A multipath communication method and device

Abstract

This application discloses a multipath communication method and device applied in D2D communication scenarios. In this method, a source terminal sends a request message including multipath indication information to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with a destination terminal. The source terminal receives a response message from at least one terminal, which is either the destination terminal or at least one of one or more relay terminals. The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths, including: transmission paths established between the source terminal and the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals, and / or transmission paths directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal. Establishing multiple transmission paths helps improve data transmission reliability or increase data transmission rate; moreover, the above method avoids repeatedly executing the PC5 connection establishment process to establish multiple transmission paths, simplifying the process and helping to shorten the establishment time of multiple transmission paths.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a multipath communication method and device. Background Technology

[0002] Device-to-device (D2D) communication allows user equipment (UE) to communicate directly with each other, and can share spectrum resources with cell users under the control of the cell network, effectively improving the utilization rate of spectrum resources.

[0003] D2D communication includes one-to-many communication and one-to-one communication. One-to-many communication corresponds to multicast and broadcast communication, while one-to-one communication corresponds to unicast communication. In one-to-one communication, if the source UE and the destination UE are within close range, they communicate directly after mutual discovery, such as... Figure 1 As shown in (a) of the diagram. In D2D communication, UEs communicate with each other through the proximity communication 5 (PC5) interface, which can be used for data plane and control plane information transmission. When the source UE and the destination UE are far apart, if direct communication is not possible, a relay UE (i.e., U2U Relay, UE-to-UE Relay) can be selected for communication, such as... Figure 1 As shown in (b) in the figure, this further extends the communication distance between UEs.

[0004] With the rapid development of mobile communications and the widespread use of data services such as video chat and VR / AR, users' demands for bandwidth and data reliability have increased. A single communication path may not be able to meet users' needs for bandwidth and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a multipath communication method and device to improve the reliability of data transmission or increase the data transmission rate.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a multipath communication method, comprising: a source terminal sending a request message, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with a destination terminal; the source terminal receiving a response message from at least one terminal, the at least one terminal being the destination terminal or one or more relay terminals; the source terminal sending data of a target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths, the multiple transmission paths including: transmission paths established by the source terminal with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or, transmission paths directly established by the source terminal with the destination terminal.

[0007] In the multipath communication method provided in the above embodiments of this application, multiple transmission paths are established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, allowing the same data to be transmitted through different transmission paths, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission; alternatively, different data can be transmitted simultaneously through multiple transmission paths to increase bandwidth, improve data transmission rate, and meet the timeliness requirements of data transmission. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the request message sent by the source terminal includes multipath indication information, enabling the destination terminal to determine the need to establish multiple transmission paths based on the request message, and to notify the source terminal of the transmission paths to be established via response messages (e.g., replying with a response message indicates that a transmission path is established through that terminal, or the reply response message contains the identifier of the relay terminal used to establish the transmission path). This facilitates the establishment of multiple transmission paths between the source terminal and the destination terminal, eliminating the need to repeatedly execute the existing PC5 connection establishment process to complete the establishment of multiple transmission paths multiple times. This simplifies the process of establishing multiple transmission paths, helps shorten the establishment time of multiple transmission paths, and improves the user experience.

[0008] In one possible implementation, before the source terminal sends the request message, the method further includes: the source terminal determining, based on the multipath parameters of the target service, to establish multiple transmission paths with the destination terminal. During registration, the source terminal can obtain the authorization parameters of the target service from the core network and directly determine the need to establish multiple transmission paths for the target service based on the multipath parameters in the authorization parameters, simplifying the terminal's judgment logic. In this case, the core network determines whether the target service requires multiple transmission paths, enabling the source terminal to determine the need to establish multiple transmission paths when initiating the transmission of data for the target service with the destination terminal.

[0009] In one possible implementation, before the source terminal sends the request message, the method further includes: the source terminal determining that the currently established transmission path with the destination terminal cannot meet the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the target service. The communication quality between the source terminal and the destination terminal is not static. Initially, one or more established transmission paths may meet the QoS requirements of the target service, but due to factors causing a decline in communication quality, the initially established transmission path may no longer meet the QoS requirements of the target service. In such cases, the source terminal may request the establishment of a new transmission path to meet the QoS requirements of the target service.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the source terminal sending a request message includes: the source terminal broadcasting the request message; the source terminal receiving a response message from at least one terminal includes: the source terminal receiving a first response message from the destination terminal through each of the relay terminals, the first response message indicating that the source terminal establishes a transmission path with the destination terminal through the relay terminal that sent the first response message; and / or, the source terminal receiving a second response message sent by the destination terminal, the second response message indicating that the source terminal directly establishes a transmission path with the destination terminal. In this implementation, since the source terminal broadcasts the request message, the destination terminal may directly receive the request message and directly reply with a response message. Nearby relay terminals may also receive the request message and forward it to the destination terminal. If the destination terminal determines to establish a transmission path with the source terminal through the relay terminal, the destination terminal replies with a response message to the relay terminal, and the relay terminal forwards the response message to the source terminal.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the source terminal sending a request message includes: the source terminal sending a request message to the destination terminal, the request message further including the identifiers of one or more candidate relay terminals, the identifiers of the one or more candidate relay terminals including the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals; the source terminal receiving a response message from at least one terminal includes: the source terminal receiving a third response message sent by the destination terminal, the third response message including the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals, used to instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals. In this implementation, the source terminal sends a request message to the destination terminal via unicast, the request message containing the identifiers of candidate relay terminals to request the establishment of a new transmission path. The destination terminal can select a relay terminal from the candidate relay terminals to establish the transmission path and send the identifier of the selected relay terminal in the response message to the source terminal, thereby enabling the source terminal and the destination terminal to establish a transmission path through the selected relay terminal.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the source terminal determining the number of transmission paths to be established based on the multipath number parameter of the target service, or the source terminal determining the number of transmission paths to be established based on the QoS parameters of the target service; and the source terminal establishing the multiple transmission paths based on the number. In this implementation, the authorization parameters of the target service obtained by the source terminal include the multipath number parameter, which facilitates the source terminal in determining the total number of transmission paths to be established; alternatively, the source terminal can also determine the number of transmission paths based on the QoS parameters of the target service and other factors that may affect QoS, making the determination method more flexible and accurate.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the source terminal determining a multipath transmission method based on the QoS parameters of the target service, or the source terminal determining a multipath transmission method corresponding to the target service, wherein the multipath transmission method includes a redundant transmission method or a split transmission method; the source terminal sending the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths includes: the source terminal sending the target service data to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multipath transmission method. Redundant transmission means transmitting the same data through multiple transmission paths to improve the reliability of data transmission; split transmission means transmitting different data simultaneously through multiple transmission paths to improve the data transmission rate. The source terminal can determine the transmission method based on the QoS parameters of the target service to meet the QoS requirements of the target service, or it can pre-configure the transmission method corresponding to the target service to facilitate the source terminal in determining which transmission method to use.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the multipath indication information includes multipath transmission mode indication information. After determining the multipath transmission mode, the source terminal can carry the multipath transmission mode indication information in the multipath indication information, so that the destination terminal can interact with the source terminal for the target service data according to the multipath transmission mode. Alternatively, without indication from the source terminal, the destination terminal can also determine the corresponding multipath transmission mode based on the QoS parameters of the target service or a pre-configured correspondence between services and transmission modes.

[0015] In one possible implementation, before the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: the source terminal establishing a unicast connection with the one or more relay terminals; if a Layer 2 relay method is used, the source terminal establishing a unicast connection with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals; or, if a Layer 3 relay method is used, the source terminal obtaining the IP address of the destination terminal from the one or more relay terminals or the destination terminal.

[0016] In one possible implementation, before the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: the source terminal associating the data radio bearer corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configuration on each of the multiple transmission paths, wherein the QoS stream is used to carry the target service data. The source terminal and the destination terminal do not necessarily need to establish a QoS stream on each transmission path; they can first establish a QoS stream on one of the transmission paths, negotiate and determine the parameters of the QoS stream, and then associate the DRB corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configurations of other transmission paths, thereby enabling multiple transmission paths to jointly transmit a single QoS stream.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the source terminal negotiating QoS flow parameters with the destination terminal via a primary transmission path. The QoS flow parameters can be determined through negotiation between the source terminal and the destination; a primary transmission path is determined from multiple transmission paths to facilitate the exchange of information between the source terminal and the destination that does not require transmission through multiple paths.

[0018] In one possible implementation, when the multiple transmission paths include a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the main transmission path is the transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal; or, the main transmission path is determined by the source terminal from the multiple transmission paths.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the source terminal sends data of the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: the source terminal determining the corresponding radio data bearer based on the QoS flow identifier corresponding to the target service; and the source terminal sending the data of the target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths based on the access layer configuration associated with the radio data bearer.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the source terminal determining a traffic splitting type based on its own splitting capability and / or the destination terminal's splitting capability, wherein the splitting type includes a Multiple Transmission Control Protocol (MTCP) type and / or an ATSSS-LL type; the source terminal sending target service data to the destination terminal via multiple transmission paths, including: the source terminal sending target service data to the destination terminal via multiple transmission paths according to the splitting type. Different terminals may have different splitting capabilities; the source terminal and the destination terminal interact with their respective splitting capabilities to determine the appropriate splitting type.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: when the traffic splitting type determined by the source terminal is a multiplexer protocol type, the source terminal obtains the address information of the destination terminal on each of the transmission paths; the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths according to the address information on each transmission path.

[0022] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a multipath communication method, comprising: a destination terminal receiving a request message from at least one terminal, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to establish multiple transmission paths with a source terminal, the at least one terminal being the source terminal or one or more relay terminals; the destination terminal sending a response message; the destination terminal receiving data of a target service sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths, the multiple transmission paths including: a transmission path established by the source terminal with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or, a transmission path directly established by the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the destination terminal receiving a request message from at least one terminal includes: the destination terminal receiving a request message broadcast from the source terminal; the destination terminal sending a response message includes: the destination terminal sending a response message to the source terminal through each of the one or more relay terminals, the response message being used to instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the relay terminal that sent the response message; and / or, the destination terminal sending a response message to the source terminal, the response message being used to instruct the source terminal to directly establish a transmission path with the destination terminal.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the destination terminal receiving a request message from at least one terminal includes: the destination terminal receiving a request message sent by a source terminal, the request message further including the identifiers of one or more candidate relay terminals, the identifiers of the one or more candidate relay terminals including the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals; the destination terminal sending a response message includes: the destination terminal sending a response message to the source terminal, the response message including the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals, for instructing the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the destination terminal determining a multipath transmission mode based on the QoS flow parameters of the target service, or the destination terminal determining the multipath transmission mode corresponding to the target service, wherein the multipath transmission includes a redundant transmission mode or a split transmission mode; the destination terminal receiving data of the first service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths includes: the destination terminal receiving data of the first service sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multipath transmission mode.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the multipath indication information includes multipath transmission mode indication information, wherein the multipath transmission includes a redundant transmission mode or a split transmission mode; the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multipath transmission mode.

[0027] In one possible implementation, before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: the destination terminal establishing a unicast connection with the one or more relay terminals; if a Layer 2 relay method is used, the destination terminal establishing a unicast connection with the source terminal through the one or more relay terminals; or, if a Layer 3 relay method is used, the destination terminal obtaining the IP address of the source terminal from the one or more relay terminals or the source terminal.

[0028] In one possible implementation, before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: the destination terminal associating the data radio bearer corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configuration on the multiple transmission paths, wherein the QoS stream is used to carry the data of the target service.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the destination terminal negotiating the parameters of the QoS flow with the source terminal through the primary transmission path among the multiple transmission paths.

[0030] In one possible implementation, when the multiple transmission paths include a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the main transmission path is the transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal; or, the main transmission path is determined by the destination terminal from the multiple transmission paths.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the destination terminal receives data of a target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: when the destination terminal receives data through any one of the multiple transmission paths, determining the access layer configuration of the transmission path through which the data is received and the data radio bearer associated with the access layer configuration.

[0032] In one possible implementation, before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: the destination terminal determining a splitting type based on the splitting capability of the source terminal and / or the splitting capability of the destination terminal, wherein the splitting type includes a Multiple Transmission Control Protocol type and / or an ATSSS-LL type; the destination terminal receiving the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths includes: the destination terminal receiving the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths according to the splitting type.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: when the traffic splitting type determined by the destination terminal is a multiplexer protocol type, the destination terminal obtains the address information of the source terminal on each of the transmission paths; the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths according to the address information.

[0034] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a multipath communication device, the device including modules / units for performing the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; these modules / units can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0035] For example, the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to send a request message through the transceiver module, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with a destination terminal; receive a response message from at least one terminal, the at least one terminal being the destination terminal and at least one of one or more relay terminals; and send data of a target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths, the multiple transmission paths including: a transmission path established by the source terminal with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or a transmission path directly established by the source terminal with the destination terminal.

[0036] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a multipath communication device, the device including modules / units for performing the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect; these modules / units can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0037] For example, the communication device may include a transceiver module and a processing module. The processing module is configured to receive a request message from at least one terminal via the transceiver module. The request message includes multipath indication information, which indicates the establishment of multiple transmission paths with a source terminal. The at least one terminal is at least one of the source terminal and one or more relay terminals. The processing module is configured to send a response message to one or more of the at least one terminal according to the multipath indication information. The processing module is configured to receive data of a target service sent by the source terminal via the multiple transmission paths, which include: a transmission path established by the source terminal with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or a transmission path directly established by the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0038] Fifth aspect: This application provides a multipath communication device, including: a processor, and a memory and a communication interface respectively coupled to the processor; the communication interface is used to communicate with other devices; the processor is used to execute instructions or programs in the memory, and to perform a method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof through the communication interface.

[0039] A sixth aspect of this application provides a multipath communication device, comprising: a processor, and a memory and a communication interface respectively coupled to the processor; the communication interface is used to communicate with other devices; the processor is used to execute instructions or programs in the memory, and to perform a method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof through the communication interface.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the methods described in the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation thereof to be performed.

[0041] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods described in the first aspect, the second aspect, and any possible implementation thereof to be executed.

[0042] The technical effects that any possible design in any of the second to eighth aspects mentioned above can bring can be described with reference to the technical effects that any possible design in the first aspect mentioned above can bring, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a PC5 communication scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a PC5 unicast link provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of establishing a PC5 connection as provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the data plane protocol stack in the Layer 2 relay mode provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 4b This is a schematic diagram of the control plane protocol stack in the Layer 2 relay mode provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the data plane protocol stack in the Layer 3 relay mode provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 6 This application provides a schematic diagram of a process for establishing a PC5 connection via a relay terminal in an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Figure 7 This application provides another schematic diagram of the process for establishing a PC5 connection via a relay terminal in an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of multiple transmission paths provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a multipath communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack in the Layer 2 relay mode of multipath communication provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack under the three-relay mode in multipath communication provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of traffic splitting based on ATSSS-LL and MPTCP functions provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating another multipath communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating yet another multipath communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 15This is a schematic diagram of the multipath communication process under the Layer 2 relay mode provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0059] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the multipath communication process under the Layer 3 relay mode provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0060] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multipath communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a multipath communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0062] In D2D communication of 5G mobile communication systems, UE A can establish one or more unicast links with UE B, each unicast link corresponding to a pair of application layer identifiers. For example, in Figure 2 In the example shown, PC5 connection 1 corresponds to UE A's application layer ID 1 and UE B's application layer ID 2, while PC5 connection 2 corresponds to UE A's application layer ID 3 and UE B's application layer ID 4. Each link can establish one or more quality of service (QoS) flows. Each QoS flow is identified by a PC5 QoS flow identifier (PFI), which uniquely identifies a QoS flow within the link. In D2D communication, QoS flows can include both guaranteed bit rate (GBR) and non-guaranteed bit rate (Non-GBR) QoS flows. The PC5 connection can also be referred to as a PC5 link.

[0063] In 5G, a PC5 connection establishment process can be as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it includes the following steps:

[0064] Step 1: UE1 initiates a direct communication request message. This request message is a broadcast message and contains the application layer identifier of UE2. The source L2 ID of this request message is the layer 2 address identifier of UE1, and the destination L2 ID of this request message is the broadcast layer 2 address identifier.

[0065] Step 2: After receiving the request message, UE2 establishes a secure channel with UE1.

[0066] Step 3: UE2 sends a direct communication acceptance message to UE1. The source layer 2 of this response message is the layer 2 address identifier of UE2, and the destination layer 2 identifier is the layer 2 address identifier of UE1.

[0067] Optionally, UE1 and UE2 can also negotiate the information of the QoS flow to be established through the request message in step 1 and the response message in step 3. The PC5 QoS flow information may include PFI, the PC5 QoS parameters corresponding to the PFI, etc.

[0068] Step 4: UE1 and UE2 establish a PC5 connection and transmit data through the PC5 connection.

[0069] It should be understood that UE1 and UE2 will also assign a PC5 link ID to the established PC5 connection. The PC5 link ID is assigned by each UE and is used for inter-layer interaction within the UE. After the PC5 connection is established, UE1's proximity-based services (ProSe) layer sends the PC5 link ID and the Source L2 ID and Destination L2 ID used for this PC5 connection (i.e., UE2's Layer 2 address identifier) ​​to the access stratum layer (AS layer). The AS layer stores the mapping between the PC5 link ID and the Source L2 ID and Destination L2 ID. After the QoS flow is established, UE1's ProSe layer sends the PFI and the corresponding PC5 QoS parameters to the AS layer. The AS layer generates the AS layer configuration based on the PC5 QoS parameters, such as the configuration of RLC channels, logical channels, and data radio bearers (DRBs), and establishes the association between the PFI and the data radio bearer, and the association between the data radio bearer and the RLC / logical channels.

[0070] When transmitting data, UE1's ProSe layer determines the corresponding PC5 link ID and PC5 QoS flow, and sends the data to the AS layer carrying the PC5 link ID and PFI. The AS layer determines the corresponding Source L2 ID and Destination L2 ID based on the PC5 link ID, and determines the AS layer configuration based on the PFI. Then, UE1's AS layer transmits data based on the Source L2 ID, Destination L2 ID, and AS layer configuration.

[0071] When receiving data, after the AS layer of UE1 receives a message sent by another device, it determines whether the Destination L2 ID in the message is the layer 2 address identifier of UE1. If it is, the received message is further sent to the ProSe layer for processing; otherwise, the message is discarded.

[0072] If UE1 and UE2 cannot directly establish a PC5 connection due to distance or line-of-sight obstruction, a PC5 connection can be established through a relay UE. When establishing a PC5 connection through a relay UE, either a layer-2 U2U relay or a layer-3 U2U relay can be used. The layer-2 U2U relay method is simply referred to as the layer-2 relay method, and the layer-3 U2U relay method is simply referred to as the layer-3 relay method. In the layer-2 relay method, UE1 and UE2 establish a PC5 connection through the relay UE, and a QoS flow is established through this PC5 connection. In the layer-2 relay method, the data plane protocol stack can be as follows: Figure 4a As shown, the access layer of UE1, including the adaptation layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and physical (PHY) layer, establishes a connection with the access layer of UE2 through the access layer of the relay UE. When forwarding data plane messages, the relay UE only forwards through the access layer, without involving the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, or IP layer. In the layer 2 relay mode, the control plane protocol stack can be as follows: Figure 4b As shown, the access layer of UE1 establishes a connection with the access layer of UE2 through the access layer of the relay UE. When forwarding control plane messages, the relay UE only forwards through the access layer and does not involve the PDCP layer or the PC5 signaling (PC5-S) layer. In the Layer 3 relay mode, there is no PC5 connection between UE1 and UE2, that is, UE1 and UE2 do not need to exchange control plane signaling. The relay UE forwards messages through IP addresses, such as... Figure 5 As shown.

[0073] Specifically, when UE1 and UE2 establish a PC5 connection through a relay UE, they can... Figure 6 or Figure 7 The process shown is complete.

[0074] exist Figure 6 The setup process shown includes the following steps:

[0075] Step 1: UE1 broadcasts a discovery solicitation message, which carries the identifier of UE1 (UE1 info) and the identifier of UE2 (UE2 info) to discover UE2.

[0076] The Relay UE or UE2 surrounding UE1 may receive this message.

[0077] Step 2: After receiving the discovery message, the Relay UE generates a new discovery message and broadcasts it. The new discovery message carries UE1 info, the identifier of the Relay UE (Relay UE info), and UE2 info.

[0078] UE2 may receive this new discovery message.

[0079] Step 3: UE2 replies with a response message to the Relay UE.

[0080] If UE2 does not receive a discovery message directly from UE1 in step 1 but receives a discovery message from a Relay UE in step 2, then UE2 selects a Relay UE and replies with a response message through the selected Relay UE.

[0081] Step 4: After receiving the response message, the Relay UE generates a new response message and sends it to UE1.

[0082] Step 5: UE1 establishes a PC5 connection with Relay UE, and UE2 establishes a PC5 connection with Relay UE.

[0083] Step 6a: For the Layer 3 U2U Relay scheme, UE1 and UE2 obtain the IP address of the other end from the Relay UE.

[0084] Step 6b: For the Layer 2 U2U Relay scheme, UE1 and UE2 establish an end-to-end unicast connection through the Relay UE.

[0085] exist Figure 6 In the illustrated process, UE1 sends a discovery request, and after receiving the response message returned by the Relay UE, it establishes a unicast connection with the Relay UE. This process is rather cumbersome. UE1 could also use a different approach... Figure 7 The setup process shown includes the following steps:

[0086] Step 1: UE1 sends a direct communication request (DCR) message 1, which includes UE1 info, UE2 info and the service identifier (ProSe ID).

[0087] Step 2: Relay UEs (Relay UE 1 and Relay UE 2 are used as examples in the figure) receive the DCR message and determine whether to participate in the process.

[0088] Step 3: Relay UE 1 sends DCR message 2, which includes UE1 info, Relay UE 1 info, UE2 info and ProSe ID; Relay UE 2 sends DCR message, which includes UE1 info, Relay UE 2 info, UE2 info and ProSe ID.

[0089] Step 4: UE2 selects a communication path and sends a direct communication accept (DCA) message.

[0090] If UE2 does not directly receive a DCR message from UE1 in step 1, then UE2 selects a Relay UE and replies with a DCA message through the selected Relay UE. Figure 7 Let's take Relay UE 1 as an example.

[0091] Step 5: After receiving the DCA message, Relay UE 1 generates a new DCA message and sends it to UE 1.

[0092] Step 6a: For the L3 U2U Relay scheme, UE1 and UE2 obtain the IP address of the other end from Relay UE1.

[0093] Step 6b: For the L2 U2U Relay scheme, UE1 and UE2 establish an end-to-end unicast connection through Relay UE1.

[0094] In the various D2D communication methods described above, there is only one transmission path between UE1 and UE2, namely, a direct transmission path between UE1 and UE2, or a transmission path formed by UE1 and UE2 through a relay UE. However, with the rapid development of communication services, higher requirements are being placed on the reliability and data transmission rate of data transmission, and a single transmission path may not be able to meet the user's needs for reliability or data transmission rate.

[0095] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a multi-path communication method for establishing multiple transmission paths between a source terminal and a destination terminal in a D2D scenario, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission or increasing the data transmission rate.

[0096] Specifically, the multiple transmission paths established between the source terminal and the destination terminal may include a direct transmission path between the source terminal and the destination terminal, and at least one transmission path established through a relay terminal, such as... Figure 8 As shown in (a); or, multiple transmission paths established between the source terminal and the destination terminal may include multiple transmission paths established through multiple relay terminals, such as... Figure 8 As shown in (b) of the diagram.

[0097] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, etc. The terminal in the embodiments of this application may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, wireless terminal in smart wearable devices (smart glasses, smartwatches, smart headphones, etc.), wireless terminal in smart home, etc., or it may be a chip or chip module (or chip system) that can be installed in the above devices. In this application, terminals with wireless transceiver function and chips that can be installed in the aforementioned terminal devices are collectively referred to as terminals.

[0098] In this embodiment, the source UE is the terminal that initiates the D2D communication process; the destination UE is the terminal that receives the D2D communication request from the source UE, and can also be called the target UE. For ease of description, the target UE will be used as an example below.

[0099] See Figure 9 The present application provides a multipath communication method, as shown in the figure, which may include the following steps:

[0100] Step 901a: The source terminal sends a request message. This request message includes multipath indication information, which is used to instruct the destination terminal to establish multiple transmission paths with the source terminal.

[0101] The source terminal can send the request message via unicast, where the source L2 ID of the request message is the layer 2 address identifier of the source terminal and the destination L2 ID is the layer 2 address identifier of the destination terminal; alternatively, the source terminal can also send it via broadcast, where the source L2 ID of the request message is the layer 2 address identifier of the source terminal and the destination L2 ID is the broadcast layer 2 address identifier, and the request message also includes the identifier of the destination terminal (such as the application layer identifier of the destination terminal) to indicate that the request message is sent to the destination terminal corresponding to the identifier.

[0102] In one possible design, the source terminal can broadcast the request message, so that when the destination terminal cannot directly receive the request message sent by the source terminal, it can send the multipath indication information carried in the request message to the destination terminal through other relay terminals.

[0103] In another possible design, if at least one transmission path already exists between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the source terminal can send a request message via unicast. For example, if a direct transmission path already exists between the source and destination terminals, the source terminal can send the request message directly to the destination terminal via unicast; or, if a transmission path has been established between the source and destination terminals through a relay terminal, the source terminal can send the request message to the relay terminal via unicast, so that the relay terminal can forward the request message to the destination terminal. Furthermore, the request message may contain the identifier of at least one candidate relay terminal discovered by the source terminal, enabling the destination terminal to select at least one relay terminal from the candidate relay terminals for establishing the transmission path.

[0104] Optionally, the request message may also include the identifier of the target service (such as ProSe ID or ApplicationID), in which case the multipath indication information is used to instruct the destination terminal to establish multiple transmission paths with the source terminal to transmit the data of the target service.

[0105] Optionally, the request message may also include a QoS flow identifier, in which case the multipath indication information is used to instruct the destination terminal to establish multiple transmission paths with the source terminal to transmit the data of the QoS flow. This QoS flow is used to carry the data of the target service.

[0106] Optionally, the request message sent by the source terminal can be a discovery request message or a DCR request message.

[0107] Step 901b: The destination terminal receives a request message from at least one terminal.

[0108] Since the destination terminal can send request messages via unicast or broadcast, it may receive request messages from one terminal or from multiple terminals. At least one terminal may be a source terminal or one or more relay terminals.

[0109] For example, if the source terminal sends a request message via unicast, the destination terminal will only receive the request message from one terminal; if the source terminal sends a request message via broadcast, the destination terminal may receive the request message from the source terminal, or from one or more nearby relay terminals, or simultaneously from the source terminal and one or more relay terminals.

[0110] Step 902a: The destination terminal sends a response message to one or more terminals based on the multipath indication information.

[0111] The destination terminal determines the need to establish multiple transmission paths with the source terminal based on the multipath indication information, identifies the transmission paths to be established, and notifies the source terminal of the identified transmission paths through a response message, as follows:

[0112] If the destination terminal receives a request message from multiple terminals in step 901b, it can select a terminal from these terminals to establish a transmission path and reply with a response message to the selected terminal, causing the corresponding terminal to send a response message to the source terminal. In this case, each relay terminal receiving the response message is used to establish a transmission path; correspondingly, the source terminal can determine that the relay terminal is used to establish a transmission path upon receiving the response message sent by the relay terminal; alternatively, the destination terminal can also directly send a response message to the source terminal, indicating that a transmission path is being established directly with the source terminal.

[0113] If the destination terminal receives a request message from only one terminal (source terminal or relay terminal) in step 901b, then the destination terminal only sends a response message to that terminal. As mentioned above, the request message received by the destination terminal may contain the identifier of at least one candidate relay terminal. In this case, the response message may contain the identifier of the relay terminal selected by the destination terminal to establish a new transmission path, indicating that the source terminal and the destination terminal will establish transmission paths through the relay terminals corresponding to these identifiers respectively.

[0114] It can be seen that the set of one or more terminals in step 902a is a subset of the set of at least one terminal in step 901b.

[0115] If a transmission path has been established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the destination terminal determines at least one transmission path to be established; if no transmission path has been established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the destination terminal needs to determine multiple transmission paths to be established.

[0116] Step 902b: The source terminal receives a response message from one or more terminals.

[0117] Typically, the number of one or more terminals in step 902b is the same as the number of one or more terminals in step 902a. That is, if the destination terminal sends a response message to N terminals, then the source terminal will receive the response message from N terminals.

[0118] For example, if the destination terminal sends a response message to at least one relay terminal, the at least one relay terminal will correspondingly send the processed response message to the source terminal (e.g., the relay terminal can add its own identifier to the response message or set the destination address of the response message to the address of the source terminal), and the source terminal will receive the first response message from the at least one relay terminal; if the destination terminal sends the response message directly to the source terminal, then the source terminal will receive the second response message sent by the destination terminal.

[0119] Of course, due to factors such as external interference to the communication environment and sudden failures of some terminals, the number of response messages received by the source terminal may be less than the number of response messages sent by the source terminal.

[0120] After receiving a response message, the source terminal can establish at least one transmission path with the destination terminal based on the response message. As mentioned earlier, when the source terminal sends a request message, there may already be at least one transmission path between the source terminal and the destination terminal. In this case, the source terminal can establish one or more transmission paths with the destination terminal based on the received response message, resulting in multiple transmission paths between the source terminal and the destination terminal. Alternatively, if there is no transmission path between the source terminal and the destination terminal when the source terminal sends the request message, the source terminal can establish at least two transmission paths with the destination terminal based on the received response message, resulting in multiple transmission paths between the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0121] As mentioned earlier, the request message sent by the source terminal in step 901a can be a discovery request message, and the response message received by the source terminal is a discovery response message. The source terminal determines the transmission path to be established through the aforementioned discovery process (i.e., steps 901a, 901b, 902a, and 902b), deciding whether to establish the transmission path directly with the destination terminal or through a relay terminal. After determining the transmission path to be established, the source terminal establishes the transmission path directly with the destination terminal; or, it establishes the transmission path with the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals. For example, refer to... Figure 6Steps 5 and 6a / b establish the transmission path.

[0122] Alternatively, the request message sent by the source terminal in step 901a can also be a DCR request message, in which case the response message received by the source terminal is a DCA message. The source terminal and the destination terminal complete the establishment of the transmission path after completing steps 901a, 901b, 902a, and 902b; or, after completing steps 901a, 901b, 902a, and 902b, the source terminal and the destination terminal then execute... Figure 6 Steps 6a / b in the diagram complete the establishment of the transmission path.

[0123] Step 903: The source terminal and the destination terminal exchange data for the target service through multiple transmission paths.

[0124] Among them, multiple transmission paths can be as follows Figure 8 As shown, this includes a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, and / or a transmission path established between the source terminal and the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals in step 902b.

[0125] Different services have varying requirements for data reliability and transmission rate. For services with low reliability and transmission rate requirements, only one transmission path needs to be established. For services with certain reliability or transmission rate requirements, two transmission paths can be established. For services with high reliability or transmission rate requirements, a greater number of transmission paths can be established to meet the service needs. Therefore, the request to establish multiple transmission paths can be for one or several services, rather than requiring all service data to be transmitted through multiple transmission paths. For example, if there is data interaction between terminal A and terminal B for services 1 and 2, where service 1 has high data transmission rate requirements and requires multiple transmission paths to increase bandwidth and ensure transmission rate, while service 2 has no high requirements for data reliability and transmission rate, it can transmit its data through only one transmission path.

[0126] In this embodiment, the process of establishing multiple transmission paths is initiated by the source terminal; that is, the source terminal determines that multiple transmission paths need to be established. Optionally, the source terminal can determine that multiple transmission paths need to be established in the following three ways.

[0127] In Method 1, the source terminal can obtain the authorization parameters of the target service from the core network during the registration process. If the obtained authorization parameters include multi-path parameters (parameters indicating that the target service's data needs to be transmitted through multiple transmission paths), the source terminal can determine the need to establish multiple transmission paths for the target service based on the multi-path parameters to meet the target service's data transmission requirements. After obtaining the multi-path parameters, the source terminal can initiate... Figure 9The flowchart of the multipath communication method is shown.

[0128] Furthermore, the authorization parameters for the target service obtained by the source terminal from the core network may also include a multipath number parameter, indicating the number of transmission paths required for the target service's data. The source terminal can then determine the number of transmission paths to be established based on this parameter. Alternatively, if the authorization parameters for the target service do not explicitly indicate the number of transmission paths, the source terminal can determine the number of transmission paths required based on the target service's QoS parameters. For example, the source terminal can determine the number of transmission paths based on the data transmission rate requirements of the target service. Assuming the target service requires a transmission rate of 100Mbps and the relay terminal's transmission capacity is 20Mbps, then 5 relay terminals need to be selected.

[0129] Furthermore, the source terminal can carry the determined number of multipaths in the aforementioned multipath indication information and send it to the destination terminal via the request message in step 901a, so that the destination terminal can determine the number of transmission paths to be established and select the number of relay terminals to establish the transmission paths based on the number determined by the source terminal. For example, if the destination terminal determines that 3 transmission paths need to be established based on the multipath indication information, then the destination terminal determines the 3 transmission paths to be established; if 3 transmission paths established through relay terminals are determined, the destination terminal can send response messages to the relay terminals corresponding to the 3 transmission paths respectively; or, it can be 1 transmission path directly established with the destination terminal and 2 transmission paths established through relay terminals, in which case the destination terminal can directly reply with a response message to the source terminal and reply with response messages to the 2 relay terminals.

[0130] Method 2: If the source terminal obtains the QoS parameters of the target service, it can determine the number of transmission paths required based on these parameters. For example, if the target service requires a transmission rate of 100Mbps, and the direct transmission capacity between the source and destination terminals is 50Mbps, as is the transmission capacity of the relay terminal, then the source terminal will determine that two transmission paths are needed to meet the target service's transmission rate requirement.

[0131] Similarly, after determining the number of transmission paths, the source terminal can include this information in the multipath indication information, allowing the destination terminal to determine the number of transmission paths that need to be established. The destination terminal then selects the corresponding number of transmission paths to be established based on the indicated number, similar to method one, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0132] Method 3: The source terminal can first establish one or more transmission paths with the destination terminal (which can be direct transmission paths between the source and destination terminals or transmission paths established through relay terminals) for data transmission of the target service. However, during the interaction between the source and destination terminals, the communication quality is not constant. For example, as the distance between the source and destination terminals increases, or signal interference occurs between them, the communication quality will degrade. The source terminal may find that the established transmission paths cannot meet the QoS requirements of the target service. For example, the source terminal can measure the data transmission rate or statistically analyze the data packet loss rate to determine whether the QoS requirements of the target service are met based on the measurement and statistical results. In this case, the source terminal can also initiate... Figure 9 The multi-path communication method described above establishes one or more transmission paths with the destination terminal, thereby enabling the interaction of target service data with the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths.

[0133] In this scenario, the source terminal can determine the number of transmission paths required for the target service's data based on the target service's QoS parameters. For example, if the transmission rate of an existing transmission path is half the required rate for the target service, the source terminal can assume that establishing another transmission path under the current conditions can meet the target service's QoS requirements. Furthermore, the source terminal can also send the determined number of transmission paths that need to be established, or the total number of transmission paths to be established for the target service, to the destination terminal in multipath indication information. The destination terminal can then determine the transmission paths to be established based on the indicated data, following the method described in Method 1.

[0134] When a source terminal and a destination terminal exchange data for a target service through multiple transmission paths, various transmission methods can exist. Optionally, the same data can be transmitted through multiple transmission paths, i.e., a redundant transmission method, to improve the reliability of data transmission. Alternatively, different data can be transmitted through multiple transmission paths, i.e., a steering mode; for example, data packet 1 of the target service is sent through transmission path 1, data packet 2 of the target service is sent through transmission path 2, data packet 3 of the target service is sent through transmission path 1, data packet 4 of the target service is sent through transmission path 2, and so on, to improve the data transmission rate. Steering modes can be further divided into active-standby steering mode, load-balanced steering mode, and priority-based steering mode. Active-standby steering mode means that the service data is transmitted only on one transmission path, and when that transmission path becomes unavailable, it switches to another transmission path. Load-balanced steering mode means that the service data is transmitted on different transmission paths while considering load balancing. Priority-based traffic splitting mode means that the service data is transmitted in one or more high-priority transmission paths. When a high-priority transmission path is unavailable, it is switched to a low-priority transmission path for transmission.

[0135] The source terminal can determine the multipath transmission mode of the target service by referring to the following methods:

[0136] Method 1: The source terminal can determine the multipath transmission method based on the QoS parameters of the target service, i.e., whether to use redundant transmission or split transmission. For example, if the source terminal determines that the target service has high reliability requirements for data transmission, such as requiring a packet loss rate less than a preset threshold, it will choose to use redundant transmission; if the source terminal determines that the target service has high data transmission rate requirements, such as requiring a transmission rate greater than the capacity of a single transmission path, it will choose to use split transmission.

[0137] Method 2: If the authorization parameters of the target service obtained by the source terminal include transmission mode parameters (parameters indicating the multipath transmission mode), the source terminal can determine whether to use redundant transmission mode or split transmission mode based on the transmission mode parameters. Alternatively, the source terminal can pre-store the correspondence between services and multipath transmission modes, and look up the multipath transmission mode corresponding to the target service from the pre-stored correspondence.

[0138] Method 3: The source terminal can be pre-configured with the correspondence between services and multipath transmission methods. The source terminal can determine the multipath transmission method used by the target service based on the pre-configured correspondence.

[0139] Furthermore, after the source terminal determines the multi-path transmission method, transmission rules can be generated, and the path corresponding to the data of the target service can be determined according to the transmission rules. For example, when using the redundant transmission method, the transmission rule indicates that each data packet to be transmitted is copied, and the number of copied data packets is consistent with the number of transmission paths, with each data packet corresponding to one transmission path; when using the split transmission method, the transmission rule can be that odd-numbered data packets correspond to transmission path 1, and even-numbered data packets correspond to transmission path 2.

[0140] Optionally, the source terminal may include multipath transmission mode indication information, which indicates whether to use redundant transmission mode or split transmission mode, in the aforementioned multipath indication information and send it to the destination terminal along with the request information, so that the destination terminal can interact with the source terminal on the target service data through multiple transmission paths according to the transmission mode indicated by the indication information.

[0141] Alternatively, the destination terminal can determine the corresponding multipath transmission method based on the QoS parameters of the target service, the correspondence between the pre-stored service and the multipath transmission method, or the transmission method parameter in the authorization parameters of the target service.

[0142] After obtaining the multipath transmission method, the destination terminal can also generate transmission rules, which facilitates sending or receiving data through multiple transmission paths.

[0143] As mentioned earlier, in a transmission path established through a relay terminal, the relay terminal can use either a Layer 2 relay or a Layer 3 relay. The following sections describe how the source and destination terminals transmit data under these two relay methods.

[0144] - Layer 2 relay method

[0145] When the relay terminal adopts the Layer 2 relay mode, the source terminal first establishes a unicast connection with the relay terminal, and the destination terminal also establishes a unicast connection with the relay terminal. Then, the source terminal and the destination terminal establish a unicast connection through the relay terminal, that is, the source terminal and the destination terminal exchange PC5 signaling through the relay terminal.

[0146] The source terminal and the destination terminal establish a QoS stream, which is a PC5 QoS stream used to carry the data of the target service. The source terminal can associate the Data Radio Bearer (DRB) corresponding to the QoS stream of the target service with the access layer configuration on each transmission path. The source terminal and the destination terminal do not need to establish a QoS stream on every transmission path. They can first establish a QoS stream on one transmission path, negotiate and determine the parameters of the QoS stream, and then associate the DRB corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configurations of other transmission paths, thereby enabling multiple transmission paths to jointly transmit a single QoS stream.

[0147] Correspondingly, the destination terminal also needs to associate the DRB corresponding to the QoS flow with the access layer configuration on each transmission path, so that multiple transmission paths can jointly transmit a QoS flow on the destination terminal side, which facilitates subsequent data reception or transmission through multiple transmission paths.

[0148] The Access Layer (AS) configuration can include the configuration of the Adaptation Layer, RLC Layer, MAC Layer, and PHY Layer; layers above the AS can be considered as the ProSe layer. Figure 4a As shown in the Layer 2 relay mode data plane protocol stack, the ProSe layer of the source terminal is directly connected to the ProSe layer of the destination terminal. That is, when the relay terminal forwards, it forwards through the access layer and does not need to go through the ProSe layer of the relay terminal.

[0149] Optionally, the source terminal and / or destination terminal can first determine one transmission path from multiple transmission paths as the primary transmission path. Then, the source terminal and destination terminal negotiate the parameters of the aforementioned QoS flow through the primary transmission path. The primary transmission path can be determined through negotiation between the source terminal and destination terminal; alternatively, it can be determined by the source terminal itself, in which case the source terminal also needs to indicate to the destination terminal which transmission path is the determined primary transmission path; or, when there is a directly established transmission path between the source terminal and destination terminal, the source terminal and destination terminal can also default to using this directly established transmission path as the primary transmission path among the multiple transmission paths. A directly established transmission path refers to the transmission path between the source terminal and destination terminal that does not pass through a relay terminal.

[0150] After the source terminal and destination terminal complete the access layer configuration association, their protocol stacks can be configured as follows: Figure 10 As shown. In Figure 10In the specific embodiment shown, UE1 is the source terminal, and UE2 is the destination terminal. There is a directly established transmission path (hereinafter referred to as transmission path 1) and a transmission path established through a relay UE (hereinafter referred to as transmission path 2) between UE1 and UE2, with transmission path 1 serving as the primary transmission path. UE1 and UE2 establish a QoS flow through the primary transmission path, that is, they negotiate QoS flow parameters and complete the configuration of the protocol stack on the primary transmission path. For example... Figure 10 As shown in the light gray area, the DRB is embodied in the PDCP layer (each DRB corresponds one-to-one with a PDCP entity), and is associated with the RLC layer. Since transmission path 2 also exists, the AS layer configuration of transmission path 2 is associated with the aforementioned DRB; that is, the AS layer configuration in the transmission path established through the relay UE is generated based on the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow (e.g., ...). Figure 10 As shown in the dark gray section, optionally, there may be an adapter layer above the RLC layer, and the RLC layer or adapter layer in this configuration is associated with the DRB in the light gray section.

[0151] After the source terminal completes the DRB configuration for the QoS flow and the access layer configuration for multiple transmission paths, if it needs to send data for the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, the ProSe layer in the source terminal sends the data packet to the access layer (AS layer) of the source terminal. The AS layer determines the corresponding DRB based on the PFI of the data packet and sends the data packet through multiple transmission paths according to the AS layer configuration of each transmission path associated with the DRB. (Continuing with...) Figure 10 For example, the data packet to be sent by UE1 is transmitted from the ProSe layer to the AS layer. The AS layer determines the associated RLC channel (light gray RLC layer and dark gray RLC layer) based on the PFI corresponding to the data packet and the DRB corresponding to the PFI, and then based on the DRB. Specifically, if the current transmission mode is redundant, the data packet is copied. The two resulting data packets are transmitted as follows: one is transmitted through the light gray AS layer, i.e., through transmission path 1 to UE2, and the other is transmitted through the dark gray AS layer, i.e., through transmission path 2 to UE2. If the current transmission mode is split, the transmission path or the corresponding RLC layer for the data packet is further determined according to the transmission rules, thereby completing the data transmission.

[0152] When the destination terminal receives a data packet, UE2 receives the data packet according to the access layer configuration corresponding to the transmission path. Based on the association between the DRB and the access layer configuration, it determines the DRB corresponding to the data packet and then delivers the data packet to the application layer. If the current transmission mode is redundant, UE2 also needs to deduplicate identical data packets, for example, by determining whether the data packet is a duplicate based on the sequence number in the PDCP layer.

[0153] Layer 3 relay mode

[0154] When the relay terminal adopts a Layer 3 relay configuration, after the source terminal establishes a unicast connection with the relay terminal and the destination terminal establishes a unicast connection with the relay terminal, the source terminal obtains the IP address of the destination terminal through the relay terminal, and the destination terminal obtains the IP address of the source terminal through the relay terminal. The source and destination terminals then exchange data based on each other's IP addresses. The protocol stack configurations of the source terminal, relay terminal, and destination terminal can be as follows: Figure 11 As shown. In Figure 11 In the specific embodiment shown, UE1 is the source terminal and UE2 is the destination terminal. There is a directly established transmission path (hereinafter referred to as transmission path 1) and a transmission path established through a relay UE (hereinafter referred to as transmission path 2) between UE1 and UE2. The light gray part represents the protocol stack of transmission path 1, and the dark gray part represents the protocol stack of transmission path 2.

[0155] Optionally, in the Layer 3 relay scenario, when the source terminal and the relay terminal transmit data according to the multipath transmission method, they can use the transmission method based on the ATSSS-low layer (ATSSS-LL) functionality or the transmission method based on the Multiple Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) functionality.

[0156] Implementing ATSSS-LL functionality in a terminal does not require a separate protocol layer; ATSSS-LL functionality determines how data traffic is distributed across different transmission paths. For example... Figure 12 As shown, in the traffic splitting method based on ATSSS-LL functionality, when the terminal sends data packets, the higher layers do not need to distinguish the IP addresses of different transmission paths; that is, from the perspective of the higher layers, multiple transmission paths share a single IP address (IP@3). After the underlying ATSSS-LL functionality obtains the data packet, it determines the corresponding transmission path according to the current multipath transmission method and transmission rules (such as ATSSS Rules).

[0157] Implementing MPTCP functionality in a terminal requires the terminal to support MPTCP, a protocol that implements multiplexing in parallel on top of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). For example... Figure 12As shown, in the MPTCP functionality-based approach, when the terminal sends a data packet, the MPTCP functionality at the higher layer determines the corresponding transmission path and the IP address of that transmission path based on the current multipath transmission method and transmission rules (such as ATSSS Rules). As shown in the figure, transmission path 1 corresponds to IP@1, and transmission path 2 corresponds to IP@2. The data packet carries the IP address of its corresponding transmission path when it is transmitted to the middle layer and the lower layer.

[0158] The source terminal can interact with the destination terminal to exchange their respective traffic splitting capabilities, i.e., whether they support ATSSS-LL functionality and / or MPTCP functionality, thereby determining whether to transmit data based on ATSSS-LL functionality or MPTCP functionality when using Layer 3 relay. Specifically, the source terminal can send its own traffic splitting capabilities to the destination terminal, which then determines whether to transmit data based on ATSSS-LL functionality or MPTCP functionality based on its own capabilities and the source terminal's traffic splitting capabilities; alternatively, the destination terminal can send its own traffic splitting capabilities to the source terminal, which then makes the determination.

[0159] To better understand the above embodiments of this application, the following description is in conjunction with the appendix. Figure 13-16 Let's illustrate with examples. Figure 13 and Figure 14 This represents two different scenarios in which the source terminal initiates multipath communication. Figure 15 and Figure 16 These represent the multipath communication processes under Layer 2 relay mode and Layer 3 relay mode, respectively. Figure 15 The process shown can be compared with Figure 13 Or, in combination with the process shown in 14, similarly, Figure 16 The process shown can also be combined with Figure 13 Or combine with the process shown in 14. In Figure 13-16 In the diagram, UE1 represents the source terminal, UE2 represents the destination terminal, Relay UE1 represents relay terminal 1, and Relay UE2 represents relay terminal 2.

[0160] See Figure 13 The flowchart of the multipath communication method shown may include the following steps:

[0161] Step 1301: Each terminal completes registration in the core network and obtains the authorization parameters for the target service from the policy control function (PCF).

[0162] The authorization parameters for the target service may include: multipath parameters (parameters indicating the number of transmission paths required for the data of the target service), and / or, multipath number parameters (parameters indicating the number of transmission paths required for the data of the target service).

[0163] It should be understood that the time when UE1, UE2, Relay UE1, and Relay UE2 complete registration and obtain authorization parameters may be different. Putting them all in step 1301 only indicates that these steps have all been completed before UE1 sends the request message.

[0164] Step 1302: UE1 receives a request from the application layer, which includes the ProSe ID of the target service and the QoS requirements of the target service. UE1 determines whether multipath transmission is required based on the authorization parameters and / or QoS requirements of the target service.

[0165] Furthermore, UE1 can also determine the number of path transmissions.

[0166] Step 1303: UE1 sends a DCR message or discovery message. Figure 13 (Taking the discovery message as an example), the message includes multipath indication information.

[0167] Among them, the DCR message or discovery message sent by UE1 is... Figure 9 The request message in the illustrated embodiment.

[0168] Optionally, the multipath indication information may include the required number of relay UEs or the total number of communication paths.

[0169] Step 1304: After Relay UE1 receives the DCR message or discovery message sent by UE1, Relay UE2 generates a new DCR message or discovery message and sends it.

[0170] It should be understood that the time when Relay UE1 and Relay UE2 receive the DCR message or discovery message sent by UE1 may differ, and the time when they send a new DCR message or discovery message sent by UE1 may also differ.

[0171] Step 1305: After UE2 receives a DCR message or discovery message from UE1, Relay UE1 or Relay UE2, UE2 determines multiple transmission paths based on the multipath indication information in the message.

[0172] Suppose the multipath indication information indicates that two transmission paths need to be established. Figure 13The example given is UE2 choosing to establish a direct transmission path with UE1, or establishing a transmission path through Relay UE1. Of course, UE2 can also choose other combinations of transmission paths.

[0173] Optionally, if the multipath indication information does not indicate the number of transmission paths to be established, UE2 can also determine it based on the target service authorization parameters, or based on the QoS requirements of the target service and the transmission capacity of the Relay UE.

[0174] Step 1306: UE2 sends a DCA message or discovery response message to UE1 and the selected Relay UE1. After receiving the DCA message or discovery response message sent by UE2, Relay UE1 generates a new DCA message or discovery response message and sends it to UE1.

[0175] It should be understood that the time at which UE2 sends response messages to different terminals may vary.

[0176] Step 1307: If the message in steps 1303-1305 is a discovery message and the message in step 1306 is a direction response message, then UE1 and UE2 establish unicast connections with Relay UE1 respectively.

[0177] Step 1308: UE1 establishes a transmission path with UE2 via Relay UE1. The method for establishing the transmission path can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 6 or Figure 7 6a or 6b.

[0178] exist Figure 13 In the illustrated embodiment, UE1 determines, based on the authorization parameters and / or QoS parameters of the target service, that multiple transmission paths need to be established for the data transmission of the target service, thereby ensuring the reliability or transmission rate of the target service data transmission; and by adding multi-path indication information to the discovery message, UE2 can determine, based on the request message, that multiple transmission paths need to be established, and notify UE1 of the multiple transmission paths through the response message, without having to repeatedly execute the existing PC5 connection establishment process to complete the establishment of multiple transmission paths, thus simplifying the process of establishing multiple transmission paths.

[0179] See Figure 14 The flowchart of the multipath communication method shown may include the following steps:

[0180] Step 1401 is similar to step 1101 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0181] Step 1402: UE1 and UE2 establish a direct transmission path or a transmission path through a Relay UE, and transmit the data of the target service. Figure 14(Taking the establishment of a direct transmission path between UE1 and UE2 as an example).

[0182] Step 1403: UE1 determines that the current transmission path cannot meet the QoS requirements of the target service and determines that an alternative transmission path needs to be established. The QoS requirements can be latency requirements, reliability requirements, or rate requirements, etc., as specified in the QoS parameters.

[0183] For example, if the actual latency of the data transmission of the target service between UE1 and UE2 is greater than the latency value in the QoS parameters, or the reliability guarantee of the data transmission does not meet the reliability requirements in the QoS parameters, or the actual transmission rate is less than the rate requirements in the QoS parameters.

[0184] UE1 can establish another transmission path with UE2 in one of the following three possible ways:

[0185] Method 1: Establish other transmission paths by referring to steps 1103-1108 in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0186] Method 2, according to Figure 6 or Figure 7 The process shown establishes other transmission paths;

[0187] Method 3, such as Figure 14 Steps 1404-1408 are shown in the following:

[0188] Step 1404: UE1 discovers available Relay UEs, such as Relay UE1 and Relay UE2, through the discovery process.

[0189] Step 1405: UE1 requests UE2 to establish an alternative communication path. This request includes multipath indication information and the identifiers of candidate Relay UEs (such as the identifiers of Relay UE1 and Relay UE2). This request message is transmitted through the existing transmission path between UE-1 and UE-2.

[0190] Optionally, the identifier of the candidate Relay UE can also be used as a form of multipath indication information. When the request message contains the identifier of the candidate Relay UE, UE2 can determine that a new transmission path needs to be established.

[0191] Step 1406: UE2 selects a Relay UE from the identifiers of the candidate Relay UEs to establish other transmission paths.

[0192] Optionally, UE2 can first determine whether it has established a unicast connection with a candidate Relay UE. If not, it initiates a discovery process to discover a Relay UE. If a unicast connection has been established, UE2 selects the Relay UE currently used to establish other transmission paths from among the Relay UEs that have established unicast connections and those that can be discovered through the discovery process.

[0193] Step 1407: UE2 sends a response message to UE1. This response message can be transmitted through the existing transmission path between UE-1 and UE-2.

[0194] The identifier of the Relay UE selected by UE2 in this response message. Figure 14 Taking Relay UE1 as an example.

[0195] Step 1408: UE1 and UE2 establish a connection through the selected Relay UE. See details in [link to documentation]. Figure 6 or Figure 7 Steps 5, 6a, and 6b in the process.

[0196] exist Figure 14 In the illustrated embodiment, after establishing a transmission path with UE2, UE1 determines that the currently established transmission path cannot meet the QoS requirements of the target service. Therefore, it requests to establish a new transmission path with UE2, thereby transmitting the target service data through multiple transmission paths and ensuring the QoS requirements of the target service. Furthermore, by adding multi-path indication information to the discovery message, when multiple new transmission paths need to be established, UE2 can determine the need for multiple transmission paths based on the request message and notify the source terminal of the determined multiple transmission paths through a response message. This avoids repeatedly executing the existing PC5 connection establishment process to complete the establishment of multiple transmission paths, simplifying the process. In Method 3, UE1 uses unicast to send the request to UE2, which helps reduce signaling overhead and save transmission resources.

[0197] See Figure 15 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the multipath communication process under the Layer 2 relay mode, including the following steps:

[0198] Step 1501: UE1 and UE2 negotiate through the established transmission paths to determine the primary transmission path among multiple transmission paths.

[0199] For example, in step 1106 of the aforementioned embodiment, UE2 may indicate to UE1 which transmission path is the primary communication path; or after step 1106, UE1 may determine the primary communication path and notify UE2; or it may be agreed in advance that if a direct transmission path exists, the direct transmission path will be the primary transmission path by default.

[0200] Step 1502: UE1 and UE2 establish a QoS flow through the main transmission path and negotiate the QoS parameters of the QoS flow.

[0201] Specifically, the ProSe layer of UE1 can configure the PFI and corresponding QoS parameters of the QoS flow to the AS layer of UE1. The AS layer generates the AS layer configuration (such as RLC channel, logical channel, data radio bearer) according to the QoS parameters, and establishes the association between PFI and data radio bearer, and the association between data radio bearer and RLC channel / logical channel.

[0202] Step 1503: UE1 determines the multipath transmission mode (redundant transmission or split transmission).

[0203] Specifically, UE1 can determine the QoS parameters of the QoS stream, such as high reliability in the QoS parameters corresponding to redundant transmission mode, and high rate in the QoS parameters corresponding to off-line transmission mode; it can also determine the target service that needs redundant transmission or off-line transmission based on the services associated with the QoS stream obtained from the PCF.

[0204] Step 1504: UE1 notifies UE2 of the multipath transmission mode.

[0205] Steps 1503 and 1504 described above are only one way to determine the multipath transmission method. These two steps can also be replaced by UE1 and UE2 negotiating the multipath transmission method. In addition, the negotiation step can also be performed simultaneously with step 1502, that is, the UEs simultaneously negotiate the QoS parameters of the QoS flow and the multipath transmission method.

[0206] Step 1505: The ProSe layer of UE1 indicates to the AS layer of UE1 that the QoS flow in the primary transmission path is also transmitted on other transmission paths. Optionally, a multipath transmission mode can also be indicated.

[0207] In this step, the inter-layer interaction between the ProSe layer and the AS layer can be performed simultaneously with the inter-layer interaction in step 2.

[0208] Step 1506, UE1's AS layer configuration generation, involves associating the data radio bearer corresponding to the QoS flow (PFI) in the primary transmission path with the AS layer (RLC channel / logical channel) in other transmission paths. The AS layer configuration in other transmission paths is generated based on the QoS parameters corresponding to the QoS flow in the primary transmission path.

[0209] Step 1507: The ProSe layer of UE2 instructs the AS layer of UE1 to transmit the QoS flow in the main transmission path on other transmission paths as well.

[0210] Step 1508: UE2 AS layer generation configuration, which is to associate the data radio bearer corresponding to the QoS flow (PFI) in the main transmission path with the AS layer (RLC channel / logical channel) in other transmission paths.

[0211] Step 1509: When UE1 sends data to UE2, the ProSe layer of UE1 sends a data packet carrying the main transmission path identifier (PC5Link 1) and QoS flow identifier (PFI) to the AS layer.

[0212] Step 1510: The AS layer of UE1 sends the data packet through different transmission paths according to the different RLC channels associated with the data radio bearer corresponding to the PFI.

[0213] Furthermore, it is also possible to determine how data packets are allocated to different RLC channels based on the multipath transmission method.

[0214] Step 1511: The AS layer of UE2 receives data packets through different transmission paths.

[0215] exist Figure 15 In the embodiment shown, UE1 and UE2 use Layer 2 relay for data transmission. In this case, UE1 and UE2 do not need to establish a QoS flow on each transmission path. Instead, they can first establish a QoS flow on one transmission path, and then associate the radio data bearer corresponding to the QoS flow with the access layer configuration of other transmission paths, thereby enabling multiple transmission paths to jointly transmit a QoS flow.

[0216] exist Figure 15 The illustrated embodiment includes steps 1501-1511 as described above; in another embodiment, steps 1501 and 1502 may be omitted; or, in other embodiments, steps 1503-1501 may be omitted; or, other implementation methods may also exist.

[0217] See Figure 16 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the multipath communication process under the Layer 3 relay mode, including the following steps:

[0218] Step 1601: UE1 and UE2 establish multiple transmission paths.

[0219] Step 1602: UE1 and UE2 negotiate to determine whether to use the transmission method based on ATSSS-LL functionality or the transmission method based on MPTCP functionality.

[0220] Specifically, UE1 and UE2 can exchange their respective traffic offloading capabilities, i.e. whether they support ATSSS-LL functionality / MPTCP functionality, and then determine which transmission method to use based on the traffic offloading capability information.

[0221] Optionally, step 1602 can be performed simultaneously with step 1601, i.e., adding diversion capability information to the DCR / discovery message.

[0222] Step 1603: When using the MPTCP functionality-based transmission method, UE1 and UE2 exchange address information (link-specific multipath address / prefixes) for each transmission path, meaning that each transmission path on each UE has an address (e.g., ...). Figure 12 (IP@1 and IP@2).

[0223] Optionally, step 1603 can also be performed simultaneously with step 1601, i.e., adding address information to the DCR / discovery message.

[0224] Step 1604: UE1 generates traffic splitting rules. Traffic splitting rules are used to indicate how the data of the target service is distributed across multiple transmission paths.

[0225] Step 1605: UE2 generates traffic splitting rules.

[0226] Step 1606: When sending data packets for the target service, UE1 determines the transmission path corresponding to each data packet according to the traffic splitting rules.

[0227] Step 1607: UE1 sends data to UE2 through multiple transmission paths.

[0228] Step 1608: UE2 receives data through multiple transmission paths.

[0229] exist Figure 16 In the illustrated embodiment, UE1 and UE2 use a Layer 3 relay method for data transmission, meaning that UE1 and UE2 only perform data plane transmission and do not require control plane transmission. In this case, it can be further determined whether data is transmitted based on the ATSSS-LL functionality method or the MPTCP functionality method, thereby transmitting data through multiple transmission paths.

[0230] In the multipath communication method provided in the above embodiments of this application, multiple transmission paths are established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, allowing the same data to be transmitted through different transmission paths, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission; alternatively, different data can be transmitted simultaneously through multiple transmission paths, increasing bandwidth, improving data transmission rate, and meeting the timeliness requirements of data transmission. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the request message sent by the source terminal includes multipath indication information, enabling the destination terminal to determine the need to establish multiple transmission paths based on the request message, and to notify the source terminal of the determined transmission paths through a response message. This facilitates the establishment of multiple transmission paths between the source and destination terminals without repeatedly executing the existing PC5 connection establishment process multiple times to complete the establishment of multiple transmission paths, simplifying the process, shortening the establishment time, and improving user experience.

[0231] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a multipath communication device, such as... Figure 17 As shown, the communication device may include a transceiver module 1701 and a processing module 1702. The transceiver module 1701 is used for message transmission and reception processing, and the processing module 1702 is used to implement the communication device's processing of messages. It should be understood that the processing module 1702 in this embodiment may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as processing circuitry), and the transceiver module 1701 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components.

[0232] For example, a multipath communication device can be a communication device or a chip or other combination device or component that has the functions of the aforementioned communication device.

[0233] For example, the multipath communication device can be the source terminal in the above method embodiments, or it can be the destination terminal in the above method embodiments.

[0234] When the multipath communication device is the source terminal, the processing module 1702 sends a request message through the transceiver module 1701. The request message includes multipath indication information, which is used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the destination terminal. The processing module 1702 receives a response message from at least one terminal, which is at least one of the destination terminal and one or more relay terminals. The processing module 1702 sends the target service data to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths, which include: transmission paths established between the source terminal and the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or, transmission paths directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0235] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support Figures 9 to 16Other processes executed by the source terminal in the illustrated embodiment. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0236] When the multipath communication device is the destination terminal, the processing module 1702 receives a request message from at least one terminal through the transceiver module 1701. The request message includes multipath indication information, which is used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the source terminal. The at least one terminal is at least one of the source terminal and one or more relay terminals. The processing module 1702 sends a response message to one or more of the at least one terminal according to the multipath indication information. The processing module 1702 receives data of the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, which include: transmission paths established by the source terminal and the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals, and / or transmission paths directly established by the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0237] In addition, the above modules can also be used to support Figures 9 to 16 Other processes executed by the target terminal in the illustrated embodiment. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0238] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a multipath communication device. This communication device includes, for example: Figure 18 The processor 1801 shown is connected to the communication interface 1802.

[0239] The processor 1801 can be a general-purpose processor, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program in this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0240] The communication interface 1802 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.

[0241] In this embodiment of the application, the processor 1801 is used to call the communication interface 1802 to perform the functions of receiving and / or sending, and to perform the method as described in any of the previous possible implementations.

[0242] Furthermore, the communication device may also include a memory 1803 and a communication bus 1804.

[0243] Memory 1803 is used to store program instructions and / or data so that processor 1801 can call the instructions and / or data stored in memory 1803 to implement the aforementioned functions of processor 1801. Memory 1803 can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. Memory 1803 can exist independently, such as off-chip memory, and is connected to processor 1801 via communication bus 1804. Memory 1803 can also be integrated with processor 1801.

[0244] The communication bus 1804 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

[0245] For example, the multiple communication device can be the source terminal in the above method embodiments, or it can be the destination terminal in the above method embodiments.

[0246] When the multipath communication device is the source terminal, the processor 1801 performs the following steps through the communication interface 1802: sending a request message, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the destination terminal; receiving a response message from at least one terminal, the at least one terminal being the destination terminal and at least one of one or more relay terminals; sending data of the target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths, the multiple transmission paths including: transmission paths established between the source terminal and the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or, transmission paths directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0247] Furthermore, the aforementioned components can also be used to support other processes executed by the source terminal in the above method embodiments. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0248] When the multipath communication device is the destination terminal, the processor 1801 performs the following steps through the communication interface 1802: receiving a request message from at least one terminal, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the source terminal, the at least one terminal being at least one of the source terminal and one or more relay terminals; sending a response message to one or more of the at least one terminal according to the multipath indication information; receiving data of the target service sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths, the multiple transmission paths including: the transmission path established by the source terminal with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals, and / or, the transmission path directly established by the source terminal and the destination terminal.

[0249] Furthermore, the aforementioned components can also be used to support other processes executed by the source terminal in the above method embodiments. The beneficial effects are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0250] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including instructions for performing the above-described method embodiments.

[0251] This application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the above-described method embodiments to be executed.

[0252] In the description of the embodiments of this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. "Multiple" in this application refers to two or more.

[0253] Furthermore, it should be understood that in the description of this application, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are used only for distinguishing purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order. References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in still other embodiments" appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0254] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program including instructions for performing the above-described method embodiments.

[0255] This application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the above-described method embodiments.

[0256] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0257] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0258] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0259] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0260] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0261] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A multipath communication method, characterized in that, include: The source terminal sends a request message, which includes multipath indication information, and the multipath indication information is used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the destination terminal; The source terminal receives a response message from at least one terminal, wherein the at least one terminal is the destination terminal or one or more relay terminals; The source terminal sends data of the target service to the destination terminal through multiple established transmission paths, including: a transmission path established by the source terminal and the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals, and / or a transmission path directly established by the source terminal and the destination terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the source terminal sends the request message, the method further includes: The source terminal determines the multiple transmission paths to be established with the destination terminal based on the multi-path parameters of the target service.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the source terminal sends the request message, the method further includes: The source terminal determines that the current transmission path established with the destination terminal cannot meet the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the target service.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The source terminal sending the request message includes: the source terminal broadcasting the request message; The source terminal receiving a response message from at least one terminal includes: the source terminal receiving a first response message from the destination terminal through each of the relay terminals, the first response message being used to instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the relay terminal that sent the first response message; and / or, the source terminal receiving a second response message sent by the destination terminal, the second response message being used to instruct the source terminal to directly establish a transmission path with the destination terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The source terminal sends a request message, including: The source terminal sends a request message to the destination terminal. The request message also includes the identifiers of one or more candidate relay terminals, and the identifiers of the one or more candidate relay terminals include the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals. The source terminal receives a response message from at least one terminal, including: The source terminal receives a third response message sent by the destination terminal. The third response message includes the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals, which are used to instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The source terminal determines the number of transmission paths to be established based on the multipath number parameter of the target service, or the source terminal determines the number of transmission paths to be established based on the QoS parameter of the target service. The source terminal establishes the multiple transmission paths according to the stated number.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The source terminal determines the multipath transmission method based on the QoS parameters of the target service, or the source terminal determines the multipath transmission method corresponding to the target service, wherein the multipath transmission method includes a redundant transmission method or a split transmission method. The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multi-path transmission method.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The multipath indication information includes multipath transmission mode indication information.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: The source terminal establishes a unicast connection with one or more relay terminals; If a Layer 2 relay method is used, the source terminal establishes a unicast connection with the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals; or If a three-tier relay method is used, the source terminal obtains the IP address of the destination terminal from one or more relay terminals or the destination terminal.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: The source terminal associates the data radio bearer corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configuration on each of the multiple transmission paths, and the QoS stream is used to carry the data of the target service.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The source terminal negotiates the QoS flow parameters with the destination terminal through the primary transmission path among the multiple transmission paths.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the multiple transmission paths include a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the primary transmission path is the transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal; or The main transmission path is determined by the source terminal from the multiple transmission paths.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The source terminal determines the corresponding wireless data bearer based on the QoS flow identifier corresponding to the target service. The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the access layer configuration associated with the wireless data bearer.

14. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The source terminal determines the traffic splitting type based on its traffic splitting capability and / or the traffic splitting capability of the destination terminal. The traffic splitting type includes multiple transmission control protocol type, and / or access traffic layering, switching, and splitting of the underlying ATSSS-LL type. The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths according to the traffic splitting type.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the source terminal determines that the traffic splitting type is a multiplexing transmission control protocol type, the source terminal obtains the address information of the destination terminal on each of the transmission paths; The source terminal sends data for the target service to the destination terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The source terminal sends the target service data to the destination terminal through the multiple transmission paths based on the address information on each of the transmission paths.

16. A multipath communication method, characterized in that, include: The destination terminal receives a request message from at least one terminal, the request message including multipath indication information, the multipath indication information being used to indicate the establishment of multiple transmission paths with the source terminal, the at least one terminal being the source terminal or one or more relay terminals; The destination terminal sends a response message; The destination terminal receives data of the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: a transmission path established between the source terminal and the destination terminal through one or more relay terminals, and / or a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The destination terminal receives a request message from at least one terminal, including: The destination terminal receives a request message broadcast from the source terminal; The destination terminal sends a response message based on the multipath indication information, including: The destination terminal sends a response message to the source terminal through each of the one or more relay terminals, the response message being used to instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the relay terminal that sent the response message; and / or, The destination terminal sends a response message to the source terminal, the response message being used to instruct the source terminal to directly establish a transmission path with the destination terminal.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The destination terminal receives a request message from at least one terminal, including: The destination terminal receives the request message sent by the source terminal. The request message also includes the identifiers of one or more candidate relay terminals, and the identifiers of the one or more candidate relay terminals include the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals. The destination terminal sends a response message, including: The destination terminal sends a response message to the source terminal. The response message includes the identifiers of the one or more relay terminals, which instruct the source terminal to establish a transmission path with the destination terminal through the one or more relay terminals.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The destination terminal determines the multipath transmission method based on the QoS flow parameters of the target service, or the destination terminal determines the multipath transmission method corresponding to the target service; the multipath transmission includes a redundant transmission method or a split transmission method. The destination terminal receives data for the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multi-path transmission method.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, The multipath indication information includes multipath transmission mode indication information, and the multipath transmission includes redundant transmission mode or split transmission mode. The destination terminal receives data for the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through the multiple transmission paths according to the multi-path transmission method.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, Before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: The destination terminal establishes a unicast connection with one or more relay terminals; If a Layer 2 relay method is used, the destination terminal establishes a unicast connection with the source terminal through one or more relay terminals; or If a three-tier relay method is used, the destination terminal obtains the IP address of the source terminal from one or more relay terminals or the source terminal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, Before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: The destination terminal associates the data wireless bearer corresponding to the QoS stream with the access layer configuration on the multiple transmission paths, and the QoS stream is used to carry the data of the target service.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: The destination terminal negotiates the QoS flow parameters with the source terminal through the primary transmission path among the multiple transmission paths.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, When the multiple transmission paths include a transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal, the primary transmission path is the transmission path directly established between the source terminal and the destination terminal; or The primary transmission path is determined by the destination terminal from among the multiple transmission paths.

25. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The destination terminal receives data for the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: When the destination terminal receives data through any one of the multiple transmission paths, it determines the access layer configuration of the transmission path through which the data is received and the data radio bearer associated with the access layer configuration.

26. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, Before the destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, the method further includes: The destination terminal determines the traffic splitting type based on the traffic splitting capability of the source terminal and / or the traffic splitting capability of the destination terminal. The traffic splitting type includes multiple transmission control protocol type and / or ATSSS-LL type. The destination terminal receives data for the target service sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths, including: The destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths according to the traffic splitting type.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the destination terminal determines that the traffic splitting type is a multiplexing control protocol type, the destination terminal obtains the address information of the source terminal on each of the transmission paths; The destination terminal receives the target service data sent by the source terminal through multiple transmission paths based on the address information.

28. A multipath communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor, and a memory and a communication interface respectively coupled to the processor; The communication interface is used to communicate with other devices; The processor is configured to run instructions or programs in the memory and execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-15 via the communication interface.

29. A multipath communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor, and a memory and a communication interface respectively coupled to the processor; The communication interface is used to communicate with other devices; The processor is configured to run instructions or programs in the memory and execute the method as described in any one of claims 16-27 via the communication interface.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-27.

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