Method and apparatus for communicating in an IAB network

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses for communicating in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) configures a cell of a first wireless network node for whether to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and performs an integration procedure with the first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node. At least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and after the integration procedure, the first wireless network node becomes a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to communications technologies, and more particularly to communicating in integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasting, and so on. Wireless communication systems may utilize multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of wireless communication systems may include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes also referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

[0003] To extend the coverage and availability of wireless communication systems (e.g., 5G systems), the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) envisions an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) architecture to support multi-hop relaying. In an IAB network, an IAB node may hop through one or more IAB nodes before reaching a base station (also called an “IAB donor” or “donor node”). A single hop may be considered a special case of multiple hops. Multi-hop backhaul is beneficial because it provides a wider coverage range compared to single-hop backhaul. Relatively high-frequency wireless communication systems (e.g., radio signals transmitted at frequencies above 6 GHz) may benefit from multi-hop backhaul techniques when signal coverage is relatively narrow or less. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The industry desires techniques to facilitate communication across the IAB network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first base station (BS). The first BS may include a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver. The processor may be configured to configure cells of the first wireless network node for whether to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and to perform an integration procedure with the first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node, wherein at least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and after the integration procedure, the first wireless network node is a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to receive, from a second BS, a first uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with a second distributed unit (DU) of a third wireless network node, the third wireless network node including the first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to transmit a handover request to the second BS for handing over at least one UE served by the first mobile wireless network node, wherein, for each of the at least one UE, the handover request indicates at least one of whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node, or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, wherein the handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is configured to receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, the response including at least one of a list of allowed UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority or a list of denied UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority.

[0010] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second BS. The second BS may include a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to receive, from the first BS, a first handover request for handing over at least one user equipment (UE) served by a first mobile wireless network node, where, for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request indicates at least one of whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node, or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, where the first handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node; and to send, to the first BS, a first response to the first handover request.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first response includes at least one of a list of allowed UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority or a list of denied UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to perform at least one of receiving, from a first BS, first information about whether a cell of the first wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the first wireless network node connects to the first BS; receiving, from the first BS, second information about whether a cell of a distributed unit (DU) of the first BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; transmitting, to the first BS, third information about whether a cell of a second wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the second wireless network node connects to the second BS; or transmitting, to the first BS, fourth information about whether a cell of a DU of the second BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the first BS, a second handover request for handing over the first mobile wireless network node; and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, the second response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the second handover request not supporting handover of the mobile wireless network node.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to perform at least one of receiving, from the first BS, first information regarding whether a cell of the first BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node, or transmitting, to the first BS, second information regarding whether a cell of the second BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the first BS, a second handover request for handing over the wireless network node from the first BS to a cell of a second BS, and to transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, the second response indicating a handover preparation failure due to the cell of the second BS belonging to the mobile wireless network node.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the first BS, an uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with a second distributed unit (DU) of the wireless network node, the wireless network node including the first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0018] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wireless network node that may include a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to: receive, from a first base station (BS), configuration information about whether a cell of the wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; and, in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, broadcast an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node within the cell.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to receive a measurement configuration from the first BS, the measurement configuration configuring measurements on a cell of the second BS that is not a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver is further configured to transmit a measurement report to the first BS, wherein all cells in the measurement report are not mobile wireless network node cells, or, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node further includes a first distributed unit (DU) having an F1 connection to a first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to a second BS, the first DU and the second DU being coupled to the processor. The transceiver is further configured to receive, from the first BS, uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configurations associated with the first DU and the second DU, wherein each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0022] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mobile wireless network node that may include a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor. The transceiver may be configured to receive, from a first base station (BS), a measurement configuration that configures measurements regarding a cell of a second BS that supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and to transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile wireless network node further includes a first distributed unit (DU) having a first F1 connection to a first BS. The mobile wireless network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile wireless network node and the second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. The first DU and the second DU are coupled to a processor. The mobile wireless network node may receive, from the first BS, uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configurations associated with the first DU and the second DU, where each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0024] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, implemented by a first BS, that may include configuring cells of the first wireless network node for whether to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and performing an integration procedure with the first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node, wherein at least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and wherein after the integration procedure, the first wireless network node becomes a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node.

[0025] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, implemented by a second BS, that may include receiving, from a first BS, a first handover request for handing over at least one UE served by a first mobile wireless network node, where, for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request indicates at least one of whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node, or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, where the first handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node; and transmitting, to the first BS, a first response to the first handover request.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method implemented by a wireless network node, which may include receiving, from a first base station (BS), configuration information about whether a cell of the wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, and, in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, broadcasting an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node within the cell.

[0027] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method implemented by a mobile wireless network node, which may include receiving, from a first base station (BS), a measurement configuration that configures measurements regarding a cell of a second BS that supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and transmitting a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration.

[0028] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, at least one receiving circuit, at least one transmitting circuit, and at least one processor coupled to the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, the at least one receiving circuit, and the at least one transmitting circuit, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-executable instructions may be configured to cause the apparatus, using the at least one processor, to perform a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide technical solutions to facilitate and improve the implementation of various communication technologies, such as 5G NR.

[0030] To explain the manner in which the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be obtained, the disclosure will be described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an example block diagram of a protocol stack for an IAB network, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an example block diagram of a protocol stack for an IAB network, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary configuration procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of an example handover procedure, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart of an example handover procedure, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart of an exemplary configuration procedure according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart of an example handover procedure, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart of an example procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart of an example procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart of an example procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart of an example procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12A] 1 is a flowchart of an example procedure for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as an illustration of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that the same or equivalent function may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to several embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G (NR), 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE) Release 8, etc. With the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, it is contemplated that all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems, and further, the terms described in the present disclosure may change, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0034] Compared with 4G communication systems, 5G communication systems impose stricter requirements on various network performance indicators, such as a 1000-fold increase in capacity, wider coverage requirements, extremely high reliability, and extremely low latency. Given the abundant frequency resources of high-frequency carriers, the deployment of high-frequency, small-sized stations in hotspot areas is becoming increasingly common to meet the demand for ultra-high capacity 5G. However, high-frequency carriers have poor propagation characteristics, large attenuation due to obstacles, and limited coverage. Therefore, dense deployment of small-sized stations is required. In addition, deploying optical fiber for these small-sized stations can be difficult and expensive. Therefore, an economical and convenient backhaul method is needed. Integrated access and backhaul (IAB) technology, in which both the access link and backhaul link use wireless transmission methods to avoid fiber deployment, offers an idea to solve the above problems.

[0035] In an IAB network, a wireless network node, such as a relay node (RN) or IAB node or wireless backhaul node / device, can provide wireless access service for a UE. For example, a UE can connect to an IAB donor relayed by one or more IAB nodes. The IAB donor may also be referred to as a donor node or donor base station (e.g., DgNB, Donor gNodeB). In addition, a wireless link between an IAB donor and an IAB node, or a wireless link between different IAB nodes, may be referred to as a "backhaul link." Wireless network nodes in an IAB network may be fixed or mobile. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to wireless network nodes regardless of whether they are fixed or mobile.

[0036] An IAB node may include an IAB Mobile Terminal (MT) portion and an IAB Distribution Unit (DU) portion. When an IAB node connects to its parent node (which may be another IAB node or an IAB donor), the IAB node may be considered to be in the role of a UE, i.e., an MT. When an IAB node provides services to its child node (which may be another IAB node or a UE), the IAB node may be considered to be in the role of a network device, i.e., a DU.

[0037] An IAB donor can be an access network element with complete base station functionality, or an access network element with separate centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs). The IAB donor can be connected to a core network (e.g., a 5G core (5GC) network) and provide wireless backhaul functionality to IAB nodes. The CU of an IAB donor may be referred to as an "IAB donor CU" (or simply as a "CU"), and the DU of an IAB donor may be referred to as an "IAB donor DU." The IAB donor CU may be divided into a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). For example, a CU may include one CU-CP and one or more CU-UPs.

[0038] Considering the limited coverage of high frequency bands and to ensure the coverage performance of the network, multi-hop networking may be adopted in the IAB network. Considering the requirements for service transmission reliability, to deal with abnormal situations that may occur on the backhaul (BH) link, such as radio link failure (RLF) or jamming, load fluctuation, etc., IAB nodes may support dual connectivity (DC) or multi-connectivity to improve transmission reliability.

[0039] If an IAB network supports multi-hop and dual connectivity networking, there may be multiple transmission paths between a UE and an IAB donor. A transmission path may include multiple nodes, such as a UE, one or more IAB nodes, and an IAB donor (if the IAB node is in the form of a separate CU and DU, it may also include an IAB donor DU and an IAB donor CU). Each IAB node may treat a neighboring node that provides backhaul services for it as a parent node (or parent IAB node), and each IAB node may be considered a child node (or child IAB node) of its parent node.

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] 1, wireless communications system 100 may include several base stations (e.g., IAB donor 110A and IAB donor 110B), several IAB nodes (e.g., IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C), and several UEs (e.g., UE 130A and UE 130B). Although a particular number of UEs, IAB nodes, and IAB donors are shown in FIG. 1, it is contemplated that any number of UEs, IAB nodes, and IAB donors may be included in wireless communications system 100.

[0042] Each of IAB donor 110A, IAB donor 110B, IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C may be directly connected to one or more IAB nodes according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Each of IAB donor 110A, IAB donor 110B, IAB node 120A, IAB node 120B, and IAB node 120C may be directly connected to one or more UEs according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] The UEs 130A and 130B may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. For example, the UEs 130A and 130B may include computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., televisions connected to the Internet), set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras), in-vehicle computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems). According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UEs 130A and 130B may include portable wireless communication devices, smartphones, mobile phones, flip phones, devices with subscriber identity modules, personal computers, selective call receivers, or any other devices capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals over a wireless network. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UEs 130A and 130B may include wearable devices such as smart watches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. Additionally, UE 130A and UE 130B may be referred to as subscriber units, mobiles, mobile stations, users, terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, fixed terminals, subscriber stations, user terminals, or devices, or may be described using other terms used in the art.

[0044] The IAB donors 110A and 110B may be in communication with a core network (not shown in FIG. 1). The core network (CN) may include multiple core network components, such as a mobility management entity (MME) (not shown in FIG. 1) or an access and mobility management function (AMF) (not shown in FIG. 1). The CN may serve as a gateway for UEs to access the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and / or other networks (not shown in FIG. 1).

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular network, a time division multiple access (TDMA)-based network, a code division multiple access (CDMA)-based network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based network, an LTE network, a 3GPP-based network, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform network, and / or other communication networks.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with the 3GPP protocol 5G NR. For example, the IAB donors 110A and 110B may transmit data on the DL using an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation scheme. The UEs 130A and 130B may transmit data on the UL using a Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or Cyclic Prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocol, such as WiMAX, among other protocols.

[0047] Those skilled in the art should understand that as technology develops and progresses, the terms described in the present disclosure may change, but should not affect or limit the principle and spirit of the present disclosure.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1, IAB node 120A may be directly connected to IAB donors 110A and 110B, and IAB node 120B may be directly connected to IAB donor 110A. IAB donors 110A and 110B are parent nodes of IAB node 120A, and IAB donor 110A is the parent node of IAB node 120B. In other words, IAB nodes 120A and 120B are child IAB nodes of IAB donor 110A, and IAB node 120B is also a child IAB node of IAB donor 110B. IAB node 120C can reach IAB donor 110A by hopping through IAB node 120B. IAB node 120B is the parent IAB node of IAB node 120C. In other words, IAB node 120C is a child IAB node of IAB node 120B.

[0049] In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, IAB node 110A may be connected to IAB node 120C, such that IAB donor 110A can be reached by hopping through IAB node 120C and IAB node 120B. This IAB node and IAB node 120C may be referred to as descendant IAB nodes of IAB node 120B.

[0050] UEs 130A and 130B may be connected to IAB nodes 120A and 120C, respectively. Accordingly, IAB nodes 120A and 120C may be referred to as access IAB nodes. Uplink (UL) packets (e.g., data or signaling) from UE 130A or UE 130B may be transmitted to an IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B) via one or more IAB nodes and then transmitted by the IAB donor to a mobile gateway device (such as a user plane function (UPF) in 5GC). Downlink (DL) packets (e.g., data or signaling) may be transmitted from the IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B) after being received by the gateway device and then transmitted to UE 130A or 130B through one or more IAB nodes.

[0051] 1, UE 130A may transmit UL data to IAB donor 110A or 110B or receive DL data from it via IAB node 120A. UE 130B may transmit UL data to IAB donor 110A or receive DL data from it via IAB node 120C and IAB node 120B.

[0052] In an IAB deployment such as wireless communication system 100, a wireless link between an IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B in FIG. 1) and an IAB node or a wireless link between two IAB nodes may be referred to as a backhaul link (BL). A wireless link between an IAB donor (e.g., IAB donor 110A or 110B in FIG. 1) and a UE or a wireless link between an IAB node and a UE may be referred to as an access link (AL). For example, in FIG. 1, wireless links 140A to 140D are BLs, and wireless links 150A and 150B are ALs.

[0053] A protocol layer located above the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) layer, is introduced in the IAB system and can be used to realize packet routing, bearer mapping, and flow control over the wireless backhaul link.

[0054] An F1 interface may be established between an IAB node (e.g., a DU portion of the IAB node) and an IAB donor (e.g., an IAB donor CU). The F1 interface may support both user plane protocols (e.g., F1-U) and control plane protocols (e.g., F1-C). The user plane protocols of the F1 interface may include one or more of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Internet Protocol (IP), and other protocols. The control plane protocols of the F1 interface may include one or more of F1 Application Protocol (F1AP), Stream Control Transport Protocol (SCTP), IP, and other protocols.

[0055] Through the control plane of the F1 interface, the IAB node and the IAB donor can perform, for example, interface management, IAB-DU management, and UE context-related configuration. Through the user plane of the F1 interface, the IAB node and the IAB donor can perform, for example, user plane data transmission and downlink transmission status feedback functions.

[0056] Figure 2 shows an example block diagram of a user plane (UP) protocol stack 200 for an IAB network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 shows an example block diagram of a control plane (CP) protocol stack 300 for an IAB network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figures 2 and 3, a UE may be connected to an IAB donor via IAB node 2 and IAB node 1. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE may be connected to an IAB donor via more or fewer IAB nodes.

[0057] Referring to Figure 2, the UP protocol stack of the UE may include a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The UP protocol stack of the DU of IAB node 2 may include a GTP-U layer, a UDP layer, an IP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The UP protocol stack of the MT of IAB node 2 or an MT of IAB node 1 may include a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The UP protocol stack of the DU of the IAB donor may include an IP layer, a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer, with the PHY layer belonging to Layer 1 (L1) and the BAP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer belonging to Layer 2 (L2). The protocol stack of IAB Donor CU-UP may include a GTP-U layer, a UDP layer, an IP layer, an SDAP layer, a PDCP layer, an L2 layer, and an L1 layer.

[0058] Referring to Figure 3, the CP protocol stack of the UE may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a physical (PHY) layer. The CP protocol stack of the DU of IAB node 2 may include an F1AP layer, an SCTP layer, an IP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The CP protocol stack of the MT of IAB node 2 or the DU or MT of IAB node 1 may include a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer. The CP protocol stack of the DU of the IAB donor may include an IP layer, a BAP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer, with the PHY layer belonging to L1 and the BAP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer belonging to L2. The protocol stack of the CU-CP of the IAB donor may include an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an F1AP layer, an SCTP layer, an IP layer, an L2 layer, and an L1 layer.

[0059] The protocol stacks shown in Figures 2 and 3 are for illustrative purposes only. For example, the order of some of the protocol layers in the protocol stacks of Figures 2 and 3 may be rearranged for illustrative purposes. For example, the SDAP and PDCP layers belong to L2, but they are shown in Figure 2 above the GTP-U, UDP, and IP layers in the protocol stack of IAB Donor CU-UP.

[0060] Signals between each node in the IAB network may include, for example, the following, which may be applicable to the present disclosure: - Between IAB Donor CU and IAB Donor DU: F1AP message Between an IAB donor CU and an IAB node: F1AP messages between the CU and IAB-DU or RRC messages between the CU and IAB-MT Between IAB donor CU and UE: RRC messages Between the access IAB node and the UE: L2 control PDUs such as MAC control elements (CEs) or RLC control PDUs - Between an IAB node and another child or parent IAB node: L2 control PDUs such as MAC CE, RLC control PDUs, or BAP control PDUs

[0061] As demand for improved cellular coverage and connectivity continues to grow, communications in outdoor and mobile situations may face additional challenges. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile wireless network node operating as a relay between a UE and a 3GPP communication network (e.g., 5G) may be utilized to facilitate communications in such situations. The mobile wireless network node may, for example, provide an access link to the UE and be wirelessly connected (e.g., using NR) to a core network through a BS (e.g., a donor next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN)). In some examples, such a mobile wireless network node may be referred to as a mobile base station relay or mobile relay. The above discussion regarding wireless network nodes and IAB nodes may apply to a mobile base station relay. That is, a mobile base station relay may be a mobile IAB node.

[0062] In some examples, a mobile base station relay may be mounted on a vehicle. The mobile base station relay may serve UEs located inside (mounted on) or outside (surrounding) the vehicle, or UEs entering or exiting the vehicle. In the context of this disclosure, inside or outside of a mobile base station relay may mean inside or outside of a vehicle or other device on which a mobile wireless network node is mounted.

[0063] In some examples, the radio links between the mobile base station relay and the served UE, and between the mobile base station relay and the BS, may be Uu links (e.g., NR-Uu), which are different from UE relays (e.g., which use PC5-based links to provide indirect connections to remote UEs). In some examples, there may be at least one hop between the UE and the mobile base station relay. In some examples, there may be at least one hop between the mobile base station relay and the BS.

[0064] The use of such mobile wireless network nodes is advantageous in various aspects and can be applied in various scenarios. For example, in some outdoor environments, the availability of vehicles equipped with mobile base station relays that either follow a known / predictable route (e.g., buses, trams, etc.) or are conveniently located (e.g., outdoor stadiums, hotspot areas, or emergency sites) allows for very agile augmentation of cellular coverage and capacity when or if needed. These relays can, for example, use 5G wireless backhaul to the larger network, thereby providing better coverage and connectivity to nearby UEs. Mobile relays are also well suited to improving connectivity for users or devices inside vehicles equipped with mobile relays in various environments, e.g., passengers in buses, cars / taxis, or trains, local / professional personnel, or equipment. Such mobile wireless network nodes can also be used to reach users or devices that would otherwise have no or very poor large-scale coverage, for example, when first responders are deployed in a building / area that is indoors, they use relays installed nearby or in vehicles outdoors to get the necessary coverage and connectivity.

[0065] Further technical advantages of using such mobile wireless network nodes may include, among other things, the ability to obtain better large-scale coverage than nearby UEs, e.g., utilizing better radio frequency, antenna, and power capabilities. Additionally, beyond the value to network operators and end users, other parties, e.g., vehicle manufacturers, and vehicle or fleet owners or providers, may find sufficient motivation to install and operate relays in their vehicles.

[0066] In the context of this disclosure, a wireless network node may refer to a fixed or mobile wireless network node.

[0067] Due to the mobility of wireless network nodes (e.g., IAB nodes), the wireless network nodes may need to transition (or handover) from one IAB donor to another IAB donor (i.e., inter-donor transition).

[0068] In some embodiments, an MT of a wireless network node may transition from an initial (source) IAB donor to a new (target) IAB donor. For example, an MT of a wireless network node may transition to a different parent node under a different CU of the IAB donor. For example, referring back to FIG. 1 , an MT of IAB node 120C or IAB node 120B may transition from IAB donor 110A to IAB donor 110B. In this scenario, the DU of the wireless network node and the DU of the descendant node of the wireless network node may retain an F1 connection with the source IAB donor (e.g., the CU of the source IAB donor). This transition may be referred to as an inter-donor partial transition. A wireless network node that performs an inter-donor partial transition may be referred to as a border wireless network node. After the inter-donor partial transition, F1 traffic of the DU of the wireless network node and the DU of the descendant node of the wireless network node may be routed, for example, through the BAP layer of the IAB topology to which the MT of the wireless network node has transitioned.

[0069] In some embodiments, a DU of a wireless network node may transition from an initial (source) IAB donor to a new (target) IAB donor. This transition may be referred to as an inter-donor IAB-DU transition. In some embodiments, to perform a handover of a UE served by a wireless network node (e.g., its DU), the wireless network node may simultaneously support two logical DUs (e.g., DU#1 and DU#2), which may have F1 AP associations with the source IAB donor (e.g., the CU of the source IAB donor) and the target IAB donor (e.g., the CU of the target IAB donor), respectively. A UE connected to the wireless network node may be handed over from the cell of DU#1 (i.e., the source DU of the wireless network node) to the cell of DU#2 (i.e., the target DU of the wireless network node). After the transition of the DU of the wireless network node, the F1 interface between DU#1 and the source IAB donor may be released.

[0070] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide strategies for facilitating integration and handover of mobile wireless network nodes. For example, it would be advantageous to know whether a cell supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, so that a mobile wireless network node does not access or be handed over to a cell that does not support the mobile wireless network node (e.g., an IAB donor or parent IAB node may not support the functionality and features associated with the mobile IAB node).

[0071] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a strategy for facilitating integration and handover of wireless network nodes. For example, because a mobile wireless network node cannot serve as a parent node of a wireless network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node should only serve UEs and should not have descendant IAB nodes), it would be advantageous for the wireless network node to be able to know whether a target cell associated with a handover is a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0072] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a strategy for UL BAP configuration when a wireless network node supports two DUs simultaneously to conform to the BAP behavior.

[0073] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a strategy for facilitating handover of a UE served by a mobile wireless network node. For example, a target cell associated with a handover may operate differently for a UE served by a mobile wireless network node that has a different location relationship with respect to the mobile wireless network node (e.g., with respect to a vehicle on which the mobile wireless network node is mounted). Moreover, admission control may be performed in the target cell. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide assistance information for facilitating handover of a UE served by a mobile wireless network node.

[0074] Further details about embodiments of the present disclosure are provided in the following text in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0075] Although embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed based on a particular component (e.g., an IAB donor or a mobile IAB node) under a particular network architecture (e.g., an IAB architecture), it should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other similar network architectures and new service scenarios.

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, to facilitate integration of mobile wireless network nodes, a BS may indicate whether a cell of the BS supports access from a mobile wireless network node so that the mobile wireless network node can access the mobile wireless network node-capable cell or BS. In the context of the present disclosure, a cell of a BS may refer to a cell of a DU of the BS (e.g., a DU of an IAB donor) or a cell of a descendant wireless network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of a DU of an IAB node served by the BS).

[0077] Similarly, to facilitate handover of the mobile wireless network node, the BS may indicate whether the BS's cell supports handover of the mobile wireless network node so that handover of the mobile wireless network node may be performed with respect to the mobile wireless network node capable cell / BS.

[0078] In some embodiments, whether a cell supports access from a mobile wireless network node may be decoupled from whether the cell supports handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) access from a mobile wireless network node may not necessarily mean supporting (or not supporting) handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) handover of a mobile wireless network node may not necessarily mean supporting (or not supporting) access from a mobile wireless network node. For example, independent indications may be utilized to indicate whether a cell supports access from a mobile wireless network node and whether the cell supports handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0079] In some embodiments, whether a cell supports access from a mobile wireless network node may be coordinated with whether the cell supports handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, supporting (or not supporting) access from a mobile wireless network node may mean supporting (or not supporting) both access from a mobile wireless network node and handover thereof. For example, supporting (or not supporting) handover of a mobile wireless network node may mean supporting (or not supporting) both access from a mobile wireless network node and handover thereof. For example, a single indication may be utilized to indicate whether a cell supports access from a mobile wireless network node and handover thereof.

[0080] For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary configuration procedure 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0081] The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. For example, the BS 410 may function as an IAB donor as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. The wireless network node 420A may function as an IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, the wireless network node 420A is a stationary (fixed) wireless network node. The mobile wireless network node 420B may function as a mobile IAB node as described above.

[0082] The wireless network node 420A (e.g., a DU of the wireless network node 420A) may have an F1 connection with a BS 410 (e.g., a CU of the BS 410). The BSs 410 may each be referred to as an F1-terminating BS of the wireless network node 420A. In some examples, the BSs 410 may be an F1-terminating BS of the wireless network node 420A (e.g., the CU of the BS 410 is an F1-terminating CU) in the case of partial migration of the wireless network node 420A. In some examples, the MT of the wireless network node 420A may have an RRC connection with the BS 410 (e.g., a CU of the BS 410). That is, the F1-terminating BS and the RRC-terminating BS of the wireless network node 420A are the same BS.

[0083] In operation 411, the BS 410 (e.g., a CU of the BS 410) may configure cells of a wireless network node (e.g., wireless network node 420A) for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the BS 410 (e.g., a CU of the BS 410) may configure each cell of the wireless network node 420A via F1AP signaling for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0084] In some embodiments, the BS 410 may include a CU and a DU coupled to the CU. For example, the BS 410 may be an IAB donor. In some embodiments, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) may configure the cells of the DUs of the BS 410 for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) may configure each cell of the DUs of the BS 410 via F1AP signaling for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0085] In the above embodiment, F1AP signaling such as "GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE", "GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE", or "F1 SETUP RESPONSE" may be utilized.

[0086] In some embodiments, the above configuration process may be performed at a per-node (e.g., DU) granularity. All cells in a wireless network node (e.g., wireless network node 420A), DUs of the wireless network node, or DUs of a BS (e.g., DUs of an IAB donor) may share the same configuration for mobile wireless network node access / handover control. For example, all cells of wireless network node 420A may share the same configuration for mobile wireless network node access / handover control. For example, all cells of wireless network node 420A may allow access from or handover of mobile wireless network nodes, or none of the cells of wireless network node 420A may allow access from or handover of mobile wireless network nodes.

[0087] In some embodiments, the above configuration process may be performed at a cell-by-cell granularity. For example, a wireless network node, a DU of a wireless network node, or a DU of a BS may include one or more cells, each of which may have an independent configuration for mobile wireless network node access / handover control. For example, assuming wireless network node 420A includes cell #1 and cell #2, cell #1 may be configured to allow access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and cell #2 may be configured to prohibit access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node.

[0088] Various schemes may be utilized to implement configuration for mobile wireless network node access / handover control. In some embodiments, the BS 410 may explicitly indicate whether access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node is allowed (e.g., not prohibited or prohibited). In some embodiments, not allowing access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node is the default configuration. The BS 410 may perform the above configuration process to indicate to a cell or a node that it supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. In some embodiments, allowing access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node is the default configuration. The BS 410 may perform the above configuration process to indicate to a cell or a node that it does not support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0089] In some embodiments, the BS 410 may support functionality related to a mobile wireless network node. In some embodiments, at least one cell of the wireless network node 420A may be configured to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For cells configured to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, in operation 413, the cell of the wireless network node 420A may broadcast an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, this indication may be a supporting mobile-IAB indication or a mobile-IAB-supported indication. For example, this indication may be included in system information, such as system information block 1 (SIB1).

[0090] In some embodiments, at least one cell of a DU of BS 410 may be configured to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. Similarly, at least one cell of a DU of BS 410 may broadcast an indication, for example in SIB1, that it supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0091] In some embodiments, whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node may be pre-configured by an Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) entity, and the BS may reconfigure it via F1AP signaling.

[0092] In some embodiments, the mobile wireless network node may perform an integration procedure with the BS 410 (e.g., the CU of the BS 410) and select the wireless network node 420A or the DU of the BS 410 as the parent node based on the broadcasted indication as described above.

[0093] For example, in operation 415, mobile wireless network node 420B may perform an integration procedure with BS 410 (e.g., a CU of BS 410) via wireless network node 420A. In some embodiments, the integration procedure may include a mobile wireless network node 420B MT setup procedure and a mobile wireless network node 420B DU setup procedure, in which the mobile wireless network node 420B MT sets up an RRC connection with BS 410 (e.g., a CU of BS 410) and the mobile wireless network node 420B DU sets up an F1 connection with BS 410 (e.g., a CU of BS 410), respectively. In some embodiments, the integration procedure may include establishment of a BH RLC channel and routing updates between mobile wireless network node 420B and BS 410 (e.g., a CU of BS 410). After the integration procedure, wireless network node 420A becomes the parent node of mobile wireless network node 420B.

[0094] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 400 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 400 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0095] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example handover procedure 500 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0096] The details described in all of the above embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 5. For example, BSs 510A and 510B may function as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. Mobile wireless network node 520 may function as a mobile IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, BS 510A and mobile wireless network node 520 may function as BS 410 and mobile wireless network node 420B of Figure 4.

[0097] The handover procedure 500 may be performed to facilitate a handover of a mobile wireless network node (e.g., mobile wireless network node 520) from a source BS (e.g., BS 510A) to a target BS (e.g., BS 510B). For example, an MT of the mobile wireless network node 520 may be handed over from a CU of BS 510A to a CU of BS 510B.

[0098] In operation 511 (optionally represented by a dotted block), BS510A and BS510B may exchange information about whether the cells of BS510A, BS510B, or both, support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0099] For example, BS510A may transmit to BS510B information about whether a cell of BS510A supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, BS510B may transmit to BS510A information about whether a cell of BS510B supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. A cell of a BS (e.g., BS510A or BS510B) may refer to a cell of a DU of the BS or a cell of a descendant wireless network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of a DU of a wireless network node served by the BS). For example, BS510A may transmit to BS510B information (denoted as information #1) about whether a cell of a wireless network node served by BS510A (not shown in FIG. 5) supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, BS510A may transmit to BS510B information (denoted as information #2) about whether a cell of a DU of BS510A supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, BS510B may transmit to BS510A information (denoted as information #3) about whether a cell of a wireless network node (not shown in FIG. 5) served by BS510B supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, BS510B may transmit to BS510A information (denoted as information #4) about whether a cell of a DU of BS510B supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0100] In some embodiments, the above information (eg, any of information #1 to information #4) may be included in a "Served Cell Information" information element (IE) or a "Neighbor Information" IE of the XnAP signaling.

[0101] At operation 513, BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A) may transmit a measurement configuration to mobile wireless network node 520. At operation 517, mobile wireless network node 520 may transmit a measurement report to BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A). At operation 519, BS 510A (e.g., the CU of BS 510A) may decide to hand over mobile wireless network node 520 (e.g., the MT of mobile wireless network node 520) to a target cell based on the measurement report. For example, at operation 521, a handover preparation procedure for mobile wireless network node 520 may be performed between BS 510A and BS 510B. For example, BS510A (e.g., the CU of BS510A) may send a handover request to BS510B (e.g., the CU of BS510B) to hand over the mobile wireless network node 520, and BS510B (e.g., the CU of BS510B) may send a response to the handover request (e.g., positive feedback such as a handover request acknowledgement message or negative feedback such as a handover preparation failed message) to BS510A.

[0102] In some embodiments, operation 511 may be performed and the measurement configuration in operation 513 may be based on information #3, information #4, or both. For example, the measurement configuration may configure measurements for cells of BS 510B that support access or handover from the mobile wireless network node (e.g., cells of wireless network nodes served by BS 510B or cells of DUs of BS 510B). That is, BS 510A may configure measurements to mobile wireless network node 520 only for cells of neighboring BSs (e.g., BS 510B) that allow access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node.

[0103] In some embodiments, the mobile wireless network node 520 (e.g., an MT of the mobile wireless network node 520) may receive and decode system information (e.g., SIB1) of a neighboring cell (e.g., the cell of BS 510B). In some embodiments, the system information may include an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node in the neighboring cell. The measurement report in operation 517 may be based on such an indication. In these embodiments, operation 511 may or may not be performed. In some embodiments, all cells in the measurement report may support handover of a mobile wireless network node. That is, the mobile wireless network node 520 may transmit measurement reports only associated with cells that allow handover of a mobile wireless network node to BS 510A. In some embodiments, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report may include an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0104] In some embodiments, in operation 521, BS 510A may receive a handover preparation failure message from BS 510B. This may be caused by a target cell of the handover request that does not support handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, when operation 511 is not performed, BS 510A may not obtain information #3 or information #4 and may select a target cell that does not support handover of the mobile wireless network node for handing over mobile wireless network node 520. BS 510B may reject the handover and respond with a handover preparation failure, which may indicate a cause value of a target cell of the handover request that does not support handover of the mobile wireless network node.

[0105] In some embodiments, BS 510B may accept the handover and may send a handover request acknowledgement message to BS 510A in operation 512. In response to receiving the handover request acknowledgement message, BS 510A may send a handover command to mobile wireless network node 520 in operation 523 to hand over mobile wireless network node 520 to BS 510B (e.g., a target cell of BS 510B, which may be a cell of a wireless network node served by BS 510B or a cell of a DU of BS 510B).

[0106] In operation 527, mobile wireless network node 520 may be handed over from BS 510A to BS 510B. In some examples, the target cell of the handover is a cell of a wireless network node served by BS 510B. After the handover is complete, this wireless network node becomes the parent node of mobile wireless network node 520.

[0107] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 500 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 500 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0108] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, to facilitate handover of a wireless network node, a BS may indicate whether a cell of the BS supports handover of the wireless network node such that handover of the wireless network node may be performed with respect to the wireless network node-capable cell / BS, e.g., the wireless network node should not be handed over to a mobile wireless network node.

[0109] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example handover procedure 600 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 6. For example, BSs 610A and 610B may function as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. Wireless network node 620 may function as an IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. In some embodiments, wireless network node 620 is a stationary (fixed) wireless network node.

[0111] The handover procedure 600 may be performed to facilitate a handover of a wireless network node (e.g., wireless network node 620) from a source BS (e.g., BS 610A) to a target BS (e.g., BS 610B). For example, an MT of the wireless network node 620 may be handed over from a CU of BS 610A to a CU of BS 610B.

[0112] In operation 611 (optionally represented by a dotted block), BS610A and BS610B may exchange information about whether the cell of BS610A, BS610B, or both, is a cell of a mobile wireless network node. In other words, BS610A and BS610B may exchange information about whether the cell of BS610A, BS610B, or both, belongs to a mobile wireless network node.

[0113] For example, BS610A may transmit to BS610B information (denoted as information #5) about whether the cell of BS610A is a cell of a mobile wireless network node. For example, BS610B may transmit to BS610A information (denoted as information #6) about whether the cell of BS610B is a cell of a mobile wireless network node. For example, because a cell of a BS (e.g., BS610A or BS610B) may refer to a cell of a descendant wireless network node of the BS (e.g., a cell of a DU of a wireless network node served by the BS), a descendant wireless network node served by a BS may be a mobile wireless network node, which should not have descendant wireless network nodes.

[0114] In some embodiments, the above information (eg, information #5, information #6, or both) may be included in the "Served Cell Information" IE or the "Neighbor Information" IE of the XnAP signaling.

[0115] At operation 613, BS 610A (e.g., a CU of BS 610A) may transmit a measurement configuration to wireless network node 620. At operation 617, wireless network node 620 may transmit a measurement report to BS 610A (e.g., a CU of BS 610A). At operation 619, BS 610A (e.g., a CU of BS 610A) may decide to hand over wireless network node 620 (e.g., an MT of wireless network node 620) to a target cell based on the measurement report. For example, at operation 621, a handover preparation procedure for wireless network node 620 may be performed between BS 610A and BS 610B. For example, BS610A (e.g., the CU of BS610A) may send a handover request to BS610B (e.g., the CU of BS610B) to hand over the wireless network node 620, and BS610B (e.g., the CU of BS610B) may send a response to the handover request (e.g., positive feedback such as a handover request acknowledgement message or negative feedback such as a handover preparation failed message) to BS610A.

[0116] In some embodiments, operation 611 may be performed and the measurement configuration in operation 613 may be based on information #6. For example, the measurement configuration may configure measurements with respect to cells of BS 610B (e.g., cells of wireless network nodes served by BS 610B or cells of DUs of BS 610B) that are not cells of the mobile wireless network node. That is, BS 610A may configure measurements to wireless network node 620 only with respect to cells of neighboring BSs (e.g., BS 610B) that do not belong to the mobile wireless network node.

[0117] In some embodiments, the wireless network node 620 (e.g., the MT of the mobile wireless network node 620) may receive and decode system information (e.g., SIB1) of a neighboring cell (e.g., the cell of BS 610B). In some embodiments, the system information may include an indication of whether the neighboring cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node. The measurement report in operation 617 may be based on such an indication. In these embodiments, operation 611 may or may not be performed. In some embodiments, not all cells in the measurement report are cells of the mobile wireless network node. That is, the wireless network node 620 may send to BS 610A only measurement reports related to cells that do not belong to the mobile wireless network node. In some embodiments, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report may include an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node.

[0118] In some embodiments, in operation 621, BS 610A may receive a handover preparation failure message from BS 610B. This may be caused by a target cell of the handover request belonging to a mobile wireless network node. For example, when operation 611 is not performed, BS 610A may not obtain information #6 and may select a target cell belonging to a mobile wireless network node for handing over wireless network node 620. BS 610B may reject the handover and respond with a handover preparation failure, which may indicate a cause value of the target cell of the handover request belonging to the mobile wireless network node.

[0119] In some embodiments, BS 610B may accept the handover and may send a handover request acknowledgement message to BS 610A in operation 621. In response to receiving the handover request acknowledgement message, BS 610A may send a handover command to wireless network node 620 in operation 623 to hand over wireless network node 620 to BS 610B (e.g., a target cell of BS 610B, which may be a cell of a (fixed) wireless network node served by BS 610B or a cell of a DU of BS 610B).

[0120] In operation 627, wireless network node 620 may be handed over from BS 610A to BS 610B. In some examples, the target cell of the handover is a cell of a fixed wireless network node served by BS 610B. After completing the handover, the fixed wireless network node becomes the parent node of wireless network node 620.

[0121] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 600 may be changed, and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 600 may be deleted or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0122] As mentioned above, in some scenarios, a wireless network node (fixed or mobile) may include two DUs with F1AP associations with different BSs. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for UL BAP configuration to allow such wireless network nodes to conform to BAP behavior.

[0123] For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary configuration procedure 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0124] The details described in all of the above embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 7. For example, BSs 710A and 710B may function as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU. Wireless network node 720 may function as an IAB node as described above and may include an MT and a DU. Wireless network node 720 may be a fixed or mobile wireless network node.

[0125] The wireless network node 720 may include two DUs (denoted as DU#A and DU#B), where DU#A may have an F1 connection to BS710A (i.e., the source F1 terminating BS) and DU#B may have an F1 connection to BS710B (i.e., the target F1 terminating BS). The MTs of the wireless network node 720 may have an RRC connection to BS710A, BS710B, or another BS (not shown in FIG. 7).

[0126] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a source F1 terminating BS (e.g., a CU of the BS) configures an UL BAP configuration of a wireless network node (e.g., an MT of the wireless network node). For example, BS 710A (e.g., a CU of BS 710A) configures an UL BAP configuration associated with DU #A and an UL BAP configuration associated with DU #B for the wireless network node 720. Because these two DUs are connected to different BSs (e.g., BS 710A and BS 710B), coordination between the BSs may be required.

[0127] For example, in operation 711, BS 710A (e.g., a CU of BS 710A that is a source F1-terminated CU) may receive from BS 710B (e.g., a CU of BS 710B that is a target F1-terminated CU) a UL BAP configuration (denoted as configuration #B) associated with DU #B of wireless network node 720. Configuration #B may be applied to UL traffic of DU #B and UEs served by DU #B.

[0128] In some embodiments, configuration #B may include a traffic type designator, which may be indicated by a "UL UP transport network layer (TNL) Information" IE for F1-U packets and a "Non-UP Traffic Type" IE for non-F1-U packets, and a BAP routing ID for the traffic type designator. In some embodiments, configuration #B may be based on UL traffic information transmitted from BS 710A to BS 710B.

[0129] In operation 713, BS 710A (e.g., a CU of BS 710A) may transmit a UL BAP configuration (denoted as configuration #A) to the wireless network node 720. Configuration #A may be associated with DU #A and DU #B of the wireless network node 720. For example, configuration #A may include an entry related to DU #B, which may be based on configuration #B received in operation 711. For example, configuration #A may include an entry related to DU #A, which may be generated by BS 710A (e.g., a CU of BS 710A).

[0130] In some embodiments, each entry in configuration #A may include a traffic type specifier, which may be indicated by a "ULUP TNL Information" IE for F1-U packets and a "Non-UP Traffic Type" IE for non-F1-U packets, and a BAP routing ID for the traffic type specifier.

[0131] In some embodiments, each entry in Configuration #A may indicate whether the corresponding entry applies to DU #A or DU #B (or whether it applies to BS 710A or BS 710B). Such an indication may help the wireless network node 720 distinguish between a configuration from a source F1-terminating CU (e.g., a CU at BS 710A) and a configuration from a target F1-terminating CU (e.g., a CU at BS 710B). In some embodiments, the topology indicator (e.g., a “Non-F1-terminating IAB-donor Topology Indicator” IE) for each entry may be reused to distinguish between source F1-terminating CUs and target F1-terminating CUs.

[0132] In operation 719, the wireless network node 720 may perform BAP mapping based on configuration #A. For example, based on a traffic type designator in the header of the UL traffic, the BAP entity of the wireless network node 720 may select a corresponding BAP routing ID (e.g., a BAP address and BAP path identification information) for the UL traffic and include the selected BAP routing ID in the BAP header.

[0133] For example, for a BAP service data unit (SDU) received from a higher layer of the wireless network node 720 and to be transmitted in the upstream direction, the BAP entity of the wireless network node 720 may: - for a BAP SDU encapsulating an F1-U packet, select an entry from configuration #A with a traffic type designator corresponding to the destination IP address and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) of this BAP SDU; - for a BAP SDU encapsulating a non-F1-U packet, select an entry from configuration #A with a traffic type designator that corresponds to the traffic type of this BAP SDU; - Select the BAP address and BAP route identification information from the BAP routing ID in the entry selected above.

[0134] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 700 may be changed, and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 700 may be deleted or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0135] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a mobile wireless network node transition scenario, a UE served by the mobile wireless network node may need to be handed over from a source BS to a target BS of the wireless network node. Figure 8 shows a flowchart of an example handover procedure 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0136] The details described in all of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 8. For example, BSs 810A and 810B may function as IAB donors as described above and may include a CU and at least one DU.

[0137] 8, a mobile wireless network node (not shown) may transition from BS 810A (i.e., source BS) to BS 810B (i.e., target BS). The mobile wireless network node may serve one or more UEs, which may be in or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the mobile wireless network node. One or more UEs may also be handed over from BS 810A to BS 810B.

[0138] For example, in operation 811, BS810A (e.g., the CU of BS810A) may send a handover request to BS810B (e.g., the CU of BS810B) to hand over at least one UE served by the mobile wireless network node. In some embodiments, the handover request may be for an individual UE. For example, for each of one or more UEs served by the mobile wireless network node, BS810A may send a corresponding handover request to BS810B. In some embodiments, the handover request may be for all UEs served by the mobile wireless network node (e.g., all UEs in an RRC connected state), which is hereinafter referred to as "group mobility."

[0139] In some embodiments, the handover request may include onboard or surrounding information of the UE to be handed over. For example, for each of the at least one UE, the handover request may indicate whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with a mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with a mobile wireless network node.

[0140] In some embodiments, for each of the at least one UE, the handover request may indicate a handover priority for the corresponding UE. The handover priority may be used in case of group mobility (i.e., when handing over all connected UEs served by a mobile wireless network node in a single handover request). The handover priority may be used by the BS 810B for admission control, for example, in case of overload.

[0141] In operation 813, BS810B (e.g., a CU of BS810B) may send a response to the handover request (e.g., positive feedback such as a handover request acknowledgement message or negative feedback such as a handover preparation failed message) to BS810A.

[0142] In some embodiments, based on the onboard information or surrounding information in the handover request, BS810B (e.g., the CU of BS810B) may feedback with a different RRC reconfiguration. For example, there may be some optimization for in-cabin UEs compared to surrounding UEs, and some configuration (e.g., random access channel (RACH) configuration) for in-cabin UEs may be omitted.

[0143] In some embodiments, onboard information or surrounding information may be used for admission control, for example in the case of group mobility. In some embodiments, handover priority may be used for admission control, for example in the case of group mobility.

[0144] For example, in the case of group mobility, an overload may occur at BS 810B. In some embodiments, BS 810B may give priority to admitting UEs that are in a vehicle or have a higher priority among the UEs to be handed over. In some embodiments, the response to the handover request in operation 813 (e.g., a handover request acknowledgement message) may include at least one of a list of allowed UEs among the at least one UE to be handed over based on onboard or surrounding information, handover priority, or both, or a list of denied UEs among the at least one UE to be handed over based on onboard or surrounding information, handover priority, or both.

[0145] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 800 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 800 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0146] 9 shows a flowchart of an example procedure 900 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 9. The example procedure 900 may be performed by a BS (e.g., an IAB donor).

[0147] 9, in operation 911, a first BS may configure a cell of the first wireless network node for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. In some examples, the first BS may be an IAB donor, and the first wireless network node may be an IAB node. In some examples, the first wireless network node may be a fixed wireless network node. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 4 (e.g., operation 411) may apply here.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may include a CU and a DU coupled to the CU. The CU of the first BS may configure the cell of the DU of the first BS for whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

[0149] In operation 913, the first BS may perform an integration procedure with the first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node, where at least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, and after the integration procedure, the first wireless network node becomes a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node. In some examples, the first mobile wireless network node may be a mobile IAB node. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 4 (e.g., operation 415) may apply here.

[0150] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may perform at least one of: transmitting, to a second BS, first information regarding whether a cell of the first wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; transmitting, to the second BS, second information regarding whether a cell of a DU supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; receiving, from the second BS, third information regarding whether a cell of the second wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the second wireless network node connects to the second BS; or receiving, from the second BS, fourth information regarding whether a cell of a DU of the second BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 511) may apply here.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a cell of a BS (e.g., a first or second BS) may refer to a cell of a wireless network node served by (or connected to) the BS or a cell of a DU of the BS. For example, a cell of a first wireless network node and a cell of a DU of the first BS are cells of the first BS. For example, a cell of a second wireless network node and a cell of a DU of the second BS are cells of the second BS.

[0152] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit to the first mobile wireless network node a measurement configuration that configures measurements for a cell of the second BS that supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, the measurement configuration being based on the third information, the fourth information, or both. For example, the description regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 513) may apply here.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a measurement report from the first mobile wireless network node, where all cells in the measurement report support handover of the mobile wireless network node, or, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 517) may apply here.

[0154] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may transmit a handover request to a second BS to hand over a first mobile wireless network node. The first BS may receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, the response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the handover request not supporting handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 521) may apply here.

[0155] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may perform at least one of: transmitting, to a second BS, first information about whether a cell of the first BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node; or receiving, from the second BS, second information about whether a cell of the second BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node. A cell being a cell of a mobile wireless network node may mean that the cell belongs to the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 611) may apply here.

[0156] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit to the second wireless network node a measurement configuration that configures measurements regarding a cell of the second BS that is not a cell of the mobile wireless network node, the measurement configuration being based on the second information. The second wireless network node may or may not be the first wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 613) may apply here.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a measurement report from the second wireless network node, where all cells in the measurement report are not cells of the mobile wireless network node, or, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 617) may apply here.

[0158] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may send a handover request to a second BS to hand over a second wireless network node and receive a response to the handover request from the second BS, the response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the handover request belonging to a mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 621) may apply here.

[0159] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may receive from a second BS a first UL BAP configuration associated with a second DU of a third wireless network node, the third wireless network node including the first DU with an F1 connection to the first BS and the second DU with an F1 connection to the second BS. For example, the description regarding FIG. 7 (e.g., operation 711) may apply here.

[0160] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS.

[0161] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may transmit a second UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU to a third wireless network node, where each entry in the second UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU (or whether it applies to the first BS or the second BS). For example, the description regarding FIG. 7 (e.g., operation 713) may apply here.

[0162] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first BS may transmit a handover request to a second BS to hand over at least one UE served by a first mobile wireless network node. For each of the at least one UE, the handover request indicates at least one of whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node, or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, where the handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 8 (e.g., operation 811) may apply here.

[0163] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first BS may receive a response to the handover request from the second BS. The response includes at least one of a list of allowed UEs of the at least one UE based on handover priority or a list of denied UEs of the at least one UE based on handover priority. For example, the description regarding FIG. 8 (e.g., operation 813) may apply here.

[0164] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 900 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 900 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0165] 10 shows a flowchart of an example procedure 1000 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 10. The example procedure 1000 may be performed by a BS (e.g., an IAB donor).

[0166] 10, in operation 1011, the second BS may receive from the first BS a first handover request for handing over at least one UE served by the first mobile wireless network node. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request may indicate at least one of whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node or surrounding a vehicle equipped with the first mobile wireless network node, or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, where the first handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 8 (e.g., operation 811) may apply here.

[0167] In operation 1013, the second BS may send to the first BS a first response to the first handover request. For example, the description regarding FIG. 8 (e.g., operation 813) may apply here.

[0168] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first response may include at least one of a list of allowed UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority or a list of denied UEs of the at least one UE based on the handover priority.

[0169] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may perform at least one of receiving from the first BS first information about whether a cell of the first wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the first wireless network node connects to the first BS; receiving from the first BS second information about whether a cell of a DU of the first BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; transmitting to the first BS third information about whether a cell of the second wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the second wireless network node connects to the second BS; or transmitting to the first BS fourth information about whether a cell of a DU of the second BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 511) may apply here.

[0170] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may receive from the first BS a second handover request for handing over the first mobile wireless network node, and transmit to the first BS a second response to the second handover request, the second response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the second handover request not supporting handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 521) may apply here.

[0171] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may perform at least one of receiving, from the first BS, first information regarding whether a cell of the first BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node, or transmitting, to the first BS, second information regarding whether a cell of the second BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 611) may apply here.

[0172] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may receive, from the first BS, a second handover request for handing over the wireless network node from the first BS to a cell of the second BS, and transmit, to the first BS, a second response to the second handover request, the second response indicating a handover preparation failure due to the cell of the second BS belonging to the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 621) may apply here.

[0173] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second BS may transmit to the first BS an UL BAP configuration associated with a second DU of a wireless network node, the wireless network node including the first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and the second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UL BAP configuration is based on UL traffic information transmitted from the first BS to the second BS. For example, the description regarding FIG. 7 (e.g., operation 711) may apply here.

[0174] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1000 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1000 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0175] Figure 11 shows a flowchart of an example procedure 1100 for wireless communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 11. The example procedure 1100 may be performed by a wireless network node (e.g., an IAB node), which may be fixed or mobile.

[0176] 11 , in operation 1111, the wireless network node may receive configuration information from the first BS regarding whether the wireless network node's cell supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description regarding FIG. 4 (e.g., operation 411) may apply here.

[0177] In operation 1113, the wireless network node may broadcast an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node in the cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 4 (e.g., operation 413) may apply here.

[0178] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a wireless network node may receive a measurement configuration from a first BS that configures measurements for a cell of a second BS that is not a cell of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 613) may apply here.

[0179] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS, where all cells in the measurement report are not cells of the mobile wireless network node, or, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 6 (e.g., operation 617) may apply here.

[0180] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a wireless network node includes a first DU having an F1 connection to a first BS and a second DU having an F1 connection to a second BS. The wireless network node may receive an UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU from the first BS, where each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU. For example, the description regarding FIG. 7 (e.g., operation 713) may apply here.

[0181] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be changed and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1100 may be deleted or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0182] Figure 12 shows a flowchart of an example procedure 1200 for wireless communication in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in Figure 12. The example procedure 1200 may be performed by a mobile wireless network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node).

[0183] 12, in operation 1211, the mobile wireless network node may receive from a first BS a measurement configuration that configures measurements for a cell of a second BS that supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node. For example, the description of FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 513) may apply here.

[0184] In operation 1213, the mobile wireless network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration. For example, the description regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 517) may apply here.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile wireless network node may include a first DU having a first F1 connection to a first BS. The mobile wireless network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile wireless network node and the second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 7 may apply here. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile wireless network node may receive, from the first BS, an UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU, where each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0186] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1200 may be changed, and that some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1200 may be deleted or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0187] 12A shows a flowchart of an example procedure 1200A for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 12A. The example procedure 1200A may be performed by a mobile wireless network node (e.g., a mobile IAB node).

[0188] 12A, in operation 1221, the mobile wireless network node may receive a measurement configuration from a first BS to configure measurements on a cell of a second BS. For example, the description regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 513) may apply here.

[0189] At operation 1223, the mobile wireless network node may transmit a measurement report to the first BS based on the measurement configuration. For example, the discussion regarding FIG. 5 (e.g., operation 517) may apply here. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, all cells in the measurement report support handover of the mobile wireless network node, or for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report includes an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of the mobile wireless network node.

[0190] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a mobile wireless network node may include a first DU having a first F1 connection to a first BS. The mobile wireless network node may establish a second F1 connection between a second DU of the mobile wireless network node and the second BS while maintaining the first F1 connection. For example, the description with respect to FIG. 7 may apply here. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mobile wireless network node may receive, from the first BS, an UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU, where each entry in the UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

[0191] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the order of operations in the exemplary procedure 1200A may be changed, and some of the operations in the exemplary procedure 1200A may be deleted or modified, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0192] FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of an example apparatus 1300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0193] 13, the apparatus 1300 may include at least one processor 1306 and at least one transceiver 1302 coupled to the processor 1306. The apparatus 1300 may be a wireless network node (e.g., an IAB node), a BS (e.g., an IAB donor, an IAB donor CU, or an IAB donor DU), a DU of the BS, or a CU of the BS. If the apparatus 1300 is a BS, the apparatus 1300 may further include a CU and at least one DU coupled to the CU. The CU and DU may be in the same location or in different locations. The CU and DU may be coupled to the processor 1306. If the apparatus 1300 is a wireless network node (fixed or mobile), the apparatus 1300 may further include a MT and a DU coupled to the MT. The MT and DU may be coupled to the processor 1306.

[0194] In this figure, elements such as at least one transceiver 1302 and processor 1306 are described in the singular, but the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1302 may be separated into two devices, such as a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1300 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0195] In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1300 may be a BS. The processor 1306 may interact with other elements of the apparatus 1300 (e.g., the transceiver 1302, the DU, or the CU) to perform operations related to the BS, IAB donor, IAB donor CU, or IAB donor DU described in Figures 1 through 12A. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1300 may be a wireless network node. The transceiver 1302 and the processor 1306 may interact with each other to perform operations related to the wireless network node or IAB node (mobile or fixed) described in Figures 1 through 12A.

[0196] In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 1300 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0197] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions for causing the processor 1306 to perform a method relating to a BS, an IAB donor, an IAB donor CU, or an IAB donor DU as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 1306, e.g., interacting with the transceiver 1302, to perform operations relating to a BS, an IAB donor, an IAB donor CU, or an IAB donor DU described in FIGS. 1 through 12A.

[0198] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to cause the processor 1306 to perform a method for a wireless network node or IAB node (mobile or fixed) as described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor 1306 interacting with the transceiver 1302 to perform operations for a wireless network node or IAB node (mobile or fixed) described in Figures 1 through 12A.

[0199] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations or steps of the methods described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations or steps of the methods may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0200] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications, and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Also, not all elements in each figure are necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, one skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be enabled to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply utilizing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure as described herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0201] In this document, the terms "handover," "rerouting," and "transition" may be used interchangeably. The terms "includes," "including," and other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent in such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by "a," "an," etc., does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Also, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, terms such as "having" are defined as "including." Phrases such as "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of the words listed with that phrase. For example, the phrase "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B, or both A and B. The terms "first", "second", etc. are used only to clarify the embodiments of the present application, and are not used to limit the substance of the present application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0202] 100 Wireless Communication System 110A, 110B IAB donor 120A, 120B, 120C IAB nodes 130A, 130B UE 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D Wireless Link 150A, 150B wireless link 200 User Plane (UP) Protocol Stack 300 Control Plane (CP) Protocol Stack 400 Configuration Procedures, Procedures 410 BS 420A Wireless Network Node 420B Mobile Wireless Network Node 500 Handover Procedure, Procedure 510A, 510B BS 520 Mobile Wireless Network Node 600 Handover Procedures, Procedures 610A, 610B BS 620 Wireless Network Node 700 Configuration Procedures, Steps 710A, 710B BS 720 Wireless Network Node 800 Handover Procedures, Procedures 810A, 810B BS 900 steps 1000 steps 1100 steps 1200 steps 1200A Procedure 1300 equipment 1302 Transceiver 1306 processor

Claims

1. a first base station (BS), A transceiver; a processor coupled to the transceiver; wherein the processor: configuring a cell of a first wireless network node as to whether to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; performing an integration procedure with a first mobile wireless network node via the first wireless network node, wherein at least one cell of the first wireless network node is configured to support access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, and after the integration procedure, the first wireless network node becomes a parent node of the first mobile wireless network node; a first base station (BS) configured to:

2. 2. The first BS of claim 1, wherein the first BS further comprises a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) coupled to the CU, both the CU and the DU coupled to the processor, and the CU is configured to configure the cell of the DU for whether to support access from a mobile wireless network node or handover of a mobile wireless network node.

3. The transceiver transmitting, to a second BS, first information about whether the cell of the first wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; sending, to the second BS, second information about whether the cell of the DU supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; receiving, from the second BS, third information about whether a cell of the second wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node, wherein the second wireless network node connects to the second BS; or receiving fourth information from the second BS regarding whether a cell of a DU of the second BS supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; The first BS according to claim 1 or 2, configured to perform at least one of the following:

4. 4. The first BS of claim 3, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit to the first mobile wireless network node a measurement configuration that configures measurements for a cell of the second BS that supports access from or handover of the mobile wireless network node, the measurement configuration being based on the third information, the fourth information, or both.

5. the transceiver is configured to receive measurement reports from the first mobile wireless network node; all cells in said measurement report support handover of mobile wireless network nodes, or 10. The first BS of claim 1, wherein, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report comprises an indication of whether the corresponding cell supports handover of mobile wireless network nodes.

6. The transceiver sending a handover request to a second BS to hand over the first mobile wireless network node; receiving a response to the handover request from the second BS, the response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the handover request not supporting handover of mobile wireless network nodes; The first BS of claim 1 , configured to:

7. The transceiver transmitting to a second BS first information about whether a cell of said first BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node; or receiving second information from the second BS regarding whether a cell of the second BS is a cell of a mobile wireless network node; The first BS of claim 1 , configured to perform at least one of the following:

8. 8. The first BS of claim 7, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit to a second wireless network node a measurement configuration that configures measurements on a cell of the second BS that is not a cell of a mobile wireless network node, the measurement configuration being based on the second information.

9. the transceiver is configured to receive measurement reports from a second wireless network node; all of the cells in the measurement report are not cells of a mobile wireless network node, or 10. The first BS of claim 1, wherein, for each cell in the measurement report, the measurement report comprises an indication of whether the corresponding cell is a cell of a mobile wireless network node.

10. The transceiver sending a handover request to a second BS to hand over the second wireless network node; receiving a response to the handover request from the second BS, the response indicating a handover preparation failure due to a target cell of the handover request belonging to a mobile wireless network node; The first BS of claim 1 , configured to:

11. 2. The first BS of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to receive, from a second BS, a first uplink (UL) backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) configuration associated with a second distributed unit (DU) of a third wireless network node, the third wireless network node comprising a first DU having an F1 connection to the first BS and the second DU having an F1 connection to the second BS.

12. 12. The first BS of claim 11, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit a second UL BAP configuration associated with the first DU and the second DU to the third wireless network node, wherein each entry in the second UL BAP configuration indicates whether the corresponding entry applies to the first DU or the second DU.

13. The transceiver is configured to transmit a handover request to a second BS for handing over at least one user equipment (UE) served by the first mobile wireless network node, the handover request comprising, for each of the at least one UE: whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with said first mobile wireless network node or surrounds said vehicle equipped with said first mobile wireless network node; or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, wherein the handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node; The first BS of claim 1, wherein the first BS exhibits at least one of the following:

14. a second base station (BS), a processor; a transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein the transceiver comprises: receiving, from a first BS, a first handover request for handing over at least one user equipment (UE) served by a first mobile wireless network node, wherein, for each of the at least one UE, the first handover request comprises: whether the corresponding UE is in a vehicle equipped with said first mobile wireless network node or surrounds said vehicle equipped with said first mobile wireless network node; or a handover priority for the corresponding UE, wherein the first handover request is for handing over all connected UEs served by the first mobile wireless network node; receiving, indicating at least one of: sending a first response to the first handover request to the first BS; a second base station (BS) configured to:

15. 1. A wireless network node, comprising: a processor; a transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein the transceiver comprises: receiving configuration information from a first base station (BS) regarding whether a cell of said wireless network node supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; broadcasting an indication of supporting access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node within the cell in response to the configuration information indicating that the cell supports access from or handover of a mobile wireless network node; a wireless network node configured to:

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