Communications device and network infrastructure equipment and methods applying mobility information of infrastructure equipment

1 . A method of operating by a wireless communications device for transmitting or receiving via a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

receiving, from a non-stationary wireless base station of a radio network part of the wireless communications network, mobility information indicating a current location of the non-stationary wireless base station;

determining, by the wireless communications device, a location of the wireless communications device;

determining a relative bearing of the non-stationary wireless base station with respect to the wireless communications device based on the current location of the non-stationary wireless base station as determined from the mobility information received from the non-stationary wireless base station and the location of the wireless communications device as determined by the wireless communications device; and

adapting an operation of the wireless communications device in accordance with the relative bearing, wherein the adapting comprises one or both of:

adapting a transmit beam selection by adapting a direction of transmitting a beam of signals according to the determined relative bearing, or

adapting a receive beam selection by adapting a direction of receiving signals as a beam according to the determined relative bearing.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the mobility information comprises transmitting, by the wireless communications device in a connected mode, a request for the mobility information, to the non-stationary wireless base station, and in response, receiving the mobility information.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein

the transmitting the request comprises transmitting the request for the mobility information periodically, and

the receiving the mobility information comprises receiving the mobility information periodically, the mobility information being updated in accordance with a time that the non-stationary wireless base station periodically transmits the mobility information.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the mobility information comprises receiving the mobility information broadcast by the non-stationary wireless base station.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the mobility information is broadcast in a system information block.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

performing an idle mode selection/re-selection of one of a plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations forming a radio network part of the wireless communications network for receiving information from the wireless communications network,

determining from the mobility information whether the wireless communications device can select or re-select the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations according to predetermined criteria, and

adapting the idle mode selection/re-selection depending on whether the predetermined criteria determined that the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations should not be selected or re-selected.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein

the mobility information provides an indication of whether the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations is non-stationary, and

the predetermined criteria include not selecting or re-selecting the non-stationary wireless base station which is non-stationary.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein

the mobility information indicates that the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations is non-stationary and provides information from which a speed of the non-stationary one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations can be determined, and

the predetermined criteria include not selecting or re-selecting the non-stationary wireless base station, which is moving at a speed which exceeds a predetermined threshold.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the determining from the mobility information whether the wireless communications device can select or re-select the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations according to predetermined criteria comprises:

determining that the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations is not transmitting a System Information Block 1, SIB1, which includes radio resource configuration information or a schedule of other SIBs which would have been broadcast by the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

adapting a beam management procedure to measure received reference symbols from one or more received beam selected with a direction corresponding to the determined relative bearing.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the adapting the beam management procedure comprises:

measuring channel state information reference symbols, CSI-RS, for one or more beams received in a direction determined from the relative bearing of the non-stationary wireless base station with respect to the wireless communications device,

setting measurements associated with one or more beams received in a direction other than that determined from the relative bearing of the non-stationary wireless base station, and

selecting, based on the measured CSI-RS, one of the beams.

12 . A method of operating a wireless base station forming part of a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

determining a location of the wireless base station;

determining a location of one or more wireless communications devices;

selecting a recommended uplink beam index based on the location of the wireless base station as determined by the wireless base station and the location of the one or more wireless communications devices;

generating mobility information that includes the recommended uplink beam index and that indicates one or both of whether the wireless base station is non-stationary and the location of the wireless base station for use by the one or more wireless communications devices to adapt an operation of the one or more wireless communications devices in accordance with the mobility information for transmitting signals to the wireless base station or receiving signals from the wireless base station according to the mobility information; and

transmitting, by the wireless base station to the one or more wireless communications devices, the mobility information including the recommended uplink beam index determined based upon the location of the base station as determined by the wireless base station.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mobility information includes one or more of the mobility status of the wireless base station, the location of the wireless base station, a velocity of the wireless base station, a moving direction of the wireless base station, a recommended transmission configuration indicator, TCI, state and a location of a neighbouring wireless base station.

14 . The method of claim 12 , comprising:

receiving as part of an adapted handover procedure from a wireless communications device an estimated distance between the wireless communications device and the wireless base station, or a location of the wireless communications device, and measurements of a received signal strength from a serving wireless base station and one or more neighbouring wireless base station as part of the adapted handover procedure for the wireless communications device,

determining a target wireless base station for the wireless communications device based on the received signal strength measurements and a distance between the wireless communications device and the wireless base station determined from the location of the wireless communications device or the estimated distance received from the wireless communications device, and

transmitting a handover instruction to handover to the target wireless base station determined by the wireless communications network from the received measurements combined with the distance.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein

the mobility information provides an indication of the location of the wireless base station, and

the method comprises:

transmitting signals as one or more of a plurality of beams of signals to a wireless communications device,

receiving measurement information associated with measurements for one or more of the beams of signals received by the wireless communications device in a direction determined from a relative bearing of the wireless base station, the relative bearing being determined by the wireless communications device, and

adapting the transmission of the signals by selecting one or more of the plurality of beams in accordance with the received measurement information.

16 . A wireless communications device comprising:

transmitter circuitry configured to transmit signals via a wireless access interface of a wireless communications network,

receiver circuitry configured to receive signals transmitted via the wireless communications network, and

controller circuitry configured to

control the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry;

receive, from a non-stationary wireless base station of a radio network part of the wireless communications network, mobility information indicating a current location of the non-stationary wireless base station;

determine, by the wireless communications device, a location of the wireless communications device;

determine a relative bearing of the non-stationary wireless base station with respect to the wireless communications device based on the current location of the non-stationary wireless base station as determined from the mobility information received from the non-stationary wireless base station and the location of the wireless communications device as determined by the wireless communications device; and

adapt the control of one or both of the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry according to the determined relative bearing by

adapting a transmit beam selection to be in a direction of transmitting a transmit beam of signals according to the determined relative bearing, or

adapting a receive beam selection to be in a direction of receiving signals as a receive beam according to the determined relative bearing.

17 . The wireless communications device of claim 16 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to:

perform an idle mode selection/re-selection of one of a plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations forming a radio network part of the wireless communications network for receiving information from the wireless communications network,

determine from the mobility information whether the wireless communications device can select or re-select the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations according to predetermined criteria, and

adapt the idle mode selection/re-selection depending on whether the predetermined criteria determined that the one of the plurality of non-stationary wireless base stations should not be selected or re-selected.

18 . The wireless communications device of claim 16 , wherein the controller circuitry is configured to:

determine a distance between the wireless communications device and the non-stationary wireless base station based on the location of the non-stationary wireless base station provided by the mobility information and the determined location of the wireless communications device, and

adapt the control of the receiver circuitry by

performing measurements of received signal strength from a serving non-stationary wireless base station and one or more neighbouring non-stationary wireless base station as part of a handover procedure, the non-stationary wireless base station being one of the serving non-stationary wireless base station or one of the one or more neighbouring non-stationary wireless base station, and

adapting the handover procedure based on the distance between the wireless communications device and the non-stationary wireless base station and the measurements of the received signal strength for the wireless communications device to handover to one of the one or more neighbouring non-stationary wireless base station as a target for handover or to remain on the serving non-stationary wireless base station.