WO2025137819A1 - Wireless communication method and communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a wireless communication method and a communication device. The method comprises: a first device sends first information to a second device, the first information being used for indicating one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit (PDU) session of a first terminal device being used for relay communication of a second terminal device; the first PDU session of the first terminal device being used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and maintaining the first PDU session. In the present application, a communication device (e.g., a first device or a second device) performs transmission of first information so as to instruct a first PDU to provide service to a second terminal device, such that a network device adjusts the state of a first PDU session on the basis of the state (e.g., a connected state or a non-connected state) of the second terminal device.

Description

Wireless communication method and communication device Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a wireless communication method and communication device.

Background Art

Generally, for a terminal device in a connected state, the protocol data unit (PDU) session of the terminal device needs to be in a connected state so that the terminal device can communicate with the core network device. In some scenarios, in order to improve the coverage of the network device, the second terminal device can use the PDU session of the first terminal device (also called the "first PDU session") to communicate with the core network device. At this time, if the first terminal device is in a non-connected state, even if the second terminal device is in a connected state, it cannot communicate with the core network device through the first PDU session.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a wireless communication method and a communication device. The following introduces various aspects involved in the present application.

In a first aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: a first device sends first information to a second device, the first information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit (PDU) session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; a first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

In a second aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, including: a second device receives first information sent by a first device, the first information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit (PDU) session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; a first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a first device and includes: a sending unit, used to send first information to a second device, wherein the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; a first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is a second device and includes: a receiving unit, used to receive first information sent by a first device, wherein the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; a first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory and a communication interface, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer programs in the memory so that the communication device executes part or all of the steps in the method of the above aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned terminal device and/or network device. In another possible design, the system may also include other devices that interact with the terminal device or network device in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application.

In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program enables a communication device (for example, a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, and the computer program is operable to enable a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to perform some or all of the steps in the above-mentioned various aspects of the method. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the processor can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

In the present application, communication devices (e.g., a first device or a second device) can transmit first information to indicate that a first PDU provides services for a second terminal device, thereby helping a network device to adjust the state of a first PDU session based on the state of the second terminal device (e.g., a connected state or a non-connected state).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a wireless communication system 100 to which an embodiment of the present application is applied.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the communication architecture of a vehicle-mounted relay (VMR) applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Communication system architecture

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, New radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) system, terrestrial networks (TN) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WIFI), fifth-generation (5G) system, etc. The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to other communication systems, such as future communication systems, such as the sixth-generation mobile communication system, and satellite communication systems.

Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. With the development of mobile communication systems, the mobile communication system will not only support traditional communication, but also support, for example, device to device (D2D) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC) communication, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

The communication system in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios, dual connectivity (DC) scenarios, and standalone (SA) networking scenarios.

The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, where the authorized spectrum can also be considered as a dedicated spectrum.

An important feature of the communication system architecture (such as the 5G system architecture) is that the communication system architecture can be a service-oriented architecture, that is, the network elements (service providers) in the core network can provide specific services and be called by other network elements (consumers) through a defined application programming interface (API).

FIG1 exemplarily shows a system architecture example diagram of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application can be applied. Taking the communication system as a 5G system architecture as an example, the wireless communication system may include multiple network elements, nodes or devices, such as terminal equipment, access network (AN) equipment, user plane function (UPF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, application function (AF) network element. The wireless communication system may also include a data network (DN) and the like.

The following is an exemplary description of the functions of each part or network element involved in the wireless communication system in the 5G network.

Terminal equipment: The terminal equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal equipment in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a device that provides voice and/or data connectivity to a user, and may be used to connect people, objects and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile Internet device (MID), a wearable device, a vehicle equipment, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

Access network equipment: Access network equipment can be used to provide network access functions for authorized terminal devices in a specific area, and can use transmission channels of different qualities according to the level of the terminal equipment, business requirements, etc. Access network equipment can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and data between terminal devices and the core network.

The access network device may be a device in a wireless network. The access network device may also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device or a network device. For example, the access network device may be a base station. The access network device in the embodiment of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. (or device). A base station can broadly cover various names as follows, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmission point (TP), master station MeNB, secondary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, base band unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station may also refer to a communication module, modem or chip used to be set in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station may also be a mobile switching center and a device to device D2D, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication device that performs the base station function, a network side device in a 6G network, and a device that performs the base station function in a future communication system. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network device.

Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

In some deployments, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network device includes a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

The access network equipment and the terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the scenarios in which the access network equipment and the terminal equipment are located.

UPF network element: UPF is a user plane function in the core network, which can be responsible for forwarding and receiving user data (such as business data flow) in the terminal device. UPF can be connected to access network equipment (such as base station) and external data network for data transmission. Exemplarily, UPF can receive user data from DN and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network equipment; or, UPF can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network equipment and then forward it to DN. The transmission resources and scheduling functions that provide services to terminal devices in UPF are managed and controlled by SMF. In some embodiments, UPF can be divided into intermediate-UPF (I-UPF) and anchor UPF (A-UPF). Among them, I-UPF is connected to the access network, A-UPF is the UPF of the session anchor, and A-UPF can also be called PDU session anchor (PSA).

AMF network element: AMF is a mobility management function in the core network, which can be used to implement other functions of the mobility management entity (MME) except session management, such as lawful interception, or access authorization (or authentication). In some embodiments, in addition to mobility management of terminal devices, AMF can also be responsible for forwarding session management related messages between terminal devices and SMF.

SMF network element: SMF is the session management function in the core network. It is mainly responsible for session management, allocation and management of Internet protocol (IP) addresses of terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control, or charging function interfaces, as well as downlink data notification, and configuration of routing information for user plane functions.

PCF network element: PCF is the policy management function in the core network, which can be responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, and billing of terminal devices. Specifically, PCF can be a functional network element of the control plane (such as AMF, SMF Network elements, etc.) provide policy rule information to manage and control the mobility management, session management, etc. of terminal devices.

AF network element: AF mainly supports interaction with the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) core network to provide services, for example, affecting data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing some third-party services to the network side. In other words, AF can be mainly used to convey the requirements of the application side to the network side. In some embodiments, AF can be an application within the operator, such as IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) technology. In some embodiments, AF can be understood as a third-party server, such as an application server in the Internet, providing relevant service information, including providing service quality (QoS) requirement information corresponding to the service to PCF, and sending user plane data information of the service to A-UPF. In some embodiments, AF can also be a service provider (content provider, CP). In some embodiments, if AF is an AF within the operator and is in a trusted domain with other network functions (NF), it can directly interact with other NFs; if AF is not in the trusted domain, it needs to access other NFs through other network elements (for example, NEF network elements below).

DN: DN refers to a network that can be used to provide data transmission. DN can be a private network, such as a local area network, or an external network that is not controlled by the operator, such as the Internet, or a proprietary network jointly deployed by operators, such as a network that provides IMS services.

It should be understood that the above network elements in the core network can also be referred to as functional entities, and this application does not limit this. Exemplarily, the UPF network element can also be referred to as the UPF entity, the AMF network element can also be referred to as the AMF entity, etc. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the xx network element or the xx functional entity can also be directly referred to as xx, for example, the UPF network element (or UPF entity) can be referred to as UPF, and the AMF network element (or AMF entity) can be referred to as AMF. For the sake of ease of description, the xx (such as UPF, AMF, etc.) mentioned in the embodiments of this application may refer to the xx network element or the xx entity, which will not be repeated later.

Optionally, the wireless communication system may also include other network elements such as unified data management (UDM) network elements, authentication and authorization service function (AUSF) network elements, network slice selection function (NSSF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, network data analysis function (NWDAF) network elements, etc., but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

The UDM network element is a contract database in the core network, which can be used to generate and store user contract data in the network (for example, 5G network), authentication data management and other functions. The UDM network element can support interaction with external third-party servers. The AUSF network element can be used to receive AMF's request for terminal device identity authentication, request a key from the UDM, and then forward the issued key to the AMF for authentication processing. The NSSF network element can be used for network slice selection. The NEF network element can be responsible for managing the 5G network element to open network data to the outside world. External non-trusted applications need to access the core network's internal data through the NEF to ensure the security of the 3GPP network. In some embodiments, the NEF network element can also provide external application QoS capability opening, event subscription, AF request distribution and other functions. The NWDAF network element can collect data from various network elements, network management systems, etc. in the core network for big data statistics, analysis or intelligent data analysis, so as to obtain the analysis results on the network side or the predicted data on the network side, so as to assist each network element to more effectively control the terminal device according to the data analysis results.

In the wireless communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , various parts or network elements can communicate with each other through interfaces. For example, the terminal device can connect to the AN through the Uu interface to exchange access layer messages and wireless data transmission; the terminal device can connect to the AMF through the N1 interface to exchange NAS messages; the AN can connect to the AMF through the N2 interface to transmit wireless bearer control information from the core network side to the AN; the UPF can transmit data to the AN through the N3 interface and to the DN through the N6 interface. The interfaces for connecting other parts or network elements can be seen in Figure 1, which will not be described in detail here.

It should be understood that the terminal device, access network device, SMF, PCF and other network elements shown in Figure 1 are just names, and the names do not limit the devices themselves. In 5G networks and other future networks, the network elements corresponding to terminal devices, access network devices, SMF and PCF may also have other names, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned communication system is described by taking the 5G system as an example. Of course, the present application can also be applied to other 3GPP communication systems, such as 4G communication systems, or future 3GPP communication systems, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (eg, a cloud platform).

It should be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of network architecture, the embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to similar technical problems.

VMR-based communication architecture

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the communication architecture of the VMR to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable. Referring to FIG2 , in order to improve the coverage of the network device, the terminal device 1 can access the CN of the mobile network operator (MNO) 1 through the access network device on the vehicle relay, wherein the vehicle relay not only has the function of the terminal device, but also has the function of a complete access network device. In addition, the vehicle relay can be connected to the CN of the MNO2 through the access network device 1, that is, the CN connected to the terminal device 1 and the vehicle relay can be different.

In some implementations, terminal device 1 may use a PDU session (e.g., MT PDU session) of an onboard relay as a channel to connect to the CN in MNO2.

In some implementations, the access network device in the vehicle terminal can establish a secure tunnel with the CN of MNO1.

In some implementations, the terminal device in the vehicle terminal can communicate with the access network device 1 through the MNO1 Uu interface.

In some implementations, the access network device 1 may communicate with the core network device in the MNO 2 via the N2 or N3 interface.

In some implementations, the core network device in MNO2 may communicate with the backbone network via the N6 interface.

Generally, for a terminal device in a connected state, the PDU session of the terminal device needs to be in a connected state so that the terminal device can communicate with the core network device. In some scenarios, in order to improve the coverage of the network device, the second terminal device can use the PDU session of the first terminal device (also called the "first PDU session") to communicate with the core network device. At this time, if the first terminal device is in a non-connected state, even if the second terminal device is in a connected state, it cannot communicate with the core network device through the first PDU session.

The applicant found that the root cause of the above problem is that the network device cannot know that the first PDU session provides services for the second terminal device. Therefore, when the first terminal device is in a non-connected state, the first PDU session will be interrupted. At this time, even if the second terminal device is in a connected state, the second terminal device cannot communicate with the network device through the first PDU.

Therefore, the applicant proposes a wireless communication method, in which communication devices (hereinafter referred to as the first device or the second device) can transmit first information to indicate that the first PDU provides service to the second terminal device, which helps the network device to adjust the state of the first PDU session based on the state of the second terminal device (for example, connected state or unconnected state).

In some implementations, the first PDU may be a PDU session of the on-board relay in FIG. 2 , for example, the first PDU session may be an MT PDU session.

For ease of understanding, the wireless communication method of the embodiment of the present application is introduced below in conjunction with Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of the wireless communication method of the embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 3 includes step S310.

In step S310, the first device sends first information to the second device.

In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

Taking the example of the first information being used to indicate that the first PDU of the first terminal device is used for relay communication with the second terminal device, in some implementations, the first PDU session can be used for communication services on the core network corresponding to the second terminal device, or in other words, the first PDU session is used to provide services for the transmission of information of the second terminal device between the core network device and the backbone network.

In the embodiment of the present application, the content carried by the first information is not limited. For example, the first information may carry one or more of the following: identification information of the first PDU session, identification information of the first terminal device, and identification information of the second terminal device.

In some scenarios, the communication on the core network (for example, the communication process between the core network and the backbone network) can also be called "backhaul communication". Therefore, the first information can be used to indicate that the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device.

Taking the first information being used to indicate maintaining the first PDU session as an example, that is, the first information can directly indicate maintaining the first PDU session, which helps to reduce the transmission resources occupied by transmitting the first information.

In an embodiment of the present application, the first information between the above-mentioned embodiments can be used independently of each other, or the first information in each embodiment can be used in combination with each other, which helps to simplify the transmission process of the first information. For example, the first information is used to indicate that the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device, and the first PDU session is maintained. For another example, the first information can be used to indicate that the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device, and the first PDU session is maintained.

The first information in the embodiment of the present application is introduced above, and the transmission process of the first information in the embodiment of the present application is introduced below. The following is introduced in combination with implementation modes 1 to 3 respectively.

In implementation method 1, the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request the establishment of a first PDU session, wherein the first request is also called a "PDU session establishment request (PDU session establishment request)".

In some implementations, the first request may be carried in the last NAS transmission (uplink NAS transport). Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, the first request may be carried in other uplink information.

In some implementations, the first information is determined by a request type of the first request. For example, the request type of the first request may be a return to indicate the first information. Of course, in an embodiment of the present application, the first information may be carried by a protocol configuration option (PCO) of the first request, wherein the PCO is used to provide the terminal device with additional information for connecting to the network.

In the embodiment of the present application, the first device and/or the second device are not limited. In some implementations, the first device is a first terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF. In other implementations, the first device is a first terminal device, and the second device is a session management function SMF. For example, the first terminal device can communicate with the SMF via the AMF. This will be described below in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5.

In implementation 2, the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management (SM) context associated with the first PDU session. The second request is also called "Nsmf_PDU Session_CreateSM Context Request".

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF and the second device is an SMF.

In implementation mode 3, the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate whether the first PDU session is established successfully or failed.

In some implementations, the first information may be an N2 message.

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF, and the second device is an access network device, wherein the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device, so the first terminal device can be called a relay terminal, for example, it can be a vehicle-mounted relay (see Figure 2). Correspondingly, the second terminal device can be called a "remote terminal".

For ease of understanding, the wireless communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is described by taking the example of carrying the first information by the request type. Figure 5 is described by taking the example of carrying the first information by the PCO.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Fig. 4 includes steps S410 to S423.

In step S410, the relay terminal initiates a registration process, during which authentication, allocation of a temporary ID and other processes are completed.

In step S411, the relay terminal sends a first request to the AMF.

In some implementations, the relay terminal sends an uplink NAS transport (Uplink NAS Transport) message to the AMF through the access network device, where the message carries one or more of the following information: a first request, a request type of the first request, an identifier of the first PDU session, S-NSSAI, and DNN.

In some implementations, the request type of the first request is backhaul, to indicate that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal and/or to maintain the first PDU session.

In some implementations, the first request (also known as "PDU session Establishment Request") can carry SSC mode, PCO, etc.

In step S412, the AMF sends a second request to the SMF to request establishment of an SM context session.

In some implementations, the second request (also known as "Nsmf_PDU Session_CreateSM Context Request") includes one or more of the following: a first request for requesting establishment of a first PDU session, a request type of the second request; an identifier of the first PDU session; S-NSSAI; DNN.

In some implementations, the request type of the second request is backhaul, to indicate that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal and/or to maintain the first PDU session.

In some implementations, SMF is selected by AMF, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In step S413, SMF sends a response message for the second request to AMF, which is also called "Nsmf_PDU Session_CreateSM Context Response" message.

In step S414, SMF sends an N4 session establishment request (N4 session Establishment Request) message to UPF.

In some implementations, the N4 session establishment request message includes one or more of the following: SUPI, PDU session ID, QoS information.

In some implementations, the SMF may select the UPF based on the S-NSSAI, DNN information.

In step S415, UPF sends an N4 Session Establishment Response message to SMF.

In some implementations, the N4 session establishment response message carries one or more of the following information: the configured UPF's IP address and TEID.

In step S416, SMF sends an N1N2 message transfer (also known as "Namf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer") to AMF.

In some implementations, the message carries one or more of the following: N1 message-PDU session establishment accept (also known as "N1Message-PDU session Establishment Accept) message, N2 message-PDU session establishment request (also known as "N2Message-PDU session Establishment Request") message.

In some implementations, the N1 message-PDU session establishment accept message may carry one or more of the following: QoS flow information, S-NSSAI, SSC mode.

In some implementations, the N2 message-PDU session establishment request message includes one or more of the following: S-NSSAI, PDU session ID, and QoS flow information.

In step S417, the AMF forwards the N2 message and the N1 message to the access network device.

In some implementations, the N2 message carries first information indicating that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal and indicating that the first PDU session is maintained.

It should be noted that the first information may be sent by AMF to the access network device, or may be sent by SMF to the access network device via AMF.

In step S418, the access network device allocates wireless resources and forwards the N1 message to the relay terminal.

In step S419, the access network device sends an N2 PDU session establishment response (also known as N2 PDU Session Establishment Response) message to AMF.

In some implementations, the N2 PDU session establishment response message may carry one or more of the following: the IP address and TEID of the access network device, and the location information of the relay terminal.

In step S420, AMF sends an SM context update request (also known as "Nsmf_PDU Session_UpdateSM Context Request") message to SMF.

In some implementations, the SM context update request message carries one or more of the following: N2 PDU session establishment response message (also known as "N2 PDU Session Establishment Response").

In step S421, SMF sends an SM context update response message (also called "Nsmf_PDU Session_UpdateSM Context Response") to AMF.

In step S422, SMF sends an N4 session modification request message (also known as "N4 session Modification Request") to UPF.

In some implementations, the N4 session modification request message carries the IP address and TEID of the access network device.

In step S423, UPF sends an N4 session modification response message (also known as "N4 Session Modification Response") to SMF.

In the embodiment of the present application, the relay terminal can indicate through the first information that the first PDU session is used for the return communication of the remote terminal. Accordingly, the network side of the relay terminal can always retain the first PDU session connection, thereby avoiding the PDU session being released, resulting in the remote terminal being unable to communicate through the first PDU session and causing service interruption, thereby reducing the remote terminal Terminal user experience.

FIG. 5 is a wireless communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 5 includes steps S510 to S523.

In step S510, the relay terminal initiates a registration process, during which authentication, allocation of a temporary ID and other processes are completed.

In step S511, the relay terminal sends a first request to the AMF.

In some implementations, the relay terminal sends an uplink NAS transport (Uplink NAS Transport) message to the AMF through the access network device, where the message carries one or more of the following information: a first request, an identifier of the first PDU session, S-NSSAI, and DNN.

In some implementations, the first request (also known as "PDU session Establishment Request") can carry SSC mode, PCO, etc.

In some implementations, the PCO may carry first information to indicate that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal and/or to indicate that the first PDU session is maintained.

In step S512, the AMF sends a second request to the SMF to request establishment of an SM context.

In some implementations, the second request (also known as "Nsmf_PDU Session_CreateSM Context Request") includes one or more of the following: information for requesting establishment of a first PDU session; an identifier of the first PDU session; S-NSSAI; DNN.

In some implementations, the information for requesting to establish the first PDU session may include a PCO. Accordingly, the PCO may carry first information to indicate that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of a remote terminal and/or to indicate to maintain the first PDU session.

In some implementations, SMF is selected by AMF, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In step S513, SMF sends a response message for the second request to AMF, which is also called "Nsmf_PDU Session_CreateSM Context Response" message.

In step S514, SMF sends an N4 session establishment request (N4 session Establishment Request) message to UPF.

In some implementations, the N4 session establishment request message includes one or more of the following: SUPI, PDU session ID, and QoS information.

In some implementations, the SMF may select the UPF based on the S-NSSAI, DNN information.

In step S515, UPF sends an N4 Session Establishment Response message to SMF.

In some implementations, the N4 session establishment response message carries one or more of the following information: the configured UPF's IP address and TEID.

In step S516, SMF sends an N1N2 message transfer message (also known as "Namf_Communication_N1N2Message Transfer") to AMF.

In some implementations, the message carries one or more of the following: N1 message-PDU session establishment accept (also known as "N1Message-PDU session Establishment Accept) message, N2 message-PDU session establishment request (also known as "N2Message-PDU session Establishment Request") message.

In some implementations, the N1 message-PDU session establishment accept message may carry one or more of the following: QoS flow information, S-NSSAI, SSC mode.

In some implementations, the N2 message-PDU session establishment request message includes one or more of the following: S-NSSAI, PDU session ID, and QoS flow information.

In step S517, the AMF forwards the N2 message and the N1 message to the access network device.

In some implementations, the N2 message carries first information indicating that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal and that the first PDU session is maintained.

It should be noted that the first information may be sent by AMF to the access network device, or may be sent by SMF to the access network device via AMF.

In step S518, the access network device allocates wireless resources and forwards the N1 message to the relay terminal.

In step S519, the access network device sends an N2 PDU session establishment response (also known as N2 PDU Session Establishment Response) message to the AMF.

In some implementations, the N2 PDU session establishment response message may carry one or more of the following: the IP address and TEID of the access network device, and the location information of the relay terminal.

In step S520, AMF sends an SM context update request (also known as "Nsmf_PDU Session_UpdateSM Context Request") message to SMF.

In some implementations, the SM context update request message carries one or more of the following: N2 PDU session establishment response message (also known as "N2 PDU Session Establishment Response").

In step S521, SMF sends an SM context update response message (also known as "Nsmf_PDU Session_UpdateSM Context Response") to AMF.

In step S522, SMF sends an N4 session modification request message (also known as "N4 session Modification Request") to UPF.

In some implementations, the N4 session modification request message carries the IP address and TEID of the access network device.

In step S523, UPF sends an N4 session modification response message (also known as "N4 Session Modification Response") to SMF.

In an embodiment of the present application, the relay terminal can indicate through the first information that the first PDU session is used for backhaul communication of the remote terminal. Accordingly, the network side of the relay terminal can always retain the first PDU session connection, thereby avoiding the PDU session being released, resulting in the remote terminal being unable to communicate through the first PDU session and causing service interruption, thereby reducing the user experience of the remote terminal.

The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 5, and the device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 6 to 8. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment, so the part not described in detail can refer to the previous method embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 shown in Fig. 6 is a first device, and the communication device 600 includes: a sending unit 610.

The sending unit 610 is used to send first information to the second device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: the first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session.

In some implementations, the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or the first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request.

In some implementations, the first device is the first terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF.

In some implementations, the first device is the first terminal device, and the second device is a session management function SMF.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session.

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF and the second device is an SMF.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate whether the first PDU session is established successfully or failed.

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to another embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 shown in Fig. 7 is a second device, and the communication device 700 includes: a receiving unit 710 .

The receiving unit 710 is used to receive first information sent by a first device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; the first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; and the first PDU session is maintained.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session.

In some implementations, the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or the first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request.

In some implementations, the first device is the first terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF.

In some implementations, the first device is the first terminal device, and the second device is a session management function SMF.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session.

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF and the second device is an SMF.

In some implementations, the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate whether the first PDU session is established successfully or failed.

In some implementations, the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device.

In some implementations, the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device.

In an optional embodiment, the sending unit 610 may be a transceiver 830. The communication device 600 may further include a transceiver 830 and a memory 820, as specifically shown in FIG8 .

In an optional embodiment, the receiving unit 710 may be a transceiver 830. The communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 830 and a memory 820, as specifically shown in FIG8 .

FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dotted lines in FIG8 indicate that the unit or module is optional. The device 800 may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The device 800 may be a chip, a terminal, or a processor. terminal device or network device.

The device 800 may include one or more processors 810. The processor 810 may support the device 800 to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The processor 810 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

The apparatus 800 may further include one or more memories 820. The memory 820 stores a program, which can be executed by the processor 810, so that the processor 810 executes the method described in the above method embodiment. The memory 820 may be independent of the processor 810 or integrated in the processor 810.

The apparatus 800 may further include a transceiver 830. The processor 810 may communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 830. For example, the processor 810 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips through the transceiver 830.

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in the present application, and the program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the program enables the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program enables a computer to execute the method executed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication" mentioned can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association relationship between A and B.

In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should be understood that determining B according to A does not mean determining B only according to A, and B can also be determined according to A and/or other information.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship of indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, including a terminal device and a network device), and the present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition can refer to what is defined in the protocol.

In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and/or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (46)

A wireless communication method, comprising: The first device sends first information to the second device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; The first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; Maintain the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or The first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request. The method as claimed in claim 2 or 3 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF. The method according to claim 2 or 3 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is a session management function SMF. The method as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that the first device is AMF and the second device is SMF. The method as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate the success or failure of the establishment of the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 8 is characterized in that the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 1-9 is characterized in that the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device. A wireless communication method, comprising: The second device receives first information sent by the first device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; The first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; Maintain the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session. The method of claim 12, wherein the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or The first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request. The method as claimed in claim 12 or 13 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF. The method according to claim 12 or 13 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is a session management function SMF. The method as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 16 is characterized in that the first device is AMF and the second device is SMF. The method as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate the success or failure of the establishment of the first PDU session. The method as claimed in claim 18 is characterized in that the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 11-19 is characterized in that the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device is a first device, comprising: A sending unit, configured to send first information to a second device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; The first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; Maintain the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 21 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session. The communication device according to claim 22, characterized in that the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or The first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request. The communication device as described in claim 22 or 23 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF. The communication device as described in claim 22 or 23 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is a session management function SMF. The communication device as described in claim 21 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 26 is characterized in that the first device is AMF and the second device is SMF. The communication device as described in claim 21 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate the success or failure of the establishment of the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 28 is characterized in that the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device. The communication device as described in any one of claims 21-29 is characterized in that the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device is a second device, comprising: A receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first device, where the first information is used to indicate one or more of the following: The first protocol data unit PDU session of the first terminal device is used for relay communication of the second terminal device; The first PDU session of the first terminal device is used for backhaul communication of the second terminal device; Maintain the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 31 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a first request, and the first request is used to request establishment of the first PDU session. The communication device according to claim 32, characterized in that the first information is determined by a request type of the first request, or The first information is determined by a protocol configuration option PCO of the first request. The communication device as described in claim 32 or 33 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is an access and mobility management function AMF. The communication device as described in claim 32 or 33 is characterized in that the first device is the first terminal device and the second device is a session management function SMF. The communication device as described in claim 31 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a second request, and the second request is used to request the creation of a session management SM context associated with the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 36 is characterized in that the first device is AMF and the second device is SMF. The communication device as described in claim 31 is characterized in that the first information is carried in a response message, and the response message is used to indicate the success or failure of the establishment of the first PDU session. The communication device as described in claim 38 is characterized in that the first device is an AMF, the second device is an access network device, and the access network device is used to provide services for the first terminal device. The communication device as described in any one of claims 31-39 is characterized in that the first terminal device is used to provide access services for the second terminal device. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a transceiver, a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store programs, and the processor is used to call the programs in the memory and control the transceiver to receive or send signals so that the terminal device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-20. A device, characterized in that it comprises a processor, which is used to call a program from a memory so that the device executes the method as described in any one of claims 1-20. A chip, characterized in that it comprises a processor for calling a program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a program is stored thereon, wherein the program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20. A computer program product, characterized in that it comprises a program, wherein the program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20. A computer program, characterized in that the computer program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.