Communication method and related device

Abstract

A communication method and a related device, which are used for determining an identifier of a first central unit (CU) connected to a mobile terminal (MT) in a mobile integrated access and backhaul (mIAB) node by means of information sent by a distributed unit (DU) connected to the mIAB node, and for implementing data transmission of the mIAB node in a topology of the first CU on the basis of the identifier of the first CU. In the method, a DU determines first information, the first information being used to determine an identifier of a first CU, the DU connected to the first CU comprising a first cell, and the first cell being a cell that supports access of the mIAB node, wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish, for the mIAB node accessing the first cell, data transmission in a topology of the first CU; and the DU sends the first information.

Description

A communication method and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 27, 2023, with application number 202311263011.4 and application name “A Communication Method and Related Equipment”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless technology, and in particular to a communication method and related equipment. Background Art

[0003] In communication systems, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) technology enables both access links and backhaul links to adopt wireless transmission solutions, which can reduce fiber deployment and lower costs.

[0004] Currently, the IAB network architecture includes an IAB donor node and an IAB node. An IAB node can include a mobile terminal (MT) and a distributed unit (DU). An IAB node can achieve data transmission through a communication connection with a central unit (CU).

[0005] In addition, a communication connection can be established between the DU and the CU in the IAB node, and another communication connection can be established between the MT in the IAB node and the CU. For example, the one communication connection can be used for data transmission between a child node of the IAB node (e.g., a terminal device or an MT in a next-hop IAB node), and the other communication connection can be used for data transmission between the MT in the IAB node. Generally, the CU to which the DU in the IAB node is connected and the CU to which the MT in the IAB node is connected are the same CU.

[0006] However, in order to improve the flexibility of network deployment, the CU connected to the DU in the IAB node and the CU connected to the MT in the IAB node may not be the same CU. In this case, how to implement data transmission in the IAB node is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a communication method and related equipment for determining the identifier of the first CU connected to the MT in the mobile integrated access and backhaul (mIAB) node through information sent by the DU connected to the mIAB node, and implementing data transmission of the mIAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0009] In the first aspect of the present application, a communication method is provided, which is executed by a DU, or the method is executed by some components in the DU (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the DU functions. In the first aspect and its possible implementation, the communication method is described as being executed by the DU. In the method, the DU determines first information, and the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU. The DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, and the first cell is a cell that supports access of the mAB node; wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell; the DU sends the first information.

[0010] Based on the above technical solution, the first information sent by the DU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU to which the DU is connected, and the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. The first cell included in the DU is a cell that supports access of the mAB node, that is, the first CU to which the DU is connected is the CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected. In other words, after the DU sends the first information, the MT in the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and the subsequent DU in the mAB node can establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU. Thus, in the case where the CU to which the DU in the mAB node is connected is not the same CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected, the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected based on the information sent by the DU to which the mAB node is connected, and implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0011] In this application, an mAB node can be understood as an IAB node with mobility capabilities. For example, with the ground as the reference system, an mAB node can be an IAB node that may move relative to the ground, such as a vehicle-mounted device, a mobile station, a mobile station, etc. Among them, the mAB node can be replaced by an IAB node with mobility capabilities, an IAB node with mobility attributes, etc. Among them, under the condition that an IAB node has mobility capabilities (or mobility attributes), or when an IAB node is moving, the IAB node can be called an mAB node. Correspondingly, an mAB node with mobility capabilities (or mobility attributes) may not move (for example, no displacement relative to the ground reference system), or an mAB node with mobility capabilities (or mobility attributes) may not have sent an indication information indicating that the node is an mAB node. In this case, the mobility attributes of the mAB node can be regarded as the attributes or capabilities of the mAB node, that is, the mAB node can also be called an IAB node (or an ordinary IAB node, an immobile IAB node, etc.). In other words, the mIAB node in this application can be replaced by an IAB node (or a common IAB node, a non-mobile IAB node, etc.).

[0012] Optionally, the identifier of the first CU may be an identifier of a network device where the first CU is located. For example, in a new radio (NR) system, the network device where the first CU is located may be a gNB, that is, the identifier of the network device where the first CU is located may be an identifier of the gNB (e.g., a gNB ID and / or an IP address).

[0013] It should be understood that the DU includes one or more cells (e.g., a first cell), which can be understood as the signals of the one or more cells being transmitted and received through the DU. That is, the DU includes one or more cells, which can be replaced by the DU corresponding to one or more cells, the one or more cells being generated by the DU, and the DU generating the one or more cells.

[0014] It should be understood that the CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected is the first CU, and the connection between the MT and the first CU may be a radio resource control (RRC) connection; the CU to which the DU in the mAB node is connected may be the second CU, and the connection between the DU and the second CU may be an F1 connection. Accordingly, for the mAB node, the F1 connection terminates at the second CU, that is, the second CU may be referred to as the F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the mAB node, the first CU may be referred to as the non-F1-terminating centralized unit (non-F1-terminating CU) of the mAB node, or the first CU may be referred to as the radio resource control terminating centralized unit (RRC terminating CU) of the mAB node.

[0015] It should be understood that there may be N (N is a natural number) hops of intermediate nodes (i.e., N-hop IAB intermediate nodes) between the mAB node and the IAB host node. When N is 0, the DU sending the first information is the IAB donor DU in the IAB host node; when N is 1, the DU sending the first information is the DU of the intermediate node between the IAB host node and the mAB node; and when N is greater than 1, the DU sending the first information is the DU of the intermediate node connected to the mAB node among the N intermediate nodes between the IAB host node and the mAB node. In other words, there may be N-1 hops of intermediate nodes between the DU of the intermediate node connected to the mAB node and the IAB host node.

[0016] It should be noted that the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. It can be understood that the data transmission between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU passes through the topology of the first CU. The mAB node can send the identifier of the first CU to the second CU, so that the second CU can interact with the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU (for example, the interaction of the mobile access backhaul integrated transport migration management (IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT) process). Through this interaction process, resources for transmitting traffic between the DU of the mAB and the second CU can be established in the topology of the first CU.

[0017] For example, taking the DU connected to the mAB node (i.e., the DU sending the first information) as the IAB host DU as an example, the data transmission path between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU may include: DU in the mAB node → MT in the mAB node → IAB host DU connected to the mAB node → second CU.

[0018] For another example, taking the DU connected to the mAB node (i.e., the DU sending the first information) as an example, which is not the IAB host DU, the data transmission path between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU may include: DU in the mAB node → MT in the mAB node → DU connected to the mAB node → N (N is a natural number) hop intermediate nodes → IAB host DU → second CU.

[0019] In the above example, the IAB host DU and the first CU are located in the IAB host node connected to the MT. In the data transmission path between the DU in the above-mentioned mAB node and the second CU, the path involving the IAB host DU can be negotiated and determined through process interaction between the first CU and the second CU (for example, the process can be a mobile access backhaul integrated transport migration management (IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT) process). To this end, the manner in which the DU connected to the mAB node sends the first information enables the mAB node to determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and based on the identifier of the first CU, enables the first CU and the second CU to implement the above-mentioned process interaction, thereby realizing data transmission of the mAB node through the data transmission path.

[0020] Optionally, the path between the IAB host DU and the second CU may transmit data via an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

[0021] Optionally, the DU sending the first information includes: the DU sending the first information under the condition that the DU determines that the first cell is a cell that supports access of the mAB node (or, under the condition that the broadcast message sent by the DU indicates that the first cell is a node that supports the mAB node). In other words, under the condition that the first cell in the DU supports access of the mAB node, the DU can send an identifier for determining the first CU, so that after accessing the cell that supports access of the mAB node, the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU through the first information, thereby realizing data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU.

[0022] Further optionally, the cells included in the DU may include a second cell in addition to the first cell. If the DU determines that the second cell does not support access to the mAB node, the DU may not send the first information corresponding to the second cell, that is, the second cell does not support access to the mAB node, so that the DU does not need to send information for determining the identifier of the CU connected to the MT in the mAB node accessed by the second cell.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first information is carried in a system broadcast message of the first cell.

[0024] Optionally, the system broadcast information may be a system information block (SIB), such as SIB1.

[0025] Based on the above technical solution, the first information sent by the DU can be carried in the system broadcast message of the first cell. The first information is transmitted by broadcasting, so that multiple mAB nodes can receive the first information sent by broadcasting to save overhead.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before sending the first information, the method further includes: the DU receives a first message, the first message being used to indicate that a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete; wherein the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is an mIAB node; and the DU determines to send the first information based on the first message.

[0027] It should be understood that after receiving the first message, the DU may also read the mAB indication information in the first message because the DU may have certain RRC capabilities. Alternatively, the DU may subsequently forward the first message to the first CU, so that the first CU determines that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete through the first message.

[0028] Optionally, the first message may be called message 5 (message 5, MSG5), or an RRC setup complete (RRCSetupComplete) message.

[0029] Based on the above technical solution, after the first IAB node accesses the DU, the DU may receive a message indicating that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete. In addition, the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is an mAB node, so that the DU determines that an mAB node has accessed the first CU through the DU. To this end, the DU may determine to send first information based on the first message so that the mAB node can implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0030] Optionally, the first cell is any cell in the DU that supports access of the mAB node; or, the first cell is a cell accessed by the mAB node in the DU.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the DU sends the first information, the method further includes: receiving, by the DU, second information from the first CU; wherein the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0032] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the first cell;

[0033] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the first cell;

[0034] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0035] The DU determines to send the first information based on the second information.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, the DU may receive the second information satisfying at least one of the above items from the first CU, so that the DU determines to send the first information based on the instruction of the first CU.

[0037] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information is carried in a gNB-CU configuration update message GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE. For example, the second information is carried in a mobile IAB barred information element with a value of not barred, indicating whether the mIAB node access is permitted or not.

[0038] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the DU determines the first information, the method also includes: receiving indication information configured by the network management for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU; and / or, receiving indication information from the first CU for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0039] Based on the above technical solution, the DU can obtain the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU through network management configuration or receiving configuration from the first CU, so that the DU can send the first information based on the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0040] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the DU determining the first information includes: receiving the first information, where the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0041] Optionally, the first information is carried in an RRC message, which may be replaced by the first information being carried in a unicast message.

[0042] It should be understood that since the communication protocol stack supported by DU includes PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, etc., but does not include RRC layer; for this reason, the first information received by DU and the first information sent by DU can be messages encapsulated by PHY layer / MAC layer / RLC layer.

[0043] Based on the above technical solution, the DU can receive the first information from the first CU. The first information is carried in an RRC message, so that the DU can forward the first information so that the mAB node connected to the DU obtains the first information.

[0044] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, before the DU receives the first information, the method also includes: the DU sends first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information; and / or the DU broadcasts the system information of the first cell, where the system information of the first cell does not include the first information.

[0045] Based on the above technical solution, before the DU receives the first information, the DU may send the first indication information and / or the system information of the first cell, so that the first CU can determine that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information based on the first indication information and / or the system information of the first cell. Afterwards, after the first CU determines that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information, the first CU may send the second information to the DU (or the first CU sends the first information carried in the RRC message) so that the mAB node accessing the DU can obtain the first information and realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0046] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0047] an identifier of the first CU;

[0048] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the first cell;

[0049] The length of the identifier of the first cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the first cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0050] Optionally, in a new radio (NR) system, the second identifier may be a new radio cell global identifier (NCGI).

[0051] Based on the above technical solution, the first information can be implemented through at least one of the above items to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0052] Optionally, when the first information is the length of the identifier of the first CU (for example, the first information is carried in the gNB-ID-Length information element in SIB1), compared with the implementation method in which the first information includes the identifier of the first CU, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0053] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a first CU, or by some components (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) in the first CU, or by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the first CU's functionality. In the second aspect and its possible implementations, the communication method is described as being executed by the first CU.

[0054] In this method, the first CU determines second information, where the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0055] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the serving cell;

[0056] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the serving cell;

[0057] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0058] The second information is sent, wherein the second information is used to determine the sending of the first information, the first information is carried in the system broadcast message of the serving cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes the serving cell.

[0059] Based on the above technical solution, the second information sent by the first CU is used to determine the sending of the first information, that is, after the DU receives the second information, it can send the first information based on the indication of the second information. The first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU to which the DU is connected, and the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. In other words, after the DU sends the first information, the MT in the mAB node accessing the DU can determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and the DU in the subsequent mAB node can establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU. Thus, in the case where the CU connected to the DU in the mAB node is not the same CU connected to the MT in the mAB node, the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU connected to the MT in the mAB node based on the information sent by the DU connected to the mAB node, and realize data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0060] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the method further includes: the first CU sending indication information for indicating an identifier of the first CU or an identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0061] Based on the above technical solution, the first CU can also send indication information to the DU to indicate the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU, so that the DU can determine the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU based on the indication information, and then enable the DU to send the first information based on the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0062] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0063] an identifier of the first CU;

[0064] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0065] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0066] Optionally, in the NR system, the second identifier may be NCGI.

[0067] Based on the above technical solution, the first information can be implemented through at least one of the above items to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0068] Optionally, when the first information is the length of the identifier of the first CU (for example, the first information is carried in the gNB-ID-Length information element in SIB1), compared with the implementation method in which the first information includes the identifier of the first CU, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0069] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first CU determining the second information includes: determining, by the first CU, the second information based on at least one of the following:

[0070] The first CU receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0071] The first CU receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0072] The first CU receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0073] The first CU determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node;

[0074] The first CU receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0075] The first CU receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0076] The first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration;

[0077] The first CU receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information.

[0078] Based on the above technical solution, when at least one of the above items is met, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU may be accessed by the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send the second information, so that after receiving the second information, it can send the first information based on the instruction of the second information, so that after the mAB node accesses the DU, it can determine the identifier of the first CU connected to the MT in the mAB node based on the first information, and realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0079] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication method, which is performed by a first CU, or the method is performed by some components in the first CU (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first CU. In the third aspect and its possible implementation, the communication method is described as being executed by the first CU. In this method, the first CU determines first information based on at least one of the following items, and the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU. The DU connected to the first CU includes a service cell of a first access and backhaul integrated IAB node, and the first IAB node is an mIAB node:

[0080] The first CU receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0081] The first CU receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0082] The first CU receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0083] The first CU determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node;

[0084] The first CU receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0085] The first CU receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0086] The first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration;

[0087] The first CU receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information;

[0088] The first CU sends the first information, where the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0089] Based on the above technical solution, when at least one of the above items is met, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU is likely to be accessed by the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send first information for determining the identifier of the first CU to the first IAB node through the DU. The first information is carried in an RRC message, and the first IAB node is the mAB node. The identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. In other words, after the first CU sends the first information to the first IAB node through the DU, the MT in the first IAB node accessing the DU can determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and the subsequent DU in the first IAB node can establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU. Thus, in the case where the CU connected to the DU in the mAB node is not the same CU as the CU connected to the MT in the mAB node, the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU connected to the MT in the mAB node based on the information sent by the DU connected to the mAB node, and implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0090] Optionally, the second indication information from the core network element is carried in any one of the following items: an initial context establishment request (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST) message, a path switch request response (PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK) message, or a user equipment context modification request (UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST) message.

[0091] Further optionally, the core network element may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element.

[0092] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0093] an identifier of the first CU;

[0094] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0095] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0096] Optionally, in the NR system, the second identifier may be NCGI.

[0097] Based on the above technical solution, the first information can be implemented through at least one of the above items to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0098] Optionally, when the first information is the length of the identifier of the first CU, compared with the implementation method in which the first information includes the identifier of the first CU, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0099] In a fourth aspect of the present application, a communication method is provided, which is executed by a first IAB node, or the method is executed by some components in the first IAB node (such as a processor, a chip or a chip system, etc.), or the method can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the first IAB node. In the fourth aspect and its possible implementation, the communication method is described as being executed by the first IAB node. In this method, the first IAB node receives first information, and the first information comes from a service cell. The first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU. The DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell, and the service cell supports access to the mobile access backhaul integrated mIAB node; the first IAB node sends third information to the second CU connected to the DU in the first IAB node, and the third information includes the identifier of the first CU, wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission for the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU, and the first IAB node is an mIAB node.

[0100] Based on the above technical solution, the first information received by the first IAB node is used to determine the identifier of the first CU to which the DU is connected, and the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. In other words, the first IAB node acts as an mAB node, and the MT in the first IAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and subsequently the DU in the first IAB node can establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU. Thus, in the case where the CU to which the DU in the first IAB node is connected and the CU to which the MT in the first IAB node is connected are not the same CU, the first IAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU to which the MT in the first IAB node is connected based on the information sent by the DU connected to the first IAB node, and implement data transmission of the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0101] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first information is carried in a system information broadcast of the serving cell.

[0102] Optionally, the system broadcast information may be a system information block (SIB), such as SIB1.

[0103] Based on the above technical solution, the first information received by the first IAB node can be carried in the system broadcast message of the first cell. The first information is transmitted by broadcasting, so that multiple mAB nodes can receive the first information sent by broadcasting, thereby saving overhead.

[0104] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, before the first IAB node receives the first information, the method further includes: the first IAB node sends a first message, where the first message is used to indicate that the radio resource control RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete; wherein the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is a mobile IAB node.

[0105] Optionally, the first message may be referred to as message 5 (MSG5).

[0106] Based on the above technical solution, after the first IAB node accesses the DU, the first IAB node may send a message indicating that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete. In addition, the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is an mAB node, so that the DU determines that an mAB node has accessed the first CU through the DU. To this end, the DU may determine to send first information based on the first message so that the mAB node can implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0108] Based on the above technical solution, the first information received by the first IAB node is carried in an RRC message, so that the DU can forward the first information, so that the first IAB node accessing the DU obtains the first information.

[0109] Optionally, before the first IAB node sends the first message, the method further includes: the first IAB node receiving a system information broadcast of the serving cell, where the system information broadcast of the serving cell does not include the first information.

[0110] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0111] an identifier of the first CU;

[0112] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0113] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0114] Optionally, in the NR system, the second identifier may be NCGI.

[0115] Based on the above technical solution, the first information can be implemented through at least one of the above items to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0116] Optionally, when the first information is the length of the identifier of the first CU (for example, the first information is carried in the gNB-ID-Length information element in SIB1), compared with the implementation method in which the first information includes the identifier of the first CU, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0117] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which is a terminal device, or a component of a DU (such as a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the DU functions. In the fifth aspect and its possible implementations, the communication device is described as a DU.

[0118] The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is used to determine the first information, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first centralized unit CU, the distributed unit DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, and the first cell is a cell that supports access of the mobile access backhaul integrated mAB node; wherein, the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell; the transceiver unit is used to send the first information.

[0119] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first information is carried in a system broadcast message of the first cell.

[0120] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to receive a first message, which is used to indicate that the radio resource control RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is completed; wherein the first message includes indication information for indicating that the first IAB node is an mIAB node; and the processing unit is specifically used to determine to send the first information based on the first message.

[0121] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information, where the second information comes from the first CU; wherein the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0122] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the first cell;

[0123] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the first cell;

[0124] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0125] Determining to send the first information based on the second information.

[0126] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first cell is any cell in the DU that supports access of the mAB node; or, the first cell is a cell accessed by the mAB node in the DU.

[0127] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is also used to receive indication information configured by the network management for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU; and / or, the transceiver unit is also used to receive indication information from the first CU for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0128] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the processing unit is used to determine the first information, including: the processing unit is specifically used to receive the first information through the transceiver unit, wherein the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0129] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to send first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information; and / or, the transceiver unit is further used to broadcast the system information of the first cell, where the system information of the first cell does not include the first information.

[0130] In a possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0131] an identifier of the first CU;

[0132] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the first cell;

[0133] The length of the identifier of the first cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the first cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0134] In the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the component modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in the various possible implementation methods of the first aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0135] In a sixth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided. The device is a first CU, or the device is a component (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) in the first CU. Alternatively, the device may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first CU. In the sixth aspect and its possible implementations, the communication device is described as the first CU.

[0136] The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to determine second information, where the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0137] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the serving cell;

[0138] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the serving cell;

[0139] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0140] The transceiver unit is used to send the second information, wherein the second information is used to determine the sending of the first information, the first information is carried in the system broadcast message of the service cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell.

[0141] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to send indication information for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0142] In a possible implementation of the sixth aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0143] an identifier of the first CU;

[0144] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0145] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0146] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the processing unit determining the second information includes: determining, by the processing unit, the second information based on at least one of the following:

[0147] The transceiver unit receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0148] The transceiver unit receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0149] The transceiver unit receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0150] The processing unit determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node;

[0151] The transceiver unit receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0152] The transceiver unit receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0153] The processing unit determines that a DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration;

[0154] The transceiver unit receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information.

[0155] In the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in each possible implementation method of the second aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0156] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which is a first CU, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) in the first CU, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first CU. In the seventh aspect and its possible implementations, the communication device is described as the first CU.

[0157] The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to determine first information based on at least one of the following, the first information being used to determine an identifier of a first CU, where the DU connected to the first CU includes a serving cell of a first integrated access and backhaul IAB node, where the first IAB node is an mIAB node:

[0158] The transceiver unit receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0159] The transceiver unit receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0160] The transceiver unit receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0161] The processing unit determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node;

[0162] The transceiver unit receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0163] The transceiver unit receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0164] The processing unit determines that a DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration;

[0165] The transceiver unit receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information;

[0166] The transceiver unit is used to send the first information, where the first information is carried in a radio resource control RRC message.

[0167] In a possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the second indication information from the core network network element is carried by any one of the following items: an initial context establishment request INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message, a path switch request response PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message, or a user equipment context modification request UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message.

[0168] In a possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0169] an identifier of the first CU;

[0170] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0171] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0172] In the seventh aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in each possible implementation method of the third aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the third aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0173] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which is a first IAB node, or a component (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within the first IAB node. Alternatively, the device may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first IAB node. In the eighth aspect and its possible implementations, the communication device is described as a first IAB node.

[0174] The device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is used to receive first information, the first information comes from a service cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of a first CU, the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell, and the service cell supports access to the mobile access and backhaul integrated mAB node; the processing unit is used to determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information; the transceiver unit is also used to send third information to the second CU connected to the DU in the first IAB node, the third information includes the identifier of the first CU, wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission for the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU, and the first IAB node is an mAB node.

[0175] In a possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the first information is carried in the system information broadcast of the serving cell.

[0176] In a possible implementation of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further used to send a first message, where the first message is used to indicate that the radio resource control RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete; wherein the first message includes indication information for indicating that the first IAB node is a mobile IAB node.

[0177] In a possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0178] In a possible implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a system information broadcast of the serving cell, where the system information broadcast of the serving cell does not include the first information.

[0179] In a possible implementation of the eighth aspect, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0180] an identifier of the first CU;

[0181] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell;

[0182] The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0183] In the eighth aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in each possible implementation method of the fourth aspect and achieve corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the fourth aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0184] A ninth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device comprising at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is used to execute programs or instructions in a memory so that the device implements the method executed in each possible implementation manner of any one of the first to fourth aspects mentioned above.

[0185] The tenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to execute the method executed in each possible implementation of any one of the first to fourth aspects mentioned above.

[0186] In the eleventh aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which is used to store one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method executed in any possible implementation of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0187] A twelfth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program in the computer program product is executed by a processor, the processor executes the method performed in each possible implementation of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0188] A thirteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting a communication device to implement the method executed in each possible implementation manner of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0189] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the first communication device. The chip system may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete components. Optionally, the chip system may further include an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0190] A fourteenth aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the DU and the first IAB node in any of the above aspects and any of its implementation methods.

[0191] Optionally, the communication system further includes the first CU in any of the above aspects and any of its implementations.

[0192] It should be understood that the technical effects brought about by any design method in the fifth to fourteenth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the different design methods in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0193] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0194] FIG2a is a schematic diagram of an IAB communication scenario provided by this application;

[0195] FIG2 b is another schematic diagram of an IAB communication scenario provided by this application;

[0196] FIG2c is a schematic diagram of the IAB communication protocol stack provided by this application;

[0197] FIG2 d is another schematic diagram of the IAB communication protocol stack provided by this application;

[0198] FIG2e is a schematic diagram of the IAB network access process provided by this application;

[0199] Figure 2f is a schematic diagram of IAB node migration;

[0200] Figure 2g is another schematic diagram of IAB node migration;

[0201] Figure 2h is another schematic diagram of IAB node migration;

[0202] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0203] FIG4 is another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0204] FIG5a is another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0205] FIG5 b is another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0206] FIG5c is another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0207] FIG6 is another schematic diagram of the communication method provided by the present application;

[0208] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0209] FIG8 is another schematic diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0210] FIG9 is another schematic diagram of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0211] First, some of the terms that may be used in the embodiments of this application are explained.

[0212] (1) Configuration and pre-configuration: In this application, configuration and pre-configuration will be used at the same time. Configuration refers to the network equipment such as base stations or servers sending some parameter configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal through messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration. It can be a way for network equipment such as base stations or servers to send parameter information or values ​​to the terminal through a communication link or carrier; it can also be a way to give the definition of corresponding parameters or parameter values ​​in the standard, or by setting the relevant parameters or values ​​in the terminal device in advance. This application does not limit this. Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0213] (2) In this application, “used for indication” can include direct indication and indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0214] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated. For example, it can be implemented by direct indication, such as by indicating the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. It can also be implemented by indirectly indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved with the help of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, stipulated in the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0215] The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole, or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in this application. Among them, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. Among them, the configuration information can, for example, but not limited to, include one or a combination of at least two of RRC signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer signaling and physical layer signaling. Among them, MAC layer signaling, for example, includes a medium access control control element (MAC CE); physical layer signaling, for example, includes downlink control information (DCI).

[0216] (3) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0217] In addition, in this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0218] (4) "Sending" and "receiving" in the embodiments of the present application indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, the communication process between entity A and entity B is taken as an example. In the present application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A sends it directly to B, or that A sends it indirectly to B through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or that entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. Entities A and B here can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules inside RAN nodes or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, information interaction between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between two RAN nodes, for example, information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules inside a device, for example, information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0219] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations according to their inherent logical relationships. The following description of the implementation methods of this application does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0220] Please refer to FIG1 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application.

[0221] As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 110) and may also include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and distinct physical devices, or they may be a single physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals and RAN nodes may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means.

[0222] RAN100 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a NR system, or a future radio access system defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). RAN100 may also include two or more of the aforementioned different radio access systems. RAN100 may also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0223] A RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, facilitates wireless access to a communication system by a terminal. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station, an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, or a donor node.

[0224] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, and can also implement the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions; the DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and MAC layer functions, and can also implement some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. The RU can be used to implement the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0225] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, the CU may be called an open CU (O-CU), the DU may be called an open DU (O-DU), and the RU may be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the RAN node.

[0226] For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description. It is understandable that when the communication system includes an IAB network, the base station (ie, RAN node) may be an IAB node.

[0227] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0228] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0229] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0230] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0231] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0232] It should be understood that the present application can be applied to a long term evolution (LTE) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a communication system evolved after 5G (such as 6G, etc.). The communication system includes network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0233] In the communication system shown in Figure 1, IAB technology uses wireless transmission solutions for both the access link and the backhaul link, which can reduce fiber deployment and meet the needs of increased network capacity, wider coverage, ultra-high reliability and ultra-low latency.

[0234] In an IAB network, a relay node, or IAB-node, provides wireless access services for terminal devices. The terminal device's service data is transmitted from the IAB-node to the IAB-donor via a wireless backhaul link. The IAB-node consists of a MT and a DU. When facing its parent node, the IAB-node acts as a terminal device, acting as an MT. When facing its child node (which may be another IAB-node or an ordinary terminal device), it is considered a network device, acting as a DU. An IAB-donor is an access network element with complete base station (e.g., gNB) functionality, including a CU and DU. The IAB-donor is connected to the core network (e.g., a 5G core network) that serves the terminal devices.

[0235] The following will introduce the IAB network with reference to the implementation examples shown in FIG. 2 a to FIG. 2 h .

[0236] Figures 2a to 2d below introduce the basic concepts of the IAB network.

[0237] FIG2a is a schematic diagram of an IAB network.

[0238] In the IAB network shown in Figure 2a, terminal devices include UE1 and UE2, and IAB nodes include IAB Node 1 (IAB Node 1) to IAB Node 5 (IAB Node 5), as well as IAB donor nodes. A transmission path between any UE and an IAB-donor may include one or more IAB-nodes. Each IAB-node needs to maintain a wireless backhaul link to its parent node and also needs to maintain a wireless link with its child nodes. If the child node of an IAB-node is a terminal device (such as UE1 or UE2 in Figure 2a), then the wireless access link is between the IAB-node and the child node (i.e., the UE). If the child node of an IAB-node is another IAB-node, then the wireless backhaul link is between the IAB-node and the child node (i.e., the other IAB-node). For example, in Figure 2a, in the path "UE1→IAB-node4→IAB-node3→IAB-node1→IAB-donor", UE1 accesses IAB-node4 through a wireless access link, IAB-node4 is connected to IAB-node3 through a wireless backhaul link, IAB-node3 is connected to IAB-node1 through a wireless backhaul link, and IAB-node1 is connected to IAB-donor through a wireless backhaul link.

[0239] FIG2 b is a schematic diagram showing a wireless relay scenario implemented through standalone (SA) networking.

[0240] As shown in Figure 2b, the communication nodes include the 5G core (5G core, 5GC), 5G access network equipment (denoted as gNodeB in the figure), an IAB-donor, and one or more IAB-nodes. In Figure 2b, the IAB-node DU (hereinafter simply referred to as IAB-DU) is logically connected to the IAB-donor CU (hereinafter simply referred to as CU) via the F1 interface. In practice, the connection between the IAB-DU and the CU is achieved through the NR Uu interface between the IAB-node MT and the parent node DU at each hop. However, because the IAB-DU can ultimately communicate with the CU, the F1 interface can be considered to exist logically.

[0241] Illustratively, the F1 interface may be used to support a user plane protocol (F1-user plane, F1-U) and a control plane protocol (F1-control plane, F1-C).

[0242] For example, as shown in Figure 2c, F1-U includes one or more of the following protocol layers: general packet radio service tunneling protocol user plane (GTP-U), user datagram protocol (UDP), and internet protocol (IP). Through F1-U, user plane data can be transmitted between the IAB-donor and IAB-node, as well as downlink transmission status feedback.

[0243] For example, as shown in Figure 2d, F1-C includes one or more of the following protocol layers: F1 application protocol (F1AP), stream control transport protocol (SCTP), and IP. Through F1-C, the IAB-donor and IAB-node can manage interfaces, manage IAB-DUs, and perform UE context-related configuration.

[0244] It should be understood that in FIG. 2 c and FIG. 2 d , the UE and the IAB node communicate via the Uu interface, and different IAB nodes communicate via a backhaul link (BL).

[0245] FIG2e below describes the IAB node integration process. For example, FIG2e takes the integration process of IAB-node2 as an example. IAB-node1 is the parent node of IAB-node2 and has already been connected to the network.

[0246] The IAB node network access process can be summarized as follows:

[0247] Step 1: For cells that support the IAB function, the iab-support information element will be broadcast in SIB1. The IAB-MT will select the cell with the iab-support information element in SIB1 to access, establish an RRC connection with the donor, and indicate that it is an IAB node when establishing the RRC connection (the IAB node indication is carried in the RRCSetupComplete message). When the donor-CU sends the UE initial message (INITIAL UE MESSAGE) to the core network (specifically, it can be the AMF network element in the core network), it also carries the IAB node indication. The AMF authenticates the IAB-MT and carries the IAB Authorized information element in the message (INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST) instructing the donor-CU to establish the UE initial context for the IAB-MT to authorize the IAB node. If the authentication is successful, the value of IAB Authorized is authorized, otherwise it is not authorized. Since this section describes the IAB node access process, assume that the value of IAB Authorized is authorized and proceed to the subsequent steps.

[0248] Step 2-1: The donor-CU configures a backhaul RLC channel (BH RLC Channel) and routing for the IAB-node via RRC messages. Specifically, this only configures a default BH RLC Channel and default route for use during the initial F1 interface establishment (e.g., step 3). After the F1 interface is established, the donor-CU configures additional BH RLC Channels and routing paths to the IAB-node via F1-C messages for subsequent F1-C messages and F1-U user plane data.

[0249] Step 2-2: In addition to configuring IAB-node2 in step 2-1, you can also perform a routing update on the node between the IAB-node and the donor (IAB-node1) in step 2-2 to inform these nodes how to select the next-hop link and next-hop RLC channel when receiving packets from or sending packets to IAB-node2.

[0250] Step 3: IAB-DU2 in IAB-node2 uses the default configuration obtained in Step 2-1 to send an F1 SETUP REQUEST message to the donor-CU, carrying the cell configuration information for DU2 and requesting the establishment of an F1 interface. The donor-CU responds with an F1 SETUP RESPONSE message to IAB-DU2, activating the cell and completing the F1 interface establishment. At this point, IAB-node2 is activated and can provide services to terminal devices and / or the next-hop IAB-MT.

[0251] The following Figures 2f, 2g, and 2h illustrate the migration process of the IAB node.

[0252] As shown in Figure 2f, an example of implementing a partial migration of an IAB node is shown. In Figure 2f, the IAB node undergoing migration can be called a boundary node, such as mIAB in the figure.

[0253] In Figure 2f, before executing Partial migration, there is an RRC connection between the MT in mAB (denoted as mAB-MT) and CU1, and there is an F1 interface between the DU in mAB (denoted as mAB-DU) and CU1. to communicate.

[0254] In Figure 2f, during partial migration, the mAB-MT undergoes an inter-CU cell handover and establishes an RRC connection with CU2. However, to avoid the need to re-establish the F1 interface, the mAB-DU maintains the F1 interface with CU1 and does not establish an F1 interface with CU2. As a result, the communication path between CU1 and the mAB-DU becomes cross-topology:

[0255] Optionally, in Figure 2f, CU1 and CU2 are referred to as the F1-terminating CU and non-F1-terminating CU (or RRC terminating CU), respectively, or as the source CU and target CU. Note that data transmission across the cross-topology path does not pass through CU2; CU1 and Donor-DU2 can communicate directly over the IP network.

[0256] Furthermore, in Figure 2f, when traffic is being transmitted between CU1 and the UE, CU1 can send an IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT REQUEST message to CU2. This message asks CU2 to assist CU1 in transmitting traffic between CU1 and the UE. Specifically, the F1-terminating CU sends an IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT REQUEST message to the non-F1-terminating CU, requesting the establishment of cross-topology traffic transmission. If the non-F1-terminating CU agrees, it responds with an IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT RESPONSE message to the F1-terminating CU. If it disagrees, it responds with an IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT REJECT message. If the F1-terminating CU or the non-F1-terminating CU subsequently wishes to modify or withdraw the QoS of the traffic, they can also exchange IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MODIFICATION REQUEST / RESPONSE messages.

[0257] As shown in Figure 2g, an implementation example of performing consecutive partial migration of an IAB node is shown. In Figure 2G, the miAB node that undergoes migration may be due to its own movement.

[0258] In FIG2g, migration 1 indicates the migration process between mIAB-DU and CU1 from the source communication path Migrate to target communication path process.

[0259] After migration 1, the mAB-DU can perform the next migration process, namely the migration 2 process. That is, the mAB-MT switches from CU2 to CU3, but the F1 interface of the DU is always associated with CU1. As shown in Figure 2g, the mAB-node is directly connected to the donor-DU, but this is not limited. There may be other IAB nodes between the mAB-node and the donor-DU. In addition, regarding how the MT arrived at CU2, the MT may have switched from CU1 to CU2, but it may also have switched from other CUs to CU2 (not shown in the figure, which can be understood in conjunction with the DU migration scenario below).

[0260] FIG. 2h shows an implementation example of an IAB node performing DU migration.

[0261] Considering the large-scale mobility of IAB nodes (such as mAB nodes), when the mAB-node moves far away, it may be difficult for the mAB-DU to maintain an IP connection with the original CU, or the transmission delay will be very large. Therefore, in order to support large-scale mobility, DU migration can be introduced. As shown in Figure 2h, the RRC connection of the MT can always be on CU2, and the F1 interface of the DU is migrated from CU1 to CU3. The figure shows mAB-DU1 and mAB-DU2, which are two logical DUs on a physical DU. DU migration is achieved in this way: assuming that the source DU is mAB-DU1, the mAB-node generates a new logical DU mIAB-DU2, and mAB-DU2 establishes an F1 interface with CU3. CU1 sends a terminal device switching request to CU3, switching the terminal device from the cell under mAB-DU1 to the cell under mAB-DU2, and then CU1 releases the F1 interface between it and mAB-DU1. At this point, DU migration is completed.

[0262] In other words, DU migration in an IAB node can be completely decoupled from MT migration in an IAB node. That is, the CU to which the DU in an IAB node is connected can be different from the CU to which the MT in an IAB node is connected. Therefore, in consecutive partial migration, if the DU's F1 terminating CU is always CU1, the MT does not necessarily switch from CU1 to CU2 (although this is also possible). In DU migration, the MT can be in CU2 while the DU migrates from CU1 to CU3 (this is a common case; as a special case, CU2 can be the same CU as CU1 or CU3). The reason why it is assumed that the DU migration in the IAB node is completely decoupled from the MT migration in the IAB node is because the DU migration process in the IAB node is relatively complicated (it requires generating two logical DUs and switching the UEs to the new logical DUs one by one). The DU in the IAB node is generally not suitable for frequent migration. The CU connected to the DU in the IAB node can be a CU with a relatively large control range; and the migration of the MT in the IAB node is the switching of the MT, which may be performed frequently. The selection of the CU connected to the MT in the IAB node may be determined by the signal quality, that is, the CU connected to the MT in the IAB node may be different from the CU connected to the DU in the IAB node.

[0263] Optionally, based on the possibility of completely decoupling the DU migration in the above-mentioned IAB node and the MT migration in the IAB node, during the IAB integration process, the RRC connection of the MT in the IAB node and the F1 interface of the DU in the IAB node can be terminated on different CUs (such as: the CU connected to the DU in the IAB node can be a CU with a larger control range, and the CU connected to the MT in the IAB node is the CU corresponding to the cell with the best signal quality). In other words, as soon as the IAB node enters the network, the topology of Figure 2f is constructed, that is, the data transmission of mLAB-DU needs to be transmitted across the topology through the CU connected to mLAB-MT.

[0264] As can be seen from the above implementation process, the CU connected to the DU in the IAB node and the CU connected to the MT in the IAB node may not be the same CU. In this case, how to implement data transmission in the IAB node is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Taking Figure 2f as an example, the data transmission of mAB-DU can be carried out through the CU connected to the mAB-MT for cross-topology traffic transmission. However, this traffic transmission process requires the interaction process of the IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT REQUEST / RESPONSE message between CU1 and CU2 (i.e., the IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT process) to be determined. For CU1, how to determine which CU is CU2 is an unresolved technical problem.

[0265] To address the above issues, the present application provides a communication method and related equipment for determining the identifier of the first CU connected to the MT in the mAB node through information sent by the DU connected to the mAB node, and implementing data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU. This will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0266] Please refer to FIG3 , which is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0267] It should be noted that in Figure 3, the second CU, the first IAB node, the DU, and the first CU are used as examples to illustrate the method, but the present application does not limit the execution subjects of the interaction diagram. For example, in Figure 3 and the corresponding implementation method, the implementation process of step S301 can be performed by the DU, or it can be performed by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the DU to implement the method, or it can be performed by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the DU function. In Figure 3 and the corresponding implementation method, the implementation process of steps S301-step S302 can be performed by the first IAB node, or it can be performed by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first IAB node to implement the method, or it can be performed by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the first IAB node function. Accordingly, the first CU (and / or second CU) that executes other steps can also be replaced by the chip, chip system, processor logic module or software in the first CU (and / or second CU).

[0268] Similarly, in the steps shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 below, the devices that execute the method (such as the second CU, the first IAB node, the DU, the first CU, etc.) can also be replaced by chips, chip systems, processor logic modules or software in each device.

[0269] S301. A DU sends first information, and accordingly, a first IAB node receives the first information, wherein the first information is used to determine an identifier of a first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, which is a cell supporting access of the mIAB node.

[0270] S302. The first IAB node sends third information, and the second CU receives the third information accordingly. The third information includes an identifier of the first CU, and the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission for the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU, where the first IAB node is an mIAB node.

[0271] S303: Data transmission is performed between the first CU and the second CU.

[0272] In this application, the mIAB node can be understood as an IAB node with mobility capabilities. For example, with the ground as the reference system, the mIAB node can be an IAB node that may move relative to the ground, such as a vehicle-mounted device, a mobile station, a mobile station, etc. Among them, the mIAB node can be replaced by an IAB node with mobility capabilities, an IAB node with mobility attributes, an IAB node, etc.

[0273] It should be understood that the DU connected to the first CU includes one or more cells (e.g., the first cell), and it can be understood that the signals of the one or more cells are transmitted and received through the DU. That is, the DU includes one or more cells, which can be replaced by the DU corresponding to one or more cells, the one or more cells are generated by the DU, and the DU generates the one or more cells, etc.

[0274] It should be understood that the CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected is the first CU, and the connection between the MT and the first CU may be an RRC connection; the CU to which the DU in the mAB node is connected may be the second CU, and the connection between the DU and the second CU may be an F1 connection. Accordingly, for the mAB node, the F1 connection terminates at the second CU, that is, the second CU may be referred to as the F1-terminating CU of the mAB node, the first CU may be referred to as the non-F1-terminating CU of the mAB node, or the first CU may be referred to as the RRC terminating CU of the mAB node.

[0275] It should be understood that there may be N (N is a natural number) hops of intermediate nodes (i.e., N-hop IAB intermediate nodes) between the mAB node and the IAB host node. When N is 0, the DU that sends the first information in step S301 is the IAB donor DU in the IAB host node; when N is 1, the DU that sends the first information in step S301 is the DU of the intermediate node between the IAB host node and the mAB node; and when N is greater than 1, the DU that sends the first information in step S301 is the DU of the intermediate node connected to the mAB node among the N intermediate nodes between the IAB host node and the mAB node, i.e., there may be N-1 hops of intermediate nodes between the DU of the intermediate node connected to the mAB node and the IAB host node.

[0276] It should be noted that the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. It can be understood that the data transmission between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU passes through the topology of the first CU. The mAB node can send a third information containing the identifier of the first CU to the second CU in step S302, so that the second CU can interact with the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU (for example, the interaction of the mobile access backhaul integrated transport migration management (IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT) process described in Figure 2f above). Through this interaction process, resources for transmitting traffic between the DU of the mAB and the second CU can be established in the topology of the first CU.

[0277] In other words, in step S303, the second CU can transmit data of the first IAB node through the topology of the first CU. For example, the DU in the first IAB node can send data to the second CU through the DU connected to the first CU; for example, the second CU can send data to the DU in the first IAB node through the DU connected to the first CU.

[0278] In an implementation example, taking the DU connected to the mAB node (i.e., the DU that sends the first information) as the IAB host DU as an example, the data transmission path between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU may include: DU in the mAB node → MT in the mAB node → IAB host DU connected to the mAB node → second CU.

[0279] In another implementation example, taking the DU connected to the mAB node (i.e., the DU sending the first information) as an example, which is not the IAB host DU, the data transmission path between the DU in the mAB node and the second CU may include: DU in the mAB node → MT in the mAB node → DU connected to the mAB node → N-1 (N is a natural number) hop intermediate node → IAB host DU → second CU.

[0280] In the above example, the IAB host DU and the first CU are located in the IAB host node connected to the MT. In the data transmission path between the DU in the above-mentioned mAB node and the second CU, the path involving the IAB host DU can be negotiated and determined through process interaction between the first CU and the second CU (for example, the process can be a mobile access backhaul integrated transport migration management (IAB TRANSPORT MIGRATION MANAGEMENT) process). To this end, the manner in which the DU connected to the mAB node sends the first information enables the mAB node to determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and based on the identifier of the first CU, enables the first CU and the second CU to implement the above-mentioned process interaction, thereby realizing data transmission of the mAB node through the data transmission path.

[0281] Optionally, the path between the IAB host DU and the second CU may transmit data via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, that is, data may be transmitted between the DU connected to the first CU and the second CU via the IP network.

[0282] In a possible implementation, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0283] an identifier of the first CU;

[0284] The length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier, where the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the first cell;

[0285] The length of the identifier of the first cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the first cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

[0286] Optionally, the identifier of the first CU may be an identifier of a network device where the first CU is located. For example, in a new radio (NR) system, the network device where the first CU is located may be a gNB, that is, the identifier of the network device where the first CU is located may be an identifier of the gNB (e.g., a gNB ID and / or an IP address).

[0287] Optionally, in a new radio (NR) system, the second identifier may be a new radio cell global identifier (NCGI). For example, the identifier of the first CU may be recorded as the gNB ID, and the NCGI may be composed of the gNB ID + the cell ID. The length of the gNB ID is variable (22 to 32). Therefore, after the mAB node obtains the length of the gNB ID (i.e., the length of the identifier of the first CU), the mAB node may read the value of the gNB ID based on the NCGI.

[0288] Optionally, when the first information is the length of the identifier of the first CU (for example, the first information is carried in the gNB-ID-Length information element in SIB1), compared with the implementation method in which the first information includes the identifier of the first CU, the number of bits occupied by the first information can be reduced, thereby reducing overhead.

[0289] Based on the technical solution shown in Figure 3, the first information sent by the DU in step S301 is used to determine the identifier of the first CU to which the DU is connected, and the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell. The first cell included in the DU is a cell that supports access to the mAB node, that is, the first CU to which the DU is connected is the CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected. In other words, after the DU sends the first information, the MT in the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information, and the DU in the subsequent mAB node can establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU in steps S302 and S303. Thus, in the case where the CU to which the DU in the mAB node is connected is not the same CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected, the mAB node can determine the identifier of the first CU to which the MT in the mAB node is connected based on the information sent by the DU connected to the mAB node, and implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU based on the identifier of the first CU.

[0290] In a possible implementation, in step S301 of the method shown in FIG3 , the DU may send the first information in a variety of ways, which will be described below using some implementation examples.

[0291] Implementation Example 1: In step S301, the DU sends the first information under the condition that the first cell is a cell supporting access of the mAB node (or under the condition that the broadcast message sent by the DU indicates that the first cell is a node supporting the mAB node).

[0292] Specifically, under the condition that the first cell in the DU supports the access of the mAB node, the DU can send an identifier for determining the first CU, so that after the mAB node accesses the cell that supports the access of the mAB node, it can determine the identifier of the first CU through the first information, thereby realizing the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU.

[0293] Optionally, the cells included in the DU may include a second cell in addition to the first cell. If the DU determines that the second cell does not support access to the mAB node, the DU may not send the first information corresponding to the second cell, that is, the second cell does not support access to the mAB node, so that the DU does not need to send information for determining the identifier of the CU connected to the MT in the mAB node accessed by the second cell.

[0294] Implementation Example 2: Before the DU sends the first information in step S301, as shown in FIG4 , the method further includes:

[0295] Step A: The first CU sends second information, and the DU receives the second information accordingly. The second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0296] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the first cell;

[0297] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the first cell;

[0298] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0299] Thereafter, in step S301, the DU determines to send the first information based on the second information received in step A.

[0300] Optionally, the second information is carried in the gNB-CU configuration update message GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE. For example, by carrying the value of the mobile IAB barred information element as not barred, it indicates whether the mIAB node access is allowed or not.

[0301] In one possible implementation of Example 2, before step A shown in FIG4 , the method may further include: the first IAB node sending a first message; and accordingly, after the DU receives the first message, the DU may send the first message to the first CU. The first message is used to indicate that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete; the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is an mIAB node; and thereafter, the first CU may determine to send the second message based on the first message.

[0302] Optionally, the first message may be called message 5 (message 5, MSG5) or an RRC setup complete (RRCSetupComplete) message.

[0303] Specifically, after the first IAB node establishes an RRC connection with the first CU through the DU, the first CU may receive a message through the DU indicating that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete. Furthermore, the first message includes indication information indicating that the first IAB node is an mAB node, so that the first CU determines that an mAB node has accessed the first CU through the DU. To this end, the first CU may determine to send second information based on the first message, so that the DU can send the first information based on the second information, so that the mAB node can implement data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0304] It should be understood that after receiving the first message, the DU may also read the mAB indication information in the first message because the DU may have certain RRC capabilities. Alternatively, the DU may subsequently forward the first message to the first CU, so that the first CU determines that the RRC connection establishment of the first IAB node is complete through the first message.

[0305] Optionally, since the first IAB node sends the first message to the first CU via the DU, the DU can also clearly know that an existing mAB node has accessed the DU based on the first message. To this end, the DU can send the first message in step S301 without being triggered by the second message, so that the mAB node can realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first message. In other words, in the implementation process shown in Figure 4, step A is an optional step. For the DU, after receiving the first message, the DU can execute step S301.

[0306] In a possible implementation of Example 2, in addition to being triggered by the first message, the first CU may also determine to send the second information based on other methods. For example, the other methods may include at least one of the following conditions 1 to 8.

[0307] To facilitate understanding of the following conditions 1 to 8, the IAB process related to some of the conditions will be first introduced below using FIG. 5 a , FIG. 5 b , and FIG. 5 c .

[0308] As shown in FIG5a, the implementation process of the initial access of the mAB node includes the following steps.

[0309] In step 1-1, the mAB-MT sends a MSG5 message (ie, the first message mentioned above, ie, the RRCSetupComplete message) to the donor-CU via the DU, carrying indication information for indicating that the IAB node sending the MSG5 message is the mAB node.

[0310] Step 1-2: The donor-CU sends an INITIAL UE MESSAGE message to the AMF serving the mIAB-MT.

[0311] Step 1-3: The AMF network element serving the mIAB-MT sends an INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message to the donor-CU, carrying the indication information that the mobile IAB is authorized (mobile IAB authorized = authorized).

[0312] It should be understood that in FIG5 a , the mAB-MT is the MT in the mAB node, and the donor-CU is an implementation example of the first CU mentioned above.

[0313] As shown in FIG5 b , the implementation process of switching the mAB node from the source donor-CU to the target donor-CU includes the following steps.

[0314] Step 2-1: The source donor-CU sends a HANDOVER REQUEST message regarding the mIAB-MT to the target donor-CU, carrying at least one of mobile IAB indication information and mobile IAB authorization indication information (mobile IAB authorized=authorized).

[0315] Step 2-2: Execute other steps of the mAB-MT handover, such as the MT randomly accessing the target donor-CU topology and establishing an RRC connection. The target donor-CU sends a PATH SWITCH REQUEST message to the AMF, requesting the AMF to change the transmission path from the source donor-CU to the target donor-CU.

[0316] Step 2-3: The AMF responds to the target donor-CU with a PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message, carrying the mobile IAB authorization information (mobile IAB authorized = authorized). It has been agreed that the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message should carry the latest authorization status of the mobile IAB switched to the target donor-CU. This is because whether the mobile IAB is authorized (allowed to operate) may be related to the base station it connects to. When it arrives at the target donor-CU, the AMF will carry the latest authorization information in the PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message.

[0317] It should be understood that in FIG5 b , the target donor-CU is an implementation example of the first CU mentioned above.

[0318] As shown in Figure 5c, it is the implementation process of the mAB-node changing its authorization status from unauthorized to authorized under the donor-CU.

[0319] Step 3-1: The mIAB-node is in unauthorized state.

[0320] Step 3-2: The AMF serving the mIAB-MT sends an indication to the donor-CU that the authorization status of the mIAB has changed from unauthorized to authorized. For example, the UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message carries the indication that the mobile IAB has been authorized (mobile IAB authorized = authorized). For example, whether the mobile IAB is authorized may be related to time information, so it is possible that the mobile IAB changes from unauthorized to authorized (or vice versa) under a certain donor-CU.

[0321] Conditions 1 to 8 described above will be described below.

[0322] Condition 1: The first CU receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information. Alternatively, the DU broadcasts the system information of the first cell, where the system information of the first cell does not include the first information.

[0323] Specifically, before the DU sends the first information, the DU may send first indication information and / or system information of the first cell, so that the first CU can determine, based on the first indication information and / or the system information of the first cell, that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information. Thereafter, after the first CU determines that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information, the first CU may send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0324] Condition 2: The first CU receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed.

[0325] Optionally, the second indication information is carried in step 1-3 in FIG. 5 a , or the second indication information is carried in step 2-3 in FIG. 5 b , or the second indication information is carried in step 3-2 in FIG. 5 c .

[0326] Specifically, after the first CU receives the second indication information, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU needs to provide services for the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0327] Condition 3. In step 2-2 of the process shown in Figure 5b, the first CU receives the second indication information and / or third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is the target CU of the MT in the first IAB node.

[0328] Specifically, after the first CU receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU is likely to access the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0329] Condition 4: The first CU determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node.

[0330] Condition 5: The first CU receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node.

[0331] Condition 6: The first CU receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node.

[0332] Specifically, through any of conditions 4 to 6, the first CU determines that it is not the F1-terminating CU of the DU in the mAB node. Since the first CU is the MT-connected CU in the mAB node (i.e., the RRC terminating CU), the first CU can determine that the data between the DU and the F1-terminating CU in the mAB node may need to be transmitted through the topology of the first CU. To this end, the first CU can send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize the data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0333] Condition 7: The first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration. The implementation process of DU migration can refer to the description of FIG. 2h above.

[0334] Optionally, in condition 7, the first CU may determine that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration based on multiple methods. For example, the first CU receives indication information from a CU (or an MT in the first IAB node) to which the DU in the first IAB node is connected before performing DU migration, and the indication information is used to indicate that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration.

[0335] Specifically, when the first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration, the first CU may determine that the DU in the first IAB node and the MT in the first IAB node are likely to be connected to different CUs, that is, the CU connected by the DU in the first IAB node and the CU connected by the MT in the first IAB node are likely to be different CUs. To this end, the first CU may send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0336] Condition 8: The first CU receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information.

[0337] Specifically, the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node may send sixth indication information to the first CU for indicating a request for the first information, triggering the first CU to determine that it is necessary to instruct the DU to send the first information. To this end, when at least one of the above items is met, the first CU may determine that the DU connected to the first CU is likely to be accessed by the mAB node. To this end, the first CU may send the second information to the DU in step A, so that the DU can determine to send the first information based on the indication of the second information, so that the mAB node accessing the DU can realize data transmission of the mAB node in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0338] Optionally, in condition 8, when the sixth indication information comes from the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node may be the F1-terminating CU before the DU migration. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2h, the first IAB node may be the mAB node in Figure 2h, and the DU in the first IAB node may be switched from CU1 to CU3; accordingly, in condition 8, the sixth indication information may come from CU1, so that CU2 instructs DU2 to execute step S301 shown in Figure 6, thereby enabling the MT in the first IAB node to obtain the identifier of CU2 and send the third information to CU3 in step S302, so that subsequent mAB nodes can transmit data through the topology of CU2.

[0339] Optionally, in implementation example 1 and implementation example 2, the first cell is any cell in the DU that supports access of the mAB node; or, the first cell is a cell to which the mAB node in the DU accesses.

[0340] Optionally, in Implementation Example 1 and Implementation Example 2, the first information sent by the DU in step S301 is carried in a system broadcast message of the first cell. Specifically, the first information sent by the DU can be carried in a system broadcast message of the first cell. The first information is transmitted by broadcasting, so that multiple mAB nodes can receive the first information sent by broadcasting, thereby saving overhead. For example, the system broadcast information can be SIB1.

[0341] In a possible implementation of Example 1 and Example 2, before the DU determines the first information in step S301, the method further includes: receiving indication information configured by the network management for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU; and / or, receiving indication information from the first CU for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU. Specifically, the DU can obtain the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU by means of network management configuration or by receiving configuration from the first CU, so that the DU can send the first information based on the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

[0342] Optionally, the network management configuration method can be understood as a pre-configuration method.

[0343] In implementation example 3, before the DU sends the first information in step S301, as shown in FIG6 , the method further includes:

[0344] Step B: The first CU sends first information, and correspondingly, the DU receives the first information, wherein the first information is carried in an RRC message.

[0345] Optionally, the first information is carried in an RRC message, which may be replaced by the first information being carried in a unicast message.

[0346] It should be understood that the communication protocol stack supported by the DU includes the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, etc., but does not include the RRC layer; therefore, the first information received by the DU in step B and the first information sent by the DU in step S301 can be messages encapsulated by the PHY layer / MAC layer / RLC layer. Therefore, the DU can forward the first information in such a way that the mAB node connected to the DU obtains the first information.

[0347] It should be noted that, in the implementation process shown in FIG6 , the first CU may also determine to send the first information carried in the RRC message based on at least one of the following conditions 1 to 8. This will be described in detail below.

[0348] Condition 1: The first CU receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information. Alternatively, the DU broadcasts the system information of the first cell, where the system information of the first cell does not include the first information.

[0349] Specifically, before the DU sends the first information, the DU may send first indication information and / or system information of the first cell, so that the first CU can determine that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information based on the first indication information and / or the system information of the first cell. Thereafter, after the first CU determines that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information, the first CU may send the first information carried in the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mIAB node, the mIAB node can realize data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0350] Condition 2: The first CU receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed.

[0351] Optionally, the second indication information is carried in step 1-3 in FIG. 5 a , or the second indication information is carried in step 2-3 in FIG. 5 b , or the second indication information is carried in step 3-2 in FIG. 5 c .

[0352] Specifically, after the first CU receives the second indication information, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU needs to provide services for the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send the first information carried in the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mAB node, the mAB node can realize data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0353] Condition 3. In step 2-2 of the process shown in Figure 5b, the first CU receives the second indication information and / or third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is the target CU of the MT in the first IAB node.

[0354] Specifically, after the first CU receives the second indication information and / or the third indication information, the first CU can determine that the DU connected to the first CU is likely to access the mAB node. To this end, the first CU can send the first information carried by the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mAB node, the mAB node can realize data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0355] Condition 4: The first CU determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node.

[0356] Condition 5: The first CU receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node.

[0357] Condition 6: The first CU receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node.

[0358] Specifically, through any of conditions 4 to 6, the first CU determines that it is not the F1-terminating CU of the DU in the mAB node. Since the first CU is the MT-connected CU in the mAB node (i.e., the RRC terminating CU), the first CU can determine that the data between the DU in the mAB node and the F1-terminating CU may need to be transmitted through the topology of the first CU. To this end, the first CU can send the first information carried in the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mAB node, the mAB node can realize data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0359] Condition 7: The first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration. The implementation process of DU migration can refer to the description of FIG. 2h above.

[0360] Optionally, in condition 7, the first CU may determine that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration based on multiple methods. For example, the first CU receives indication information from a CU (or an MT in the first IAB node) to which the DU in the first IAB node is connected before performing DU migration, and the indication information is used to indicate that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration.

[0361] Specifically, when the first CU determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration, the first CU may determine that the DU in the first IAB node and the MT in the first IAB node are likely to be connected to different CUs, that is, the CU connected by the DU in the first IAB node and the CU connected by the MT in the first IAB node are likely to be different CUs. To this end, the first CU may send the first information carried in the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mIAB node, the mIAB node may be able to implement data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0362] Condition 8: The first CU receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information.

[0363] Specifically, the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node may send sixth indication information to the first CU for indicating a request for the first information, triggering the first CU to determine that it is necessary to indicate to the DU that the first information is sent. To this end, when at least one of the above items is met, the first CU may determine that the DU connected to the first CU may be accessed by the mAB node. To this end, the first CU may send the first information carried in the RRC message to the first IAB node through the DU in step B. Since the first IAB node is an mAB node, the mAB node can realize data transmission in the topology of the first CU through the first information.

[0364] Optionally, in condition 8, when the sixth indication information comes from the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node may be the F1-terminating CU before the DU migration. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2h, the first IAB node may be the mAB node in Figure 2h, and the DU in the first IAB node may be switched from CU1 to CU3; accordingly, in condition 8, the sixth indication information may come from CU1, so that CU2 instructs DU2 to execute step S301 shown in Figure 6, thereby enabling the MT in the first IAB node to obtain the identifier of CU2 and send the third information to CU3 in step S302, so that subsequent mAB nodes can transmit data through the topology of CU2.

[0365] Referring to FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 700. The communication device 700 can implement the functions of the communication device (the communication device being a DU, a first CU, or a first IAB node) in the above-described method embodiment, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above-described method embodiment. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device 700 can be a communication device, or it can be an integrated circuit or component within the communication device, such as a chip.

[0366] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method executed by the DU in the aforementioned Figure 3 and related embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the processing unit 701 is used to determine the first information, and the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first centralized unit CU, and the distributed unit DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, which is a cell that supports access of the mobile access and backhaul integrated mAB node; wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell; the transceiver unit 702 is used to send the first information.

[0367] In one possible implementation, when the apparatus 700 is used to execute the method executed by the first CU in FIG. 4 and related embodiments, the apparatus 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the processing unit 701 is used to determine second information, where the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0368] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the serving cell;

[0369] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the serving cell;

[0370] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0371] The transceiver unit 702 is used to send the second information, wherein the second information is used to determine the sending of the first information, the first information is carried in the system broadcast message of the serving cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes the serving cell.

[0372] In one possible implementation, when the apparatus 700 is used to execute the method executed by the first CU in FIG. 6 and related embodiments, the apparatus 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the processing unit 701 is configured to determine first information based on at least one of the following, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes a serving cell of a first integrated access and backhaul IAB node, where the first IAB node is an mIAB node:

[0373] The transceiver unit 702 receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0374] The transceiver unit 702 receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0375] The transceiver unit 702 receives the second indication information and / or third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0376] The processing unit 701 determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit F1 of the first IAB node;

[0377] The transceiver unit 702 receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0378] The transceiver unit 702 receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0379] The processing unit 701 determines that the DU in the first IAB node is to perform DU migration;

[0380] The transceiver unit 702 receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information;

[0381] The transceiver unit 702 is configured to send the first information, where the first information is carried in a radio resource control RRC message.

[0382] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method executed by the first IAB node in any of the aforementioned embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the transceiver unit 702 is used to receive first information, the first information comes from a service cell, and the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell, and the service cell supports access to the mobile access and backhaul integrated mAB node; the processing unit 701 is used to determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information; the transceiver unit 702 is also used to send third information to the second CU connected to the DU in the first IAB node, the third information includes the identifier of the first CU, wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission for the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU, and the first IAB node is an mAB node.

[0383] It should be noted that, for details on the information execution process of the units of the above-mentioned communication device 700, please refer to the description in the method embodiment shown above in this application, and no further details will be given here.

[0384] Please refer to Fig. 8, which is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device 800 provided in this application. The communication device 800 includes a logic circuit 801 and an input / output interface 802. The communication device 800 may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0385] The transceiver unit 702 shown in FIG7 may be a communication interface, which may be the input / output interface 802 in FIG8 , which may include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface may be a transceiver circuit, which may include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0386] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 is used to determine the first information, which is used to determine the identifier of the first centralized unit CU, and the distributed unit DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, which is a cell that supports access of the mobile access and backhaul integrated mAB node; wherein, the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mAB node accessing the first cell; the input and output interface 802 is used to send the first information.

[0387] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 is configured to determine second information, where the second information satisfies at least one of the following:

[0388] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the serving cell;

[0389] The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the serving cell;

[0390] The second information is used to instruct to send the first information;

[0391] The input-output interface 802 is used to send the second information, wherein the second information is used to determine the sending of the first information, the first information is carried in the system broadcast message of the service cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell.

[0392] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 is configured to determine first information based on at least one of the following, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of a first CU, where a DU connected to the first CU includes a serving cell of a first integrated access and backhaul IAB node, where the first IAB node is an mIAB node:

[0393] The input / output interface 802 receives first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information;

[0394] The input / output interface 802 receives second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mAB node is passed;

[0395] The input / output interface 802 receives the second indication information and / or third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node;

[0396] The logic circuit 801 determines that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit (F1-terminating CU) of the first IAB node;

[0397] The input / output interface 802 receives fourth indication information from the third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0398] The input / output interface 802 receives fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node;

[0399] The logic circuit 801 determines that the DU in the first IAB node is about to perform DU migration;

[0400] The input / output interface 802 receives sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate a request for the first information;

[0401] The input / output interface 802 is used to send the first information, where the first information is carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0402] Optionally, the input-output interface 802 is used to receive first information, the first information comes from the service cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell, and the service cell supports access to the mobile access and backhaul integrated mAB node; the logic circuit 801 is used to determine the identifier of the first CU based on the first information; the input-output interface 802 is also used to send third information to the second CU connected to the DU in the first IAB node, the third information includes the identifier of the first CU, wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission for the first IAB node in the topology of the first CU, and the first IAB node is an mAB node.

[0403] The logic circuit 801 and the input / output interface 802 may also execute other steps executed by the DU, the first CU, or the first IAB node in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be described in detail here.

[0404] In a possible implementation, the processing unit 701 shown in FIG. 7 may be the logic circuit 801 in FIG. 8 .

[0405] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 may be a processing device, and the functions of the processing device may be partially or entirely implemented by software. The functions of the processing device may be partially or entirely implemented by software.

[0406] Optionally, the processing device may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform corresponding processing and / or steps in any one of the method embodiments.

[0407] Alternatively, the processing device may include only a processor. A memory for storing the computer program is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuits / wires to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated or physically separate.

[0408] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processor units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0409] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a structural diagram of the communication device 900 involved in the above-mentioned embodiments provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 can specifically be a communication device serving as a DU, a first CU or a first IAB node in the above-mentioned embodiments, wherein the structure of the communication device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 9.

[0410] The communication device 900 includes at least one processor 911 and at least one network interface 914. Further optionally, the communication device also includes at least one memory 912, at least one transceiver 913 and one or more antennas 915. The processor 911, the memory 912, the transceiver 913 and the network interface 914 are connected, for example, via a bus. In an embodiment of the present application, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment. The antenna 915 is connected to the transceiver 913. The network interface 914 is used to enable the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 914 may include a network interface between the communication device and the core network device, such as an S1 interface, and the network interface may include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (such as other network devices or core network devices), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0411] The transceiver unit 702 shown in FIG7 may be a communication interface, which may be the network interface 914 in FIG9 , which may include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 914 may be a transceiver circuit, which may include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0412] Processor 911 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data, for example, to support the communication device in performing the actions described in the embodiments. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit. The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Processor 911 in Figure 9 may integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a central processing unit. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the baseband processor and the central processing unit may also be independent processors interconnected via a bus or other technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to accommodate different network standards, multiple central processing units to enhance its processing capabilities, and various components of the terminal device may be connected via various buses. The baseband processor may also be referred to as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The central processing unit may also be referred to as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The functionality for processing communication protocols and communication data may be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing functionality.

[0413] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. Memory 912 can exist independently and be connected to processor 911. Alternatively, memory 912 and processor 911 can be integrated together, for example, within a single chip. Memory 912 can store program code for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and execution is controlled by processor 911. The various computer program codes executed can also be considered drivers for processor 911.

[0414] Figure 9 shows only one memory and one processor. In an actual terminal device, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device. The memory may be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or an independent storage element, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0415] The transceiver 913 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the communication device and the terminal, and the transceiver 913 can be connected to the antenna 915. The transceiver 913 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 915 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of the transceiver 913 is used to receive the radio frequency signal from the antenna, convert the radio frequency signal into a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal, and provide the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to the processor 911 so that the processor 911 can further process the digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 913 is also used to receive a modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal from the processor 911, convert the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal into a radio frequency signal, and send the radio frequency signal through one or more antennas 915. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the RF signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency signal. The order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital intermediate frequency signal to obtain a RF signal. The order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion processes is adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital intermediate frequency signal may be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0416] The transceiver 913 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc. Optionally, a device in the transceiver unit that implements a receiving function may be referred to as a receiving unit, and a device in the transceiver unit that implements a transmitting function may be referred to as a transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as a receiver, an input port, a receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit may be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitter, or a transmitting circuit, etc.

[0417] It should be noted that the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be specifically used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiment and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation methods of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can refer to the description in the aforementioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0418] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor executes the method described in the possible implementation methods of the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments.

[0419] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product (or computer program). When the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes the method of the possible implementation mode of the above-mentioned terminal device or network device.

[0420] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in the possible implementation methods of the above-mentioned communication device. Optionally, the chip system also includes an interface circuit, which provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory, which is used to store the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device can specifically be a terminal device or a network device in the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0421] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal device and network device in any of the above embodiments.

[0422] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0423] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0424] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0425] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal chip receives information from the base station, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. When the terminal chip sends information to the base station, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0426] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from the terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information to the terminal, it can be understood that the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0427] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0428] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0429] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0430] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0431] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine first information, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of a first centralized unit CU, where the distributed unit DU connected to the first CU includes a first cell, where the first cell is a cell supporting access of an mIAB node integrated with mobile access backhaul; wherein the identifier of the first CU is used to establish data transmission in the topology of the first CU for the mIAB node accessing the first cell; The first information is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the first information, the method further includes: receiving a first message, where the first message is used to indicate that a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment of a first IAB node is completed; wherein the first message includes indication information for indicating that the first IAB node is an mIAB node; Determining to send the first information is based on the first message.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before sending the first information, the method further includes: Receive second information, where the second information comes from the first CU; wherein the second information satisfies at least one of the following: The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the first cell; The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the first cell; The second information is used to instruct sending the first information; Determining to send the first information based on the second information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first cell is any cell in the DU that supports access of the mIAB node; or, The first cell is a cell accessed by the mIAB node in the DU.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Before determining the first information, the method further includes: Receiving indication information configured by a network management system and used to indicate an identifier of the first CU or an identifier length of the identifier of the first CU; and / or, Receive indication information from the first CU for indicating the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first information is carried in a system broadcast message of the first cell.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining of the first information comprises: The first information is received, wherein the first information is carried in an RRC message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: Sending first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the first cell does not include the first information; and / or, The system information of the first cell is broadcasted, wherein the system information of the first cell does not include the first information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first CU; a length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to a second identifier, and the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the first cell; The length of the identifier of the first cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the first cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine second information, where the second information satisfies at least one of the following: The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is allowed to access the serving cell; The second information is used to indicate that the mIAB node is not prohibited from accessing the serving cell; The second information is used to instruct sending the first information; Send the second information, wherein the second information is used to determine the sending of the first information, the first information is carried in the system broadcast message of the service cell, the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first CU, and the DU connected to the first CU includes the service cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send indication information used to indicate the identifier of the first CU or the identifier length of the identifier of the first CU.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first CU; a length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to a second identifier, and the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell; The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The determining of the second information comprises: The second information is determined based on at least one of the following: receiving first indication information from the DU, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the first information; receiving second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mIAB node is passed; receiving the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node; Determining that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; receiving fourth indication information from a third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; receiving fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; Determining that a DU in the first IAB node is to perform distributed unit migration DU migration; receiving sixth indication information from an MT in the first IAB node or an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate requesting the first information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The second indication information from the core network element is carried by any one of the following: Initial context establishment request INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message, path switch request response PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message, user equipment context modification request UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Based on at least one of the following, first information is determined, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of a first CU, where a DU connected to the first CU includes a serving cell of a first integrated access and backhaul IAB node, and where the first IAB node is an mIAB node: Receive first indication information from the DU, the first indication information being used to indicate that the system information of the serving cell does not include the The first information; receiving second indication information from a core network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the authorization of the mIAB node is passed; receiving the second indication information and / or the third indication information from the source CU of the MT in the first IAB node, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first IAB node is an mIAB node and the first CU is a target CU of the MT in the first IAB node; Determining that the first CU is not an F1-terminating centralized unit F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; receiving fourth indication information from a third CU, where the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the third CU is an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; receiving fifth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node, where the fifth indication information is used to indicate that the first CU is not an F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node; Determining that a DU in the first IAB node is to perform distributed unit migration DU migration; receiving sixth indication information from the MT in the first IAB node or the F1-terminating CU of the first IAB node, where the sixth indication information is used to indicate requesting the first information; The first information is sent, where the first information is carried in a radio resource control RRC message.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second indication information from the core network element is carried by any one of the following: Initial context establishment request INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST message, path switch request response PATH SWITCH REQUEST ACK message, user equipment context modification request UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first CU; a length of the identifier of the first CU, wherein the length of the identifier of the first CU is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to a second identifier, and the second identifier is composed of the identifier of the first CU and the identifier of the serving cell; The length of the identifier of the serving cell, wherein the length of the identifier of the serving cell is used to determine the identifier of the first CU according to the second identifier.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising means for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one processor coupled to a memory; the at least one processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 is implemented.

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