Method, communication device and infrastructure device - Patents.com

Abstract

Improve route switching procedures by taking into account the wide range of device types and capabilities in future wireless communication networks. [Solution] A communication device determines to switch from a first path of communication with an infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device, the second path comprising a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, receives a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among a plurality of wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, determines based on the received indication whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, and switches from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communication and infrastructure devices operating in wireless communication networks, and more particularly to routing procedures performed in such wireless communication networks. [Background technology]

[0002] This application claims Paris Convention priority from European Patent Application No. EP22150369.1, filed January 5, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The "Background" discussion provided herein is intended to generally indicate the context of the present disclosure. The inventors' work to the extent described in this Background section and aspects of the present specification that may not qualify as prior art at the time of filing are not admitted expressly or impliedly as prior art against the present invention.

[0004] The latest generation of mobile communication systems can support a wider range of services than the simple voice and messaging services offered by previous generations of mobile communication systems. For example, the improved air interface and enhanced data rates offered by LTE systems allow users to enjoy high data rate applications such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing that were previously only available over fixed line data connections. As such, there is a high demand for the deployment of such networks, and the coverage areas of such networks, i.e. the geographic locations where the networks can be accessed, are expected to continue to expand rapidly.

[0005] Future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communication with an ever-increasing range of devices and data traffic profiles than existing systems are optimized to support. For example, future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communication with devices including reduced complexity devices, machine-type communication devices, high resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets, etc. Some of these different types of devices may be deployed in very large quantities, e.g., low complexity devices to support the "Internet of Things," and typically may have a relatively high tolerance for latency and be associated with the transmission of relatively small amounts of data. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] RP-182090, "Revised SID: Study on NR Industrial Internet of Things (IoT)", 3GPP RAN#81. [Non-Patent Document 2] Holma H. ​​and Toskala A, "LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radio access", John Wiley and Sons, 2009. [Non-Patent Document 3] RP-193253, "New SID: Study on NR sidelink relay" (OPPO), December 2019. [Non-Patent Document 4] TR 36.746, "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on further enhancements to LTE Device to Device (D2D), User Equipment (UE) to network relays for Internet of Things (IoT) and wearables; (Release 15) (version 15.1.1)" (3GPP Organization), April 2018. [Non-Patent Document 5] RP-213585, "New WID on NR sidelink relay enhancements" (LG Electronics), December 2021. [Non-Patent Document 6] 3GPP TR 38.836, "3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Study on NR side link relay; (Release 17)" (3GPP Organization), March 2021. [Non-Patent Document 7] R2-2111371, "Summary [ATI 16-3]

[0620] [Relay] Reply LS to SA2 on discovery and relay (re)selection," (CATT), November 2021. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] For this reason, it is expected that future wireless communication networks, e.g., what may be called 5G or New Radio (NR) systems / New Radio Access Technology (RAT) systems (Non-Patent Document 1), as well as future iterations / releases of existing systems, will be desired to efficiently support connectivity for a wide range of devices associated with different applications and different characteristic data traffic profiles. Device connectivity is conventionally maintained by using so-called "path switching" procedures (e.g., handovers) in which a communication device changes its access point or path to a particular access point (with respect to various relay nodes) to a wireless communication network in response to instructions from the wireless communication network or in response to one or more conditions being met. Considering the wide range of device types and capabilities in future wireless communication networks, improvements to path switching procedures are needed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure may help to solve or mitigate at least some of the problems discussed above. An embodiment of the present technology relates to a method of operating a communication device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a first wireless communication network via an infrastructure device supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks including a first wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining to switch from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device, the second path comprising a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the multiple wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path based on the received indication; determining whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; and switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path.

[0009] Embodiments of the present technology, which relate to a communication device, an infrastructure device, a method of operating an infrastructure device, and circuits for the communication device and infrastructure device, as well as a method of operating a communication device, enable a communication device to more efficiently perform path switching procedures in a wireless communication network. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates generally certain aspects of an LTE-type wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure; [Diagram 2]1 illustrates generally certain aspects of a new Radio Access Technology (RAT) wireless telecommunications system that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure; [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic block diagram of example infrastructure and communication devices that may be configured to operate in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a schematic representation of an aspect of a conventional handover procedure; [Figure 5A] Copied from Non-Patent Document 6, it shows the legacy message procedure when a remote UE switches directly to a Uu cell. [Figure 5B] Copied from Non-Patent Document 6, it shows the legacy message procedure when the remote UE indirectly switches to the relay UE. [Figure 6] 1 is a partly schematic, partly message flow diagram, illustration of communication between a communication device and infrastructure devices forming part of a wireless communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology; [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a scenario in which different relays support different Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), according to an embodiment of the present technology. [Figure 8] 13 shows an example of a message sequence when a relay UE discovery message includes an indication of all shared PLMNs supported by the relay UE according to an embodiment of the present technology. [Figure 9] 13 illustrates an example message sequence when a relay UE discovery message includes an indication of only the serving PLMN of the relay UE, according to an embodiment of the present technology. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of communication in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Various aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the appended claims.

[0012] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary of the present technology but are not restrictive. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

[0014] Long Term Evolution Advanced Wireless Access Technology (4G)

[0015] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating some basic features of a mobile communication network / system 6 that generally operates according to LTE principles, but may support other radio access technologies and be adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure described herein. Certain aspects of the various elements of FIG. 1 and their respective operation modes are well known and defined in the relevant standards administered by the 3GPP (registered trademark) (RTM) organization, and are also described in many books on the subject, such as "3GPP LTE- ...

[0016] The network 6 includes a number of base stations 1 connected to a core network 2. Each base station provides a coverage area 3 (i.e., a cell) over which data can be communicated to and from communication devices 4. Although each base station 1 is shown in Figure 1 as a single entity, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some of the functions of a base station may be performed by separate interconnected elements such as antennas, remote radio heads, amplifiers, etc. Collectively, one or more base stations may form a Radio Access Network (RAN).

[0017] Data is transmitted from the base stations 1 to the communication devices 4 in their respective coverage areas 3 via a radio downlink (DL). Data is transmitted from the communication devices 4 to the base stations 1 via a radio uplink (UL). The core network 2 routes data to and from the communication devices 4 via their respective base stations 1 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, charging, etc. The terminal devices may also be referred to as mobile stations, user equipment (UE), user terminals, mobile radios, communication devices, etc. Services provided by the core network 2 may include connectivity to the Internet or external telephone services. The core network 2 may further track the location of the communication devices 4 so that they can be efficiently contacted (i.e., paged) to transmit downlink data towards the communication devices 4.

[0018] A base station, an example of a network infrastructure device, may also be referred to as a transceiver station, Node B, e-Node B, eNB, g-Node B, gNB, etc. In this regard, different terminology is often associated with different generations of wireless communication systems for elements that provide roughly equivalent functionality. However, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may be equally implemented in different generations of wireless telecommunications systems, and for simplicity, a particular terminology may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of a particular terminology in connection with certain exemplary embodiments is not intended to indicate that these embodiments are limited to the particular generation of networks that may most likely be associated with that particular terminology.

[0019] New Radio Access Technology (5G)

[0020] An example of the configuration of a wireless communication network using some of the terminology proposed and used in NR and 5G is shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, a number of transmission / reception points (TRP) 10 are connected to distributed control units (DUs) 41, 42 by a connection interface shown as line 16. Each of the TRPs 10 is arranged to transmit and receive signals over a radio access interface within the radio frequency bandwidth available in the wireless communication network. Thus, within the range for performing wireless communication over the radio access interface, each of the TRPs 10 forms a cell of the wireless communication network, as shown by circle 12. In this way, a wireless communication device 14 that is within the wireless communication range provided by the cell 12 can transmit and receive signals to and from the TRP 10 over the radio access interface. Each of the distributed units 41, 42 is connected to a central unit (CU) 40 (sometimes called a control node) via an interface 46. The central unit 40 is then connected to a core network 20 that includes all other functions necessary for data transmission to communicate to and from the wireless communication devices, and the core network 20 may be connected to other networks 30.

[0021] The elements of the radio access network illustrated in Figure 2 may operate in a manner similar to the corresponding elements of the LTE network as described with respect to the example of Figure 1. It will be understood that operational aspects of the telecommunications network illustrated in Figure 2, and other networks discussed herein in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure that are not specifically described (e.g., those relating to particular communication protocols and physical channels for communicating between different elements), may be implemented in accordance with any known technique, e.g., in accordance with currently used approaches for implementing such operational aspects of wireless telecommunications systems, e.g., in accordance with relevant standards.

[0022] The TRP 10 of FIG. 2 may have functionality corresponding in part to a base station or eNodeB of an LTE network. Similarly, the communication device 14 may have functionality corresponding to a UE device 4 known for operation in an LTE network. It will therefore be understood that operational aspects of the new RAT network (e.g., in relation to specific communication protocols and physical channels for communicating between different elements) may differ from those known from LTE or other known mobile communication standards. However, it will also be understood that each of the core network components, base stations and communication devices of the new RAT network are functionally similar to the core network components, base stations and communication devices of the LTE wireless communication network, respectively.

[0023] In terms of broad top-level functionality, the core network 20 connected to the new RAT telecommunication system shown in Fig. 2 can be broadly considered to correspond to the core network 2 shown in Fig. 1, and each central unit 40 and their associated distributed units / TRPs 10 can be broadly considered to provide functionality corresponding to the base stations 1 of Fig. 1. The term network infrastructure device / access node can be used to encompass these elements as well as traditional base station type elements of a wireless communication system. Scheduling responsibility for transmissions scheduled on the air interface between each distributed unit and the communication device lies with the control node / central unit and / or the distributed units / TRPs, depending on the application at hand. In Fig. 2, a communication device 14 is shown within the coverage area of ​​a first communication cell 12. This communication device 14 can therefore receive and transmit signals from a first central unit 40 of the first communication cell 12 via one of the distributed units / TRPs 10 associated with the first communication cell 12.

[0024] Furthermore, it will be appreciated that FIG. 2 represents merely one example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT-based telecommunications system in which an approach consistent with the principles described herein may be employed, and that the functionality disclosed herein may also be applied in relation to wireless telecommunications systems having different architectures.

[0025] Accordingly, certain embodiments of the present disclosure discussed herein may be implemented in wireless telecommunications systems / networks according to a variety of different architectures, such as the exemplary architectures shown in Figures 1 and 2. It will therefore be understood that the particular wireless telecommunications architecture in any given implementation is not of primary importance to the principles described herein. In this regard, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may be generally described in the context of communication between network infrastructure devices / access nodes and communication devices, the particular nature of which will depend on the network infrastructure of the implementation at hand. For example, in some scenarios, the network infrastructure devices / access nodes may constitute base stations, such as the LTE type base station 1 as shown in Figure 1, adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein, and in other examples, the network infrastructure devices may constitute control units / control nodes 40 and / or TRPs 10 of the kind shown in Figure 2, adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.

[0026] A more detailed view of some of the network components shown in Figure 2 is provided by Figure 3. In Figure 3, the TRP 10 as shown in Figure 2 comprises, as a simplified representation, a radio transmitter 30, a radio receiver 32, and a controller or control processor 34 operable to control the transmitter 30 and the radio receiver 32 to transmit and receive radio signals to one or more UEs 14 within the cell 12 formed by the TRP 10. As shown in Figure 3, an exemplary UE 14 is shown to include a corresponding transmitter 49, a receiver 48, and a controller 44 configured to control the transmitter 49 and the receiver 48 to transmit signals representing uplink data to a wireless communication network over a radio access interface formed by the TRP 10, and to receive downlink data as signals transmitted by the transmitter 30 and received by the receiver 48 according to conventional operation.

[0027] The transmitters 30, 49 and receivers 32, 48 (as well as other transmitters, receivers and transceivers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may include radio frequency filters and amplifiers as well as signal processing components and devices, for example, to transmit and receive wireless signals according to the 5G / NR standard. The controllers 34, 44 (as well as other controllers described in connection with examples and embodiments of the present disclosure) may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU or a dedicated chipset, and are configured to execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium, such as a non-volatile memory. The processing steps described herein may be performed, for example, by a microprocessor in conjunction with a random access memory operating according to instructions stored in a computer-readable medium. The transmitters, receivers and controllers are shown in FIG. 3 as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers or one or more appropriately configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. As will be appreciated, the infrastructure equipment / TRP / base station, as well as the UE / communication device, generally comprises various other elements related to its operational functionality.

[0028] 3, the TRP 10 also includes a network interface 50 that connects to the DU 42 via the physical interface 16. The network interface 50 thus provides a communication link for data and signaling traffic from the TRP 10 to the core network 20 via the DU 42 and the CU 40.

[0029] The interface 46 between the DU 42 and the CU 40 is known as the F1 interface and can be a physical or logical interface and can be formed from optical fiber or other wired or wireless high bandwidth connections. In one example, the connection 16 from the TRP 10 to the DU 42 is via optical fiber. The connection between the TRP 10 and the core network 20 can be generally referred to as the backhaul, which consists of the interface 16 from the network interface 50 of the TRP 10 to the DU 42 and the F1 interface 46 from the DU 42 to the CU 40.

[0030] A detailed diagram of a wireless communication network in which a handover may be performed is shown in Figure 4. As can be seen from Figure 4, a communication device 72 is handed over from a source infrastructure device 74 to a target infrastructure device 76 forming part of a radio access network to a core network 60. As can be seen, the communication device 72 is an example of a communication device such as the communication device 14 of Figures 1, 2 and 3. The communication device 72 may be a UE in one example.

[0031] Before the handover, the communication device 72 transmits signals on the uplink UL and receives signals on the downlink DL from the source infrastructure device 74. The source infrastructure device 74 and the target infrastructure device 76 can be considered as a gNB1 as shown in FIG. 1 or a combination of the control node 40 and the TRP10 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, respectively. Before the handover, the communication device 72 is shown to transmit uplink data to the source infrastructure device 74 via uplink resources UL of the radio access interface, as generally indicated by the dashed arrow 64b. The communication device 72 may be similarly configured to receive downlink data transmitted by the source infrastructure device 74 via downlink resources DL, as indicated by the dashed arrow 66b from the source infrastructure device 74 to the communication device 72. After the handover, the communication device 72 is shown to transmit uplink data to the target infrastructure device 76 via uplink resources UL of the radio access interface, as generally indicated by the solid arrow 66a. The communication device 72 may similarly be configured to receive downlink data transmitted by the target infrastructure device 76 via downlink resources DL as indicated by solid arrow 64a from the target infrastructure device 76 to the communication device 72.

[0032] In Figure 4, the source and target infrastructure devices 74, 76 are connected to the core network 60 via interfaces 61, 62 to controllers 74c, 76c of the respective infrastructure devices 74. The source and target infrastructure devices 74, 76 each include a receiver 74b, 76b connected to an antenna 74d, 76d, and a transmitter 74a, 76a connected to the antenna 74d, 76d. Correspondingly, the communication device 72 includes a controller 72c connected to a receiver 72b which receives signals from the antenna 72d, and a transmitter 72a also connected to the antenna 72d.

[0033] The controllers 74c, 76c are configured to control the source and target infrastructure devices 74, 76, respectively, and may consist of a processor circuit which may consist of various sub-units / sub-circuits to provide the functionality as further described herein. These sub-units may be implemented as separate hardware elements or as suitably configured functions of the processor circuit. Thus, the controllers 74c, 76c may consist of circuits suitably configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality, using conventional programming / configuration techniques for equipment of wireless telecommunications systems. The transmitters 74a, 76a and receivers 74b, 76b may consist of signal processing and radio frequency filters, amplifiers and circuits according to conventional arrangements. The transmitters 74a, 76a, receivers 74b, 76b and controllers 74c, 76c are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4 as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers or one or more suitably configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. As will be appreciated, infrastructure device 74 is generally comprised of a variety of other elements related to its operational functions.

[0034] Correspondingly, the controller 72c of the communication device 72 may comprise a processor circuit configured to control the transmitter 72a and the receiver 72b, which in turn may comprise various sub-units / sub-circuits to provide the functionality as further described herein. These sub-units may be implemented as separate hardware elements or as suitably configured functions of the processor circuit. Thus, the controller 72c may comprise circuits suitably configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality, using conventional programming / configuration techniques for equipment of wireless telecommunication systems. Similarly, the transmitter 72a and the receiver 72b may comprise signal processing and radio frequency filters, amplifiers and circuits according to conventional arrangements. The transmitter 72a, the receiver 72b and the controller 72c are shown in FIG. 4 diagrammatically as separate elements for ease of representation. However, it will be appreciated that the functionality of these elements may be provided in a variety of different ways, for example using one or more suitably programmed programmable computers or one or more suitably configured application specific integrated circuits / circuits / chips / chipsets. As will be appreciated, communication device 72 will typically comprise various other elements associated with its operational functions, such as a power source, a user interface, etc., which are not shown in FIG. 4 for simplicity.

[0035] The controllers 74c, 72c may be configured to execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium, such as a non-volatile memory. The process steps described herein may be performed, for example, by a microprocessor in combination with a random access memory operating according to instructions stored in the computer-readable medium.

[0036] Sidelink Relay

[0037] As mentioned above, the introduction of a wide range of new types of devices and functions in NR creates technical challenges in maintaining device connectivity with wireless communication networks. One form of NR currently under development in the 3GPP group is sidelink relay, which is discussed in 3GPP Release-17. For example, a 3GPP research item (Non-Patent Document 3) discusses single-hop NR sidelink-based relaying. In particular, Non-Patent Document 3 sets the following goals:

[0038] To support the Service and System Aspect (SA) requirements for sidelink based UE-to-network and UE-to-UE relaying, investigate mechanisms with minimal impact to specifications for Layer 3 relaying and Layer 2 relaying [RAN2], focusing on the following forms (if applicable):

[0039] Relay (re)selection criteria and procedures. Relay / remote UE authorization. QoS for relay functions. Continuity of Service. ·Security of relay connections after SA3 has concluded. Impact on user plane protocol stacks and control plane procedures, e.g. connection management of relayed connections.

[0040] · Study mechanisms to support higher layer operation of discovery models / procedures for sidelink relaying assuming the absence of new physical layer channels / signals [RAN2].

[0041] Non-Patent Document 3 points out that it is expected that UE-network relaying and UE-UE relaying will use the same relay solution, and forward compatibility of multi-hop relay support in future releases of the standard should be considered. Non-Patent Document 3 also states that for Layer 2 UE relaying, the end-to-end Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and hop-by-hop Radio Link Control (RLC) architecture recommended in Non-Patent Document 4 is considered as a starting point.

[0042] Enhancements to sidelink relay in NR are discussed, for example, in 3GPP TS 2013-01-05212, where objectives are defined including the specification of mechanisms to enhance service continuity for single-hop Layer 2 UE-to-network relaying in the following scenarios [RAN2, RAN3]:

[0043] A. Indirect-direct path switching between gNBs (i.e., switching from "UE1<->Relay UEA<->gNBX" to "UE1<->gNBY").

[0044] B. Direct-indirect path switching between gNBs (i.e., switching from "UE1<->gNBX" to "UE1<->relay UEA<->gNBY").

[0045] C. Indirect-indirect path switching within the gNB (i.e., switching from "UE1<->Relay UEA<->gNBX" to "UE1<->Relay UEB<->gNBX").

[0046] D. Indirect-indirect path switching between gNBs (i.e., switching from "UE1<->Relay UEA<->gNBX" to "UE1<->Relay UEB<->gNBY").

[0047] In Non-Patent Document 5, it is pointed out that the above-defined scenario D is supported by reusing the solutions of the other scenarios (i.e., A to C defined above) without any specific optimization. Figures 5A and 5B respectively show examples of message procedures for the case where a remote UE switches directly to a Uu cell (Figure 5A) and the case where a remote UE switches indirectly to a relay UE (Figure 5B), which are copied from Non-Patent Document 6 and can be more fully understood by referring to Non-Patent Document 6.

[0048] RAN sharing, the sharing of RAN resources and infrastructure among multiple mobile operators to mutually improve coverage and network availability, is a solution that has been discussed within 3GPP as an extension from network infrastructure devices to relays, but has not yet been agreed upon. It is assumed that it is feasible for some relay nodes and relay UEs to simultaneously support several different Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) and provide connectivity (via a serving gNB) to each of these PLMNs. The possibility of RAN sharing through relays is discussed, for example, in Non-Patent Document 7.

[0049] In 3GPP TS 2013-011066, various options are proposed on how to signal the PLMNs supported by a particular relay to the UE, including signaling the PLMN identifier in a relay discovery message or in a radio resource control (RRC) broadcast signal from the gNB. However, the discussion and discussion of these options in 3GPP TS 2013-011066 focuses on how to support RAN sharing for remote UEs to access sidelink relays and serving sidelink relays. The problem identified by the inventors is how a remote UE can know whether a "target" relay UE (the target of a path switching procedure performed by the remote UE) supports its home PLMN. That is, how can a remote UE determine what the supported PLMNs of a particular target relay node are "before" the remote UE connects to that target relay node during a mobility procedure, specifically during the execution of a direct-indirect and indirect-direct path switching or handover procedure by the UE? The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a solution to such a problem.

[0050] Service Continuity for Radio Access Network (RAN) Sharing Scenarios Including Sidelink Relay

[0051] 6 provides a partly schematic, partly message flow diagram, of communication in a wireless communication system 100 between a communication device or UE 101 and a wireless communication network according to an embodiment of the present technology. The wireless communication network may include an infrastructure device 102 providing and controlling a first cell having a coverage area in one of which the communication device 101 may be located or may enter, the infrastructure device 102 supporting radio access network (RAN) sharing between multiple wireless communication networks. The wireless communication network may also include one or more relay nodes 103 for relaying signals between the communication device 101 and the infrastructure device 102. The communication device 101 comprises a transceiver (or transceiver circuitry) 101.1 configured to transmit and / or receive signals from the wireless communication network (e.g., to the infrastructure device 102 via a radio access interface provided by the wireless communication network) or indeed from other wireless communication networks. 7, the infrastructure device 102 and the relay node 103 may also include transceivers (or transceiver circuits) 102.1, 103.1 that may be configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the communication device 101 via a wireless access interface and / or from each other, and controllers (or controller circuits) 102.2, 103.2 that may be configured to control the transceiver circuits 102.1, 103.1 and transmit or receive signals. Each of the controllers 101.2, 102.2, 103.2 may be, for example, a microprocessor, a CPU, or a dedicated chipset, etc.

[0052] The controller circuit 101.2 of the communication device 101 is configured in cooperation with the transceiver circuit 101.1 of the communication device 101 to determine that the communication device 101 switches from a first path 104 of communication with the infrastructure device 102 to a second path 109 of communication with the infrastructure device 102, the second path including a relay node 103 for relaying signals between the communication device 101 and the infrastructure device 102 (although the first path may also include a relay node), and one or more wireless communication networks among a plurality of wireless communication networks supported by the relay node 103 of the second path 109. and receiving a signal 106 consisting of an instruction (wherein the signal is, for example, a signal 106.1 received from the infrastructure device 102 or a signal 106.2 received from a relay node 103 of the second path 109), determining based on the received instruction 106 whether the first wireless communication network is among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node 103 of the second path 109, and switching 108 from the first path 104 to the second path 109 if the first wireless communication network is among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node 103 of the second path 109.

[0053] Essentially, embodiments of the present technology propose that the UE can determine whether a new target relay node supports the UE's home PLMN before connecting to the new relay node as part of the path switching procedure. This is particularly important when RAN sharing techniques are employed, since a relay node supporting 11 or more PLMNs does not necessarily support the UE's serving / home PLMN. If the UE connects to a relay node that does not support the home PLMN, the UE will not be able to send or receive signaling or data to or from the home PLMN via that relay node, and will therefore need to perform another path switching procedure, which is an inefficient use of resources and time. Essentially, at least some embodiments of the present technology can be considered a hybrid combination of the legacy indirect-to-direct and direct-to-indirect switching procedures, as illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B above.

[0054] FIG. 7 illustrates an example scenario in which different relays support different PLMNs according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 7, the cell of gNB 110 supports RAN sharing and broadcasts three PLMNs: PLMN-A, PLMN-B, and PLMN-C. Similarly, the first relay UE 111 supports all of these PLMNs (PLMN-A, PLMN-B, and PLMN-C). Supporting multiple PLMNs or only the home PLMN may depend on the agreement between the user of the relay UE and the operator of the PLMN(s) and / or the capabilities or deployment options of the relay UE. For example, the PLMN-B relay may be configured to support only the home PLMN (i.e., PLMN-B) for relaying purposes.

[0055] In the example of FIG. 7, the remote UE 113 belongs to PLMN-B and may be connected to the gNB 110 indirectly via the first relay UE 111 as an initial state (i.e., via a first path, although the first path may alternatively relate to a direct communication between the remote UE 113 and the gNB 110 in other examples of the embodiment of the present technology). After a certain time, the remote UE 113 may move away from the first relay UE 111 and encounter a second relay UE 112 from which it may receive a reference signal or discovery signal with a higher detectable reference signal received power (RSRP), etc. Now, when the remote UE 113 encounters the second relay UE 112, it has several options that it may intend to communicate with the gNB 110 via the second path by performing a path switch as described above with reference to FIG. 6.

[0056] When the remote UE 113 encounters a discovery signal from the second relay UE 112, it can detect it, and according to an embodiment of the present technology, its discovery message will include an indication of the supported PLMNs or at least the home PLMN of the second relay UE 112. Thus, for the purpose of RAN sharing, if the discovery message includes all supported PLMNs, the first relay UE 111 will include PLMN-A, PLMN-B and PLMN-C in its discovery message, and the remote UE 113 will have selected the first relay UE 111 to form an indirect path to the gNB 110 since the first relay UE 111 supports the home PLMN-B of the remote UE 113. In this case, the discovery message sent by the relay UE 111, 112 may include the PLMN identifier(s) directly in the message or in an RRC container in the discovery message. In other words, the communications device may be configured to receive a discovery signal from a relay node of the second path, the discovery signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, where the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path may be configured in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container of the discovery signal.

[0057] For mobility use cases as described herein and addressed by embodiments of the present technology, including the PLMN identifier(s) in the discovery message is simple for the remote UE 113 to decode. If the PLMN identifier(s) are included in the RRC container and the RRC container is included in the discovery message, more effort is required for the remote UE 113 to decode and identify the PLMN identifier(s). This additional processing when the PLMN identifier(s) are stored in the RRC container is required for each potential target relay UE. For the second relay UE 112 in the example of FIG. 7, its discovery message includes only PLMN-A. Thus, in this case, the remote UE 113 has the following options:

[0058] The remote UE 113 may not report the second relay UE 112 to the gNB 110 (this has the advantage that the remote UE 113 does not need to signal reports of relay UEs that do not support that PLMN, thus reducing overhead. However, it may be difficult for the gNB 110 to know coverage holes or interference caused to PLMN-B subscribers because the second relay UE 112 does not support PLMN-B). In other words, the communication device may be configured to determine that the communication device does not send an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path.

[0059] The remote UE 113 can report the second relay UE 112 to the gNB 110 along with the fact that the second relay UE 112 does not support that PLMN. In other words, the communication device can be configured to transmit an indication of the second path relay node to the infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the second path relay node, where this transmitted indication of the second path relay node constitutes an indication that the second path relay node does not support the first wireless communication network. In this manner, the gNB 110 can recognize that the second relay UE 112 may cause interference or coverage holes to PLMN-B users.

[0060] The remote UE 113 may simply report the second relay UE 112 to the gNB 110. In other words, the communication device may be configured to send an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. The gNB 110 should already know the supported PLMN(s) of the second relay UE 112 since these are reported to the gNB 110 when the second relay UE 112 moves to a connected mode with the gNB 110 and becomes configured as a relay. This method is similar to the method described in the second bullet point above, but the advantage of this method is that the remote UE 113 does not need to perform a PLMN identifier check and can simply report the second relay UE 112, for example, when it encounters it. This RRC message may be a new independent RRC message or may be included in an existing message (e.g., piggybacked on a measurement report, etc.). Although it is not complicated for the remote UE 113 to check the supported PLMN(s) of the relays and make sure that the home PLMN is included among them, the remote UE 113 could simply report the second relay UE 112 without performing a PLMN identifier check. However, the advantage of doing so is that while it reduces at least a small amount of the load on the remote UE 113 by skipping the PLMN identifier check of the newly encountered relay UE, the remote UE 113 also does not necessarily need to decode the full content of the received discovery message while performing sidelink-RSRP measurements based on that discovery message. In this case, the discovery message sent from the second relay UE 112 may or may not include an indication of the supported PLMN identifiers of the second relay UE 112.

[0061] Since the remote UE 113 cannot connect to the second relay UE 112 to communicate with the gNB 110 because it does not support the home PLMN-B of the remote UE 113, the remote UE 113 may determine to stay on the first relay UE 111, for example, if it finds another relay (e.g., a third relay UE) that supports that PLMN or if the received signal is of sufficient power or quality. In other words, the communication device may be configured to determine that the communication device switches from the first path to a third path of communication with an infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path, the third path comprising a second relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, the second relay node supporting the first wireless communication network. Alternatively, the gNB 110 may trigger a handover back to its own cell (i.e., the remote UE 113 performs a switch from an indirect path to a direct path) or to another cell (operated by the second gNB) based on other measurements currently reported. In other words, the communications device may be configured to receive an instruction from the infrastructure device that the communications device will not switch from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path, or to receive an instruction from the infrastructure device that the communications device will perform a handover procedure from the infrastructure device to the second infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path.

[0062] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a message sequence when a relay UE discovery message includes an indication of all shared PLMNs supported by the relay UE, according to an embodiment of the present technology, e.g., as described above in relation to the example illustrated by Figure 7. As illustrated in Figure 8, when a first relay UE 111 enters a connected mode and is configured as a relay, it may first send a signal 121 (e.g., msg5 or UE capabilities) to the gNB 110, which indicates all supported PLMNs for the first relay UE 111. In this case, the signal 121 indicates that the first relay UE 111 supports PLMN-A, PLMN-B and PLMN-C, as illustrated and described in Figure 7. Such supported PLMNs for the first relay UE 111 may additionally (or alternatively) be indicated to the gNB 110 from the core network 120 during an initial context setup 122 for the first relay UE 111. The same is done for the second relay UE 112, which upon entering connected mode and being configured as a relay can send a signal 123 (e.g. msg5 or UE capabilities) to the gNB 110 indicating all supported PLMNs for that second relay UE 112, where in this case the signal 123 indicates that the second relay UE 112 supports only PLMN-A, as shown and described in FIG. 7. Again, such supported PLMNs for the second relay UE 112 can additionally (or alternatively) be indicated from the core network 120 to the gNB 110 during the initial context setup 124 for the second relay UE 112. In any case, the gNB 110 now has stored knowledge 125 of the PLMNs supported by each of the first relay UE 111 and the second relay UE 112.

[0063] At a later point in time, the remote UE 113 wants to connect to the gNB 110 and, as the remote UE 113 is located in the vicinity of the first relay UE 111, receives a discovery signal 126 from the first relay UE 111. This discovery signal 126 may indicate that the first relay UE 111 supports each of PLMN-A, PLMN-B and PLMN-C, and the remote UE 113 may connect to the first relay UE 111 and select PLMN-B, as PLMN-B is the home PLMN of the remote UE 113. As described with respect to the example of FIG. 7, the remote UE 113 may then move away from the first relay UE 111 towards the second relay UE 112. The remote UE 113 may now again receive a discovery signal 128 from this second relay UE 112, which indicates that the second relay UE 112 supports only PLMN-A. Since this PLMN-A does not match the home PLMN-B of the remote UE 113, the UE 112 has several options, as indicated by box 129 and described above: As indicated by box 129, the remote UE 113 can either inform the gNB 110 of the second relay UE 112 (and optionally, that the second relay UE 112 does not support the PLMN of the remote UE 113), wait for discovery messages from other relay UEs indicating that they support the PLMN of the remote UE 113, report measurements to the gNB 110 and / or wait for the gNB 110 to take action if certain criteria are met (e.g., the RSRP of the signal received from the first relay UE 110 is below a certain threshold), i.e. wait for the gNB 110 to take action. That is, based on measurements transmitted from the remote UE 113, an indication transmitted by the remote UE 113 of the second relay UE 112 or the gNB 110's knowledge 125 of the PLMNs supported by the second relay UE 112 and therefore the remote UE 113 being unable to communicate with the gNB 110 via the second relay UE 112.In the examples of Figures 7 and 8, it is assumed that the discovery signal transmitted by a particular relay UE includes all RAN shared PLMNs supported by that relay UE. However, in some deployments of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the discovery message may include only one PLMN (which may be the home / serving PLMN of the relay UE or the PLMN of the operator deploying the gNB). In other words, the one or more wireless communication networks indicated in the discovery signal as supported by the relay node of the second path may be only a subset of the multiple wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that the PLMN(s) supported by the relay UE or a subset thereof may not be indicated at all in the discovery message. For example, such PLMN(s) supported by the relay UE or a subset thereof may be indicated to the remote UE by the gNB or core network, or the access decision of the remote UE may be made by the gNB or core network without the remote UE being involved or aware of the supported PLMN identifiers of the relay UE.

[0064] Figure 9 shows an example of a message sequence where a discovery message of a relay UE includes an indication of only its serving PLMN according to such an embodiment of the present technology. In a typical RAN sharing, 12 PLMNs may be shared, and including 12 PLMN identifiers in every discovery signal may consume too many bits of the discovery signal, so the discovery signal may include an indication of only one PLMN to reduce the size of the discovery message. To a certain extent, the example of Figure 9 is similar to the example of Figure 8, and steps 131 to 135 of Figure 9 correspond exactly to steps 121 to 125 of Figure 8, so a description of these steps is omitted and can instead be understood from the description of Figure 8 above.

[0065] However, at the time when the remote UE 113 wants to connect to the gNB 110, the discovery signal 136 received from the first relay UE 111 may only indicate that the first relay UE 111 supports PLMN-A, when in fact the first relay UE 111 supports all of PLMN-A, PLMN-B and PLMN-C. Since the remote UE 113 is not aware that the first relay UE 111 supports its home PLMN-B (selected as the initial condition 137), it cannot make the decision to form a connection with the gNB 110 via the first relay UE 111, but instead the remote UE 113 may send a signal 138 (e.g., msg5) via the first relay UE 111. Alternatively (or in addition), the remote UE 113 may have included its PLMN in its discovery message and the first relay UE 111 may be able to detect the PLMN identifier of the remote UE 113 from the discovery message received by the remote UE 113. The first relay UE 111 may then forward the PLMN identifier of the remote UE 113 to the gNB 110 so that the gNB 110 can recognize the PLMN of the remote UE 113. The first relay UE 111 may forward the PLMN identifier of the remote UE 113 either before or after verifying the received PLMN identifier with the operation list of PLMN identifiers. If the received PLMN identifier of the remote UE 113 and the operation list of PLMN identifiers of the first relay UE 111 do not match, the first relay UE 111 may send a discovery rejection message and inform the gNB 110 accordingly. Those skilled in the art will understand that the second relay UE 112 may act in the same or similar manner when it receives a discovery message from the remote UE 113.

[0066] Since the gNB 110 has knowledge 135 that the first relay UE 111 supports PLMN-B, it can select the first relay UE 111 for the remote UE 113, and thus the remote UE 113 can communicate with the gNB 110 via the first relay UE 111. This selection may be indicated by the gNB 110 to the remote UE 113 based on a decision by the gNB or based on a query received by the remote UE 113 regarding other PLMNs supported by the first relay UE 111 (this indication is not shown in the example of FIG. 9).

[0067] Again, as described with respect to the examples of Figures 7 and 8, the remote UE 113 may then move away from the first relay UE 111 towards the second relay UE 112. Now, the remote UE 113 may again receive a discovery signal 140 from this second relay UE 112, which only indicates that the second relay UE 112 supports PLMN-A or that the PLMN list in the discovery message is empty (indeed, this is the only PLMN supported by the second relay UE 112 in this example). Since the remote UE 113 does not know whether it can connect to the gNB 110 via the second relay UE 112, it may send a measurement report 141 to the gNB 110, which indicates some measurements of the signal received from the second relay UE 112 (e.g. RSRP).

[0068] Again, other PLMNs supported by the second relay UE 112 may be indicated by the gNB (not shown in FIG. 9 ) (instead of or in addition to the discovery signal 140) based on a decision by the gNB or based on a query received by the remote UE 113. In other words, the communication device may be configured to receive from an infrastructure device an indication of one or more wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path, where the communication device may be configured to receive a reference signal from the relay node of the second path, may be configured to perform one or more measurements on the received reference signal, may be configured to transmit an indication of the one or more measurements performed to the infrastructure device, and in response to the transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed, may be configured to receive an indication of one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, where the communication device may be configured to receive a reference signal from the relay node of the second path, may be configured to perform one or more measurements on the received reference signal, and in response to the transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed, may be configured to receive an indication of one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, where the transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed may include a query by the communication device of one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. The indication of one or more wireless communication networks supported by relay nodes of the second path sent by the infrastructure equipment to the communication device may be based on an indication of such wireless communication networks supported by relay nodes of the second path previously received by the infrastructure equipment from the core network, i.e. as shown in the example of Figure 9 at step 134.

[0069] The remote UE 113 may then wait (142) for the gNB 110 to take action based on this transmitted measurement report 141. Upon receiving the measurement report 141, the gNB 110 may determine (143) that the second relay UE 112 does not support the remote UE's home PLMN-B (based on its knowledge 135) and therefore may determine that the remote UE 113 should not select the second relay UE 112 and instead stay with the first relay UE 111, find another relay UE, perform a reroute switch so that the remote UE 113 communicates directly with the gNB 110, or handover to another cell operated by another gNB. This may be notified to the remote UE 113 by the gNB 110 in step 144.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with the example of FIG. 9 and such embodiments of the present technology associated with this example, the measurements and reporting performed by the remote UE 113 may not necessarily be modified, but the operation of the gNB 110 may be modified such that the gNB 110 checks whether the home PLMN of the remote UE 113 is supported by the target relay UE 112 and takes certain actions if not.

[0071] 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process of communication in a communication system according to an embodiment of the present technology. The process illustrated by FIG. 10 is a method of operating a communication device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a first wireless communication network via infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks that make up the first wireless communication network.

[0072] The method starts at step S1, and in step S2, the communication device determines to switch from a first path of communication with an infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device, the second path comprising a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. In step S3, the process receives a signal including an indication of one or more of a plurality of wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. Then, in step S4, the method determines based on the received indication whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. If in step S4, it is determined that the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, the method in step S5 switches from the first path to the second path. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, the method does not switch from the first path to the second path in step S6 (rather, for example, to a third path, a handoff to another infrastructure device, or no switching or handoff at all), and the process ends in step S7.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method illustrated by Figure 10 may be adapted in accordance with embodiments of the technology described herein. For example, other intermediate steps may be included in the method, and steps may be performed in any logical order. Furthermore, while embodiments of the technology have been described primarily in terms of the exemplary system shown in Figure 6 and illustrated in the exemplary scenarios and message sequences of Figures 7 to 9, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments may be equally applicable to systems other than those described herein.

[0074] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the wireless communication network and / or communication devices as defined herein may be further defined in accordance with the various arrangements and embodiments discussed in the preceding paragraphs. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the wireless communication network and communication devices as defined and described herein may form part of communication systems other than the communication system defined by the present disclosure.

[0075] The following numbered paragraphs provide further exemplary aspects and features of the present technology:

[0076] (1) 1. A method of operating a communications device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a first wireless communications network via an infrastructure device supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communications networks, including a first wireless communications network, the method comprising: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (2) The method according to (1) above, receiving a discovery signal from the relay node of the second path; The discovery signal includes the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (3) The method according to (2) above, The indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path is included in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container of the discovery signal. method. (4) The method according to (2) or (3) above, The one or more wireless communication networks indicated in the discovery signal as being supported by the relay node of the second path are only a subset of the wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (5) The method according to any one of (1) to (4) above, receiving from the infrastructure device the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (6) The method according to (5) above, receiving a reference signal from the relay node of the second path; performing one or more measurements on the received reference signal; sending an indication of the one or more measurements performed to the infrastructure device; receiving the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path in response to the transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed. method. (7) The method according to (6) above, The transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed includes a query by a communication device of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (8) The method according to any one of (1) to (7) above, receiving, from a core network via the infrastructure device, the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (9) The method according to any one of (1) to (8) above, determining, if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device not send an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device; method. (10) The method according to any one of (1) to (9) above, If the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, sending an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device. method. (11) The method according to (10) above, The transmitted indication of the relay node of the second path includes an indication that the relay node of the second path does not support the first wireless communication network. method. (12) The method according to any one of (1) to (11) above, determining, when the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device switches from the first path to a third path of communication with the infrastructure device; The third path includes a second relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, the second relay node supporting the first wireless communication network. method. (13) The method according to any one of (1) to (12) above, receiving an indication from the infrastructure device that the communication device will not switch from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (14) The method according to any one of (1) to (13) above, receiving an indication from the infrastructure device indicating that the communications device should perform a handover procedure from the infrastructure device to a second infrastructure device if the first wireless communications network is not among the one or more wireless communications networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (15) The method according to any one of (1) to (14) above, The first path includes direct communication between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method. (16) The method according to any one of (1) to (15) above, the first path includes a relay node for relaying a signal between the communication device and the infrastructure device; The first wireless communication network is supported by the relay node of the first path. method. (17) a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A communication device comprising: (18) 1. A circuit for a communications device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A circuit comprising: (19) 1. A method of operating infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, comprising: transmitting signals to the communication device and / or receiving signals from the communication device via a first path of communication with the communication device, the transmitted and / or received signals being signals according to a first wireless communication network in the wireless communication networks; determining that a second path for communication with the communication device exists, the second path comprising a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; determining whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path based on an indication received from the relay node of the second path; If the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second route, the communication device determines that it can switch from the first route to the second route. method. (20) The method according to (19) above, transmitting to the communication device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (twenty one) The method according to (20) above, receiving from the communication device an indication of one or more measurements to be performed by the communication device on a reference signal received from the relay node of the second path; In response to the received indication of the one or more measurements performed, transmitting the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (twenty two) The method according to (21) above, The received indication of the one or more measurements performed includes a query by the communication device of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (twenty three) The method according to any one of (20) to (22) above, receiving from a core network an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; transmitting to the communication device the received indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method. (twenty four) The method according to any one of (19) to (23) above, Receive an indication of the relay node of the second route from the communication device. method. (twenty five) The method according to (24) above, The received indication of the relay node of the second path includes an indication that the relay node of the second path does not support the first wireless communication network. method. (26) The method according to any one of (19) to (25) above, determining, when the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device switches from the first path to a third path of communication with the infrastructure device; The third path includes a second relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, the second relay node supporting the first wireless communication network. method. (27) The method according to any one of (19) to (26) above, If the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, sending an indication to the communication device indicating that the communication device will not switch from the first path to the second path. method. (28) The method according to any one of (19) to (27) above, sending an indication to the communication device indicating that the communication device performs a handover procedure from the infrastructure device to a second infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method. (29) The method according to any one of (19) to (28) above, The first path includes direct communication between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method. (30) The method according to any one of (19) to (29) above, the first path includes a relay node for relaying a signal between the communication device and the infrastructure device; The first wireless communication network is supported by a relay node of the first path. method. (31) 1. An infrastructure device supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a communication device via a first path of communication with the communication device, the transmitted and / or received signals being signals according to a first wireless communication network in the wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that a second path of communication with the communication device exists; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; determining whether the first wireless communication network is among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path based on an indication received from the relay node of the second path; determining that the communication device is capable of switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; A controller circuit configured as follows: 1. An infrastructure device comprising: (32) 1. A circuit for an infrastructure device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A circuit comprising: (33) 1. A method of operation of a relay device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, the method comprising: the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method. (34) The method according to (33) above, Transmitting a discovery signal to the communication device; The discovery signal includes an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device. method. (35) The method according to (34) above, The indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device is configured in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container of the discovery signal. method. (36) The method according to (34) or (35) above, The one or more wireless communication networks indicated in the discovery signal as being supported by the relay device are only a subset of the wireless communication networks supported by the relay device. method. (37) The method according to any one of (33) to (36) above, receiving a discovery message from the communication device; Transmitting the discovery message received from the communication device to the infrastructure device. method. (38) The method according to (37) above, The discovery message received from the communication device and transmitted to the infrastructure device includes an indication of the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected. method. (39) The method according to (38) above, determining whether the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; If the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, sending a discovery rejection message to the communication device. method. (40) A relay device, a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks; the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. Controller circuit and A relay device comprising: (41) A circuit for a repeater device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks; the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. Controller circuit and A circuit comprising: (42) A communication device according to (17) above; The infrastructure device according to (31) above; A wireless communication system comprising: (43) The wireless communication system according to (42), The relay device according to (40) above. The wireless communication system further comprises: (44) A computer program comprising instructions which, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to any one of (1) to (16), (19) to (30) and (33) to (39) above. (45) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program described in (44) above.

[0077] Insofar as embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as being implemented, at least in part, by a software-controlled data processing apparatus, it will be appreciated that non-transitory machine-readable media bearing such software, such as optical disks, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc., are also to be considered as representing embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that the above description for clarity has described the embodiments with reference to different functional units, circuits and / or processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, circuits and / or processors may be used without detracting from the embodiments.

[0078] The described embodiments may be implemented in any suitable form including hardware, software, firmware or any combination of these. The described embodiments may optionally be implemented at least partly as computer software running on one or more data processors and / or digital signal processors. The elements and components of any embodiment may be physically, functionally and logically implemented in any suitable way. Indeed functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in multiple units or as part of other functional units. Thus, the disclosed embodiments may be implemented in a single unit or may be physically and functionally distributed between different units, circuits and / or processors.

[0079] Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Moreover, while certain features may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features of the described embodiments can be combined in any manner suitable for implementing the technology.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a communications device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a first wireless communications network via an infrastructure device supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communications networks, including a first wireless communications network, the method comprising: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

2. 2. The method of claim 1 , receiving a discovery signal from the relay node of the second path; The discovery signal includes the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, The indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path is included in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container of the discovery signal. method.

4. 3. The method of claim 2, The one or more wireless communication networks indicated in the discovery signal as being supported by the relay node of the second path are only a subset of the wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

5. 2. The method of claim 1 , receiving, from the infrastructure device, the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, receiving a reference signal from the relay node of the second path; performing one or more measurements on the received reference signal; sending an indication of the one or more measurements performed to the infrastructure device; receiving the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path in response to the transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed. method.

7. 7. The method of claim 6, The transmitted indication of the one or more measurements performed includes a query by a communication device of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

8. 2. The method of claim 1 , receiving the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path from a core network via the infrastructure device; method.

9. 2. The method of claim 1 , determining, if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device not send an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device; method.

10. 2. The method of claim 1 , If the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, sending an indication of the relay node of the second path to the infrastructure device. method.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, The transmitted indication of the relay node of the second path includes an indication that the relay node of the second path does not support the first wireless communication network. method.

12. 2. The method of claim 1 , determining, when the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device switches from the first path to a third path of communication with the infrastructure device; The third path includes a second relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, the second relay node supporting the first wireless communication network. method.

13. 2. The method of claim 1 , receiving an indication from the infrastructure device that the communication device will not switch from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method.

14. 2. The method of claim 1 , receiving an indication from the infrastructure device indicating that the communication device should perform a handover procedure from the infrastructure device to a second infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method.

15. 2. The method of claim 1 , The first path includes direct communication between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method.

16. 2. The method of claim 1 , the first path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; The first wireless communication network is supported by the relay node of the first path. method.

17. a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A communication device comprising:

18. 1. A circuit for a communications device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A circuit comprising:

19. 1. A method of operating an infrastructure device supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, comprising: transmitting signals to and / or receiving signals from the communication device via a first path of communication with the communication device, the transmitted and / or received signals being signals according to a first wireless communication network in the wireless communication networks; determining that a second path for communication with the communication device exists, the second path comprising a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; determining whether the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path based on an indication received from the relay node of the second path; If the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, the communication device determines that it can switch from the first path to the second path. method.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, transmitting to the communication device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, receiving from the communication device an indication of one or more measurements to be performed by the communication device on a reference signal received from the relay node of the second path; In response to the received indication of the one or more measurements performed, transmit the indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

22. 22. The method of claim 21, The received indication of the one or more measurements performed includes a query by the communication device of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. method.

23. 21. The method of claim 20, receiving from a core network an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; Transmitting the received indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path to the communication device. method.

24. 20. The method of claim 19, receiving an indication of the relay node of the second route from the communication device; method.

25. 25. The method of claim 24, The received indication of the relay node of the second path includes an indication that the relay node of the second path does not support the first wireless communication network. method.

26. 20. The method of claim 19, determining, when the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, that the communication device switches from the first path to a third path of communication with the infrastructure device; The third path includes a second relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device, the second relay node supporting the first wireless communication network. method.

27. 20. The method of claim 19, If the first wireless communication network is not among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path, sending an indication to the communication device indicating that the communication device will not switch from the first path to the second path. method.

28. 20. The method of claim 19, sending an indication to a communication device indicating that the communication device performs a handover procedure from the infrastructure device to a second infrastructure device if the first wireless communication network is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; method.

29. 20. The method of claim 19, The first path includes direct communication between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method.

30. 20. The method of claim 19, the first path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; The first wireless communication network is supported by a relay node of the first path. method.

31. 1. An infrastructure device supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from a communication device via a first path of communication with the communication device, the transmitted and / or received signals being signals according to a first wireless communication network in the wireless communication network; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that a second path of communication with the communication device exists; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; determining whether the first wireless communication network is among one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path based on an indication received from the relay node of the second path; determining that the communication device is capable of switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; A controller circuit configured as follows:

1. An infrastructure device comprising:

32. 1. A circuit for an infrastructure device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among a plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: determining that the communications device should switch from a first path of communications with the infrastructure device to a second path of communications with the infrastructure device; the second path includes a relay node for relaying signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device; receiving a signal including an indication of one or more wireless communication networks among the plurality of wireless communication networks supported by a relay node of the second path; determining, based on the received indication, whether a first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path; switching from the first path to the second path if the first wireless communication network is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay node of the second path. A controller circuit configured as follows: A circuit comprising:

33. 1. A method of operation of a relay device configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a Radio Access Network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks, the method comprising the steps of: the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. method.

34. 34. The method of claim 33, Transmitting a discovery signal to the communication device; The discovery signal includes an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device. method.

35. 35. The method of claim 34, The indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device is configured in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) container of the discovery signal. method.

36. 35. The method of claim 34, The one or more wireless communication networks indicated in the discovery signal as being supported by the relay device are only a subset of the wireless communication networks supported by the relay device. method.

37. 34. The method of claim 33, receiving a discovery message from the communication device; Transmitting the discovery message received from the communication device to the infrastructure device. method.

38. 38. The method of claim 37, The discovery message received from the communication device and transmitted to the infrastructure device includes an indication of the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected. method.

39. 39. The method of claim 38, determining whether the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected is among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; sending a discovery rejection message to the communication device if the wireless communication network to which the communication device is connected is not among the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; method.

40. A relay device, a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks; the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. Controller circuit and A relay device comprising:

41. A circuit for a repeater device, comprising: a transceiver circuit configured to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from one or more communication devices and to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from infrastructure equipment supporting a radio access network (RAN) shared among multiple wireless communication networks; the relay device supports one or more of the plurality of wireless communication networks; In cooperation with the transceiver circuitry: sending to the infrastructure device an indication of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device; determining, when the communication device is connected to one of the one or more wireless communication networks supported by the relay device, that the communication device switches from a first path of communication with the infrastructure device to a second path of communication with the infrastructure device; The second path includes the relay device, the relay device being configured to relay signals between the communication device and the infrastructure device. Controller circuit and A circuit comprising:

42. A communication device according to claim 17; An infrastructure device according to claim 31; A wireless communication system comprising:

43. 43. A wireless communication system according to claim 42, comprising: The relay device according to claim 40. The wireless communication system further comprises:

44. A computer program comprising instructions which, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to claim 1, claim 19 or claim 33.

45. 45. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program of claim 44.

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