# US 2019/0357101 A1 · Evolved node-b (enb), user equipment (ue) and methods of switching between direct and indirect communication for a relay arrangement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0357101 A1 - Document ID: US20190357101A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/477,454 - Filed: 2018-03-06 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-10 - Assignees: Intel IP Corporation - Applicants: Intel IP Corporation - Inventors: Alexandre Saso Stojanovski; Changhong Shan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190357101A1 ## CPC - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - H04W 36/03: {Reselecting a link using a direct mode connection} - H04W 36/0022: {for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies} - H04W 36/0055: {Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link} - H04W 36/0064: {of control information between different access points} - H04W 36/033: {in pre-organised networks} - H04W 36/30: by measured or perceived connection quality data - H04W 36/302: {due to low signal strength} - H04W 36/00224: {between packet switched [PS] and circuit switched [CS] network technologies, e.g. circuit switched fallback [CSFB]} - H04W 36/00226: {wherein the core network technologies comprise IP multimedia system [IMS], e.g. single radio voice call continuity [SRVCC]} - H04W 88/04: adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Embodiments of an Evolved Node-B (eNB), User Equipment (UE) and methods for communication are generally described herein. The eNB may receive, from a mobility management entity (MME), a path switch trigger message that indicates an identifier of an eRelay UE for a relay arrangement for an eRemote UE. The eNB may determine whether the eRelay UE is served by the eNB. The eNB may, if it is determined that the eRelay UE is served by the eNB, transmit a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message to the eRemote UE. The RRC connection reconfiguration message may indicate a switch from a direct communication to an indirect communication between the eRemote UE and the eNB. The indirect communication may be through the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus of an Evolved Node-B (eNB), the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, configured to: decode, from a mobility management entity (MME), a path switch trigger message that indicates: an identifier of an eRelay UE for a relay arrangement for an Evolved Proximity-Based Services (ProSe) Remote User Equipment (UE); determine, based on the identifier of the eRelay UE, whether the eRelay UE is served by the eNB or by another eNB; if it is determined that the eRelay UE is served by the eNB: encode, for transmission to the Evolved ProSe Remote UE, a radio resource control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message that indicates a switch from a direct communication to an indirect communication between the Evolved ProSe Remote UE and the eNB, the indirect communication through the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement, wherein the memory is configured to store the identifier of the eRelay UE. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to: if it is determined that the eRelay UE is served by another eNB: encode, for transmission to the Evolved ProSe Remote UE, a handover command message that indicates: a handover of the Evolved ProSe Remote UE to the other eNB, and an indirect communication between the Evolved ProSe Remote UE and the other eNB, the indirect communication through the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the RRC connection reconfiguration message is a first RRC connection reconfiguration message, the processing circuitry is further configured to, if it is determined that the eRelay UE is served by the eNB: encode, for transmission to the eRelay UE, a second RRC connection reconfiguration message that indicates the switch from the direct communication to the indirect communication between the Evolved ProSe Remote UE and the eNB. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relay arrangement is an Evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identifier of the eRelay UE is an eNB UE S1AP identifier. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to: decode, from the Evolved ProSe Remote UE, a measurement report received as part of the direct communication between the Evolved ProSe Remote UE and the eNB, wherein the measurement report indicates one or more signal quality measurements for the direct communication between the Evolved ProSe Remote UE and the eNB; and determine, based at least partly on the measurement report, whether to initiate a handover of the Evolved ProSe Remote UE to another eNB. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to: determine to initiate the handover if the signal quality measurement is less than a threshold; and determine to refrain from initiation of the handover if the signal quality measurement is greater than or equal to the threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the direct communication is a first direct communication, the path switch trigger message is a first path switch trigger message, the RRC connection reconfiguration message is a first RRC connection reconfiguration message, the processing circuitry is further configured to: decode, from the MME, a second path switch trigger message that indicates that the indirect communication is to be disabled; and encode, for transmission to the Evolved ProSe Remote UE, a second RRC connection reconfiguration message to indicate a switch from the indirect communication to a second direct communication between the eNB and the Evolved ProSe Remote UE. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The apparatus according to claim 8, the processing circuitry further configured to: decode, from the Evolved ProSe Remote UE, a measurement report received as part of the indirect communication, wherein the measurement report indicates one or more signal quality measurements for the indirect communication; and determine, based at least partly on the measurement report, whether to initiate a handover of the Evolved ProSe Remote UE to another eNB for the second direct communication. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, the processing circuitry further configured to, as part of the relay arrangement: decode a downlink data packet received from a serving gateway (SGW) to be forwarded to the Evolved ProSe Remote UE; and encode the downlink data packet for transmission to the eRelay UE to be forwarded to the Evolved ProSe Remote UE. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes a transceiver to receive the uplink data packet. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry includes a baseband processor to decode the uplink data packet. ### Claim 13 A computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform operations for communication by a User Equipment (UE), the UE configurable to operate as an eRelay UE, the operations to configure the one or more processors to: decode an uplink data packet received from an eRemote UE in accordance with a relay arrangement in which the eRelay UE operates as a relay between an Evolved Node-B (eNB) and the eRemote UE, wherein the eNB operates in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network; encode the uplink data packet for transmission to the eNB; decode, from the eNB, a control message that indicates a handover of the eRelay UE from the 3GPP LTE network to another network in accordance with a circuit switched fallback (CSFB) procedure or a single radio voice call continuity (SRVCC) procedure; and based on the handover from the 3GPP LTE network to the other network: encode, for transmission to the eRemote UE, a PC5 request message to indicate that the relay arrangement is to be disabled. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, the operations further configure the one or more processors to: determine one or more signal quality measurements based on one or more downlink signals received from the eNB; determine, based on the signal quality measurements, whether an interruption of coverage by the 3GPP LTE network for the eRelay UE is expected to occur; and if it is determined that the interruption of coverage is expected to occur: encode, for transmission to the eRemote UE, the PC5 request message to indicate that the relay arrangement is to be disabled. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, the operations further configure the one or more processors to: determine that the interruption of coverage by the 3GPP LTE network for the eRelay UE is expected to occur if an average of the signal quality measurements is less than a threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, the operations further configure the one or more processors to: determine a battery level of the eRelay UE; determine, based on the battery level, whether the relay arrangement is to be disabled; and if it is determined that the relay arrangement is to be disabled: encode, for transmission to the eRemote UE, the PC5 request message to indicate that the relay arrangement is to be disabled. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 16, the operations further configure the one or more processors to: determine that the relay arrangement is to be disabled if the battery level is less than a threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the other network is a second generation (2G) network. ### Claim 19 An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE), the UE configurable to operate as an eRemote UE, the apparatus comprising: memory; and processing circuitry, configured to: decode a downlink data packet received from an Evolved Node-B (eNB) as part of a direct communication between the eRemote UE and the eNB; decode, from an eRelay UE, a PC5 connection message to establish a relay arrangement in which the eRelay UE is to operate as a relay; encode, for transmission to an eRelay UE, an information request message that indicates an intention, of the eRemote UE, to communicate with the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement; decode, from the eRelay UE, an information response message that indicates an identifier of the eRelay UE, wherein the memory is configured to store the identifier of the eRelay UE; and encode, for transmission to the eNB to be forwarded to a mobility management entity (MME), a tracking area update (TAU) message that indicates the intention, of the eRemote UE, to communicate with the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the identifier of the eRemote UE is a globally unique temporary identifier (GUTI). ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, the processing circuitry further configured to: encode the information request message for transmission to the eRelay UE as part of a sidelink communication. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the relay arrangement includes a sidelink communication between the eRemote UE and the eRelay UE in accordance with a Proximity-Based Services (ProSe) arrangement. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, the processing circuitry further configured to: determine a signal quality measurement for the direct communication based at least partly on a reception of the downlink data packet; determine a signal quality measurement for the relay arrangement based at least partly on a reception of the PC5 connection message; determine whether to communicate with the eRelay UE in accordance with the relay arrangement based at least partly on the signal quality measurement for the direct communication and the signal quality measurement for the relay arrangement. ### Claim 24 (depends on 19) The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein: the eRemote UE is configured to operate as an Evolved Proximity-Based Services (ProSe) Remote UE, and the relay arrangement is an Evolved ProSe UE-to-Network Relay.