IP Library Granted Patent US 12,010,739
Granted Patent B2
US 12,010,739 · App. 17/492,296 · Granted Jun 11, 2024

Techniques for inter-gNB migration of distributed unit

Inventors: Naeem Akl (Somerville, NJ); Karl Georg Hampel (Hoboken, NJ); Navid Abedini (Basking Ridge, NJ); Jianghong Luo (Skillman, NJ); Luca Blessent (Whitehouse Station, NJ); Junyi Li (Fairless Hills, PA); Tao Luo (San Diego, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04W76/10H04W24/02H04W88/14H04W92/24
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,010,739
App. No.
17/492,296
Granted
Jun 11, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Present disclosure provides techniques for migrating integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes from the source centralized unit (CU) to a target IAB-donor-CU of a base station. Features of the present disclosure achieve such migration by configuring the IAB distributed unit (IAB-DU) to establish F1-connection (F1-C) with the target IAB-donor-CU via the source path before the user equipment (UE) context transfer occurs. To this end, the source IAB-donor-CU may initiate an F1-C establishment between IAB-node DU and target IAB-donor-CU. The source IAB-donor-CU may do so by acting or presenting as an IAB-node-DU proxy to the target IAB-donor-CU. At the same time, the source IAB-donor-CU may act or present as a target-IAB-donor-CU proxy to the IAB-node-DU. Thus, in some cases, the source IAB-donor-CU may present as both the IAB-node-DU proxy (to the target IAB-donor-CU) and as a target-IAB-donor-CU proxy (to the IAB-node-DU).

Claims (90)

1. A method for wireless communications, comprising:

establishing a first signaling connection between a source integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor centralized unit (CU) with at least one IAB distributed unit (DU);

establishing a second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor CU and a target IAB-donor CU;

configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU in order to transmit state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU;

receiving, at the source IAB-donor CU, a state update information from the target IAB-donor CU; and

configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU in transmitting the state update information to the at least one IAB-DU, wherein configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU comprises:

determining an identifier associated with the target IAB-donor CU; and

representing the source IAB-donor CU as the target IAB-donor CU to the at least one IAB DU by adopting the identifier of the target IAB-donor CU for communications with the at least one IAB-DU.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU comprises:

determining an identifier associated with at least one IAB-DU; and

representing the source IAB-donor CU as the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor-CU by adopting the identifier of the at least one IAB-DU for communications with the target IAB-donor-CU.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU comprises:

determining an identifier of an IAB-mobile terminal (IAB-MT) associated with the at least one IAB-DU; and

transmitting the identifier of the IAB-MT to the target IAB-donor CU in order to proxy for the at least one IAB-DU.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU includes one or more of:

a configuration of a cell served by the at least one IAB-DU,

a context of a child connected to the at least one IAB-DU,

a transport layer information for a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU,

an identifier of a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU, or

an identifier of one or more of the at least one IAB-DU, the IAB-donor-CU or a child connected to the at least one IAB-DU used on a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU that is transmitted from the IAB-donor CU to the target IAB-donor comprises:

forwarding a configuration information of the at least one IAB-DU that is received from the at least one IAB-DU at the source IAB-donor CU.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU that is transmitted from the IAB-donor CU to the target IAB-donor CU comprises:

forwarding a configuration information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU that the source IAB-donor CU had previously transmitted to the at least one IAB-DU.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the state update information from the target IAB-donor CU comprises:

receiving, at the source IAB-CU, an updated base station-CU identifier from the target IAB-CU;

reconfiguring, at the source IAB-CU, a cell identity (ID) for a cell served by the at least one IAB-DU based in part on the updated base station-CU identifier received from the target IAB-CU; and

generating the state update information associated based in part on the cell-ID.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signaling connection between the source IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU is one of F1-connection (F1-C) or radio resource control (RRC) connection, and

wherein the second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor-CU and the target IAB-donor-CU is the F1-connection.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one IAB-DU is one of an IAB-donor-DU or an IAB-node-DU.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target IAB-donor CU and the at least one IAB-DU use one or both of the state information or the state update information in order to establish a transport network layer association (TNLA) directly between the target IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source IAB-donor-CU indicates to the at least one IAB-DU a transport network layer (TNL) endpoint for the target IAB-donor-CU to enable the at least one IAB-DU to establish a transport network layer association (TNLA) TNLA between the target IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IAB-donor-CU is a base station CU.

13. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

at least one processor;

and memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory including instructions executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

establish a first signaling connection between a source integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor centralized unit (CU) with at least one IAB distributed unit (DU);

establish a second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor CU and a target IAB-donor CU;

configure the source IAB-donor CU to function as a first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU in order to transmit state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU;

receive, at the source IAB-donor CU, a state update information from the target IAB-donor CU; and

configure the source IAB-donor CU to function as a second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU in transmitting the state update information to the at least one IAB-DU, wherein the instructions to configure the source IAB-donor CU to function as the second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine an identifier associated with the target IAB-donor CU; and

represent the source IAB-donor CU as the target IAB-donor CU to the at least one IAB DU by adopting the identifier of the target IAB-donor CU for communications with the at least one IAB-DU.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to configure the source IAB-donor CU to function as the first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine an identifier associated with at least one IAB-DU; and

represent the source IAB-donor CU as the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor-CU by adopting the identifier of the at least one IAB-DU for communications with the target IAB-donor-CU.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to configure the source IAB-donor CU to function as the first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine an identifier of an IAB-mobile terminal (IAB-MT) associated with the at least one IAB-DU; and

transmit the identifier of the IAB-MT to the target IAB-donor CU in order to proxy for the at least one IAB-DU.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU includes one or more of:

a configuration of a cell served by the at least one IAB-DU,

a context of a child connected to the at least one IAB-DU,

a transport layer information for a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU,

an identifier of a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU, or

an identifier of one or more of the at least one IAB-DU, the IAB-donor-CU or a child connected to the at least one IAB-DU used on a connection between the IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU that is transmitted from the IAB-donor CU to the target IAB-donor comprises:

forwarding a configuration information of the at least one IAB-DU that is received from the at least one IAB-DU at the source IAB-donor CU.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU that is transmitted from the IAB-donor CU to the target IAB-donor CU comprises:

forwarding a configuration information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU that the source IAB-donor CU had previously transmitted to the at least one IAB-DU.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the instructions to receive the state update information from the target IAB-donor CU are further executable by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive, at the source IAB-CU, an updated base station-CU identifier from the target IAB-CU;

reconfigure, at the source IAB-CU, a cell identity (ID) for a cell served by the at least one IAB-DU based in part on the updated base station-CU identifier received from the target IAB-CU; and

generate the state update information associated based in part on the cell-ID.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first signaling connection between the source IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU is one of F1-connection (F1-C) or radio resource control (RRC) connection, and

wherein the second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor-CU and the target IAB-donor-CU is the F1-connection.

21. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the at least one IAB-DU is one of an IAB-donor-DU or an IAB-node-DU.

22. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the target IAB-donor CU and the at least one IAB-DU use one or both of the state information or the state update information in order to establish a transport network layer association (TNLA) directly between the target IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

23. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the source IAB-donor-CU indicates to the at least one IAB-DU a transport network layer (TNL) endpoint for the target IAB-donor-CU to enable the at least one IAB-DU to establish a transport network layer association (TNLA) TNLA between the target IAB-donor-CU and the at least one IAB-DU.

24. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the IAB-donor-CU is a base station CU.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, executable by a processor, for wireless communications, comprising instructions for:

establishing a first signaling connection between a source integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor centralized unit (CU) of a base station with at least one IAB distributed unit (DU);

establishing a first signaling connection between a source integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor centralized unit (CU) with at least one IAB distributed unit (DU);

establishing a second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor CU and a target IAB-donor CU;

configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU in order to transmit state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU;

receiving, at the source IAB-donor CU, a state update information from the target IAB-donor CU; and

configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU in transmitting the state update information to the at least one IAB-DU, wherein configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU further include instructions for:

determining an identifier associated with the target IAB-donor CU; and

representing the source IAB-donor CU as the target IAB-donor CU to the at least one IAB DU by adopting the identifier of the target IAB-donor CU for communications with the at least one IAB-DU.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25 , wherein configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU further include instructions for:

determining an identifier associated with at least one IAB-DU; and

representing the source IAB-donor CU as the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor-CU by adopting the identifier of the at least one IAB-DU for communications with the target IAB-donor-CU.

27. An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising:

means for establishing a first signaling connection between a source integrated access and backhaul (IAB) donor centralized unit (CU) with at least one IAB distributed unit (DU);

means for establishing a second signaling connection between the source IAB-donor CU and a target IAB-donor CU;

means for configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a first proxy for the at least one IAB-DU in order to transmit state information associated with the at least one IAB-DU to the target IAB-donor CU;

means for receiving, at the source IAB-donor CU, a state update information from the target IAB-donor CU; and

means for configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as a second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU in transmitting the state update information to the at least one IAB-DU, wherein means for configuring the source IAB-donor CU to function as the second proxy for the target IAB-donor CU comprises:

means for determining an identifier associated with the target IAB-donor CU; and

means for representing the source IAB-donor CU as the target IAB-donor CU to the at least one IAB DU by adopting the identifier of the target IAB-donor CU for communications with the at least one IAB-DU.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 13, 2021
From: AKL, NAEEM; HAMPEL, KARL GEORG; ABEDINI, NAVID; LUO, JIANGHONG; BLESSENT, LUCA; LI, JUNYI; LUO, TAO
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 058376/0677 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63090052 · Oct 9, 2020
Related Publication 20220117007A1 · Apr 14, 2022
Cited By (3)
US 12,610,303 US 12,610,350 US 12,701,480