WO2014079475A1

WO2014079475A1 - Mobile communication environments comprising moving relay nodes

Info

Publication number: WO2014079475A1
Application number: PCT/EP2012/073061
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hanns Juergen Schwarzbauer; Richard Waldhauser; Christian Markwart; Bernhard Wegmann
Original assignee: Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy
Priority date: 2012-11-20
Filing date: 2012-11-20
Publication date: 2014-05-30

Abstract

The present invention proposes apparatuses, methods and computer program products in mobile communication environments comprising moving relay nodes. Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising: a transceiver to communicate with a terminal device and another apparatus; a controller configured to cause: the transceiver to receive information related to the other apparatus, a processor to determine a measurement configuration of the terminal device, and the transceiver to transmit the measurement configuration to the terminal device, wherein the information related to the other apparatus is used in determining the measurement configuration, and wherein the measurement configuration is either a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device and the apparatus, or a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device.

Description

DESCRIPTION

TITLE

MOBILE COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENTS COMPRISING MOVING RELAY NODES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to apparatuses, methods and computer program products in mobile communication environments comprising moving relay nodes (mRN).

Related background art

Prior art which is related to this technical field can e.g. be found in technical specifications according to 3GPP TS 36.300, 3GPP TS 36.331 and 3GPP TR 36.814.

The following meanings for the abbreviations used in this specification apply:

3GPP 3 generation partnership project

AP Application Layer Protocol

CN Core Network

DeNB Donor eNB

eNB Evolved Node B

E-UTRA Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access

HetNet Heterogeneous Network

IE Information Element

ISD Inter-station distance (normally this abbreviation stands for inter-site distance)

LTE Long Term Evolution

LTE-A Long Term Evolution Advanced

MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Single Frequency Network

mRN Mobile Relay Node M-Type Capability of the DeNB indicating that the DeNB is not located at a (Railway) Station, i.e. it is providing service for a moving vehicle

O&M Operation and Maintenance

OAM Operations, Administration and Maintenance

PCI Physical Cell Identifier

PLMN Public Land Mobile Network

RAN Radio Access Network

RF Radio Frequency

RN Relay Node

RN-UE The functional part of the mRN that performs the functionalities when the mRN acts like a UE rather than a network node/element.

RRC Radio Resource Control

RS Railway Station

RS-Type Capability of the DeNB indicating that the DeNB is located at a (Railway)

Station

S1 Interface from MME and S-GW to eNB (in moving relay deployments based on Rel-10 architecture the DeNB provides a Relay GW functionality that 'proxies' these interface over the relay backhaul (Un) interface to the RN and vice versa).

SON Self-Optimizing/Organizing Network

TS Technical Specification

UE User Equipment

X2 Interface between eNBs Fixed relay was standardized for coverage enhancements. Fig. 1 1 illustrates the relay architecture as defined according to 3GPP TS 36.300. While a fixed relay node (RN) is always connected to a dedicated DeNB, a moving Relay Node (mRN) is handed over from one DeNB to a neighboring DeNB. This requires that the DeNB configures measurements to be performed by the RN-UE and to be reported back to the requesting DeNB via the Un interface (backhaul link) between DeNB and mRN.

If the User-UE should perform some measurements, it is up to the Relay Node (RN) to configure the measurements being carried out and reported to the RN by the User-UE. The RN itself will receive the relevant data for UE measurement configurations from the RN's O&M Server. This principle is used for all Relay Nodes including the mRN deployed in a moving environment, e.g. on a train or a bus. From the User-UE perspective, the mRN is stationary with known environment behavior as long as the user is inside the train or the bus, but this situation changes when the user is de-boarding the train or the bus (i.e. leaving the mRN coverage).

Configuration and reporting of radio measurements is part of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol according to the prior art. Current solution proposals for configuration on UE measurements are all based on the static character of neighbor relations of base sta- tions. With the introduction of moving relays, the neighbor relations of the mRN are no longer static but depend on the current location as the mRN will be served by different DeNBs due to its movement.

Typically, mRNs are mounted on transportation vehicles such as buses or trains to pro- vide a sort of mobile backhaul of quasi-stationary users inside the vehicle. The advantages are that only a single link, which is between the mRN, mounted on the transportation vehicles, and the DeNBs, conveying the concentrated traffic of all users inside the vehicle, has to be controlled (e.g. channel estimation with Doppler shift corrections) and to be handed over to other DeNBs, and that due to decoupling of antennas being outside and inside of the vehicle, penetration loss between UEs inside the vehicle and the DeNB can be eliminated. Therefore, better radio conditions can be achieved for UEs being inside the vehicle.

The RF shielding of the train or bus carriages provides a sort of separate serving area, which can be treated independent from the surrounding serving areas as long as the train or the bus is moving. Thus, the measurement configuration of User-UEs becomes time- variant and dependent on the mRN mobility. The mRN provides the best radio connection to the UEs inside the vehicle. When the mRN is moving, the corresponding cell behaves like a closed system with no need of getting in contact with surrounding cells and, there- fore, other cell measurements are not needed. It would even be a waste of resources especially in terms of draining the User-UE battery, to carry out measurements of other nodes than the mRN as long as the vehicle is moving. However, the measurements of neighboring cells become important when the vehicle stops and the mRN becomes stationary, since those neighboring cells might operate on different frequency carriers. To control and reduce unnecessary User-UE measurements in shielded moving environments, it is necessary to introduce two basic mechanisms that can be flexibly combined. The first mechanism provides information to the mRN to distinguish between the situations "mRN is moving" and "mRN is stationary". The second mechanism refers to measurement configuration of the User-UEs served by the mRN depending on the mRN status determined in the first mechanism. There are basically two options for User-UE configurations to cover the inside of the train on the travel route and the stationary situation, where travelers might de-board the train: As a first option, there is provided a pre-configuration of the location dependent frequencies (including bandwidth information) that should be measured by the User-UE.

As a second option, there is provided a global measurement profile, which covers all possible frequencies (including bandwidth information) that are used on stations along the travel route or in the complete operating area.

The two configuration options have some drawbacks. The station dependent configuration requires a close cooperation of the mobile operator and the railway company because the trains may be used to serve different routes, while global measurement profiles introduce unnecessary UE measurements in frequency bands that are not used at a specific station.

Furthermore the solution requires that according to different use cases both methods could be used independently or in any possible combination. For example, according to one use case, the travel route of the train changes regularly, while according to another use case, a train does not stop at smaller railway stations. Common to all use cases is that a static User-UE measurement configuration at the mRN via the O&M Server is no longer possible. According to a worst case, the User-UE measurement configuration changes with every handover of the mRN to another DeNB. Such a frequent reconfiguration requires a very fast, reliable and robust OAM environment.

It is to be noted that a handover of the mRN comprises a connection establishment procedure between the mRN and a DeNB and the problem of User-UE measurement configurations occurs in the same way when a new connection between the mRN and a DeNB is established, for instance after activation of the mRN. It is further to be noted that updates of User-UE measurement configurations need not only be triggered when a connection to a new DeNB is established, but an update may also be needed when the transportation vehicle stops, for instance due to an emergency case.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatuses, methods and computer program products which provide for improved mechanisms for mobile communication en- vironments comprising moving relay nodes.

These objects are achieved by the measures defined in the attached claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided, for example, an appa- ratus comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with a terminal device and another apparatus;

a controller configured to cause:

the transceiver to receive information related to the other apparatus, and the a processor to determine a measurement configuration of the terminal device, and

the transceiver to transmit the measurement configuration to the terminal device, wherein the information related to the other apparatus is used in determining the measurement configuration, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device and the apparatus, or

a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device.

Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided, for example, a method comprising:

communicating with a terminal device and another apparatus;

receiving information related to the other apparatus,

determining a measurement configuration of the terminal device, and

transmitting the measurement configuration to the terminal device, wherein the information related to the other apparatus is used in determining the measurement configuration, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device and an apparatus, or

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided, for example, an apparatus comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with another apparatus; and

a controller configured to cause

the transceiver to transmit information related to the apparatus to said other apparatus,

wherein the information is intended for use by the other apparatus in determining a measurement configuration for a terminal device, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device and the other apparatus, or

a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device. Furthermore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided, for example, a method comprising:

communicating with another apparatus; and

transmitting information related to an apparatus to said other apparatus, wherein the information is intended for use by the other apparatus in determining a measurement configuration for a terminal device, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product for a computer, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of the above defined methods, when said product is run on the computer.

According to still a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product as defined above, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer-readable medium on which said software code portions are stored. According to still a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product as defined above, wherein the program is directly loadable into an internal memory of the computer.

By virtue of the proposed solutions, it is possible to provide an enhanced mechanism which allows an improved User-UE configuration process by means of which a huge number of unnecessary User-UE measurements are eliminated and the Mobile Operator processes are optimized, and whereby also User-UE measurements are optimized.

The above and other objects, features, details and advantages of the present invention will become fully apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRI PTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows an mRN according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a DeNB according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 3 shows a UE according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating basic operations of an mRN according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. Figs. 5a and 5b show a flowchart illustrating further basic operations of an mRN according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating basic operations of a DeNB according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 7 shows a scenario according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows basic principles of User-UE measurement configurations and their dependency from DeNB types serving a railway station or a railway track between railway stations according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows a dynamic measurement configuration of User-UEs via DeNBs serving the mRN according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 10 shows a scenario according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 1 1 shows a relay architecture according to the prior art.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following, aspects/embodiments of the present invention are described by referring to general and specific examples of the aspects/embodiments, wherein the features of the aspects/embodiments can be freely combined with each other unless otherwise described. It is to be understood, however, that the description is given by way of example only, and that the described aspects/embodiments are by no means to be understood as limiting the present invention thereto.

In this regard, the following description is based but not limited to a railway scenario with mRNs. The example could be mapped to any scenario where one or more mRNs are operated in a moving phase and a boarding/de-boarding phase (e.g. a bus and a bus sta- tion), a subway system, mining environments, or the like.

Furthermore, it is to be noted that the following exemplary description refers to an environment of the LTE system (long term evolution). However, it is to be understood that this serves for explanatory purposes only. Other systems differing from the LTE system can be adopted. In such other systems, signals, signaling states and/or parameters as well as entities thereof may be assigned different names. Fig. 1 shows an mRN 1 as an example of a relay node which e.g. comprises an apparatus 1 a. The mRN 1/apparatus 1 a according to this example embodiment comprises a processor 1 1 and a memory 12. The memory comprises a computer program, wherein the memory 12 and the computer program are configured to, with a controller (not shown), cause the apparatus 1 a to perform several operations as described below. The mRN 1 and/or the apparatus 1 a also comprise a connection unit 13 for providing connections to terminals/terminal devices such as UEs and/or to a network control element such as a DeNB 2. The connection unit 13 may comprise a transceiver (not shown). It is noted that the apparatus may comprise more than one processor, more than one memory and/or more than one connection unit, if this is suitable for a particular structure.

Fig. 2 shows a DeNB 2 as an example of a network control element which e.g. comprises an apparatus 2a. The DeNB 2/apparatus 2a according to this example embodiment com- prises a processor 21 and a memory 22. The memory comprises a computer program, wherein the memory 22 and the computer program are configured to, with a controller (not shown), cause the apparatus 2a to perform several operations as described below. The DeNB 2 and/or the apparatus 2a also comprise a connection unit 23 for providing connections to a network element such as the mRN 1. The connection unit 23 may comprise a transceiver (not shown). It is noted that the apparatus may comprise more than one processor, more than one memory and/or more than one connection unit, if this is suitable for a particular structure.

It is noted that in the present description, the DeNB is an example for a network control node capable of serving a relay node such as the mRN, and an eNB is an example for a network control node not capable of serving a relay node.

Fig. 3 shows a UE 3 as an example of a terminal/terminal device which e.g. comprises an apparatus 3a. The UE 3/apparatus 3a according to this embodiment comprises a proces- sor 31 and a memory 32. The memory comprises a computer program, wherein the memory 32 and the computer program are configured to, with a controller (not shown), cause the apparatus to perform several operations as described below. The UE 3 and/or the apparatus 3a also comprise a connection unit 33 for providing connections to a network element such as the mRN 1. The connection unit 33 may comprise a transceiver (not shown). It is noted that the apparatus may comprise more than one processor, more than one memory and/or more than one connection unit, if this is suitable for a particular structure.

Fig. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating basic operations of the mRN 1 according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

In step S41 , a connection is established between the mRN 1 and a DeNB 2, for instance by performing a handover of the mRN 1 to the DeNB 2. The mRN 1/apparatus 1 a exchanges information via a transceiver included in the connection unit 13 to perform the connection establishment between the mRN 1 to the DeNB 2. This information may comprise information related to the DeNB 2. The information may comprise motion information, for instance type information of the DeNB 2 or any other information indicative of a potential stop of the mRN 1 near the DeNB 2, or within the coverage area of the DeNB 2. The information may further comprise configuration information needed by the mRN 1 for configuring the measurement of the terminal devices connected to the mRN 1. The configuration information may comprise information about the presence of base stations or any kind of access nodes accessible by terminal devices connected to the mRN 1 . In step S42, the processor 1 1 determines the status of the mRN 1 from status information, i.e. whether the mRN 1 is "moving" or "stationary" or if it is approaching a stop. The determin- ing of the status information may be supported by information transmitted from the DeNB 2 to the mRN 1. Alternatively or in addition, preconfigured information (like certain thresholds) in the mRN 1 may be used in determining the status information. In step S43, the processor 1 1 may use the motion information and/or the configuration information in determining information related to the DeNB 2 which is needed for determining the meas- urement configurations of the terminal devices. The detailed options to determine for example the DeNB type, as motion information of the DeNB 2, are described in Fig. 5b. In step S44, the processor 1 1 determines the User-UE measurement configuration for the location associated with the DeNB 2. In this regard, the transceiver included in the connection unit 13 transmits a measurement configuration signal to a plurality of terminal de- vices, such as user equipments, dependent on the status of the mRN 1 , i.e. whether the mRN 1 is "moving" or "stationary". In case the mRN 1 is "moving", a first measurement configuration of a terminal device may be determined which is intended for support of a connection between the mRN 1 and the terminal device, and the first measurement configuration may essentially comprise information needed by the terminal device to perform measurements of signals received from the mRN 1. In case the mRN 1 is "stationary", a second measurement configuration for the terminal device may be determined which is intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device. The second measurement configuration may comprise information needed by the terminal device to perform measurements of signals received from accessible access nodes in addition to the measurement configura- tion needed for measuring signals from the mRN 1 . Detailed options to determine the User-UE measurement configuration for the new location associated with DeNB 2 are described in Fig. 5a. In the example of Fig. 4, the first measurement configuration ("moving") is determined after connection establishment. But the mRN 1 may be configured in step S45 to check the status of the mRN 1 continuously. Once the updated status indicates a stop or a potential stop, the measurement configuration is updated and the second measurement configuration ("stationary") is determined and transmitted to the terminal devices in step S46. The mRN 1 may have received the needed configuration information for determining the measurement configuration in the configuration information of step S41 . In the case no configuration information or only configuration information for the first meas- urement configuration has been transmitted in step S41 , the mRN 1 may request an update of the configuration information from the DeNB 2 before determining the second measurement configuration in step S46.

Figs. 5a and 5b show a flowchart illustrating further basic operations of the mRN 1 accord- ing to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

In Fig. 5a, mRN 1 checks which option is used to determine the User-UE measurement configuration for the new location represented by DeNB 2, where the mRN 1 is handed over to. The User-UE measurement configuration is either received from the DeNB 2 or determined from the RN-UE measurement configuration received from the DeNB 2 or determined from local configuration data for User-UE measurement configurations referenced by DeNB 2, where the mRN 1 is handed over to. In Fig. 5b, mRN 1 determines if the DeNB 2, where the mRN 1 is handed over to, is of type "RS" (serving a Railway Station) or of type "M" (serving a Railway Track between Railway Stations). In case it is de- termined that the DeNB 2 is a DeNB of the type "RS", mRN 1 uses the determined User-

UE measurement configuration in Fig. 5a and combines them with the indoor User-UE measurement configuration, that is stored locally at the mRN 1 to a HetNet User-UE measurement configuration and prepares the HetNet User-UE measurement configuration to be transmitted to the User-UEs inside the train. In case it is determined in Fig. 5b that the DeNB 2 is a DeNB of the type "M", mRN 1 checks if the DeNB type of the DeNB 2 (old location) has changed or not. In case that the DeNB type has changed from type "RS" to type "M", mRN 1 uses the indoor User-UE measurement configuration, that is stored locally at the mRN 1 to prepare the measurement configuration for isolated cells (indoor only) to be transmitted to the User-UEs inside the train. In case that the DeNB type has not changed, mRN 1 will not change the User-UE measurement configuration, because the UEs are already configured for the isolated cells (indoor only) User-UE measurements.

Specifically, with respect to Fig. 5a, the mRN 1 receives information from the DeNB 2 (e.g. RRCConnection Reconfiguration Message, which may also be part of the handover procedure) in case the mRN 1 is handed over to the DeNB 2 (step S501 ). Then, in step S502, the mRN 1 determines whether or not the information contains User-UE measurement configuration data. In case it is determined in step S502 that the information contains User-UE measurement configuration data, the process proceeds to step S503, in which the received User-UE measurement configuration is used, i.e. the User-UE measurement configuration is determined from the RN-UE measurement configuration data. Then, the process proceeds to step S507.

In case it is determined in step S502 that the information does not contain User-UE measurement configuration data, the process proceeds to step S504, in which the mRN 1 determines whether or not the information contains data or whether or not the mRN 1 is con- figured to determine the User-UE measurement configuration from the RN-UE measurement configuration.

In case it is determined in step S504 that the information contains data or that the mRN 1 is configured to determine the User-UE measurement configuration from the RN-UE measurement configuration, the process proceeds to step S505, in which the mRN 1 determines the User-UE measurement configuration from the received RN-UE measurement configuration. Then, the process proceeds to step S507.

In case it is determined in step S504 that the information does not contain data or that the mRN 1 is not configured to determine the User-UE measurement configuration from the

RN-UE measurement configuration, the process proceeds to step S506, in which the mRN 1 determines the User-UE measurement configuration for the DeNB 2 from the local RN configuration. Then, the process proceeds to step S507. In step S507, the mRN 1 sets the User-UE measurement configuration determined in steps S503, S505, S506 as the current outside User-UE measurement configuration. Then, the process generates an event "DeNB Type" to trigger the proceeding with respect to step S508.

Specifically, with respect to Fig. 5b, the mRN 1 determines whether or not the information received by the DeNB 2 contains DeNB type information (step S508). In case it is determined in step S508 that the information received by the DeNB 2 does not contain DeNB type information, the process proceeds to step S509, in which the mRN 1 determines the DeNB type information for the DeNB 2 from the local RN configuration. Then, the process proceeds to an optional step S510.

In case it is determined in step S508 that the information received by the DeNB 2 contains DeNB type information, the process proceeds to the optional step S510, in which the DeNB type information for the DeNB 2 is redefined by evaluation of further available information (e.g. a "door open"-signal or train speed). Then, the process proceeds to step S51 1 , in which the mRN 1 determines whether or not the DeNB 2 is a DeNB of the type "RS".

In case it is determined in step S51 1 that the DeNB 2 is a DeNB of the type "RS", the process proceeds to step S512, in which the mRN 1 sets the type "RS" as the active DeNB type information. Then, the process proceeds to step S513, in which the mRN 1 reconfigures the User-UE measurement configuration to a HetNet User-UE measurement configuration. Then, the process proceeds to step S517.

In case it is determined in step S51 1 , that the DeNB 2 is not a DeNB of the type "RS", the process proceeds towards step S514, in which it is determined whether or not the received DeNB type information is the active DeNB type information, i.e. whether or not the DeNB type of the DeNB 2 has changed.

In case it is determined in step S514 that the received DeNB type information is the active DeNB type information, i.e. that the DeNB type of the DeNB 2 has not changed, the process proceeds to step S517.

In case it is determined in step S514 that the received DeNB type information is not the active DeNB type information, i.e. that the DeNB type of the DeNB 2 has changed, the process proceeds to step S515, in which the mRN 1 sets the type "M" as the active DeNB type information. Then, the process proceeds to step S516, in which the mRN 1 re- configures the User-UE measurement configuration to an isolated User-UE measurement configuration. Then, the process proceeds to step S517.

In step S517, the mRN 1 waits for a next DeNB Type event. DeNB Type events will be generated either when mRN 1 detects a change of the active DeNB Type information (e.g. RRCConnectionReconfiguration Message) or when a external train subsystem detects a change of environmental data used in the optional step S510, regardless whether the optional step S510 is used or not. As shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 5a and 5b the order of the determination of the DeNB Type and the User-UE measurement configuration may be changed, i.e. DeNB Type determination before User-UE measurement configuration or vice versa.

Fig. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating basic operations of the DeNB 2 according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

In step S61 , a connection is established between the DeNB 2 and the mRN 1 or a configuration information update request is received by the DeNB 2 from the mRN 1. In step S62, the processor 21 checks if information related to the DeNB 2 has to be provided to the mRN 1. That is, the processor 21 determines whether or not information related to the DeNB 2 has to be provided to the mRN 1 for determining the measurement configurations of mobile devices connected to the mRN 1 . This information may comprise motion information, like the type of the DeNB 2 or any other information indicative of a potential stop of the mRN 1 near the DeNB 2. The information may further comprise configuration infor- mation related to the DeNB 2 and indicative of the User-UE measurement configurations of the mobile devices connected to the mRN 1 . At least a part of the configuration information may be transmitted from the DeNB 2 to the mRN 1 in a RN-UE measurement configuration. Motion information and/or configuration information may be available to support DeNB type information indicative of a type of DeNB, User-UE measurement configuration data, and indication parameter to derive User-UE measurement configuration data from

RN-UE measurement configuration data. In step S63, the transceiver included in the connection unit 23 may transmit motion information like DeNB type information ("RS" or "M") indicative of a type of DeNB. Alternatively or in addition, configuration information may be transmitted to derive User-UE measurement configurations of terminal devices connected to the mRN 1. The configuration information may be indicative of a first measurement configuration and may only comprise information needed by a terminal device to perform measurements of signals received from the mRN 1 . The configuration information may be indicative of second measurement configuration information and may comprise information needed by a terminal device to perform measurements of signals received from accessible access nodes in addition to the measurement configuration needed for meas- uring signals from the mRN 1 . Configuration information for the second measurement configuration may therefore at least comprise information about the presence of access nodes accessible by a terminal device connected to the mRN 1 . A request for configuration information update may be received in step S61 by the DeNB 2 when the information available in the mRN 1 is not sufficient for determining the second measurement configurations for a UE connected to the mRN 1. The DeNB 2 may be configured to receive an update request and to determine and to transmit the requested configuration information in response to the request.

Fig. 7 shows a scenario concerning the trigger information that DeNB is of type "RS" or "M" according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

The mRN is installed inside a train and moves from Railway Station A to Railway Station B. Exemplarily, three DeNBs are installed along the railway track. All DeNBs are configured to serve mRNs on a frequency band f2. DeNB RS1 is configured as Station Type ("RS") and serves the Railway Station A, DeNB M1 is configured as Moving Type ("M") and serves the mRN between the Railway Stations and DeNB RS2 is configured again as Station Type ("RS") and serves the Railway Station B. User-UEs are served inside the train by the mRN at frequency band f1 , and additionally by the eNB E1 serving the Railway Station A at frequency band f3 and finally by the eNB E2 serving Railway Station B at frequency band f4. Even if this example describes an outband relaying scenario, it is also valid for an inband relaying scenario. For the inband scenario frequency band, f2 equals frequency band fl (f2 = f1 ).

Herein, mRN is pre-configured via the RN O&M Server with all information that is needed to configure the User-UE measurements appropriately. In general, this includes - besides the frequency band for specific locations - further information like availability of an antenna portl or details of the measured neighbor cell's MBSFN sub frame configuration (neighCellConfig) and others. The location of the train can roughly be associated with the DeNB, which has typically a fixed location. This allows simplifying the selection of a pre- configured (location dependent) User-UE measurement configuration, because the configuration can be mapped to the (global) Cell-Id of a DeNB that is of a Station Type. The RN-UE can read the Cell-Id (=cellldentiy) and the PLMN-ld (=plmn-ldentity) from the broadcasted SystemlnformationBlockTypel .

The global Cell-Id is only needed if the PLMN-ld of the serving DeNB cell may change on the route of the train. In that case, the Cell-Id, which is only unique within a PLMN, is not unique for the complete route, and for assignment of the proper measurement configuration, the global Cell-Id is required. The global Cell-Id is a combination of the PLMN-ld and the Cell-Id. If the mRN receives RRCConnectionReconfiguration message, then a new IE contained in this message provides the mRN with the type information of the target/serving^* DeNB. Depending on the received type information, the mRN configures the measurements for the UEs (^* target DeNB when the RRC message contains the mobilityControllnfo IE, serving DeNB otherwise).

The trigger information may for example be realised by a new IE, named

"DeNB Information":

DeNBInformation ::= SEQUENCE {

DeNBTypelnformation ::= ENUMERATED {MovingType; StationType},

DeNBcellGloballd ::= CellGloballdEUTRA

} added to the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message. The CellGloballdEUTRA is used as defined in 3GPP TS 36.331. A new functionality as described in Figs. 5a and 5b is added to the mRN. The function is called "mRN procedure for RRCConnectionReconfiguration messages", and it is performed when the mRN receives a RRCConnectionReconfiguration message. If the RRCConnectionReconfiguration message contains the mobilityControllnfo IE, then - upon reception of the message - the UE-RN has to execute the handover to the target cell, and the DeNBInformation contained in the message already belongs to the target DeNB.

In order to receive the DeNB Information not only during re-configuration or during handover, but also in case of the first attachment of the mRN to a DeNB, it is necessary to add the new information also to the RRCConnectionSetup message. Furthermore, to get the DeNB Information also in case of a re-establishment, it is necessary to add the new information also to the RRCConnectionReestablishment message.

When the mRN is in status "moving", i.e. its own cell can interpreted as "Isolated Cell", the selected User-UE measurement configuration contains only the parameters defined with the frequency band f1 for the train internal environment. In case that the mRN is in status "stationary", i.e. its own cell is integrated in the Target HetNet Scenario, the selected User-UE measurement configuration contains the parameters defined with frequency band f1 for the train internal environment in addition to the measurements defined for the CellGloballdEUTRA. For example, when the train receives the mRN HO area M1 to RS2, the CellGloballdEUTRA addresses the User-UE measurement configuration defined for DeNB RS2, i.e. the parameters defined with frequency band f4.

The advantage of this method is to avoid unnecessary measurements and measurement reports for the in-train User-UEs unless they are approaching a station where it is more advantageous to be configured with the User-UE measurement configuration for the HetNet scenario at Railway Station B to support handovers to outside (D)eNBs (DeNB only in case that DeNB serves also User-UEs). This reduces the User-UE's power consumption (battery life).

Fig. 8 shows basic principles of User-UE measurement configurations and their dependency from DeNB types serving a railway station or a railway track between railway stations according to examples of embodiments of the present invention. As can be gathered from Fig. 8, the DeNB can be of a type "M" or of a type "RS". DeNBs of the type "M" serve at a railway track, whereas DeNBs of the type "RS" serve at a railway station.

The DeNB serving the mRN after successful handover provides optional DeNB type in- formation ("RS" or "M"), and indication parameter to derive User-UE measurement configuration data from RN-UE measurement configuration data or User-UE measurement configuration for outside environment to mRN (e.g. DeNB knows about neighboring cells and provides appropriate set of measurements to mRN to be forwarded to the User-UEs).

The mRN receives configurable DeNB information and combines them with local configuration information that are pre-configured at the mRN via an OAM system of an Operator to provide dynamically User-UE measurement configurations for an isolated environment inside a vehicle or a HetNet scenario that includes the inside and outside environment.

In case the DeNB is of the type "M" and the train moves, the User-UEs are served by the mRN or a group of mRNs, respectively, and do not need to perform measurements of other outbound nodes, as a handover to cells outside the train is not reasonable. In case the DeNB is of the type "RS" and the train stops, the cells of mRN/group of mRNs are again embedded in the surrounding deployment in a sense of Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) scenario and, therefore, User-UE measurements need to be performed to allow handover to other cells if necessary.

According to examples of embodiments of the present invention, the User-UE measurement re-configuration is at least initiated when either the mRN connects to a DeNB that serves a location where UEs need to be enabled to handover to a cell served by surround- ing eNBs (e.g. a user leaves the train at a railway station) or with every change of the mRN state (from an isolated state to a HetNet state or from the HetNet state to the isolated state) or via a pre-defined event. Such a pre-defined event may be an expiration of a timer, an indication received from the mRN, or an operator request. This principle can be used in any scenario where mRNs are operated. Only for simplifying purposes, the description will use the scenario where the mRNs are installed in a train environment.

According to examples of embodiments of the present invention, the mRNs are installed inside a train and the used spectrum and the corresponding User-UE measurement configuration information are pre-configured by the Mobile Operator besides other parameters via the RN O&M Server. Furthermore, there are two types of DeNBs as already described with respect to Fig. 8, a DeNB that serves mRNs at a railway station (e.g. "DeNB RS" as shown in Fig. 9, i.e. a DeNB of the type "RS") and a DeNB that serves mRNs at the railway track (e.g. "DeNB M" as shown in Fig. 9, i.e. a DeNB of the type "M"). As long as the train is moving, and even strengthened by the RF shielding of the train carriages, the cells provided by mRN/group of mRNs inside train build an isolated serving area, which can be treated independent from the surrounding serving areas, i.e. there is no need for a User-UE to perform measurements of the outside environment. In other words, the mRN/group of mRNs only initiates User-UE measurements for the inside environment. This well defined situation changes when the train arrives at the railway station and some users may de-board the train. Then, User-UE measurements for inside and outside the train environment are needed.

The following interfaces may be used to provide the User-UE measurement configurations for the HetNet environment to the mRN:

- defining a new dedicated RRC or S1 or X2 procedure/message with appropriate information element(s) (IE),

enhancing already existing RRC or S1 or X2 procedures/messages with new information element(s) (IE),

defining a new management interface between DeNB and mRN,

- introducing a local management proxy at the DeNB that allows the DeNB to manage the mRN.

In order to decide whether User-UE measurement configurations for the outside environment are needed, each DeNB has to know whether it is designated to serve an mRN at a station or not. This information is available to the Mobile Operator. This is because it must anyway be decided during the network planning which and how many DeNBs have to be placed at the stations and along the route. The network planning is also providing the radio environment data for each DeNB location including neighbor base stations (e.g. eNB, NB) and provided frequencies. This makes it easy to distribute the information to the DeNBs via OAM, which base stations are providing service at stations; or other pre- service information like available SON Servers. The User-UE measurement configuration for inter-frequency measurements is very important because these are not measured otherwise, whereas intra-frequency measurements are continuously performed by the UEs for E-UTRA.

When a mRN attaches or handovers to a DeNB that has been configured so as to provide service at a railway station (i.e. "DeNB RS" as Type "RS" as shown in Fig. 9), the radio environment information (i.e. the communication infrastructure environment) is provided to the mRN by the DeNB. The mRN provides an internal function to use the received infor- mation for preparing the measurements and trigger conditions for the UEs that are under control of the mRN. There are three optional ways to provide the User-UE measurement configuration from the DeNB to the mRN:

As a first option, a dedicated User-UE measurement configuration is provided by the DeNB RS for the outside part of the HetNet measurements of the UEs. As a second option, the User-UE measurement configuration is derived from the received measurement configuration data for the RN-UE. As a third option, a dedicated User-UE measurement configuration is preconfigured at the mRN. While the first option requires extending the standard protocols, the second option is based on already existing definitions.

The RN-UE measurement configuration which is provided by the DeNB for the mRN can also be used by the mRN to configure the measurements for the UEs served by the mRN in order to e.g. consider inter-frequency measurements accordingly. When the User-UE measurement configuration is derived, it is necessary that the mRN is informed whether the serving DeNB is of the type "RS" or of the type "M". This information is available and could either be deployed via the DeNB to the mRNs or is pre-configured via the RN OAM Server as a static list that contains the Cell Ids that belongs to the DeNBs of the type "RS" and Cell-Ids that belongs to DeNBs of the type "M".

If the mRN has no indication that the DeNB is of the type "RS", the mRN does not send any measurement configuration to the User-UEs except that for their serving frequency and except that needed for in-train mobility, e.g. if more than one cell or mRNs are deployed to provide in-train service.

For the exceptional case that outside signals manage passing through the high isolation, e.g. when the train passes an eNB that is located close by the track and the in-train User- UE is in a bad radio condition with respect to the mRN, an affected User-UE may send a measurement report to indicate a detection of an unknown cell PCI. Such events can be ignored by the mRN when the mRN is not connected to a DeNB of the type "RS".

According to examples of embodiments of the present invention, the User-UE measurements are further optimized and unnecessary handovers are avoided by combining one or more information concerning the type of the DeNB with further useful conditions of the train such as e.g. manual and automatic state events of the train environment. This includes train status information such as "train is moving", "train stops", the velocity of the train, "emergency brake is activated", "door closed", "door opened", a timer solution, etc. Besides that, this further includes information delivered by external services like emergency signals or information received via a parallel operated GSM-R. Such information delivered by external services could be used to derive a more precise decision for a specific situation, i.e. to decide if User-UE measurements for the outside are currently needed or not. This is done by activating and providing the optional redefining DeNB Type information for DeNB as described in step S510 of Fig. 5b.

In this regard, two possible scenarios are considered in which a combination of the infor- mation concerning the type of the DeNB with further conditions of the train as outlined in the foregoing would be useful.

According to a first scenario, not all trains may stop at each station. In that case it is assumed that there is still a high penetration loss between in-train User-UEs and the eNBs located near the railway station. However, handovers of in-train User-UEs to outside eNBs cannot be fully excluded unless the mRN gets informed when the train stops or, even better, the doors of the train are opened. In other words, without this additional information, a small number of User-UEs is assumed to be in such bad in-train radio condition, or is passing an outside eNB which is located very near to the train. The train is expected to pass the station at low up to medium speed. In that case, it cannot be avoided that handovers of in-train User-UEs are performed to outside eNBs and back to the mRN when the train is passing the station.

According to a second scenario, the train stops between two railway stations in an un- scheduled manner. A further enhancement applicable to DeNBs along the railway track would enable these DeNBs to also detect the unexpected stop of a train hosting an mRN. This enhancement is based on the fact that an mRN is attached to a DeNB only for a short period of time that can be estimated by the following approximation: (lnter_Station_Distance/Train_speed) ^* 3600 [seconds]

As an example, in case the lnter_Station_Distance (ISD) is 15 km and the Train_speed is 300 km/h, the maximum time that the mRN is served by DeNB turns out to be 180 sec by applying the foregoing approximation. In case the mRN remains attached to a DeNB of the type "M" longer than originally planned, the DeNB of the type "M" autonomously decides to behave similar to a DeNB of the type "RS". In this regard, a configurable timer may be implemented that supervises the expected serving time for a connected mRN (e.g. by using a factor 1 .5 according to the approximation given above, which means that the eNB is served longer than 4 minutes and 30 seconds). When the timer expires and a handover was not performed, the DeNB of the type "M" will provide an alternative outside User-UE measurement configuration that allows for measuring outdoor cells that are served by surrounding eNBs to the mRN. This alternative outside User-UE measurement configuration is either preconfigured by the Operator or derived from the neighborhood information of the DeNB of the type "M" (i.e. the communication infrastructure environment). When an mRN receives such an alternative measurement configuration, it re-configures the User-UEs with the new HetNet User- UE measurement configuration (indoor and additional outdoor User-UE measurement configuration).

Also in this situation, it makes sense for the mRN to use further train environment information like "doors opened" to decide whether the train only stops because a railway signal requires to stop or if users are now allowed to de-board the train. In the case of "doors closed", no re-configuration of the User-UE measurements is required, whereas in the case of "doors opened", the User-UE measurement re-configuration needs to be performed.

Most of the possible additional decision conditions, such as e.g. "doors opened", "doors closed", are only known at the train. Thus, if provided to the mRN(s) using a proprietary or standardized interface, the additional decision condition(s) are not known by the serving

DeNB. This leads to another enhancement of the present invention.

Namely, when the mRN recognizes the need for an User-UE measurement reconfiguration to cover the outside cells and frequencies through analysis of an additional decision condition, it can indicate this need to the DeNB. This indication can be transferred from the mRN to its serving DeNB e.g. by using one of the above-described interfaces. Upon reception of this indication from the mRN, the DeNB knows that it has to provide an alternative outside User-UE measurement configuration, i.e. the measurement configuration information must not only include the information needed for the RN-UE but also the information needed for the User-UEs that are served by the mRN . This alternative User-UE measurement configuration is again either pre-configured by the Operator or derived by the DeNB from his neighborhood information. As soon as the mRN receives the alternative outside User-UE measurement configuration, it starts to re-configure the measurements for the User-UEs accordingly. This solution is helpful in emergency situations where the train stops and opens the doors between two stations. In such emergency cases, it is necessary to react as fast as possible, especially when the mRN is served by a DeNB of the type "M" and the above- described timer is not available or has not expired yet. Fig. 10 shows a scenario with indirect DeNB Type detection according to examples of embodiments of the present invention.

According to this example of embodiments of the present invention, an mRN is installed inside a train that moves from a railway station to another railway station A. In order to guarantee full coverage along the railway track, a total number of three DeNBs is installed. One of these DeNBs (i.e. DeNB RS) is serving the railway station A and the others (i.e. DeNB M 1 and DeNB M2) are used to provide mobile services between the stations. The operator configures the mRN inside the train so as to provide mobile access via a frequency f1 and corresponding bandwidth information, and that the Cell-Id broadcasted by the DeN B RS is serving a station where users may de-board the train. The advantage is that all mentioned information is quite static information.

When the train (with the mRN) moves in the direction towards the railway station A, it enters the coverage area of the DeNB M2 and a handover of the mRN from the DeNB M1 to the DeNB M1 is performed according to a standardized handover procedure. The DeN B

M2 prepares and sends the new RN-UE measurement configuration (f2 with corresponding bandwidth information) to the mRN. The mRN detects that the Cell-Id of the DeNB M2 indicates that the DeNB M2 is not of the type "RS" but of the type "M", and therefore leaves the User-UE measurement configuration untouched. In a second step, the mRN checks if a scanning frequency with corresponding bandwidth information has changed and re-configures the RN-UE measurements if changes are detected.

When the train (with the mRN) moves further in the direction towards the railway station A, it enters the coverage area of the DeNB RS and a handover of the mRN from the DeNB M2 to the DeNB RS is performed. Now the DeNB RS prepares and sends the new RN-UE measurement configuration (f2 with corresponding bandwidth information and f3 with cor- responding bandwidth information) to the mRN. The mRN detects that the Cell-Id of the DeNB RS indicates that the DeNB RS is of the type "RS", derives the User-UE measurement configuration, and sends it to the User-UEs. The U E measurement configuration contains the frequency f3 and the corresponding bandwidth information for the eNB and the frequency f2 and the corresponding bandwidth information for the DeNB RS. In a second step the mRN checks if a scanning frequency with corresponding bandwidth information for the DeNBs has changed and re-configures the RN-UE measurements if changes are detected. The RN-UE itself starts the measurements for the configured new frequencies and follows the standardized procedures for handover to the eNB.

In this example, the DeNB RS sends a carrier frequency fx (wherein fx is a specific carrier frequency) and the corresponding allowed measurement bandwidth information. This information is taken as the most important information that needs to be sent. However, it shall be noted that the DeNB RS may also send further information that is needed to ap- propriately configure the User-UEs served by the mRNs. This means the DeNB RS may provide further information that the mRN cannot derive locally in order to provide the measurement configuration for the User-UEs that are served by the mRN. Typically, this concerns further information that an eN B needs in order to perform successfully the UE measurement configuration. In general, the information is configured by the responsible OAM System and includes further parameters not mentioned above, such as e.g. whether an antenna port is present for the measured frequency or details of the measured neighbour cell's MBSFN subframe configuration etc.

The advantage of this method is that the OAM process concentrates on static configura- tions while the dynamic/adaptive part is performed by the RAN Network. The method avoids redundancies and misconfigurations in the network (double configurations and complex configurations), helps to eliminate a huge number of unnecessary User-UE measurements and results in better time behavior and optimization of the Mobile Operator processes.

It is to be noted that the mRNs described above are only examples for relay nodes. The specific operations for communicating with a DeNB as described above and the like may also be carried out by another network element, for example by a network element on a higher level in a network, in a central manner for the whole network or the like. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the DeNBs described above are only examples for network control elements. The specific operations for communicating with a mRN as described above and the like may also be carried out by another network control element, for example by a network element on a higher level in a network, in a central manner for the whole network or the like.

Still further, it is to be noted that the UEs are only examples for terminals/terminal devices. However, the present invention is not limited to these cases and can be applied to any terminal/terminal device which communicates with an mRN.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The software, application logic and/or hardware generally, but not exclusively, may reside on the devices' modem module. In examples of embodiments of the present invention, the application logic, software or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" may be any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer or smart phone, or user equipment.

The present invention relates in particular but without limitation to mobile communications, for example to environments under LTE and can advantageously be implemented in user equipments or smart phones, or personal computers connectable to such networks. That is, it can be implemented as/in chipsets to connected devices, and/or modems or other modules thereof.

If desired, at least some of different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the above-described functions may be optional or may be combined.

Although various aspects/embodiments of the invention are set out in the independent claims, other aspects/embodiments of the invention comprise other combinations of features from the described embodiments and/or the dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set out in the claims. It is noted that the aspects/embodiments as well as the general and specific examples described above are provided for illustrative purposes only. It is in no way intended that the present invention is restricted thereto. Rather, it is intended that all variations and modifications are covered which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with a terminal device (UE) and another apparatus (DeNB);

a controller configured to cause:

the transceiver to receive information related to the other apparatus (DeNB), a processor to determine a measurement configuration of the terminal device (UE), and

the transceiver to transmit the measurement configuration to the terminal device

(UE),

wherein the information related to the other apparatus is used in determining the measurement configuration, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device (UE) and the apparatus (mRN), or

a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device (UE) and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device (UE).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein status information about the apparatus (mRN) is used in determining the measurement configuration.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2

wherein the apparatus (mRN) is a moving relay node and the other apparatus (DeNB) is a base station configured to support communication with a moving relay node, wherein the first measurement configuration is associated with the apparatus (mRN) being in motion; and

wherein the second measurement configuration is associated with the apparatus (mRN) being at a stop or approaching a stop.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,

wherein the status information about the apparatus (mRN) is indicative of the apparatus (mRN) being at a stop or approaching a stop.

5. The apparatus according to any preceding claim,

wherein the information related to the other apparatus comprises at least one of: - motion information which is indicative of a potential stop of the apparatus (mRN) near the other apparatus (DeNB), and

- configuration information needed for configuring the measurement configuration of the terminal device (UE).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein at least a part of the configuration information is received in a measure- ment configuration of the apparatus (mRN).

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,

wherein the configuration information needed in determining the second measurement configuration comprises at least information about the presence of access nodes accessible by the terminal device (UE).

8. The apparatus according to any any one of claims 1 to 7,

wherein the information related to the other apparatus (DeNB) is received in a connection establishment procedure.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the connection establishment procedure comprises a handover of the apparatus (mRN) to the other apparatus (DeNB).

10. The apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the controller is further configured to cause

the transceiver to request an update of the received configuration information from said other apparatus (DeNB), if the second measurement configuration is to be determined and the available configuration information is not sufficient for determining the se- cond measurement configuration.

1 1 . The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said apparatus is arranged for use in an LTE™-system.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said apparatus is arranged for use in an LTE-A™-system.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver to communicate with another apparatus (mRN); and

a controller configured to cause

the transceiver to transmit information related to the apparatus (DeNB) to said other apparatus (mRN),

wherein the information is intended for use by the other apparatus (mRN) in determining a measurement configuration for a terminal device (UE), and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device (UE) and the other apparatus (mRN), or

14. The apparatus according to claim 13

wherein the apparatus (DeNB) is a base station configured to support communication with a moving relay node;

wherein the first measurement configuration is associated with the other apparatus (mRN) being in motion; and

wherein the second measurement configuration is associated with the other apparatus (mRN) being at a stop or approaching a stop.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14,

wherein the information related to the apparatus comprises at least one of:

- motion information which is indicative of a potential stop of the other apparatus (mRN) near the apparatus (DeNB), and

16. The apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein at least a part of the configuration information is transmitted in a measurement configuration of the other apparatus (mRN).

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the configuration information needed in determining the second measurement configuration comprises at least information about the presence of access nodes accessible by the terminal device (UE).

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17,

wherein the information related to the apparatus (DeNB) is transmitted in a connection establishment procedure.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18,

wherein the connection establishment procedure comprises a handover of the other apparatus (mRN) to the apparatus (DeNB).

20. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the controller is further configured to cause the transceiver

to receive a request for an update of the transmitted configuration information from said other apparatus (mRN), and

to transmit updated configuration information for determining the second measurement configuration by said other apparatus (mRN) in response to the received update request.

21 . The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein said apparatus (DeNB) is arranged for use in an LTE™-system.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein said apparatus (DeNB) is arranged for use in an LTE-A™-system.

23. A method, comprising:

communicating with a terminal device (UE) and another apparatus (DeNB);

receiving information related to the other apparatus (DeN B),

determining a measurement configuration of the terminal device (UE), and transmitting the measurement configuration to the terminal device (UE), wherein the information related to the other apparatus is used in determining the measurement configuration, and

wherein the measurement configuration is either

a first measurement configuration intended for support of a connection between the terminal device (UE) and an apparatus (mRN), or a second measurement configuration intended for additional support of potential connections between the terminal device (UE) and access nodes in the vicinity of the terminal device (UE).

24. The method according to claim 23,

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24,

wherein the apparatus (mRN) is a moving relay node and the other apparatus

(DeNB) is a base station configured to support communication with a moving relay node, wherein the first measurement configuration is associated with the apparatus (mRN) being in motion; and

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25,

27. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26,

28. The method according to claim 27,

29. The method according to claim 27 or 28,

30. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 29,

31 . The method according to claim 30,

32. The method according to claim 29, further comprising:

requesting an update of the received configuration information from said other apparatus (DeNB), if the second measurement configuration is to be determined and the available configuration information is not sufficient for determining the second measurement configuration.

33. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 32, wherein the method is used in an LTE™-system.

34. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 32, wherein the method is used in an LTE-A™-system.

35. A method, comprising:

communicating with another apparatus (mRN); and

transmitting information related to an apparatus (DeNB) to said other apparatus

(mRN),

wherein the measurement configuration is either

36. The method according to claim 35,

wherein the apparatus (DeNB) is a base station configured to support communication with a moving relay node; and wherein the first measurement configuration is associated with the other apparatus (mRN) being in motion; and

37. The method according to claim 35 or 36,

wherein the information related to the apparatus comprises at least one of:

- motion information which is indicative of a potential stop of the other apparatus

(mRN) near the apparatus (DeNB), and

38. The method according to claim 37,

wherein at least a part of the configuration information is transmitted in a meas- urement configuration of the other apparatus (mRN).

39. The method according to claim 37 or 38,

40. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 39,

41 . The method according to claim 40,

42. The method according to claim 39, further comprising:

receiving a request for an update of the transmitted configuration information from said other apparatus (mRN), and

transmitting updated configuration information for determining the second measurement configuration by said other apparatus (mRN) in response to the received update request.

43. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 42, wherein the method is used in an LTE™-system.

44. The method according to any one of claims 35 to 42, wherein the method is used in an LTE-A™-system.

45. A computer program product for a computer, comprising software code portions for performing the method according to any one of claims 23 to 44, when said product is run on the computer.

46. The computer program product according to claim 45, wherein the computer program product comprises a computer-readable medium on which said software code portions are stored.

47. The computer program product according to any one of claims 45 and 46, wherein the program is directly loadable into an internal memory of the computer.