that can fit multiple connection models. In the case of distributed anchor, section 6.2.2.2 of TS 23.548 describes how the EAS discovery procedure can work. For example, the DNS request is resolved by a DNS server (e.g., DN60) close to the PSA UPF. In the case of Figure 4, the local DNS server is updated in step 408, and the local PSA UPF is configured with the application data in step 411. In Figure 5, the local PSA UPF is shown as I-UPF, and the application data corresponds to the EAS.

[0146] TS 23.502 describes the general 5GC procedure. Section 4.23 describes a deployment topology with specific SMF areas. This is relevant since in general, the AMF determines the SMF capable of serving the UE 10 and the SMF manages the corresponding UPF. In particular, section 4.23.9 describes how a BP or UL CL is established so that downlink data comes from UPF(PSA2) (local UPF) or UPF(PSA1) (central UPF). Considering this operation, step 406 in FIG. 4 can therefore refer to the selection of an SMF and UPF at a given mobile base station. In this step, a BP or UL CL can be established to steer the download of data, for example through a central UPF connected to a remote DN or through a local UPF at the mobile base station 30, where application data, edge servers or EAS are cached on demand. The steering can be performed by downloading a configuration to an SMF local to the mobile base station 30. This proposed capability applies not only to the main use case of the above embodiment but also to other use cases, for example as described in 3GPP TR22.839, e.g., the capability is applicable to uploading data through a mobile base station.

[0147] The above communication flow can fit, for example, an EAS discovery procedure using the EASDF described in conjunction with Figure 6.2.3.2.2-1 of 3GPP TS 23.548, where there is a PSA UPF at a local site, i.e. close to the UE location, and a central PSA UPF.

[0148] The logic of Fig. 4 is related to the logic of Fig. 6.2.3.3-1 of 3GPP TS 23.548 (EAS rediscovery procedure in edge relocation). Nevertheless, the fundamental difference is the movement of the mobile base station 30 which brings about a new possibility, namely relocation of the EAS to the mobile base station 30 when the mobile base station 30 is in the vicinity of the UE 10. This event and the location of the mobile base station 30 triggers the L-PSA insertion, modification or removal of the PDU session. This also triggers a notification to the AF. For performance, the EAS relocation capability and rights may be under the supervision of the 5G CN 50, for example under the supervision of the SMF. This proposed capability applies not only to the main use case of the above embodiment but also to other use cases, for example as described in 3GPP TR 22.839.

[0149] 6 shows a schematic signaling and processing diagram for an example embodiment without MEC in which downlink data is cached in the mobile base station until it can be delivered. The devices involved are a UE 10, a macro base station (gNB) 20, a CN 50 with an AMF 52, a Domain Name Server (DN) 60, and a mobile base station (gNB) 30.

[0150] The idea of ​​this embodiment is that downlink communications are routed through the mobile base station (gNB) 30 and cached in the mobile base station 30 until the data can be delivered.

[0151] In step 601 , the UE 10 requests application data from the DN 60 .

[0152] In step 602a, the requested application initiates delivery of the data.

[0153] In step 602b, the macro base station 20 determines that the amount of data is large and the communication link is insufficient, and therefore the data is cached in the macro base station (gNB) 20.

[0154] In step 603, AMF52 checks whether there is a mobile base station (gNB) capable of delivering the data.

[0155] In step 604, if available, the AMF 52 pre-configures the detected mobile base station (gNB) 30, for example when the detected mobile base station (gNB) 30 is at location L0 in FIG. 2.

[0156] In step 605, the macro base station 20 allocates resources for data transfer to the mobile base station 30, for example in an IAB configuration.

[0157] In step 606, data is transferred to the mobile base station 30, for example when the mobile base station 30 is at location L1 in FIG.

[0158] In step 607, the data is cached in the mobile base station 30 as the UE 10 is not yet connected.

[0159] In step 608, for example when the mobile base station 30 is at location L3 in FIG. 2, the UE 10 is attached and the cached data is transferred to the UE 10.

[0160] In the example, a mobile base station (gNB) 30 has an intermediate UPF (I-UPF) controlled by the N4 interface, where a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) session established in this UPF defines how packets are identified (e.g., by using a packet detection rule (PDR)), forwarded (e.g., by using a forwarding action rule (FAR)), processed (e.g., by using a buffering action rule (BAR)), marked (e.g., by using a QoS enforcement rule (QER)), and / or reported (e.g., by using a usage reporting rule (URR)). As described in 3GPP TS 29.244, the BAR can provide instructions to control the buffering behavior of this UPF in the mobile base station. The BAR controls the buffering behavior for all FARs of the PFCP session. Specific actions are described in 3GPP TS 29.244, section 5.2.4.2, while section 8.2.29 includes DL buffering duration. This proposed capability applies to the main use case of the above embodiment as well as other use cases, for example as described in 3GPP TR 22.839. For example, the capability is applicable to uploading data through a mobile base station, which may be cached for a certain time.

[0161] In another example, multiple mobile base stations may be coordinated in this way when delivering (DL) or receiving (UL) from a UE, each of which may include an I-UPF, e.g. coordinated by the same SMF, e.g. as described in 3GPP TS 23.501, section 5.33.2.2, in which case two N3 tunnels are forwarded over disjoint transport layer paths to support redundant transmissions.

[0162] In a further example, the data transfer in steps 408 and 414 of FIG. 4 and steps 606 and 608 of FIG. 6 are chosen to be performed at the locations determined to have the best connections between the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station 30, and between the UE 10 and the mobile base station.

[0163] In a further example, the data transfer in steps 408 and 414 of Figure 4 and steps 606 and 608 of Figure 6 is chosen to be performed at the same location L2 where the best end-to-end connectivity between the macro base station 20, the mobile base station 30 and the UE 10 was determined. This location is for example location L2 with respect to Figures 10 and 11. Once this location is chosen, the mobile base station only needs to route the data, which may be temporarily stored or cached in a donor base station 20 or an edge server close to the UE and may be performed as described in other embodiments of the present invention.

[0164] The RAN connectivity between the mobile base station (gNB) 30 and the macro base station (gNB) 20 and / or the UE 10 can be optimized based on knowledge of the movement route of the mobile base station 30 and the location of the UE 10. It is noted that the RAN connectivity may refer to (i) a link connection (e.g., between the mobile base station (gNB) 30 and the macro base station (gNB) 20, or between the mobile base station (gNB) 30 and the UE 10), or (ii) an end-to-end connection from the UE 10 to the macro base station (gNB) 20 via the mobile base station (gNB) 30 as shown in FIG. 11 .

[0165] The location of the macro base station (gNB) 20 and (the route of) the mobile base station (gNB) 30 over time are used to pre-configure and / or predict communication parameters, and both the mobile base station 30 and the macro base station 20 use knowledge of their location to optimize communication parameters such as beamforming or modulation and coding schemes and / or reduce signaling overhead.

[0166] Since the mobile base station 30 is moving fast, reporting connection parameters (e.g., CQI) to determine on the fly communication parameters, for example for using modulation or beamforming, is not fast enough or involves large signaling overhead. Even if the reporting of CQI could be performed at a high rate, the reports arrive with some delay. If the mobile base station 30 is moving, the communication environment and location of the mobile base station 30 have already changed by the time the CQI report is received and / or processed. This means that the macro base station 20 assigns communication parameters at time t based on outdated CQI connection parameters from the previous time t delta. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the actual CQI connection parameters at time t, taking into account that outdated CQI connection parameters were obtained at time t delta.

[0167] For example, a car moving at 50km / h moves 1.38cm in 1ms and 13.8m in 1s. The reception quality depends heavily on the location of the mobile base station 30, but if this dependency does not change over time, historical data can be used to reduce communication overhead and improve the selection of communication parameters.

[0168] In the example, the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station 30 collect data on optimal communication settings, such as performance, for example, beamforming, or for example, CQI, based on the positioning information of the mobile base station 30. This positioning information can include the absolute location (for example, coordinates x, y, z), its angle relative to a reference axis (for example, 1 degree), its speed, or its acceleration. With this information, the macro base station 20 can preconfigure and select communication parameters for different mobile base station 30 locations. The mobile base station 30 can adjust some of its communication parameters (for example, its beamforming) based on its own positioning information. The mobile base station 30 reports its positioning information to the macro base station at a given moment. This can be done by a single or multiple messages. The positioning information is included together with other data, for example, in a CQI message, as well as, for example, in an uplink report message. The positioning information can also be done by a single message including the current location and a speed vector (magnitude and direction). With this information, the macro base station 20 can select the best communication parameters.

[0169] FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic flow diagram of a first responder network location and mapping procedure according to various embodiments.

[0170] To perform this operation, the macro base station 20 learns the route of the mobile base station (always going along the same route) for several rounds, for example k rounds, where k is at least 1. In this learning phase L in Rk rounds, the mobile base station reports its connection parameters, for example CQI(k,i) and positioning information P(k,i), for several locations i along the route of the mobile base station 30. The macro base station 20 will then allocate communication resources of which it has no previous knowledge. The macro base station 20 stores this historical information. As the mobile base station 30 reports its location, the macro base station 20 can also estimate the propagation delay of messages and its own processing delay. This means that after the learning phase L, the macro cell can have a table such as:

[0171] [Table 1]

[0172] With reference to FIG. 7, in the prediction phase P, the macro base station 20 can use the historical information and the positioning information to perform a better allocation of communication resources. During the prediction phase P, the macro base station 20 already knows the route and also knows the CQI along this route from the learning phase L. In this prediction phase in Rm, the macro base station 20 can use the reported positioning information P(m,i) to estimate the actual location of the mobile base station 30 when the positioning information message arrives at the macro base station 20. This is possible because D(i) is known and P(m,i) can include speed information. The macro base station 20 can then look up the CQI of the entry corresponding to the current location of the mobile base station 30. It is noted that additional data can affect this decision. This data may come from external sources, for example traffic status in case of a vehicle-mounted repeater, weather, etc.

[0173] In the above example, a simple “table lookup” is used to indicate how much positioning information is available for an optimized allocation of communication resources. Nevertheless, more advanced machine learning can be applied. For example, the paper “Predicting Channel Quality Indicators for 5G Downlink Scheduling in a Deep Learning Approach” by Hao Yin et al. (August 2020) describes a related method for predicting the actual CQI value at time t based on historical data and the CQI value reported by the UE at time t, which will arrive with a certain delay and therefore expire, as mentioned above. This prediction is based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm. Nevertheless, in this model, the location and speed of the user (UE) are not used as inputs for the prediction algorithm used to estimate / choose the communication parameters that will be used between the base station and the UE. The reason for this input is that the UE is assumed to be moving, which may be moving to very different locations and directions. Thus, the authors of the above paper may not assume that the UE is going to move repeatedly along the same route.

[0174] Nevertheless, in this embodiment, many mobile base stations, e.g. installed on buses, trains or satellites communicating with fixed macro base stations, will have fixed periodic / predictable routes and possibly similar speeds each time they move along such predefined routes. Thus, the current location of the mobile base station 30 and its speed vector are important inputs when calculating the communication parameters.

[0175] Such parameters can be incorporated in the prediction of channel quality indicators for downlink scheduling, for example with a deep learning approach, by exchanging these parameters together with the CQI reports. The positioning information may also be reported in different manners, for example broadcasted as part of the signaling information. The input to the LSTM architecture of the above document includes the current positioning information of the mobile base station 30 as well as the last N CQI measurements CQI(t-tau), CQI(t-tau+1), ..., CQI(t-tau+N).

[0176] Nevertheless, it is noted that other machine learning algorithms, such as feedforward neural networks and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can also benefit from the use of location information.

[0177] The above approach of the embodiment of Fig. 7 may not only allow an improved selection of communication resources but also a reduction of the signalling overhead and therefore of the energy consumption and bandwidth needs. For example, during the prediction phase P, if the prediction capability is very good, the mobile base station 30 only needs to report positioning information and less frequently. As another option, the allocated resources are pre-deployed to the mobile base station 30 by a semi-persistent scheduling approach, where the allocated resources are deployed by RRC messages.

[0178] The above proposed capabilities apply not only to the main use case of the above embodiment, but also to other use cases, e.g. as described in 3GPP TR22.839, e.g. use cases focused on uploading data through mobile base stations.

[0179] Another option for optimizing the connection can be the selection of the best location for data transfer. This selection can be performed by collecting data from one or several mobile base stations on the communication quality (throughput, latency, ...) along the route, by keeping track of this data, and by using this data to select the best start time for uplink / downlink communication between the mobile base station 30 and the macro base station. As another option, the selection can be based on a propagation model, such as the basic propagation model for macro cell prediction (e.g. free space or flat earth loss), where the total signal loss is predicted based on knowledge of the location, dimensions, and parameters of each tree, building, and terrain feature in the area to be covered. Alternatively, an empirical model is used, where parameters such as received signal strength, frequency, antenna height, and / or terrain profile are derived from a specific environment through the use of extensive measurements and statistical analysis, and then used in an environment similar to the original measurements.

[0180] It is pointed out that the throughput at a given instant T_t depends on the achieved transmission rate TR for the chosen modulation and coding scheme TR (MCS_t) as well as the current block error rate B_t of the transmission rate, as expressed in the following equation: T_t = TR(MSC_t)*(1-B_t)

[0181] As described above with respect to Fig. 7, the CQI of the mobile base station 30 can be predicted in advance. The predicted CQI can then be used to determine the modulation and coding scheme (MSC) to be used. Since the CQI of a location is known, it is also possible to estimate the block error rate B_t at this location.

[0182] Typically, data regarding QCI, throughput, latency, signal strength, signal to noise ratio, etc. is monitored by the macro base station 20, for example, by using feedback from the mobile base station 30. The macro base station 20 keeps track of historical data.

[0183] Fig. 8 shows a characteristic curve of downlink throughput between the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station 30 versus the location of the mobile base station 30 based on historical data. As can be seen from Fig. 8, data communication between the locations pa1 and pa2 is feasible.

[0184] This historical data can be used by the mobile base station 30 to select the best location to perform future data transfers. The selection can be based on information from a particular mobile base station or from multiple base stations.

[0185] Since the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station 30 know the amount of data to be transferred and are aware of the expected transfer rate based on historical data (and positioning information reported by the mobile base station 30), the macro base station 20 can select the best start time for the data transfer (based on the positioning data reported by the mobile base station 30) in order to complete the entire data transfer according to a given optimization goal.

[0186] The start time for downloading data may be under the control of different entities depending on how the solution is built. An option may be to control the start time by the CU of the macro base station 20. Another option is to control the start time by a local SMF. In this case, the SMF should receive positioning information from the different entities of the system and manage the throughput diagrams, such as the above curves in Figure 8, as well as the corresponding optimization and scheduling.

[0187] In a first example, the macro base station 20 aims to optimize the overall communication resources of the macro base station 20 by distributing the transfer of data between the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station between locations pb1 and pb2 as shown in the middle curve of FIG. 8, i.e. around the locations where the throughput is expected to be the highest. In this way, the resources of the macro base station 20 and the mobile base station 30 are made available for other communication links with other UEs or mobile base stations before and after the target data transfer. Nevertheless, this comes at the cost of introducing some additional latency, since the transmission start only occurs at location pb1, when the transmission could have already started at pa1. It is pointed out that this decision takes into account two locations of the mobile base station 30. Nevertheless, the transmission time (and therefore the total amount of data to be exchanged) depends on the speed of the mobile base station 30. From this point of view, the curves of FIG. 8 assume that the mobile base station 30 is moving at a constant speed. This also means that the selection of the locations pb1 and pb2 also depends on the speed / acceleration reported by the mobile base station 30.

[0188] Nevertheless, if the macro base station 20 determines that the data transfer cannot be completed due to the speed of the mobile base station 30 being too high, the macro base station 20 may command the mobile base station to adapt, e.g., reduce, its speed so that the transmission time between locations pb1 and pb2 is longer and the entire data transfer can be completed. This feature can be used for certain types of vehicle-mounted repeaters, e.g. UAVs. The mobile base station 30 can also decide to adapt its speed autonomously for the same purpose. This proposed capability applies not only to the main use case of the above embodiment, but also to other use cases, e.g. as described in 3GPP TR22.839.

[0189] The mobile base station 30 also performs optimization according to external data sources, such as traffic information requested from an external data network (e.g., whether there is traffic congestion ahead or what the timing of traffic signals is).

[0190] In a second example, an alternative optimization goal is to minimize communication latency. This is shown by the bottom curve in FIG. 8, where data transmission starts at location pc1 = pa1, i.e., as soon as the mobile base station 30 enters the communication range. The data transfer ends at location pc2, i.e., pc2 < pb2. Thus, as soon as the macro base station 20 uploads data from the mobile base station 30, the macro base station 20 can further transfer this data towards UE10 (or towards CN50 in the case of uplink communication), so that the end-to-end latency can be minimized. Similarly, as soon as data is downloaded to the mobile base station 30, the mobile base station can start communication with UE10.

[0191] It is further pointed out that, assuming the mobile base station 30 moves at a constant speed between these locations in the middle and bottom curves of FIG. 8, the integral of the throughput line between pb1 and pb2 is equal to the integral of the throughput line between pc1 and pc2.

[0192] Furthermore, by using the location of UE10 and the route of the mobile base station 30 over time to pre-configure and predict communication parameters and select the best location for data transfer, an optimized RAN connection between UE10 and the mobile base station 30 can be achieved. The optimization approach can be similar, but there is a difference in that the information about UE10 may not be very reliable at present.

[0193] The measure that will be applied in the above approach is that the mobile base station 30 and the UE 10 are aware of their location before and during the connection. The mobile base station 30 needs to know the location of the UE 10 so that from now on, the mobile base station 30 can check historical data from previous UEs that were in the current UE's location. The UE 10 needs to know the location of the mobile base station 30, for example, to adapt and predict which beams of the mobile base station 30 can be used during the communication.

[0194] For example, when the mobile base station 30 has to select the best location for data transfer, it can maintain historical data for data transfer with UEs at different locations along the route of the mobile base station 30. This can be "throughput curves" like in FIG. 8 for different locations. When the mobile base station 30 receives a request for data transfer to the UE 10 on its downlink, it checks the location of the UE 10 and selects the "throughput curve" that best suits the UE 10. This can be based on historical data, a propagation model, a combination thereof, etc. With the selected "throughput curve", the mobile base station 30 can select when the data upload / download should start depending on the optimization goal, similar to the middle and bottom curves in FIG. 8.

[0195] For example, when the mobile base station 30 has to estimate the CQI of the UE 10 to select its communication parameters, the mobile base station 30 takes as input the data received from the UE 10 (e.g. the current CQI data), but the mobile base station 30 also uses as input its own location and velocity vector to predict the actual CQI of the UE 10 at the new location of the mobile base station 30.

[0196] When optimizing the end - to - end connection from UE10 to macro base station 20 via mobile base station 30, the connection can be optimized to minimize latency or minimize transmission time, as shown in FIGS. 12 a) and 12 b). In FIG. 12 a), the connection occurs between locations L2a and L2c such that latency is minimized. In FIG. 12 b), the connection occurs between locations L2b and L2d such that transmission time is minimized. Here, L2a < L2b < L2c < L2d, and (L2c - L2a) > (L2d - L2b), and the mobile base station is assumed to move at a constant speed.

[0197] The above embodiments enable efficient delivery of data through a mobile base station. These embodiments are applicable to at least some of the use cases described in 3GPP (registered trademark) TR22.839, such as, for example, data upload through a mobile base station.

[0198] For this purpose, a network system (e.g., a 5G system) is configured to perform the following options. ● The network system supports the use of mobile base stations (repeaters) that provide 5G access to UEs inside vehicles along the journey of the vehicle, and / or ● The network system provides means to ensure that a UE inside a vehicle remains connected via a mobile base station (e.g., mounted on the vehicle) when the UE inside the vehicle is provided with 5G access and connection via a mobile base station (e.g., mounted on the vehicle), and / or ● The network system can provide means to optimize cell selection in the presence of mobile base stations (between mobile base stations or between a mobile base station and a fixed base station) and minimize reselection of unnecessary cells (this requirement is, for example, for providing capabilities to a 5G system (UE and mobile base station) so that the selection of a mobile base station inside a vehicle in which a UE is incorporated (or that has been moving together or is expected to move together) can be optimized), and / or ● the network system may provide means for minimizing unnecessary handovers (between mobile base stations, or between mobile base stations and fixed base stations) for UEs while being served via a mobile base station, for example based on relative movement or speed; and / or ● The network system supports the provision of location services to UEs that access the 5GS network via mobile base stations (e.g., mounted in vehicles); and / or ● The network system supports the provision of location information to a requesting UE or other location entity for the UE to access a 5GS network via a mobile base station (e.g. mounted in a vehicle), e.g. taking into account a certain location granularity and efficient UE power consumption; and / or ● The network system may provide means to perform load balancing between mobile base station repeaters (this requirement is to provide the network system (UE and mobile base stations) with the capability to optimize the load of network resources whenever possible); and / or ● the network system may support efficient handover when the active communication of a UE changes from a macro network to a mobile base station (e.g. mounted in a vehicle) and vice versa, ensuring end-to-end service continuity during movement of the UE and / or repeater (e.g. in and out of a vehicle); and / or ● The network system may support efficient handover of active communications of a UE (e.g., serving a UE inside a vehicle) when a mobile base station changes between macro network nodes, ensuring end-to-end service continuity during repeater movement; and / or ● The network system may support efficient handover of active communications of a UE (e.g., serving a UE outside a vehicle) when a mobile base station changes between macro network nodes to ensure end-to-end service continuity during repeater movement; and / or ● The network system may support efficient handover when a UE's active communication changes between mobile base stations (e.g., on-board a vehicle) to ensure end-to-end service continuity during the movement of the UE (e.g., moving inside a vehicle).

[0199] The above use cases, as well as the above options in other use cases described in 3GPP TR22.839, can be addressed using the following technical solutions: ● Information, e.g. a bit, 0 or 1, to indicate if the base station is a mobile base station (repeater) is optionally included in a SIB, e.g. SIB1. By including this bit, the UE or IAB-MT can determine if this is a cell that the UE or IAB-MT wants to join. ● The mobile base station provides positioning data, for example in SIB1 or on demand in a new SIB. Using this information the UE can check whether its movement pattern fits the movement pattern of the mobile base station. ● When a UE is connected to a mobile base station, it can request or get input about its itinerary / timing. This can be delivered on demand as a new SIB. The SIB contains the current location of the base station and a velocity (acceleration) vector. With this information, a UE knowing its position can estimate how long the base station will be in range, configure communication parameters, etc. ● An option of the SIB is to include its current location. This may be a suitable solution if this information is included in SIB1, as this information is broadcast periodically. SIB1 is broadcast with a period of 160 ms. Within this period, the same SIB1 is re-broadcast multiple times, for example every 40 ms. If a vehicle is moving at 100 km / h, it will move 4.4 m in 160 ms. If the location of the mobile base station (gNB) is included in SIB1, SIB1 may include the position and speed vector when a new SIB1 is broadcast for the first time. With this information, if the UE receives a SIB1 that has been repeated twice, the UE can derive the position of the mobile base station. Another alternative may be to include the expected position of the mobile base station in each repetition of SIB1. ● Another option is for the location information to be available on demand, for example by including it in a new SIB containing the route and timing of the mobile base station. An alternative option is to include a time-dependent trajectory, for example the current location, the velocity vector and the expiry time. With this information the UE (or macro cell (DU / CU)) knows its location up until the expiry time.

[0200] More generally, TS 23.273, clause 4.3.5 states that a target UE may support four modes of positioning, including UE-based and standalone. Thus, a UE that has subscribed to a positioning service may obtain this positioning information from a mobile base station.

[0201] More generally, a method is proposed that enables a first communication device (e.g. a mobile base station) to provide location services to one or more second communication devices (e.g. one or more UEs) by transmitting (e.g. in broadcast messages such as SIBs or RRC protected messages) location data regarding the movement pattern of the first communication device. The first communication device may also use other interfaces, e.g. an IAB based mobile base station has MT-IAB which may be able to transmit / broadcast discovery messages using MT.

[0202] More generally, a method is proposed that enables a second communications device to request access to location confirmation services from a 5GC network function, such as the LMF, and, once enabled, receives a set of key material (e.g., a symmetric encryption key, a symmetric integrity key, a signature verification public key, and / or a decryption private key) that can be used to decrypt or verify the integrity of information delivered by the first communications device.

[0203] More generally, a method is proposed that allows a first communication device to be authorized to provide location verification services to one or more second communication devices and, upon authorization, to receive a set of key material (e.g., a symmetric encryption key, a symmetric integrity key, a signature private key, and / or an encryption public key) that can be used by the first communication device to encrypt or integrity protect information distributed by the first communication device.

[0204] More generally, methods are proposed that allow the location information to be encrypted with a symmetric key or with an encryption public key, and the location information can be integrity protected by appending a message authentication code calculated with the integrity symmetric key, or by appending a digital signature calculated with a signing private key.

[0205] More generally, methods are described that allow an authorized second device to receive location information from a first device and, optionally, decode and / or validate the integrity of the location information and use the location information based on a policy configured by the core network. For example, (1) if the second device notices that the location information is for a vehicle carrying a mobile base station, the second device will use the received location information and the position of the vehicle will be given by this location, with the vehicle size remaining uncertain. (2) if the second device notices that the location information is not for a vehicle carrying a mobile station, the second device will only assume that the vehicle is somewhere within the communication range of the mobile base station.

[0206] Similarly, a first communications device is provided for performing the method, e.g. the first communications device is capable of providing a location service to at least a second communications device by sending location data relating to its movement pattern (e.g. in a broadcast message such as a SIB or an RRC protected message).Similarly, a second communications device is provided for performing the method, e.g. the second communications device is capable of receiving a message (e.g. a broadcast message such as a SIB or an RRC protected message) including location data relating to the movement pattern of the first communications device and deriving its location from the location data.

[0207] The location measurements received from the mobile base station may be improved based on additional positioning techniques, such as angle of arrival, time of flight, ... or ranging measurements between the IAB-MT and the UE. In particular, if the mobile base station is at a specific location of the vehicle, the mobile base station will deliver location information regarding the specific location of the mobile base station (or any other part of the vehicle). The UE receiving the location information can further determine the position of the UE relative to the received location (of the base station itself) based on additional positioning techniques, such as angle of arrival, time of flight, ... or ranging measurements between the IAB-MT and the UE. For example, in case of angle of arrival, the UE can further refine its location based on the received location, the measured angle of arrival. The location measurements can also be improved based on information sensed by the UE or the mobile base station, such as, for example, information about its orientation, as obtained from a magnetic sensor, and which may be exchanged between the UE and the mobile base station. The location measurements can be further refined by the UE (or the mobile base station) by using a vehicle map, which may be delivered by the mobile base station or made available to the UE in other ways. For example, in the case of a train, the mobile base station may also broadcast metadata about the vehicle (e.g., size (length, width), building materials, maps, ...) that can be used by the UE to further determine its location, including its absolute or relative location within the vehicle. For example, once the UE measures a given angle of arrival, the UE can correct potential errors by knowing the vehicle's own measurements that it can receive from the mobile base station. For example, once the UE is reported a given angle of departure and knows the orientation of the mobile base station within the vehicle, the UE can better determine its location within the vehicle, and its absolute position.

[0208] More generally, a method is proposed for enabling a first communication device (e.g. a mobile base station) to provide location services to one or more second communication devices (e.g. one or more UEs) as described above, i.e. by transmitting location data (e.g. in a broadcast message such as a SIB or an RRC protected message) regarding the movement pattern of the first communication device and providing metadata regarding the location / orientation of the vehicle, or the orientation of the vehicle, and / or the mobile base station within the vehicle. A first communication device for performing this method is also provided.

[0209] Further, in general, a second communication device (e.g., UE) capable of receiving a first message (e.g., a broadcast message such as SIB, or an RRC protection message) from a first communication device (e.g., a mobile base station) containing positioning data regarding the movement pattern of the first communication device and / or other positioning signals (e.g., angle of arrival, time of flight, ...), the second communication device uses metadata (size, map, ...) about the vehicle (and / or the orientation / position of the mobile base station within the vehicle) in combination with the positioning data and / or the positioning signals to obtain a more accurate position estimate. A second communication device is further provided that receives metadata from the first communication device in a second message - the second message may be included in the first message. A software application running on the second communication device and using the location information received in the first message from the second communication device and the metadata information about the vehicle is further provided.

[0210] As described in the above embodiment, knowledge of the orientation of the mobile base station in the vehicle and of the orientation of the vehicle itself is required for an accurate estimation of the location of the UE when the UE performs measurements on its own. This information is also relevant when an application in the core network or an application outside the core network determines the location of the UE based on measurements performed by the UE. Therefore, the mobile base station used to provide a positioning service to the UE is also required to provide said application with its configuration (the orientation / position of the mobile station relative to the vehicle) and the orientation of the vehicle itself. The measurements (e.g., angle of arrival) reported by the UE on a positioning signal broadcast by the mobile base station at time t may be enriched by the mobile base station with the orientation / configuration of the mobile base station when the positioning signal was broadcast at time t such that the target application can determine the location of the UE. Alternatively, the mobile base station may include the requested data (e.g., real-time data such as the orientation of the vehicle) in the positioning signal to enable the UE to perform measurements, report the measurements and ensure that the measurement and orientation values ​​are synchronized accordingly. Thus, there is further provided a method for enabling a second communication device to transmit measurements of positioning signals to a first communication device, the first communication device forwarding the measurements to a fourth communication device (e.g. an application in the core network), the fourth communication device obtaining a location value for the second communication device taking into account the orientation of the first positioning device when the measurements were obtained. The method can be enhanced by having the second communication device include in the measurements the orientation of the first communication device as received in the measured positioning signals. The method can be enhanced by having the first communication device enhance the received measurements with that orientation before forwarding the measurements to the fourth communication device. ● When the UE is connected to a mobile base station, it may use information about its location to detect if it is moving and if its direction fits the route of the mobile base station. Only in this case will the UE join this base station. For example, this information can be derived from an accelerometer. This information may also make it possible to derive speed information. Alternatively, the UE may request the mobile network to deliver its position, speed and direction. The UE may also use other sensors, for example a GPS sensor. ● To enable the UE to autonomously decide whether to connect to a mobile base station or a normal base station, the UE can implement a policy that specifies that when the UE is connected to a mobile repeater and moving along the mobile repeater's route, the UE should remain connected to the repeater even if other base stations with stronger signals are visible to the UE. The above policy about the UE deciding to join a mobile base station only if it is a good candidate can also be applied during handover. For example, during CHO, the UE receives positioning information about the base station. Only when the UE detects that it is moving further along the route of the mobile base station, the UE decides to join the base station. ● Similarly, the UE may execute a policy specifying that the UE will not change cells as long as the UE detects that it is proceeding along the route of the mobile base station to which it is connected, even if the UE detects several base stations with strong received signals when processing a received synchronization signal block (SSB), including a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a master information block (MIB).

[0211] A mobile base station or vehicle mounted relay (VMR) may broadcast a synchronization signal, and in particular a synchronization signal block (SSB), through different beams. The movement of the mobile base station may lead to a situation where the reception of the different beams changes suddenly. For example, consider a VMR with four beams broadcasting SSBs, as in FIG. 13. Here, beam 1 is pointed in the direction of movement, beam 2 is to the right relative to the direction of movement, beam 4 is to the left relative to the direction of movement, and beam 3 is pointed in the opposite direction of travel. If this configuration is fixed and relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle, UEs around the VMR will experience a sudden change in the SSB reception level every time the VMR changes its direction of travel. To avoid this situation, the VMR should distribute its SSBs with a fixed distribution relative to an external reference frame (relative to the VMR). Such a distribution is shown in Figure 14, where - independent of the direction of movement of the VMR - Beam 1 points towards the North, Beam 2 points towards the East, Beam 3 points towards the South and Beam 4 points towards the West. To do this requires integrating information about an external reference frame (e.g., the location of the North) into the VMR's beam management system and adjusting the direction of the VMR's beams accordingly to compensate for the change in the VMR's orientation. ● As with the last embodiment, the beam management system should take real-time input of vehicle movement information to adjust beamforming accordingly and maintain a stable connection with both the UE and donor gNB. ● The above beam management approach is suitable for UEs not traveling with a VMR, but not for UEs traveling with a VMR. For these UEs located in a vehicle, it is more suitable to have one or more specific beams that cover the interior of the vehicle and maintain a constant arrangement regardless of the vehicle movement direction. To facilitate the acquisition of the VMR SSB by the UE, the VMR uses a specific arrangement of SSBs, where some of the beams (e.g., the first SSB) are broadcasted towards UEs located in the vehicle, and the remaining beams (e.g., the last SSB) are broadcasted to enable the connection of UEs outside the vehicle. The SSB, e.g., a bit in the PBCH or MIB, may indicate whether it is a VMR. The UE may then decide which beam to choose depending on its own movement information, i.e., knowledge of whether the UE is traveling with a VMR or not. ● In some cases, a mobile base station may not broadcast in the system information the fact that it is a mobile base station. If this is the case, the UE may trigger a handover and may send, among other things, a measurement report to the source gNB(-DU) containing the serving cell (e.g. macro gNB) and the potential target neighboring cell signal strength. If the target neighboring cell signal strength is stronger, this will force a handover procedure. This may happen, for example, if the mobile base station moves closer to the UE. This can be avoided if the RAN (e.g. gNB's CU) or CN (e.g. AMF) checks if the target cell is a mobile base station and if it will be in the UE's current area long enough to serve the UE (based on the mobile base station's location, speed, ...). If the target cell does not meet the requirements, the RAN or CN will inform the UE through the source gNB(-DU), for example in an RRC message, that the target cell is not suitable. ● In the above embodiment of the present application, the connection between the donor gNB and the VMR is considered to be dependent on the IAB, and the connection between the VMR and the UE is considered to be dependent on the NR Uu. An alternative approach consists in using the NR Uu between the gNB and the VMR, and the PC5 between the VMR and the UE, where the VMR is a relay UE and the UE is a remote UE. When this is implemented, the handover optimization discussed in the above embodiment is applied between the VMR and the donor gNB. The optimization regarding the transfer of data can be applied in a similar manner, where the VMR (relay UE) caches data to the remote UE for a certain time. The discovery of remote UEs / relay UEs and the direct communication requests can also be improved in a similar manner to CHO. For example, the donor gNB may inform the remote UE about the approaching VMR (relay UE) based on the movement pattern (location, speed, ...) of the VMR (relay UE) through a control message, e.g. an RRC message. In this control message, the donor gNB may include the information included in the discovery message (model A / B). For example, the donor gNB may trigger the initial provisioning and authorization steps required in the discovery procedure (e.g., solutions 3 and 4 of TR33.847) so that the UE and the VMR can successfully discover each other. For example, the donor gNB may also collect a direct communication request from the remote UE and share this request with the relay UE and / or the CN to verify whether the relay UE is capable / enabled to handle the remote UE / relay UE connection before the remote UE actually connects to the relay UE. The CN may also prepare and deliver a reply to both the remote UE and the relay UE before they discover each other. Finally, the donor gNB, or the CN through the donor gNB, may distribute keying material, e.g., a symmetric key, to secure the PC5 link as soon as the PC5 link is available.For example, if the remote UE and relay UE perform a distributed discovery and PC5 establishment procedure based on some pre-distributed keying material, such as public keys and certificates as described in 2021PF00120, i.e. without the involvement of the CN, this distributed protocol or part of it may be through the donor gNB before the remote UE and relay UE are in range.

[0212] In an embodiment, the mobile base station advertises the presence of the mobile base station by a sidelink synchronization signal exchanged over the sidelink to reduce interference (e.g., colliding PCI) by the mobile base station when the mobile base station is moving around. The UE monitors the sidelink synchronization signal (SSS), which may include an indication of VMR / mobile base station capabilities. Upon noticing the SSS, the UE may monitor the delivery of discovery messages, e.g., advertisement messages broadcast / transmitted by the IAB-MT (UE part of the mobile base station), which may include parameters (e.g., in metadata fields of the discovery message) that enable authorized UEs to access the mobile base station, e.g., RACH related parameters. In a final step, the UE may then access the mobile base station. ● In the above use cases and other embodiments, the UE is also referred to as the IAB Mobile Termination (IAB-MT) unit. ● The network system may be capable of supporting optimized data delivery to the UE within the mobile base station, for example by choosing locations for data transfer that maximizes throughput or ensures a minimum throughput level from the donor access device through the mobile base station to the UE. For example, this may refer to a set of locations between L1 and L2 around the donor access device. Protocols such as mobile and RAN should be optimized between these locations.

[0213] In another embodiment, the CN can also choose to distribute the data through two mobile base stations, e.g., if none of the base stations are close enough to the UE to handle all the data, a base station can handle the uplink data and another base station can handle the downlink data.

[0214] From this perspective, the CN should be tasked with balancing the load of mobile base stations based on the amount of data they can handle and also on the timing and quality of the communication links they can establish.

[0215] This can be achieved by providing multiple gNB-UPs, for example two of the gNB-UPs. It is possible that two mobile base stations run the gNB-UP and the macro base station is entrusted with the gNB-CP. Alternatively, a mobile base station can run the gNB-UP and a macro base station can run the gNB-CP and UP. The goal of load balancing is that the gNB-CP can balance the load delivered to both mobile base stations running the gNB-UP. To achieve this extended architecture, the following extensions are required: ● During UE selection, the base station indicates in the broadcasted system information whether it supports CP, UP or both (legacy). The UE first joins the gNB-CP. Then, depending on its policy, the UE joins at least one gNB-UP. With feasible sharing, the two gNB-UPs are responsible for uplink and downlink traffic. ● In the UE connection signaling procedure in the NR-NR architecture, the gNB-CP adds a gNB-UP. The gNB-CP can also add two or more gNB-UPs to distribute the traffic load. ● In the handover process, when performing load balancing, the gNB-CP balances the load between the source gNB-UP and the target gNB-UP, e.g. for the downlink, taking into account the user data to be downloaded as well as the locations of the source gNB-UP and the target gNB-UP.

[0216] Figure 9 shows an example of throughput curves for the location where a gNB-CP can be expected from a source gNB-UP1 (MBS1) and a target gNB-UP2 (MBS2) when connecting at a UE, taking into account the routes of both mobile base stations. This information can be estimated, for example, as described above with respect to Figure 7.

[0217] As shown in the upper curves of Figure 9, data communication in source gNB-UP1 (MBS1) is possible between positions pa_s1 and pa_s2, while data communication in target gNB-UP2 (MBS2) is possible between positions pa_t1 and pa_t2.

[0218] In the example, load balancing can be performed by distributing the load (downlink data to be transmitted to the UE) between mobile gNB-UP1 (MBS1) and mobile gNB-UP2 (MBS2).

[0219] As shown in the lower curve of FIG. 9, data delivery is controlled such that at location pb0, the UE connects to gNB-CP and then to gNB-UP1 (MBS1). Then, at location pb1, data downlink transfer from gNB-UP1 (MBS1) is initiated. During this first downlink transfer, gNB-CP pre-configures in the UE the location of gNB-UP1 (MBS1) which triggers handover, and potentially caches data in gNB-UP2 (MBS2) for download to the UE when it joins. Just before location pb2 where data download from gNB-UP1 (MBS1) ends, the UE performs a random access procedure with gNB-UP2 (MBS2). Then, at location pb2, data downlink transfer from gNB-UP2 (MBS2) is initiated and continues to location pb3.

[0220] In summary, an improved provision of download capabilities for terminal devices (e.g., smartphones or IoT devices) in a network system has been described by introducing the capability of caching requested data in the mobile access device (e.g., a base station (e.g., gNB) or an access point) and optimizing the scheduling / transfer of data between the terminal device and the mobile access device, and between the mobile access device and a macro access device.

[0221] While the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description is to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The present invention is applicable to various types of terminal devices, such as mobile phones, vital signs monitoring / telemetry devices, smart watches, detectors, or other types of portable devices.

[0222] The terminal devices can be different types of devices, such as, for example, mobile phones, vehicles (for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or more generally, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication), V2X devices, IoT hubs, IoT devices, including low-power medical sensors for health monitoring, medical (emergency) diagnosis and treatment devices for hospital or first responder applications, virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.

[0223] A base station is any network access device (such as a base station, Node B (eNB, eNodeB, gNB, gNodeB, ng-eNB, etc.), access point, etc.) that provides a geographic service area.

[0224] Furthermore, at least some of the above embodiments are based on 5G New Radio (5G NR) radio access technology.

[0225] Moreover, the present invention is applicable in medical applications or connected healthcare involving multiple wireless (e.g. 4G / 5G) connected sensor or actuator nodes, where wireless (e.g. 4G / 5G) connected devices sometimes use or generate continuous data streaming at a certain average data rate, such as video, ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography (CT) imaging devices, real-time patient sensors, audio or voice or video streaming devices used by medical personnel. In particular, this can be used in emergency healthcare situations, where ambulance-mounted repeaters are used to improve connectivity in emergency areas, such as accidents. In general, IoT applications involve wireless, mobile or stationary sensor or actuator nodes (e.g. smart cities, logistics, agriculture, etc.), in emergency services and critical communication applications, in V2X systems, in systems for improved coverage for 5G cellular networks using high frequency (e.g. mmWave) RF, and in any other application field of 5G communication where repeaters are used.

[0226] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprises" does not exclude other elements or steps, and singular elements do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit fulfills the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the invention. Nevertheless, no matter how detailed the foregoing may appear in the text, it will be recognized that the invention may be practiced in many ways and is therefore not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It should be noted that the use of certain terms when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken as implying that the terms are redefined herein as being limited to include any particular characteristic of the feature or aspect of the invention with which the terms are associated. Additionally, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be understood as disjunctive, i.e., "A and / or B and / or C."

[0227] A single unit or device fulfills the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0228] The described operations, such as those indicated in Figures 3, 4, and 6, may be implemented as program code means of a computer program and / or as dedicated hardware in the associated network devices or functions, respectively. The computer program may be stored and / or distributed on a suitable medium, such as optical storage media or solid state media, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but also distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for controlling uploading or downloading of transmission data in a wireless network, comprising: selecting a mobile access device based on estimated location information of the mobile access device and location information of a target device; caching the transmission data; and scheduling a transfer of the transmission data to the mobile access device based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device, and a subsequent transfer of the transmission data from the mobile access device to the target device by performing a transmission data download or to a core network of the wireless network by performing a transmission data upload; An apparatus for performing the above.

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a macro access device configured to upload or download the transmission data via the macro access device when the mobile access device is within a predetermined range of the macro access device.

3. The apparatus described in claim 1 or 2, caching the transmission data in a selected mobile access device or macro base station.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: determining which of a plurality of mobile access devices is within a predetermined range of the target device taking into account current movement schedules of the mobile access devices; and identifying which of the plurality of mobile access devices is capable of delivering the transmission data to the target device taking into account location information of the target device at a predetermined time, the respective locations of the plurality of mobile access devices at the predetermined time, and communication requirements of a user of the target device at the predetermined time.

5. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an apparatus for informing a selected mobile access device of at least one of the presence of the target device along the route of the mobile access device, the data requirements of the user of the target device, and the location of the target device, so that the selected mobile access device can pre-optimize transmission parameters or pre-allocate transmission resources.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: selecting a suitable location of the mobile access device for the transfer of the transmission data and a suitable start time for uplink or downlink communication between the selected mobile access device and a macro access device serving the target device.

7. A wireless communication system comprising an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and at least one mobile access device.

8. 8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the mobile access device is an in-vehicle access device serving terminal devices within a vehicle or within a predetermined range of the vehicle.

9. 8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the mobile access device pre-allocates and configures communication resources for uploading or downloading the transmission data taking into account at least one of the amount of data required to transfer, location information of the target device, a predicted trajectory of the mobile access device, and a predicted period during which the target device or macro access device and the mobile access device should be within a predetermined range.

10. 8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein a core network function or a macro base station triggers a conditional handover request to the mobile access device as soon as the mobile access device is selected, or the target device sends a radio resource control measurement report triggering the conditional handover request, or the target device sends a request to trigger the conditional handover directly to a core network of the wireless network or to the macro base station, or the target device joins the mobile access device when a predetermined condition is met so that data transfer via the mobile access device can start.

11. 11. The wireless communication system of claim 10, wherein the mobile access device and a macro access device serving the target device are instances of sharing between a central unit and a distributed unit, the mobile access device is a distributed unit, the macro access device is a central unit, the central unit sends a connection reconfiguration message to the target device including timing and conditions for moving from a source distributed unit to a target distributed unit, the target device includes information about data delivery status in a random access procedure and / or a connection reconfiguration complete message, and the transmitted data is cached in the target distributed unit.

12. The wireless communications system of claim 7, further comprising an integrated access and backhaul IAB donor unit, wherein the mobile access device creates communication parameters responsive to estimated movement information of the mobile access device, enables the communication parameters when the mobile access device is within a predetermined range of the IAB donor unit, and reserves the communication parameters when the mobile access device is out of range of the IAB donor unit.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 12, wherein the communication parameters are one or more of beamforming, modulation and coding scheme, L2 identifier, IP address, routing table, BAP entry, and F1 interface.

14. 8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the data is distributed within a Mobile Edge or Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) environment, an MEC orchestrator in a core network of the wireless network selects the mobile access devices for delivering the transmission data to the target devices, an MEC application is initially requested in the selected mobile access devices, and the transmission data is forwarded at the request of the MEC orchestrator based on an application request from the target devices.

15. 1. A method for controlling uploading or downloading of transmitted data in a wireless network, comprising: selecting a mobile access device based on estimated location information of the mobile access device and location information of a target device; initiating caching of the transmission data; scheduling a transfer of the transmission data to the mobile access device based on the estimated location information of the mobile access device and the location information of the target device, and a subsequent transfer of the cached transmission data from the mobile access device to the target device by performing a transmission data download or to a core network of the wireless network by performing a transmission data upload; The method comprising:

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