CN116547932A

CN116547932A - Apparatus, method, device and computer readable medium for IAB communication

Info

Publication number: CN116547932A
Application number: CN202080106758.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: O·布拉克奇; 许翔
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2020-09-15
Filing date: 2020-09-15
Publication date: 2023-08-04
Also published as: WO2022056686A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for IAB communications. The first device determines first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with the third device, and sends the first information to the fourth device in a request to switch the second device from the first device to the fourth device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device. The fourth device receives the request for the handover and performs control of access by the second device to the fourth device based on the first information in the request. By the method, slice-aware admission control of the IAB node HO can be realized, the HO success rate can be improved, and the user experience can be enhanced.

Description

Apparatus, method, device and computer readable medium for IAB communication

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications and, more particularly, relate to an apparatus, method, device, and computer readable medium for Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) communications.

Background

IAB communication enables wireless relay of New Radio (NR) access by backhaul (backhaul) using the NR. The relay node is called an IAB node. The terminating node of the NR backhaul on the network side is called an IAB donor. The IAB donor represents a gNB with an accessory function supporting IAB. Backhaul may occur via a single hop of an IAB node or multiple hops of an IAB node. The IAB node comprises: a mobile terminal or Mobile Termination (MT) portion that acts as a User Equipment (UE) towards its parent or donor IAB node; and a Distributed Unit (DU) portion serving as a base station towards the next hop IAB node or UE.

Network slicing is a key feature in fifth generation (5G) systems that supports different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure. To enable mobile slice awareness in the case of network slices, single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) is introduced as part of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session information that may be transmitted during mobile signaling. This may enable slice-aware admission and congestion control.

However, current slice-related mechanisms are developed mainly for terminal devices or for access nodes. Considering that the IAB node is a combination of terminal device operation and access node operation, slice support for the IAB should be provided. Therefore, slice aware mechanisms should be studied for IAB communications in order to provide slice support for IAB nodes. Here, slice and network slice are used interchangeably.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scheme for slice aware IAB communications.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to: determining first information about at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and transmitting the first information to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

In a second aspect, a fourth device is provided. The fourth device includes at least one processor; at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fourth device to: receiving, at the fourth device and from a first device, a request to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and performing control of access of the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

In a third aspect, a method implemented at a device is provided. The method comprises the following steps: determining, at a first device, first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and transmitting the first information to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a device is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at the fourth device and from a first device, a request to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and performing control of access of the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for determining, at a first device, first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and means for sending the first information to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at the fourth device and from a first device, a request to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and means for performing control of access by the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising a computer program for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect above.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising a computer program for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect above.

It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram showing a communication procedure during an IAB node handover between IAB donors or inter-donor topology adaptation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a fourth device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing some other embodiments of the disclosure; and

fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

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

References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

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

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "including," and/or "containing" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) Hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog and/or digital circuitry only) and

(b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, for example (as applicable):

(i) Combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware

(ii) Any portion of a hardware processor having software (including a digital signal processor, software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and

(c) Hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software for operation (e.g., firmware), but may not exist when software is not required for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including all uses in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of only hardware circuitry or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. For example, if applicable to particular claim elements, the term circuitry also encompasses baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for a server, a cellular network device, or a mobile device in another computing or network device, or similar integrated circuit.

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), high Speed Packet Access (HSPA), narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), and the like. Furthermore, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including, but not limited to, a first generation (1G), a second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, a third generation (3G), a fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, a future fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) communication protocol, and/or any other protocol now known or later developed. The embodiment of the invention can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communications, there will of course be future types of communication technologies and systems in which the present invention may be implemented. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the systems described above.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services therefrom. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a Base Station (BS) or Access Point (AP) such as a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR next generation node B (gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, a low power node such as a femto node (femto), a pico node (pico), etc. A Radio Access Network (RAN) separation architecture comprising: a gNB centralized unit (gNB CU) hosting Radio Resource Control (RRC), service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP); and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) controlling a plurality of gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs), hosting Radio Link Control (RLC), medium Access Control (MAC), and physical layer (PHY).

The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a User Equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless terminals, mobile stations, notebook computer embedded devices (LEEs), notebook computer embedded devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premise devices (CPE), internet of things (loT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head Mounted Displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (such as tele-surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or automated processing chain environment), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

While in various example embodiments, the functionality described herein may be performed in fixed and/or wireless network nodes, in other example embodiments, the functionality may be implemented in a user equipment device (e.g., a cell phone or tablet or laptop or desktop or mobile IoT device or fixed IoT device). For example, the user equipment device may be suitably equipped with corresponding capabilities as described in connection with the fixed and/or wireless network node. The user equipment device may be a user equipment and/or a control device, such as a chipset or a processor, configured to control the user equipment when installed in the user equipment. Examples of such functions include a bootstrapping server function and/or a home subscriber server, which may be implemented in a user equipment device by providing software to the user equipment device configured to cause the user equipment device to perform from the perspective of these functions/nodes.

As mentioned previously, network slicing is a key 5G feature that supports different services using the same underlying mobile network infrastructure. Network slices may differ in their service requirements, such as ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or in the tenants providing these services. In order to make mobility slice-aware in the case of network slicing, S-nsai is introduced as part of PDU session information that can be transmitted during mobility signaling. This may enable slice-aware admission and congestion control.

During the Handover (HO) procedure, the terminal device is configured with measurement events that take into account the signal quality levels of the source cell and the neighboring cells. When the measurement event is triggered, if an Xn interface is available between the source cell and the target cell, the source cell may determine candidate cells for handover taking into account current radio conditions and slice support information of the target cell received over the Xn interface. When the Xn interface is not available between the source cell and the target cell, the slice support information of the neighboring cell may be preconfigured in the source cell. In the HO request, slice information such as S-nsai per PDU is included, and the target cell decides to admit and reject PDU sessions. If the target cell suggested by the source cell is not available, the target cell may consider the slice information of the terminal device and select another cell as the target cell.

In an IAB network architecture, an IAB node supports gNB-DU functions to terminate NR access interfaces to terminal devices and sub-IAB nodes and F1 interfaces to gNB-CUs on IAB principals. The IAB node also supports an NR Uu radio interface called MT function to connect to a DU of another IAB node or IAB donor and to a gNB-CU on the IAB donor via RRC. The IAB node may be directly connected to the IAB donor. The IAB node may also be connected to an IAB donor via a plurality of parent IAB nodes. The IAB node may be connected to a core network via an IAB donor and a plurality of parent IAB nodes. Each IAB node may serve a set of terminal devices, where the terminal devices may be associated with different slices. For the terminal device served by a given slice, both the IAB node and the IAB donor will support that slice.

There may be different implementation options or modes of operation for the IAB node. For example, the IAB node may be installed on a fixed infrastructure, such as a lamppost or street furniture. Such an IAB node may be referred to as a fixed IAB node. Depending on the channel conditions on the wireless backhaul, the fixed IAB node may migrate from one donor IAB node to a neighboring donor IAB node. Another IAB node implementation may be the following: when the IAB is static or slow moving and in particular the serving UE is outside the vehicle, the IAB node is installed on the vehicle and the IAB node is active (i.e. the serving UE). For example, when the vehicle is parked, the IAB node may serve a UE external to the vehicle. When the nomadic IAB is inactive, i.e. not working, it may enter an idle mode, e.g. similar to RRC idle or RRC inactive. Such an IAB node may be referred to as a nomadic IAB node. The nomadic IAB node may be integrated into a vehicle such as a car sharing fleet or a taxi fleet. Nomadic IAB nodes may be used to provide coverage and/or capacity enhancements. Another concept of IAB has recently been proposed, namely mobile IAB. The mobile IAB node is located on a mobile object (e.g., a vehicle or balloon or drone) and provides wireless access to UEs inside or outside the mobile object.

In some scenarios, an IAB node may need to change its serving node or a parent node that may be under the same or different donor, for example, due to a possible failure on a Backhaul (BH) connection or a change in the IAB topology or movement of the IAB node. In the latter case, the IAB node may change its point of attachment from a source IAB donor (also referred to herein as a source donor node) to a target IAB donor (also referred to herein as a target donor node) that is different from the source IAB donor. Such topology adaptations may be referred to as inter-donor topology adaptations. For convenience, the IAB node that changes its point of attachment is referred to herein as a migrating IAB node.

In the case where an IAB node performs inter-donor topology adaptation, either from a source donor node to a target donor node or the IAB node, slice awareness is required for the IAB node and/or one or more terminal devices served by the IAB node. However, there is still a need to provide a slice aware IAB node HO. For example, during a HANDOVER preparation procedure for an IAB-MT, a HANDOVER REQUEST (HANDOVER REQUEST) message includes only PDU session information for the IAB-MT. The IAB-MT may not have any PDU session or may have only one PDU session for Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM). Furthermore, there is no information about slice information of the terminal device connected to the migrating IAB node, and thus slice-aware handover of the terminal device may not be achieved. This may be worse when the target donor node selects another cell as the target that may not support the slicing of the terminal device.

It can be seen that since the IAB node is a combination of MT (UE operation) and DU (access node operation), the current slice-related HO mechanism was developed mainly for UE. Considering this and neither UE-specific signaling nor access node-specific signaling alone can be used to provide slice support for the IAB node, slice support for the IAB should be provided.

To at least partially address the above and other potential problems, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a scheme for communication during an IAB node HO or during inter-donor topology adaptation. In this scheme, information (also referred to herein as first information) regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the migrating IAB node or a network slice associated with a terminal device served by the migrating IAB node is transmitted in a handover request from a source IAB donor to a target IAB donor. If the migrating IAB node has a child IAB node, information (also referred to herein as second information) about at least one of the network slices supported by the child IAB node or the network slices associated with the terminal devices served by the child IAB node may also be transmitted in the handover request. In this way, a slice aware IAB node HO mechanism may be provided. Accordingly, a handover success rate may be increased and a user experience may be enhanced. The principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 1-6. The various embodiments presented herein can be applied to different HO procedures, such as Baseline HO (BHO), group HO, conditional HO (CHO), dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) HO, or break-before-make HO.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication network 100 may include a first device 110, a second device 120, a third device 130, a fourth device 140, a fifth device 150, and a sixth device 160. In this example, the first device 110 and the fourth device 140 are shown as IAB donors (also referred to as IAB donor devices), the second device 120 and the fifth device 150 are shown as IAB nodes (also referred to as IAB node devices), and the third device 130 and the sixth device 160 are shown as terminal devices. The first device 110 and the fourth device 140 serve the second device 120. The second device 120 serves the third device 130 and the fifth device 150, and the fifth device 150 is shown as a child IAB node of the second device 120. The fifth device 150 serves the sixth device 160. In this example, the IAB node (second device 120) is directly connected to the IAB donor (first device 110 and fourth device 140). It should be appreciated that an IAB node (second device 120) may also be connected to an IAB donor (first device 110, fourth device 140) via a plurality of intermediate IAB nodes.

In this example, the child IAB node (fifth device 150) is directly connected to the IAB node (second device 120). It should be appreciated that the child IAB node (fifth device 150) may also be connected to the IAB node (second device 120) via a plurality of intermediate IAB nodes. In this case, these intermediate IAB nodes are also considered as sub-IAB nodes of the IAB node (second device 120).

It should be understood that the number of first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth devices is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation to the disclosure. The communication network 100 may include any suitable number of first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth devices suitable for implementing implementations of the present disclosure. Furthermore, there may be situations where a third device or a sixth device (e.g., a terminal device) is not actively served by a second device or a fifth device (e.g., an IAB node).

As shown in fig. 1, the communication network 100 may also include a Core Network (CN) 170.CN 170 may include a number of core network elements that provide different network functions, such as Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSF), unified data repository (UDM), access and mobility management functions (AMF), operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM), network Functions (NF) repository functions, session Management Functions (SMF), policy Control Functions (PCF), network Exposure Functions (NEF), and the like. For convenience, CN 170 is shown as including core network element 171. The first device 110 and the fourth device 140, which serve as IAB donors, may communicate with a core network element 171 in the CN 170. For example, the core network element 171 may be an AMF. Of course, the core network element 171 may be of any suitable form.

The IAB donor (e.g., first device 110 or fourth device 140) is comprised of an IAB donor CU (e.g., CU 112 or CU 142) and one or more IAB donor DUs (e.g., DU 111 or DU 141). In case of separation of control plane and user plane, the IAB donor may consist of an IAB donor central unit control plane (IAB-donor-CU-CP), a plurality of IAB donor central unit user planes (IAB-donor-CU-UP) and a plurality of IAB-donor-DUs.

The first device 110 includes a DU 111 to support the terminal device and MT of one or more downstream IAB nodes. The first device 110 also includes one CU 112 for all the IAB node's DUs and for its own DUs (e.g., DU 111). Similarly, the fourth device 140 includes one or more DUs, e.g., DU141, to support the MT of the terminal device and one or more downstream IAB nodes. The fourth device 140 also includes a CU 142 for all IAB node DUs and for its own DUs (e.g., DU 141).

It should be appreciated that while the DU 111 and the CU 112 are shown as being implemented on a single entity, the DU 111 and the CU 112 may be implemented on separate entities, such as in the case of cloud-based deployments. Similarly, DU141 and CU 142 may be implemented on a single entity or separate entities.

The first device 110 and the fourth device 140, which serve as IAB donors, may communicate with each other via an Xn interface. It should be appreciated that the Xn interface is merely an example, and that any suitable communication interface may be used between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140.

The second device 120 includes MT 121 and DU 122, and the fifth device 150 includes MT 151 and DU 152. The second device 120 is connected to the first device 110 or the fourth device 140 via the MT 121. Via the DU 122, the second device 120 can establish RLC channels to the third device 130 and to the MT 151 of the fifth device 150. DU 122 has an F1 control plane interface (F1-C) connection with the Control Plane (CP) of one IAB donor CU (IAB-donor CU-CP). For example, DU 122 may have an F1 interface with CU 112 in first device 110 or with an F1 interface with CU 142 in fourth device 140.

Via the DU 152, the fifth device 150 may establish an RLC channel to the sixth device 160 and to the MT of the downstream IAB node (not shown). DU 152 has an F1-C connection with the CP of an IAB donor CU (IAB-donor CU-CP). For example, the DU 152 may have an F1 interface with the CU 112 in the first apparatus 110 or with the F1 interface with the CU 142 in the fourth apparatus 140. Suppose a DU on an IAB node can establish an F1 interface with only one IAB donor CU-CP. This IAB donor may be changed by topology adaptation or handover.

In some example embodiments, the DU 122 in the second device 120 may be connected to the CU 112 in the first device 110 using an F1 interface. Both the F1 control plane interface (F1-C) and the F1 user plane interface (F1-U) operate on RLC channels over the wireless backhaul between the MT 121 in the second device 120 and the DU 111 in the first device 110. It should be appreciated that the F1 interface is merely an example, and that any suitable communication interface may be used between the second device 120 and the first device 110.

Although the second device 120 and the fifth device 150 are shown as IAB nodes, the communication network 100 may also include one or more upstream IAB nodes connected between the second device 120 and the first device 110 or between the second device 120 and the fourth device 140. Of course, the communication network 100 may also include one or more downstream IAB nodes connected downstream of the fifth device 150. Alternatively, the communication network 100 may not include the fifth device 150 and the terminal devices served by the fifth device. Furthermore, although only one third device is shown in communication with the second device 120, the communication network 100 may also include more third devices in communication with the second device 120. Although only one sixth device is shown as being served by the fifth device 150, the communication network 100 may also include more sixth devices as being served by the fifth device 150.

Communication in communication system 100 may be implemented in accordance with any suitable communication protocol including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), etc., cellular communication protocols, wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and/or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. Further, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology including, but not limited to: code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), frequency Division Duplex (FDD), time Division Duplex (TDD), multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and/or any other technique currently known or to be developed in the future.

In some scenarios, the second device 120 may switch from DU 111 in the first device 110 to DU 141 in the fourth device 140, resulting in the IAB donor CU changing from CU 112 in the first device 110 to CU 142 in the fourth device 140. For convenience, CU 112 is also referred to as a source CU, and CU 142 is also referred to as a target CU.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at the HO decision, the following information is sent in a handover request from a source IAB donor to a target IAB donor: information about at least one network slice supported by the migrating IAB node, information about at least one network slice supported by its child IAB node (if present), and information about at least one network slice associated with terminal devices served by the migrating IAB node and its child IAB node (if present). When there is a direct interface, e.g., an Xn interface, between the source IAB node and the target IAB node, handover signaling may be exchanged directly between the source IAB node and the target IAB node. When there is no direct interface, e.g., an Xn interface, between the source IAB node and the target IAB node, handover signaling may be exchanged between the source IAB node and the target IAB node via one or more core network nodes. In this way, a slice aware IAB node HO mechanism may be provided. Accordingly, a handover success rate may be increased and a user experience may be enhanced. A more detailed description will be given with reference to fig. 2.

Fig. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram showing a communication process 200 during an IAB node HO between IAB donors or inter-donor topology adaptation according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For convenience, process 200 will be described in connection with the example of fig. 1. It should be appreciated that although the process 200 has been described in the communication network 100 of fig. 1, the process is equally applicable to other communication scenarios. This example assumes a direct interface, such as an Xn interface, between the source IAB node and the target IAB node. The process is also similar when there is no direct interface, such as an Xn interface, between the source IAB node and the target IAB node. In this case, handover signaling is exchanged between the source IAB node and the target IAB node via one or more core network nodes.

As shown in fig. 2, during establishment of the F1 interface with CU 112 of first device 110 by DU 122 of second device 120, second device 120 may send 201 (via DU 122) information to first device 110 (e.g., to CU 112) regarding at least one network slice supported by second device 120. In some embodiments, the second device 120 may send this information to the first device 110 in an F1 SETUP REQUEST (SETUP REQUEST) message. In some embodiments, this information may be provided in terms of Tracking Areas (TAs), and may be in the form of a set of slice IDs. For example, the slice ID may be S-NSSAI. In some other embodiments, when an intermediate IAB node is present between the second device 120 and the first device 110, the second device 120 sends 201 information to the first device 110 via the intermediate IAB node about at least one network slice supported by the second device 120.

Current 3GPP specifications allow a terminal device to be connected and served simultaneously by up to eight S-NSSAIs. On the other hand, each cell may support a large number of network slices: a cell may support tens or even hundreds of S-nsais.

The S-nsai may include a Slice Service Type (SST) and a Slice Differentiator (SD) field having a total length of 32 bits, or may include only an SST field portion, in which case the S-nsai has a length of only 8 bits. The SST field may have standardized and non-standardized values. Values 0 to 127 fall within the normalized SST range. For example, an SST value of 1 may indicate that a slice is suitable for processing 5gembb, an SST value of 2 is suitable for processing URLLC, etc. SD is defined only by the operator.

Of course, the slice ID may be in any other suitable form. Furthermore, this information may also be transmitted in any other suitable manner and is not limited to the examples described above.

In some cases, the second device 120, which is an IAB node, may have a child IAB node (e.g., fifth device 150). Thus, during establishment of the F1 interface by the DU 152 of the fifth device 150 with the CU 112 of the first device 110, the fifth device 150 may also send (via the DU 152) information to the first device 110 (e.g., to the CU 112) regarding at least one network slice supported by the fifth device 150.

As shown in fig. 2, the core network element 171 may send 202 information to the first device 110 regarding at least one network slice associated with the third device 130. In some embodiments, the CU 112 of the first device 110 may terminate a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) process for the third device 130. When the core network element 171 initiates the NGAP PDU session resource establishment procedure, the core network element 171 may send PDU session resource-related information to the first device 110, the PDU session resource-related information including information about at least one network slice associated with the third device 130.

Similarly, the core network element 171 may also transmit information about at least one network slice associated with the sixth device 160 to the first device 110. In some embodiments, CU 112 of first device 110 may terminate the NGAP process for sixth device 160. When the core network element 171 initiates the NGAP PDU session resource establishment procedure, the core network element 171 may send PDU session resource related information to the first device 110, the PDU session resource related information comprising information about at least one network slice associated with the sixth device 160.

In this way, the first device 110 may obtain information regarding at least one network slice supported by the migrating IAB node and at least one network slice associated with a terminal device served by the migrating IAB node. In the case of a migrating IAB node having its child IAB node, the first device 110 may also obtain information about at least one network slice supported by the child IAB node and at least one network slice associated with a terminal device served by the child IAB node.

In some embodiments, the MT 121 of the second device 120 may send a channel quality measurement report for the neighboring node to the CU 112 of the first device 110. Based on the measurement report, the CU 112 of the first device 110 may make a HO decision. For example, it may be decided to perform a handoff of the second device 120 from the first device 110 to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform a Baseline HO (BHO). In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may perform a Conditional HO (CHO). In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may perform a DAPS HO.

Based on the HO decision, the first device 110 determines 203 information about at least one of a network slice supported by the second device 120 or a network slice associated with the third device 130. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120. In some additional or alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device 130.

In this example, the fifth device 150 communicates with the second device 120. Accordingly, the first device 110 may further determine 203' information about at least one of a network slice supported by the fifth device 150 or a network slice associated with the sixth device 160. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a third set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device 150. In some additional or alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may determine a fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the sixth device 160.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a fifth set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120 and the fifth device 150 based on the first set of identifications and the third set of identifications. In some additional or alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may generate a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device 130 and the sixth device 160 based on the second set of identifications and the fourth set of identifications. As such, the slice support (i.e., the fifth set of identifications) of the migrating IAB node and its child IAB nodes may be considered a maximum slice set, and the slice information (i.e., the sixth set of identifications) of the terminal devices served by the migrating IAB node and its child IAB nodes may be considered a minimum slice set. For example, an IAB node may support 10 slices, but the current terminal device may use only 5 slices. This is just one example and any other number is possible.

The first device 110 may then send 204 the first information and the second information to the fourth device 140 in a handover request. In some embodiments, the handover Request may be an Xn HO Request (Xn HO Request) message sent directly to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the handover Request may be a NG HO Required message sent to the core network, which then sends a NG HO Request (NG HO Request) message to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send the first information and the second information in one or more of an Xn handover request message or an NG HO demand message or an NG HO request message independent of a current PDU session Information Element (IE).

In some embodiments where the migrating IAB node has no child IAB node, the first device 110 sends the first set of identities or the second set of identities. Of course, the first device 110 may send both the first set of identifications and the second set of identifications. In this case, the first set of identifications is considered the largest set of slices, and the second set of identifications is considered the smallest set of slices.

In some embodiments in which the migrating IAB node has child IAB nodes, the first device 110 may send at least one of a third set of identifications or a fourth set of identifications in addition to at least one of the first set of identifications or the second set of identifications. In some alternative embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit at least one of the fifth set of identifications or the sixth set of identifications. In this case, the fifth identified set is considered the largest slice set and the sixth identified set is considered the smallest slice set.

In some embodiments, the first information may be associated with at least one of the following of the second device 120: physical Cell Identity (PCI), or Cell Global Identity (CGI), or Tracking Area Code (TAC), or quality of service (QoS) information for each network slice. In some embodiments, the second information may be associated with at least one of the following of the fifth device 150: PCI, or CGI, or TAC, or QoS information for each network slice. With the PCI or CGI, the target IAB donor may match the PCI or CGI to a TA received, for example, via an NG RAN configuration update procedure. With TACs, the target IAB donor has information about the slice support of each TA (e.g., received via NG RAN configuration update procedure and/or Xn setup procedure).

Thus, the fourth device 140 receives information about at least one network slice (also referred to herein as received slice information). Referring to fig. 2, the fourth device 140 performs 205 control of access by the second device 120 to the fourth device 140 based on the received slice information. That is, the fourth device 140 performs slice-aware admission control to the second device 120, e.g., taking into account the received network slice information and/or quality of service information for each network slice. In some embodiments where the fourth device 140 receives both the fifth set of identifications and the sixth set of identifications, the fourth device 140 may first perform control taking into account the fifth set of identifications (the maximum set). If the control is not satisfied, the fourth device 140 may perform the control considering the sixth set of identifications (the minimum set). In this way, implementation of slice-aware admission control may be facilitated.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may perform resource allocation for access based on the received slice information. For example, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 may consider the received slice information when performing resource allocation, such as transport network resources or user plane resources, in the IAB donor CU-UP.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may determine a target cell to which the second device 120 is to be handed off from the first device 110 based on the received slicing information. For example, the fourth apparatus 140 may determine whether the cell suggested by the CU 112 for the handover of the first apparatus 110 supports the slice requested by the CU 112 in the received slice information. In this way, the fourth device 140 can determine whether the cell is suitable for use as the target cell. If the cell supports the slice requested by CU 112, fourth device 140 may determine that the cell is suitable as the target cell. The determination may also take into account quality of service information for each network slice requested by CU 112 in the received slice information.

In one example, when CU 112 does not have an Xn interface with CU 142, CU 112 does not know the slices supported in the cells of CU 142 prior to the handover. In this case, CU 112 may select an unsuitable target cell that meets the radio standard but does not support the slice. If so, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 may select another cell that may not be well suited from a radio perspective but that supports the slice as the target cell.

In another example, there may be multiple candidate cells in CU 142 that may meet the radio standard, and the target cell suggested by CU 112 may be highly loaded or may be highly loaded for one or more particular slices. If so, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 can select another cell as the target cell in consideration of the received slice information.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may determine whether a radio link control channel for a Backhaul (BH) supports network slicing. For example, CU 142 of fourth device 140 may use the received slice information and quality of service information for each network slice to check whether the BH RLC channel is adequate. This may occur when an operator requests to separate traffic belonging to a particular slice on the transport interface. This may involve migrating all BH channels between the IAB node (in this example, the second device 120) and the new parent node (in this example, the fourth device 140), between the intermediate IAB node (in this example, the second device 120 and the fifth device 150), and between the IAB node (in this example, the second device 120) and the DU of the new parent node (in this example, the DU 141 of the fourth device 140).

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may adapt the IAB topology for the access based on the received slice information. For example, when an intermediate IAB node (in this example, the fifth device 150) may be highly loaded or congested for one or more particular slices after a handover, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 may change topology. In one example, CU 142 may move the child IAB node of the intermediate node to another parent node to accommodate the hand-in of the migrating IAB node. It should be noted that the above examples are for illustration only and are not limiting of the present application.

Returning to fig. 2, the fourth device 140 may send 206 a response to the handover request to the first device 110. The response includes information (also referred to herein as third information) about at least one network slice supported by the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, when a direct interface (e.g., an Xn interface) exists between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 may reply to the CU 112 of the first device 110 with an Xn handover request acknowledgement (Xn Handover Request Acknowledge) message. In some other embodiments, the CU 142 of the fourth device 140 may reply to the core network 171 with a NG handover request acknowledge (NG Handover Request acknowledge) message and when there is no direct interface (e.g., an Xn interface) between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140, the core network 171 sends a NG handover command (NG Handover Command) message to the CU 112 of the first device 110.

In some embodiments, the CU 112 of the first device 110 may initiate multiple handover preparations for the MT 121 of the second device 120 to the fourth device 140 and other different neighboring donor CUs. In these embodiments, the fourth device 140 or other different neighboring donor CUs may send information (also referred to herein as third information) regarding at least one network slice supported by the fourth device 40 or other different neighboring donor CUs in response to the handover request.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 instructs the second device 120 to perform the handoff based on the response received from the fourth device 140. In some other embodiments, upon receiving the third information, the first device 110 may determine 207, based on the third information, a target cell to which the second device 120 is to be handed off from the first device 110. In some embodiments, CU 112 of first device 110 may select an appropriate target cell and instruct second device 120 to perform a handover based on a received Xn handover request acknowledgement message or NG handover command message that includes slice support information from multiple neighboring donor CUs. For example, CU 112 may select a target cell that supports all desired slices. Alternatively, CU 112 may select a target cell that supports more slices than other candidate cells.

Although the above description is made in connection with an Xn-based handover, the above procedure is also applicable to NG-based handover. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send a handover request to the fourth device 140 via the core network device 171. For example, the first device 110 may send 204' a handover request (e.g., a handover required message) to the core network device 171, and the core network device 171 may send 204 "a handover request message to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may send a response to the request to the first device 110 via the core network device 171. For example, the fourth device 140 may send 206' a handover request acknowledgement to the core network device 171, and the core network device 171 may send 206 "a handover command to the first device 110.

With the procedure of fig. 2, a basic procedure for slice support for an IAB node HO may be provided. In this way, HO success rate may be increased and user experience may be enhanced. Corresponding to the process of fig. 2, the present disclosure also provides an example method implemented at a source IAB donor and a target IAB donor. This will be described below with reference to fig. 3 and 4.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at a device that serves as a source IAB donor, such as the first device 110 in fig. 1. For convenience, the method 300 will be described with reference to fig. 1.

At block 310, the first device 110 determines first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device 120 or a network slice associated with the third device 130. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may cause at least one of the following to be included in the first information: a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120; or a second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device 130.

At block 320, the first device 110 sends first information to the fourth device 140 in a request to switch the second device 120 from the first device 110 to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send the request to the fourth device 140 via a core network element (e.g., core network element 171).

The above procedure may be applied in the case where the migrating IAB node has no child IAB node. In some embodiments, the migrating IAB node has one or more child IAB nodes. In these embodiments, the first device 110 may also determine second information regarding at least one of the network slices supported by the fifth device 150 or the network slices associated with the sixth device 160, and also send the second information to the fourth device 140 in the handoff request.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 may cause at least one of the following to be included in the second information: a third set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device 150; or a fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with sixth device 160.

In some embodiments, the first information may be associated with at least one of the following of the second device 120: PCI, or CGI, or TAC, or QoS information for each network slice. In some embodiments, the second information may be associated with at least one of the following of the fifth device 150: PCI, or CGI, or TAC, or QoS information for each network slice.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine at least one of: a fifth set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120 and the fifth device 150; or a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device 130 and the sixth device 160, and transmitting at least one of the fifth set of identifications or the sixth set of identifications to the fourth device 140 in a handoff request.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a first set of identifications from the second device 120 for at least one network slice supported by the second device 120 and a third set of identifications from the fifth device 150 for at least one network slice supported by the fifth device 150. The first device 110 may determine a fifth set of identifications based on the first set of identifications and the third set of identifications. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a second set of identifications from the core network element 171 regarding at least one network slice associated with the third device 130 and a fourth set of identifications from the core network element 171 regarding at least one network slice associated with the sixth device 160. The first device 110 may determine a sixth set of identifications based on the second set of identifications and the fourth set of identifications.

In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a response to the request from the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the response may include third information about the network slice supported by the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the first device 110 may receive a response to the request from the fourth device 140 via a core network element (e.g., core network element 171). In some embodiments, the first device 110 instructs the second device to perform a handover to the target cell. In some embodiments, for example, when the first device 110 initiates multiple handover preparations to different neighboring devices and the first device 110 receives multiple responses from each neighboring device, the first device 110 may determine a target cell to which the second device 120 is to be handed over from the first device 110 based on the third information.

In some embodiments, each of the first device 110 and the fourth device 140 is an IAB donor device, each of the second device 120 and the fifth device 150 is an IAB node device, and each of the third device 130 and the sixth device 160 is a terminal device.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a fourth device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented at a device that serves as a target IAB donor, such as the fourth device 140 in fig. 1. For convenience, the method 400 will be described with reference to fig. 1.

At block 410, the fourth device 140 receives a request from the first device 110 to switch the second device 120 from the first device 110 to the fourth device 140. In some embodiments, the request includes first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device 120 or a network slice associated with the third device 130. In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of: a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120; or a second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device 130.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may receive the request from the first device 110 via a core network element (e.g., core network element 171). This can be applied to NG-based handoffs.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may also receive second information in the handover request regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the fifth device 150 or a network slice associated with the sixth device 160. In some embodiments, the second information may include at least one of: a third set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device 150; or a fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with sixth device 160.

In some embodiments, the first information may be associated with at least one of the following of the second device: PCI, or CGI, or TAC, or QoS information for each network slice. In some embodiments, the second information may be associated with at least one of the following of the fifth device: PCI, or CGI, or TAC, or QoS information for each network slice.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may receive in the request at least one of a fifth set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the second device 120 and the fifth device 150 or a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third apparatus 130 and the sixth device 160. In this way, slice information may be transmitted in the form of information about network slices supported by the IAB node and information about network slices associated with terminal devices served by the IAB node.

At block 410, the fourth device 140 performs control of access by the second device 120 to the fourth device 140, for example, taking into account the received network slice information and/or quality of service information for each network slice. In this way, slice-aware admission control may be implemented. In some embodiments in which the fourth device 140 receives both the fifth set of identifications and the sixth set of identifications, the fourth device 140 may perform control based on the fifth set of identifications; and if the control is not implemented based on the fifth set of identifications, the fourth device 140 can perform the control based on the sixth set of identifications.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may perform resource allocation for the access. In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may determine a target cell to which the second device is to be handed off from the first device 110. In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may determine whether the radio link control channel for the backhaul supports network slicing. In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may adapt the IAB topology for the access. Of course, any other suitable control may also be performed based on the received slice information.

In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may send a response to the request to the first device 110. In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may send the request to the first device via a core network element (e.g., core network element 171). This can be applied to NG-based handoffs.

In some embodiments, the response may include third information about the network slice supported by the fourth device 140. This may apply to the case where the CU 112 of the first device 110 initiates multiple handover preparations for the MT121 of the second device 120 to different neighboring donor nodes. In this way, the first device 110 may facilitate determining the target cell based on the third information from the neighboring donor CUs.

It should be appreciated that the description of the features with reference to fig. 2 also applies to methods 300 and 400 and has the same effect. Therefore, details of these features are omitted.

In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing any of the methods 300 may include means for performing the steps of the methods 300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining, at a first device, first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and means for sending the first information to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the first information may include means for causing at least one of: a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device; or a second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for determining second information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a fifth device or a network slice associated with a sixth device, the fifth device in communication with the second device and the sixth device being served by the fifth device; and means for sending the second information to the fourth device in the handover request.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the second information may include means for causing at least one of: a third set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device; or a fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the sixth device.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the first information and the second information may include means for determining at least one of: a fifth set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device and the fifth device; or a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device and the sixth device. In these embodiments, the means for transmitting the first information and the second information may comprise means for transmitting at least one of the fifth set of identifications or the sixth set of identifications in a handover request.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the fifth set of identifications may comprise: means for receiving, from the second device, a first set of identities for at least one network slice supported by the second device; means for receiving, from the fifth device, a third set of identities for at least one network slice supported by the fifth device; and means for determining the fifth set of identifications based on the first set of identifications and the third set of identifications.

In some embodiments, the means for determining the sixth set of identifications may comprise: means for receiving a second set of identities for at least one network slice associated with the third device from a core network element; means for receiving a fourth set of identities for at least one network slice associated with the sixth device from the core network element; and means for determining the sixth set of identifications based on the second set of identifications and the fourth set of identifications.

In some embodiments, the means for sending the request may comprise means for sending the request to the fourth device via a core network element.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise: means for receiving a response to the request from the fourth device, the response including third information about at least one network slice supported by the fourth device; and means for performing a handover of the second device to a target cell based on the third information. In some embodiments, the means for receiving a response may comprise means for receiving a response from the fourth device via a core network element. In some embodiments, the means for performing the handover may include means for determining a target cell based on the third information and means for handing over the second device to the target cell.

In some embodiments, each of the first device and the fourth device is an IAB donor device, each of the second device and the fifth device is an IAB node device, and each of the third device and the sixth device is a terminal device.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., fourth device 140) capable of performing any of method 400 may include means for performing the various steps of method 400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at the fourth device and from a first device, a request to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and means for performing control of access by the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

In some embodiments, the first information may include at least one of: a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device; or a second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving, in the handover request, second information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a fifth device or a network slice associated with a sixth device, the fifth device in communication with the second device and the sixth device served by the fifth device. In some embodiments, the second information may include at least one of: a third set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device; or a fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the sixth device.

In some embodiments, the means for receiving the first information and the second information may include means for receiving at least one of: a fifth set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device and the fifth device; a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device and the sixth device. In some embodiments, the means for receiving may include means for receiving a request from the first device via the core network element.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for sending a response to the request to the first device, the response including third information regarding at least one network slice supported by the fourth device. In some embodiments, the means for sending the response comprises means for sending the request to the first device via the core network element.

In some embodiments, the means for receiving the first information and the second information may include means for receiving a fifth set of identifications and a sixth set of identifications. In these embodiments, the means for performing control may include: means for performing control based on the fifth set of identifications; and means for performing control based on the sixth set in accordance with a determination that the control is not satisfied based on the fifth set.

In some embodiments, the means for performing control may include at least one of: means for performing resource allocation for the access; means for determining a target cell to which the second device is to be handed over from the first device; means for determining whether a radio link control channel for a backhaul supports the network slice; or means for adapting an IAB topology for the access.

Fig. 5 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 500 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as the first device 110 or the fourth device 140 shown in fig. 1. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processors 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processors 510.

The communication module 540 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

Processor 510 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that are slaved in time to a clock that is synchronized to the master processor.

Memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact Disks (CD), digital Video Disks (DVD), and other magnetic and/or optical memory. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memory that does not last for the duration of the power outage.

The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. Program 530 may be stored in ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by program 530 so that device 500 may perform any of the processes of the present invention discussed with reference to fig. 2-4. Embodiments of the invention may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 500 (e.g., memory 520) or other storage device accessible to device 500. Device 500 may load program 530 from a computer readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 6 shows an example of a computer readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has stored thereon a program 530.

In general, the various embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods 300 and 400 as described above with reference to fig. 3 and 4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired. Machine-executable instructions of program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, results in the implementation of the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on the remote machine or server as a stand-alone software package.

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

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Moreover, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order or sequence illustrated, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while in the foregoing discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to:

determining first information about at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and

the first information is sent to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to determine the first information by causing at least one of:

A first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device; or (b)

A second set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to:

determining second information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a fifth device or a network slice associated with a sixth device, the fifth device in communication with the second device and the sixth device being served by the fifth device, and

in the request for the handover, the second information is transmitted to the fourth device.

4. A first device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first device is caused to determine the second information by causing at least one of the following to be included in the second information:

a third set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device; or (b)

A fourth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the sixth device.

5. A first device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first information is associated with at least one of the following of the second device: physical cell identity, or cell global identity, or tracking area code, or quality of service information for each network slice; and

Wherein the second information is associated with at least one of the following of the fifth device: physical cell identity, or cell global identity, or tracking area code, or quality of service information for each network slice.

6. A first device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first device is caused to determine the first information and the second information by:

determining at least one of the following:

a fifth set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device and the fifth device; or (b)

A sixth set of identities of at least one network slice associated with the third device and the sixth device, and

wherein the first device is caused to transmit the first information and the second information by: in the request for the handover, at least one of the fifth set of identifications or the sixth set of identifications is transmitted.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein the first device is caused to determine the fifth set of identifications by:

receiving, from the second device, a first set of identities for at least one network slice supported by the second device;

Receiving, from the fifth device, a third set of identifications of at least one network slice supported by the fifth device; and

the fifth set of identifications is determined based on the first set of identifications and the third set of identifications.

8. The first device of claim 6, wherein the first device is caused to determine the sixth set of identifications by:

receiving a second set of identities for at least one network slice associated with the third device from a core network element;

receiving a fourth set of identities from the core network element regarding at least one network slice associated with the sixth device; and

the sixth set of identifications is determined based on the second set of identifications and the fourth set of identifications.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to send the request by:

the request is sent to the fourth device via a core network element.

10. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to:

receiving a response to the request from the fourth device, the response including third information about at least one network slice supported by the fourth device; and

A handover of the second device to a target cell is performed based on the third information.

11. The first device of claim 10, wherein the first device is caused to receive the response by:

the response is received from the fourth device via a core network element.

12. The first device of claim 3, wherein each of the first device and the fourth device is an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor device, each of the second device and the fifth device is an IAB node device, and each of the third device and the sixth device is a terminal device.

13. A fourth device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fourth device to:

at the fourth device, receiving a request from a first device to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and

And performing control on access of the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

14. The fourth device of claim 13, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

a first set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device;

15. A fourth device according to claim 13, wherein the fourth device is further caused to:

in the request for the handover, second information is received regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a fifth device or a network slice associated with a sixth device, the fifth device in communication with the second device, and the sixth device is served by the fifth device.

16. The fourth device of claim 15, wherein the second information comprises at least one of:

17. The fourth device of claim 15, wherein the first information is associated with at least one of the following of the second device: physical cell identity, or cell global identity, or tracking area code, or quality of service information for each network slice; and

18. A fourth device according to claim 15, wherein the fourth device is caused to receive the first information and the second information by:

receiving in the request at least one of:

A sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device and the sixth device.

19. A fourth device according to claim 13, wherein the fourth device is caused to receive the request by:

the request is received from the first device via a core network element.

20. A fourth device according to claim 13, wherein the fourth device is further caused to:

a response to the request is sent to the first device, the response including third information regarding at least one network slice supported by the fourth device.

21. A fourth device according to claim 20, wherein the fourth device is caused to send the response by:

the request is sent to the first device via a core network element.

22. A fourth device according to claim 18, wherein the fourth device is caused to receive the first and second information by receiving the fifth and sixth sets of identities, and

wherein the fourth device is caused to perform the control by:

performing the control based on the fifth set of identifications; and

in accordance with a determination that the control is not satisfied based on the fifth set of identifications, the control is performed based on the sixth set of identifications.

23. The fourth device of claim 13, wherein the fourth device is caused to perform the controlling by at least one of:

the resource allocation is performed for the access in question,

determining a target cell to which the second device is to be handed over from the first device,

determining whether a radio link control channel for a backhaul supports the network slice, or

An Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) topology is adapted for the access.

24. The fourth device of claim 15, wherein each of the first device and the fourth device is an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor device, each of the second device and the fifth device is an IAB node device, and each of the third device and the sixth device is a terminal device.

25. A method for communication, comprising:

determining, at a first device, first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the first information comprises:

causing at least one of the following to be included in the first information:

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

28. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the second information comprises:

causing at least one of the following to be included in the second information:

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first information is associated with at least one of the following of the second device: physical cell identity, or cell global identity, or tracking area code, or quality of service information for each network slice; and

30. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the first information and the second information comprises:

determining at least one of the following:

wherein transmitting the first information and the second information includes:

in the request for the handover, at least one of the fifth set of identifications or the sixth set of identifications is transmitted.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein determining the fifth set of identifications comprises:

32. The method of claim 30, wherein determining the sixth set of identifications comprises:

33. The method of claim 25, wherein sending the request comprises:

the request is sent to the fourth device via a core network element.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

35. The method of claim 34, wherein receiving the response comprises:

the response is received from the fourth device via a core network element.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein each of the first device and the fourth device is an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor device, each of the second device and the fifth device is an IAB node device, and each of the third device and the sixth device is a terminal device.

37. A method for communication, comprising:

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the first information comprises at least one of:

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the second information comprises at least one of:

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the first information is associated with at least one of the following of the second device: physical cell identity, or cell global identity, or tracking area code, or quality of service information for each network slice; and

42. The method of claim 39, wherein receiving the first information and the second information comprises:

receiving in the request at least one of: a fifth set of identities of at least one network slice supported by the second device and the fifth device; or a sixth set of identifications of at least one network slice associated with the third device and the sixth device.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein receiving the request comprises:

the request is received from the first device via a core network element.

44. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

a response to the request is sent to the first device, the response including third information about network slices supported by the fourth device.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein transmitting the response comprises:

the request is sent to the first device via a core network element.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein receiving the first information and the second information comprises:

receiving both the fifth set of identifications and the sixth set of identifications, and

wherein performing the control includes:

performing the control based on the fifth set of identifications; and

47. The method of claim 37, wherein performing the control comprises at least one of:

the resource allocation is performed for the access in question,

An Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) topology is adapted for the access.

48. The method of claim 39, wherein each of the first device and the fourth device is an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) donor device, each of the second device and the fifth device is an IAB node device, and each of the third device and the sixth device is a terminal device.

49. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for determining, at a first device, first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by a second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device being served by the second device; and

means for sending the first information to a fourth device in a request for switching the second device from the first device to the fourth device.

50. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving, at the fourth device, a request from a first device to switch a second device from the first device to the fourth device, the request including first information regarding at least one of a network slice supported by the second device or a network slice associated with a third device, the second device in communication with the first device and the third device served by the second device; and

Means for performing control of access by the second device to the fourth device based on the first information.

51. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 25 to 36.

52. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 37 to 48.