Patent Application
20210352570
An example embodiment relates generally to techniques for accessing a mobile core network, and, more particularly, to techniques for providing efficient access control within mobile networks.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standards organization which develops protocols for mobile telephony and is known for the development and maintenance of various standards including Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation (5G) standards, among others. 3GPP objectives include the study of Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) for New Radio (NR).
Benefits of IAB for NR may include enabling flexible and very dense deployment of NR cells without densifying the transport network proportionately. A diverse range of deployment scenarios can be envisioned including support for outdoor small cell deployments, indoors, or even mobile relays (e.g., on buses, trains, and/or the like).
In an embodiment, an apparatus is provided comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code with the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, based on a determination that an access attempt associated with Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) access is to be performed, construct an access request comprising an IAB access indication. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine, based at least on the IAB access indication, whether the access attempt is allowed for a particular cell. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to, in an instance in which it is determined that the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell, determine an establishment cause value based at least on the IAB access indication. The at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause transmission of the access request and establishment cause value.
In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access indication comprises an access category associated with IAB. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access indication comprises an access identity associated with IAB. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access request is constructed via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the determination of whether the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell is made via an access stratum (AS) layer. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access category is assigned to the access request based on an indication associated with cell IAB allowability received from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.
In another embodiment, an apparatus is provided comprising means for, based on a determination that an access attempt associated with Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) access is to be performed, constructing an access request comprising an IAB access indication. The apparatus further comprises means for determining, based at least on the IAB access indication, whether the access attempt is allowed for a particular cell. The apparatus further comprises means for, in an instance in which it is determined that the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell, determining an establishment cause value based at least on the IAB access indication. The apparatus further comprises means for causing transmission of the access request and establishment cause value.
In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access indication comprises an access category associated with IAB. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access indication comprises an access identity associated with IAB. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access request is constructed via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the determination of whether the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell is made via an access stratum (AS) layer. In some embodiments of the apparatus, the access category is assigned to the access request based on an indication associated with cell IAB allowability received from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.
In another embodiment, a method is provided comprising, based on a determination that an access attempt associated with Integrated Access and Backhaul (TAB) access is to be performed, constructing an access request comprising an TAB access indication. The method further comprises determining, based at least on the TAB access indication, whether the access attempt is allowed for a particular cell. The method further comprises, in an instance in which it is determined that the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell, determining an establishment cause value based at least on the TAB access indication. The method further comprises causing transmission of the access request and establishment cause value.
In some embodiments of the method, the access indication comprises an access category associated with TAB. In some embodiments of the method, the access indication comprises an access identity associated with TAB. In some embodiments of the method, the access request is constructed via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer. In some embodiments of the method, the determination of whether the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell is made via an access stratum (AS) layer. In some embodiments of the method, the access category is assigned to the access request based on an indication associated with cell TAB allowability received from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.
In another embodiment, a computer program product is provided comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code portions stored thereon with the program code portions configured, upon execution, to, based on a determination that an access attempt associated with Integrated Access and Backhaul (TAB) access is to be performed, construct an access request comprising an TAB access indication. The program code portions are further configured, upon execution, to determine, based at least on the TAB access indication, whether the access attempt is allowed for a particular cell. The program code portions are further configured, upon execution, to, in an instance in which it is determined that the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell, determine an establishment cause value based at least on the TAB access indication. The program code portions are further configured, upon execution, to cause transmission of the access request and establishment cause value.
In some embodiments of the computer program product, the access indication comprises an access category associated with TAB. In some embodiments of the computer program product, the access indication comprises an access identity associated with TAB. In some embodiments of the computer program product, the access request is constructed via a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer. In some embodiments of the computer program product, the determination of whether the access attempt is allowed for the particular cell is made via an access stratum (AS) layer. In some embodiments of the computer program product, the access category is assigned to the access request based on an indication associated with cell IAB allowability received from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.
Having thus described certain example embodiments of the present disclosure in general terms, reference will hereinafter be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, some embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information,” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received and/or stored in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.
Additionally, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term ‘circuitry’ as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device (such as a core network apparatus), field programmable gate array, and/or other computing device.
As described above, one of the potential technologies targeted to enable future cellular network deployment scenarios and applications is the support for wireless backhaul and relay links, enabling flexible and very dense deployment of NR cells without the need for densifying the wired transport network proportionately.
The expected larger bandwidth available for NR compared to LTE along with the native deployment of massive MIMO or multi-beam systems in NR creates an opportunity to develop and deploy integrated access and backhaul links. This may allow easier deployment of a dense network of self-backhauled NR cells in a more integrated manner than in LTE by building upon many of the NR control and data channels and/or procedures defined for providing access to user equipment (UE). An example illustration of a network with such integrated access and backhaul links is shown in
Consequently, IAB-MT denotes an IAB-node function that terminates the Uu interface to the parent node reusing the procedures and behaviors specified for regular UEs whenever possible and required. However, to ease deployments and IAB implementation, IAB nodes will have a small set of mandatory features. In other words, IAB-MT does not need to support all mandatory 3GPP Release 15 (Rel-15) UE features. While one of the key 5G requirements for any NR terminal is support of Unified Access Control (UAC TS22.261), 3GPP RAN2 agreed it is not mandatory to comply with UAC procedures when accessing the network as an IAB-MT node.
In particular, access attempts of an IAB node to a cell are allowed if the cell allows access of IAB nodes, whereas access attempts of an IAB node to a cell are not allowed if the cell does not allow access of IAB nodes. Additionally, IAB-MT ignores traditional cell barring indications (e.g., cellBarred in MIB, cellReservedForOperatorUse, and cellReservedForOtherUse in SIB1) and the UAC procedure does not apply to IAB nodes.
In this regard, two reasons to avoid UAC applicability to IAB are to minimize IAB node complexity and control IAB-MT access in such a manner to achieve a highest possible success rate. For at least these reasons, IAB-MT should be intentionally excluded from barring, e.g., when an IAB-MT function of an IAB node (following UE procedures for making a connection), whenever the cell indicates it supports IAB connections. However, UAC applicability cannot be completely avoided. Purposes of UAC procedure do not only include performing an access barring check. IAB node access attempts need to get categorization of this access attempt to be able to determine and set a Radio Resource Control (RRC) establishment cause. This realization is presently not accounted for in the 3GPP standard. Said differently, for IAB, if a cell indicates that it supports IAB, any access attempt should be allowed, and no access attempt shall be barred. Normally, Unified Access Control (UAC) handles the (potential) access barring, so it has been agreed upon that the UAC procedure should not apply to IAB. However, UAC does not only handle potential access barring, but also assigns a categorization for each access attempt, the categorization being necessary to determine and set the RRC establishment cause. Thus, simply ignoring UAC for IAB is not possible.
One example of an apparatus 300 that may be configured to carry out operations in accordance with an embodiment described herein is depicted in
The apparatus 100 may, in some embodiments, be embodied in various computing devices. However, in some embodiments, the apparatus may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words, the apparatus may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. The apparatus may therefore, in some cases, be configured to implement an embodiment of the present disclosure on a single chip or as a single “system on a chip.” As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.
The processing circuitry 32 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other circuitry including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. As such, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multi-core processing circuitry may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally, or alternatively, the processing circuitry may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and/or multithreading.
In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 32 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 34 or otherwise accessible to the processing circuitry. Alternatively, or additionally, the processing circuitry may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processing circuitry may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processing circuitry is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processing circuitry may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processing circuitry is embodied as an executor of instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processing circuitry may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., an image or video processing system) configured to employ one embodiment by further configuration of the processing circuitry by instructions for performing the algorithms and/or operations described herein. The processing circuitry may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processing circuitry.
The communication interface 36 may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data, including media content in the form of video or image files, one or more audio tracks or the like. In this regard, the communication interface may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication interface may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna(s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna(s). In some environments, the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such, for example, the communication interface may include a communication modem and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.
According to some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be configured in accordance with a cellular network architecture. In this regard, the apparatus 300 may be configured as an IAB node. In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may be embodied by user equipment (UE), such as a cellular phone or the like. While certain embodiments herein refer to operations associated with the 5G NR standard, it is to be appreciated that the processes discussed herein may be utilized for any cellular network standard.
At Block 402, an IAB-MT is configured for IAB in the PLMN. A Universal Subscriber Identify Module (USIM) file, e.g., EFUAC_AIC, may indicate that the UE is configured to access identity “X,” which is for IAB or that the UE is configured for IAB. The USIM file may only be valid in one or more of the home PLMN, PLMNs equivalent to the home PLMN, any PLMN in the home country, PLMNs configured in the UE (in which the UE is configured with a list of PLMNs), and/or any PLMN.
In some embodiments, the UE may receive an indication from a PLMN that access identity “X,” which is for IAB, is valid in the PLMN, or that the UE is configured for IAB. This indication may be sent via the 5GS (Fifth Generation Standard) network feature support, e.g., in the 5G Mobility Management (5GMM) protocol from the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) to the UE. Further, the UE may be configured with an indication that the UE is configured for access identity “X” or that the UE is configured for IAB, which may be associated with a list of PLMNs in the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) configuration management object. In this case, access identity “X” is valid or the UE is configured for IAB in the list of PLMNs. In another embodiment, the UE access attempt may be configured as an access category for a UE configured for IAB.
At Block 403, the NAS layer in the UE determines a need to make an access attempt (e.g., registration). In this regard, the NAS layer in the UE may assign an access identity for a UE configured for IAB and an access category for the access attempt.
In an embodiment, in order to enable mapping an access attempt to access identity “X” (for IAB), Table A below illustrates modifications (Access Identity Number “X” and associated UE configuration) to Table 4.5.2.1 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 24.501.
Alternatively, rather than defining a new access category for IAB, a new access identity for IAB may be defined. In this regard, while an access category characterizes a specific access attempt of a UE (e.g., SMS, voice call), an access identity characterizes the UE itself, and IAB is a UE characteristic. However, an access category may be defined for IAB instead of defining an access identity for IAB. In this case, Table 4.5.2.2 of TS 24.501 may be modified as follows in Table B (in which a new access category for IAB is defined), or alternatively, in Table C (in which the existing access category for mobile terminated access, e.g., Access Category 0 is used for access attempts made by a UE configured for IAB). In addition, the RRC layer assigns AS-originated Access Category for IAB-MT access as shown in Table B-1.
At block 404, the access identity and the access category are provided to the AS layer in the IAB-MT. The NAS layer in the UE may provide the access identity and the access category to the AS layer in the UE. With the changed access identity assigning mechanism or the changed access category assignment mechanism described above, in an instance in which an access attempt of the UE configured for IAB in the current PLMN occurs, Access Identity “X” and/or Access Category “Y” can be assigned to the access attempt. The AS layer receives the access identity for IAB and/or access category for IAB. In another embodiment, the NAS layer may provide the AS layer with Access Category 0.
At Block 405, the AS layer in the UE may determine whether the IAB-MT can make an access attempt to the cell based on at least one of the access identity, access category, and the broadcast information. Based on NR cell (IAB parent) signaling in Master Information Broadcast (MIB) and/or SIB1, as well as its own capabilities (being IAB-MT node or UE), the AS layer ignores the barring check, e.g., if the access identity is “X” and/or the access category is “Y”. In this regard, the cell status and cell reservation indicators cellBarred, cellReservedForOperatorUse, cellReservedForOtherUse, and intraFreqReselection are ignored, which enables the IAB-MT to trigger RRC setup initiation procedure (5.3.3.3 in TS38.331). For access attempts associated with access identity “X” and/or access category “Y”, if the cell supports IAB (or allows access from IAB nodes), the access attempts are not barred. For access attempts associated with access identity “X” and/or access category “Y”, if the cell does not support IAB (or does not allow access from IAB nodes), the access attempts are barred. If the NAS layer assigns Access Category 0 for IAB-MT access attempts, the access attempt is not barred according to the current TS. Thus, the NAS layer should assign Access Category 0 if the NG-RAN allows access from IAB nodes. Thus, the AS layer should indicate to the NAS layer that the NG-RAN supports IAB nodes or that the NG-RAN does not support IAB nodes. If the NG-RAN does not support IAB nodes, the NAS layer assigns access category and access identities based on the current specifications and the AS layer indicates to the NAS layer that the access attempt is barred when the NAS layer requests a determination as to whether the access attempt is barred or not. With the IAB-specific access identity and access category mechanism described above, in an instance in which an access attempt of the UE configured for IAB in the current PLMN occurs, Access Identity “X” and/or Access Category “Y” is used to determine RRC establishment cause value that will be in use by IAB-MT node.
At Block 406, the RRC establishment cause applicable for IAB access may be set using the access identity and access category. In this regard, when the UE determines that the access attempt to the cell is allowed, the UE may set the RRC establishment cause using the access identity and access category.
In an alternative embodiment, all access attempts from a UE configured for IAB are mapped to the RRC establishment cause for IAB. Table 4.5.6.1 may be modified below as shown in Table E or E-1.
In another alternative embodiment, all access attempts from a UE configured for IAB are mapped to the RRC establishment cause that is agnostic to IAB-MT. For example, one legacy establishment cause is assigned to IAB-MT access only. In this regard, Table 4.5.6.1 may be modified as shown below in Table F, F-1, or F-2.
In an embodiment, the NAS layer assigns, to at least one access request made by an IAB-MT valid in the current PLMN, an access identity (e.g., access identity “X”) associated with IAB-MT (e.g., for a UE configured for IAB). In this regard, the RRC layer does not bar an access attempt with access identity “X” in an instance in which the NG-RAN broadcasts an IAB node is allowed, regardless of the current barring and UAC setting broadcast by the particular cell. The RRC establishment cause for the access attempt associated with access identity “X” is mapped to a new RRC establishment cause or the existing RRC establishment cause, e.g. mo-Signalling, or mt-Access, as described above.
In this regard, the NG-RAN does not bar a request with the new RRC establishment cause, nor does it bar a request with the existing RRC establishment cause. If the existing RRC establishment cause is not mt-Access, and the UE does not have a 5G-S-TMSI, then it would not draw a random number, but a predefined number (e.g., all zeros (0)). Based on this, the network may allow access. If the UE were to not send an IAB indication in RRCSetupComplete, the connection may be released, due to the possibility of a normal UE drawing all zeros (0) as a predefined number. If the existing RRC establishment cause is not mt-Access and the UE has 5G-S-TMSI, then it is included in the RRCSetupRequest. Donor CU may be configured via OAM with a list of 5G-S-TMSIs which belong to IAB-MTs and may allow access.
Similarly, in another embodiment, the NAS layer may assign, to at least one access request made by an IAB-MT valid in the current PLMN, an access category (e.g., “Y”), which is for an IAB-MT as described above, and the RRC layer does not bar an access attempt with access category “Y” if the associated NG-RAN broadcasts that an IAB node is allowed. The RRC establishment cause for the access attempt associated with Access Category Y is mapped to a new RRC establishment cause (see Alt-A in f)) or the existing RRC establishment cause, e.g. mo-Signalling, mt-Access (see Alt-B in f)).
In another embodiment, the NAS layer may assign, to at least one access request made by an IAB-MT valid in the current PLMN, an access category associated with an access attempt initiated by an IAB-MT function in a cell indicating IAB support. For example, access category “0” (as shown in Table C above) may be assigned if the RRC layer has indicated that the NG-RAN allows access of an IAB node. In order to achieve this, the RRC layer may provide an indication that the NG-RAN allowed access of an IAB node if the NG-RAN broadcasts that access from an IAB node is allowed/supported in the PLMN. In some embodiments, if the UE is configured for IAB in the current PLMN and the NG-RAN does not allow access from an IAB node for the PLMN, the NAS layer performs as-is. The RRC layer shall indicate to the NAS layer that the access attempt is barred whenever access barring check is requested. The NAS layer may assume all access attempts are barred without requesting the AS layer to perform the barring check.
In another embodiment, there may be no change in the NAS layer. In this regard, the RRC layer may not bar any access attempts from an IAB-MT valid in the current PLMN if the NG-RAN broadcasts an indication that an IAB node is allowed for the PLMN. The RRC layer may thus ignore access identities and/or access categories provided from the NAS layer. The RRC layer does not conform the mapping rule in subclause 4.5.6 in TS 24.501. In one alternative, the RRC layer may map all access attempts from an IAB-MT valid in the current PLMN to the RRC establishment cause “mt-Access” if the NG-RAN allows access from an IAB node for the PLMN. When the RRC layer of IAB-MT is asked to perform a barring check, the RRC layer answers that the access attempt is allowed if the NG-RAN allows access from an IAB and that the access attempt is barred if the NG-RAN does not allow access from an IAB.
In another embodiment, the RRC layer may assign an “AS-originated” access category for IAB-MT access (as shown in Table B-1 above) and perform its own mapping rule to RRC establishment causes when initiating RRC establishment, e.g., a request with the new RRC establishment cause or a request with the existing RRC establishment cause. If the UE is configured for IAB in the current PLMN and the NG-RAN does not allow access from an IAB node, the RRC layer may indicate to the NAS layer that the access attempt is barred whenever an access attempt is being made, e.g., the NAS layer request to the AS layer on whether the access attempt is barred.
In another embodiment, for IAB-MT, if the AS layer indicates that the NG-RAN allows access from IAB nodes (e.g., the cell broadcasts IAB support), the NAS layer skips the barring check request and provides neither an access identity nor access category to the AS layer. In this case, the RRC establishment cause may be set to “mt-Access.” Otherwise (e.g., for IAB-MT, if the AS layer does not indicate that the NG-RAN allows access from IAB nodes), the NAS layer treats all access attempts are barred without asking the AS layer to perform the barring check.
In the above alternative embodiments, any combination may be possible. As one example, for IAB-MT, if the AS layer indicates that the NG-RAN allows access from IAB nodes (e.g., the cell broadcasts IAB support), the NAS layer skips the barring check request and does not provide an access identity or access category to the AS layer. In this case, the RRC establishment cause is set to mt-Access, and if the UE is configured for IAB in the current PLMN and the NG-RAN does not allow access from an IAB node for the PLMN, the NAS layer performs as-is. The RRC layer shall indicate to the NAS layer that the access attempt is barred whenever an access barring check is requested.
Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/022,176, filed on May 8, 2020, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63022176 | May 2020 | US |
