Relay communication method, terminal, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system and a storage medium, wherein the relay communication method comprises: determining a first quantity corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first quantity is a quantity of links required by the second terminal to access a network device or a quantity of relay terminals required by the second terminal to access the network device; determining a relay terminal of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the first quantity. Accordingly, it is beneficial to ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device, the link can meet the service quality requirement of the first terminal for communication, avoid the interruption of communication, and improve the reliability of communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to relay communication methods, terminals, communication systems, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] A terminal (also known as user equipment (UE)) may not connect directly to the base station, but instead communicate with the base station through a relay of another UE. The UE not connected to the base station is called a remote UE, and the UE providing relay functionality is called a relay UE. The remote UE can select a relay UE based on channel quality, but the selected relay UE may not meet the actual communication needs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a relay communication method, terminal, communication system, and storage medium to address the technical problem in related technologies where the relay UE selected by the remote UE cannot meet the communication requirements.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a relay communication method is provided, executed by a terminal, the method comprising: Determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; Based on the first quantity, the relay terminal of the first terminal is determined in at least one of the second terminals.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a relay communication method is provided, executed by a network device, the method comprising: indicating to a first terminal a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a relay communication device is provided, the device comprising: The transceiver module is used to determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device. An execution module is configured to determine, based on the first number, the relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a relay communication device is provided, the device comprising: An execution module is used to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access the network device; The transceiver module is used to indicate to the first terminal the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processors, cause the network device to perform the relay communication method described in the first aspect.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processors, cause the network device to perform the relay communication method described in the second aspect above.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the first aspect, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the second aspect.

[0011] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the relay communication method described in the first or second aspect above.

[0012] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a first terminal can determine its relay terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This facilitates ensuring that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access network devices, the link meets the first terminal's quality of service (QoS) requirements for communication, avoids communication interruptions, and improves communication reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 This is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the device structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the chip structure proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0022] This disclosure provides embodiments of a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium.

[0023] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a relay communication method executed by a terminal. The method includes: determining a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access a network device; and determining a relay terminal of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the first number.

[0024] In the above embodiments, the first terminal can determine its relay terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This helps ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device, the link can meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability.

[0025] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: receiving a first message from the second terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

[0026] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0027] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0028] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the services of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal.

[0029] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among the multiple third quantities; or the smallest quantity among the multiple fourth quantities.

[0030] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0031] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0032] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, determining the relay terminal of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the first quantity includes: determining, among at least one second terminal, a second terminal whose corresponding first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0033] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the first aspect, the method further includes: the first terminal having multiple relay terminals, selecting one relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, wherein the first terminal accesses the network device through the serving relay terminal.

[0034] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: determining a change in the first number corresponding to the serving relay terminal, wherein the changed first number is greater than the second number, and redetermining the serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0035] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device.

[0036] Secondly, this disclosure provides a relay communication method executed by a network device. The method includes: indicating a first number corresponding to a second terminal to a first terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0037] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, indicating the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal includes: sending a first message to the first terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

[0038] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0039] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the second aspect, the method further includes: establishing a connection with the first terminal to serve as a serving relay terminal for enabling the first terminal to access network devices.

[0040] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first number of second terminals corresponding to the first terminal serving as relay terminals of the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number of second terminals, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0041] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; wherein, the third quantity is the number of links required for the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the services of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal.

[0042] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among the multiple third quantities; or the smallest quantity among the multiple fourth quantities.

[0043] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0044] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a first quantity change corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal.

[0046] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device.

[0047] Thirdly, a relay communication device is proposed, the device comprising: a transceiver module, configured to determine a first number corresponding to a second terminal, wherein the first number is the number of links required for the second terminal to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access a network device; and an execution module, configured to determine the relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one second terminal based on the first number.

[0048] Fourthly, a relay communication device is proposed, the device comprising: an execution module, configured to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access a network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access a network device; and a transceiver module, configured to indicate the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to a first terminal.

[0049] Fifthly, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the relay communication method described in the first aspect and the optional embodiments of the first aspect.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processors, cause the terminal to perform the relay communication method described in the second aspect and the optional embodiments thereof.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device comprising: one or more processors; one or more memories for storing instructions; wherein the processors are configured to invoke the instructions to cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the first and second aspects, and optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0052] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device; wherein the first terminal is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and optional embodiments of the first aspect, and the second terminal device is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and optional embodiments of the second aspect.

[0053] Ninthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the first and second aspects, and optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the methods described in the first and second aspects, and optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0055] In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods described in the first and second aspects, and optional embodiments of the first and second aspects.

[0056] It is understood that the aforementioned terminals, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, and computer programs are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0057] This disclosure provides embodiments of a relay communication method, a terminal, a communication system, and a storage medium. In some embodiments, terms such as relay communication method, information receiving method, information processing method, and communication method can be used interchangeably; terms such as terminal and network device can be used interchangeably with terms such as information processing device and communication device; and terms such as information processing system and communication system can be used interchangeably.

[0058] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, optional embodiments in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with optional embodiments of other embodiments.

[0059] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0060] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0061] In the embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular, such as “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “the,” “this,” etc., may mean “one and only one,” or “one or more,” “at least one,” etc.

[0062] For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", and "the" in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular or a plural form.

[0063] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0064] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of,” “one or more,” “a plurality of,” and “multiple” may be used interchangeably.

[0065] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (executes A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (executes B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0066] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, selective execution from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0067] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this disclosure are only for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not constitute restrictions on the position, order, priority, number or content of the descriptive objects. For the description of the descriptive objects, please refer to the description in the claims or the context of the embodiments. The use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions.

[0068] For example, if the descriptive object is "field," then the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is "level," then the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers; there can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the descriptive object is "device," then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the descriptive object is "information," then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0069] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0070] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0072] In some embodiments, devices, etc., can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those used in the embodiments. The terms “device”, “equipment”, “circuit”, “network element”, “node”, “function”, “unit”, “section”, “system”, “network”, “chip”, “chip system”, “entity”, and “subject” can be used interchangeably.

[0073] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0074] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0075] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriberstation, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, and client can be used interchangeably.

[0076] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0077] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0078] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0079] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0080] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0081] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a first terminal 101, a second terminal 102, and a network device 103, wherein the network device includes at least one of the following: an access network device and a core network device.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 include, for example, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home, but are not limited thereto.

[0084] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0085] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), or a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0086] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0087] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0088] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0089] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown, or a part thereof, but not limited to it. Figure 1 The entities shown are illustrative; a communication system may include... Figure 1 All or part of the main body, or may include Figure 1 Other entities besides the main body, the number and form of each entity are arbitrary, each entity can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between the entities is illustrative, the entities can be unconnected or connected, and the connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0090] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Futuregeneration radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0091] Figure 2 This is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] like Figure 2 As shown, relay communication methods include: In step S201, the second terminal 102 sends first information to the first terminal 101. The first information includes a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102, which is either the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 receives first information and determines a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal 102 to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal 102 to access the network device.

[0094] In some embodiments, the second terminal 102 may send a first message to the first terminal 101, the first message being used to indicate a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102.

[0095] In some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0096] In some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device.

[0097] Step S202: The first terminal 101 determines the relay terminal.

[0098] In some embodiments, when the first terminal 101 determines a first number corresponding to at least one second terminal 102, it may determine the relay terminal of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the first number.

[0099] In some embodiments, step 202 further includes the first terminal 101 determining a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0100] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the services of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal.

[0101] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101 may be determined by at least one of the following: the smallest quantity among a plurality of third quantities; or the smallest quantity among a plurality of fourth quantities.

[0102] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, and the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101 can be the smallest of the third quantities corresponding to the multiple services.

[0103] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, and the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal 101 can be the smallest of the fourth quantities corresponding to the multiple services.

[0104] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0105] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services. The first terminal can determine the third quantity corresponding to each service based on the first correspondence relationship. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest quantity among the third quantities corresponding to each service.

[0106] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services. The first terminal can determine the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of each service based on the second correspondence relationship. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest of the fourth quantities corresponding to each service.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first terminal 101 determines, among at least one second terminal, a corresponding first number of second terminals that is less than or equal to the second number of second terminals as relay terminals of the first terminal.

[0109] In some embodiments, when there are multiple relay terminals of the first terminal, the first terminal 101 may select one relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, wherein the first terminal accesses the network device through the serving relay terminal.

[0110] In step S203, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 transmit the second information.

[0111] In some embodiments, when the first terminal 101 determines that the second terminal 102 is a serving relay terminal, it can establish a connection with the second terminal 102 to enable the first terminal 101 to access the network device. At this time, the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 can transmit second information.

[0112] In some embodiments, the second information transmitted between the first terminal 101 and the second terminal 102 may include a change in the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal 102, so that the first terminal 101, upon determining that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity, re-determines the serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0113] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S201 to S203. For example, step S201 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S202 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S203 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S201+S202 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S202+S203 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and step S201-S203 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0114] In some embodiments, steps S201, S202, and S203 may be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0115] In some embodiments, step S201 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0116] In some embodiments, step S202 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0117] In some embodiments, see Figure 2 Other optional embodiments described before or after the corresponding specification.

[0118] In some embodiments, a terminal can communicate with a network device without directly connecting to the network device, but through a relay of another terminal. The terminal not connected to the network device is called the remote terminal, and the terminal providing relay function is called the relay terminal. The remote terminal and the relay terminal can communicate via unicast through a sidelink. This architecture can be called a multi-hop UE to Network Relay (Multi-hop U2N Relay).

[0119] In some embodiments, in order to support direct communication between terminals, a secondary link communication method can be used between terminals, and the interface between terminals may include a PC-5 interface.

[0120] In some embodiments, remote terminals and relay terminals can discover each other through a discovery process. During the discovery process, terminals can send or receive discovery signals, which may carry information such as the terminal's serving cell identifier and terminal identifier. For example, the discovery signal can be sent via broadcast.

[0121] In some embodiments, the remote terminal may select at least one relay terminal among other terminals based on the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and other terminals. For example, when the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and terminals T1 and T2 is higher than a preset threshold, terminals T1 and T2 may be determined as relay terminals of the remote terminal.

[0122] In some embodiments, the relay terminal determined by the remote terminal may also be referred to as a candidate relay terminal. The remote terminal may select one of at least one relay terminal as a serving relay terminal to access the network device through the serving relay terminal.

[0123] In some embodiments, the quality of the wireless channel between the remote terminal and other terminals can be characterized by at least one of the following: Sidelink Discovery Reference Signal Received Power (SD-RSRP); or Sidelink Reference Signal Received Power (SL-RSRP).

[0124] Wherein, SD-RSRP is the RSRP of the Sidelink discovery signal, and SL-RSRP is the RSRP of the Sidelink communication signal. Measurement of SD-RSRP does not require the establishment of a Sidelink connection between the terminals, while measurement of SL-RSRP does require the establishment of a Sidelink connection between the terminals.

[0125] In some embodiments, a remote terminal cannot access a network device through a single relay terminal, but requires multiple relay terminals to do so.

[0126] For example, terminal T0 needs to access the network device through terminals T1 and T2. Terminal T0 and terminal T1 have a sidelink connection, terminal T1 and terminal T2 have a sidelink connection, and terminal T2 has a connection with the network device. In this case, terminal T0 accesses the network device through three links, which can also be described as terminal T0 accessing the network device through three hops, or it can be considered that terminal T0 accesses the network through two relay terminals.

[0127] In some embodiments, the number of relay devices required for a remote terminal to access a network device can affect the communication between the terminal and the network device. For example, the more relay devices required, the worse the service quality of communication between the terminal and the network device.

[0128] Therefore, if a remote terminal only considers the channel quality with other terminals when selecting a relay terminal from other terminals, without considering the number of links required for other terminals to access the network or the number of relay terminals required, then the selected relay terminal may be unable to meet the terminal's service quality requirements for communication.

[0129] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a relay communication method. Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The relay communication method shown in this embodiment can be executed by a first terminal.

[0130] like Figure 3 As shown, the relay communication method may include the following steps: In step S301, a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal is determined, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0131] It should be noted that the first terminal can be a remote terminal, and the second terminal can be a relay terminal.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal may be the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device; wherein, the number of links may be the number of links required to access the network device, or the number of relay terminals required to access the network device, or the number of hops required to access the network device.

[0133] It should be noted that the number of links required by the access network device can be the number of relay terminals required by the access network device plus 1. The hop count required by the access network device can be used to represent either the number of links required by the access network device or the number of relay terminals required by the access network device. For example, if the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device is determined to be A1, or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device is A2, or the number of hops required for the second terminal to access the network device is A3, then A1 = A2 + 1, A3 = A1 or A2, and the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal can be either A1 or A2. For simplicity, in the following embodiments, only the example of the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal being the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device will be used for illustration.

[0134] It should be noted that the number of links required for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second device to access the network device can be the number of links currently accessed by the second device to the network device or the number of relay terminals currently accessed by the second device to the network device; or it can be the number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device; or it can be the maximum number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the maximum number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device.

[0135] In step S302, the relay terminal of the first terminal is determined in at least one of the second terminals based on the first quantity.

[0136] In some embodiments, after determining the first number of the second terminals, the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number. If the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal, the first terminal can access the network device by using the second terminal as a serving relay terminal.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Based on A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, it is determined whether there is a relay terminal that can serve as the first terminal among the four second terminals. If A_1 and A_3 meet the requirements (such as being greater than a preset first quantity threshold), while A_2 and A_4 do not meet the requirements, then it is determined that the second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals of the first terminal. Thus, the first terminal can access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a serving relay terminal.

[0138] For example, if a first terminal determines the number of links required by at least one second terminal, the first terminal can determine the relay terminal of the first terminal among the at least one second terminal based on the number of links required by the at least one second terminal.

[0139] For example, if a first terminal determines the number of relay terminals required by at least one second terminal, the first terminal can determine the relay terminals of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the number of relay terminals required by the at least one second terminal.

[0140] For example, when the first terminal receives a discovery signal from another terminal, it can identify the terminal that sent the discovery signal as the second terminal, determine the first number of the second terminal, and then determine whether the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal based on the first number.

[0141] It should be noted that, Figure 3 The embodiments shown can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment of this disclosure. The specific choice can be made as needed, and this disclosure does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0142] In some embodiments, if the first terminal discovers only one second terminal, the first terminal can directly use the second terminal as a relay terminal in order to access the network device; alternatively, the first terminal can first determine whether the channel quality between itself and the second terminal meets the requirements, and if so, use the second terminal as a relay terminal; or, the first terminal can determine whether the first number of second terminals meets the requirements, and if so, use the second terminal as a relay terminal. If the first terminal does not send a message to the second terminal, or if none of the discovered second terminals can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal, a corresponding prompt message can be generated.

[0143] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first terminal can determine its relay terminal based on the number of links corresponding to at least one second terminal. This helps ensure that when the first terminal establishes a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device, the link can meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability.

[0144] In step S301, the first terminal can determine the first number corresponding to the second terminal in various ways. For example, it can be provided by the second terminal, by the network device, or by a predefined protocol.

[0145] In some embodiments, the first terminal receives a first message from the second terminal, the first message indicating a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. The first terminal can determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal from the first message, and determine the relay terminal of the first terminal based on the first message.

[0146] The first message received by the first terminal from the second terminal to indicate the first quantity can be varied. In some embodiments, the first message may include a discovery signal, which indicates or carries the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. For example, during a wireless channel quality measurement between the first and second terminals, a secondary link discovery signal can be received from the second terminal. This secondary link discovery signal can be used to measure the SD-RSRP between the first and second terminals, and it can indicate or carry the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal.

[0147] For example, during a wireless channel quality measurement process between a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal receives a secondary link discovery signal from the second terminal. This signal may carry information such as the serving cell identifier of the second terminal, the terminal identifier of the second terminal, and a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. Based on the first quantity obtained from the secondary link discovery signal, the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal can act as a relay terminal for itself.

[0148] In some embodiments, the first message may further include a secondary link communication signal, which is used to measure the SL-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the secondary link communication signal is used to indicate or carry a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal.

[0149] In this embodiment, the first terminal can determine a first number corresponding to the second terminal by receiving a first message from the second terminal, and then determine whether the second terminal is a relay terminal based on the first number. Accordingly, the first terminal can easily obtain the first number corresponding to the second terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link through the determined relay terminal to access the network device. This allows the link to meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoids communication interruptions, and improves communication reliability.

[0150] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0151] In some embodiments, the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal may be the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; wherein, the number of links may be the number of links allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of hops allowed when accessing the network device.

[0152] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when accessing the network device can be the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device plus 1. The number of hops allowed when accessing the network device can be used to represent either the number of links allowed or the number of relay terminals allowed. For example, if the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is determined to be B1, or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B2, or the number of hops allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B3, then B1 = B2 + 1, B3 = B1 or B2, and the determined second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2. For simplicity, in the following embodiments, only the example of the second quantity being the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device will be used for illustration.

[0153] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the maximum number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the maximum number of relay devices allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0154] For example, if the number of links B1 allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is determined, and the number of relay terminals B2 required for the first terminal to access the network device is determined, then the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2.

[0155] In some embodiments, the first terminal may determine a first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal and a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. The first terminal may determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal.

[0156] The method for determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal, based on a first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and a second quantity B of the first terminal, can be varied. In some embodiments, the first terminal may determine the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0157] When the first terminal determines the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, it can compare the first quantity A of each second terminal with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal meets the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal. If the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption can be avoided. If the first quantity A is greater than the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal cannot serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal does not meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal. If the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption is likely to occur.

[0158] For example, the first terminal can determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For instance, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, their corresponding first quantities are determined as A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal is determined as B. Then, A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4 are compared with B to determine whether there exists a relay terminal among the four second terminals that can serve as the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 are less than or equal to B, and A_2 and A_4 are greater than B, then it is determined that second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal. Furthermore, the first terminal can access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a serving relay terminal.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal being less than or equal to the second number can be used as one of the judgment conditions for the first terminal to determine that the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal. The judgment condition may also include at least one of the following: the wireless channel quality between the second terminal and the first terminal is greater than a preset threshold; the wireless channel quality between the second terminal and the network device is greater than a preset threshold, etc.

[0160] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first terminal can determine a second number corresponding to the first terminal, and then, based on the second number and a first number corresponding to at least one second terminal, determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one second terminal. Accordingly, the determined relay terminal of the first terminal better meets the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, thereby avoiding communication interruptions and improving communication reliability when accessing network devices through the relay terminal.

[0161] The first terminal can determine the second quantity in various ways. In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein, the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first terminal may determine a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the first terminal's service, and compare the second quantity B with a first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal. The second terminal whose first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B may be determined as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0163] The services provided or received by the first terminal can be services provided by or received by the first terminal.

[0164] The service quality can be measured by various service quality indicators, such as 5QI, latency, etc.

[0165] For example, the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. The service of the first terminal can be determined, and the number of links C1 required for that service can be determined. Therefore, the third quantity C corresponding to that service can be C1, and correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be C1. The first terminal can compare C1 with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one determined second terminal. Among the at least one second terminal, the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to C1 can be determined as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0166] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, the service of the first terminal and the quality of service of that service can be determined, and the number of relay terminals C2 required for that service and the number of relay terminals D2 corresponding to the quality of service of that service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to that service can be C2, and the fourth quantity D corresponding to that service can be D2. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be either the third quantity C2 or the fourth quantity D2. The second quantity B can be the smallest of the third quantity C2 and the fourth quantity D2. The first terminal can compare the smallest quantity between C2 and D2 with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal. It can determine that the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to the smallest quantity is a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0167] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal, the quality of service (QoS) of that service, and the number of links required for that service (C1) or the number of relay terminals required for that service (C2), as well as the number of links corresponding to the QoS of that service (D1) or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the QoS of that service (D2), it can be determined that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be B1, which is the minimum of C1 and D1. The number of relay terminals required when the first terminal accesses the network device can be B2, which is the minimum of C2 and D2. Correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2, that is, the second quantity B can be the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum quantity of C1 and D1, or the minimum quantity of C2 and D2, with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal. Among the at least one second terminal, the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to the minimum quantity can be determined as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0168] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest of the multiple third quantities; or the smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

[0169] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, multiple services of the first terminal can be determined, and the number of links C1 required for each service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to each service can be the C1 corresponding to each service. Correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the minimum quantity C among multiple third quantities C corresponding to multiple services, that is, the minimum C1 among multiple C1s. The first terminal can compare the minimum C1 with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one determined second terminal, and can determine the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to the minimum C1 as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0170] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, multiple services of the first terminal and the service quality of each service can be determined, and the number of relay terminals C2 required for each service and the number of relay terminals D2 corresponding to the service quality of each service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to each service can be the corresponding C2, and the fourth quantity corresponding to each service can be the corresponding D2. Correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest of the third quantities C corresponding to each service, i.e., the smallest C2 among multiple C2s, or the second quantity B can be the smallest of the fourth quantities C corresponding to each service, i.e., the smallest D2 among multiple D2s. The second quantity B can be the smallest of the smallest C2 and the smallest D2. The first terminal can compare the smallest of the smallest C1 and the smallest D2 with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, and can determine that the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to the smallest quantity is a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0171] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0172] The first correspondence may include multiple services Si of the first terminal, and a third quantity corresponding to each service Si.

[0173] The second correspondence may include a second correspondence corresponding to multiple service quality levels. For example, it may include a second correspondence corresponding to 5QI, which may include a fourth quantity corresponding to different 5QI values; or it may include a second correspondence corresponding to latency, which may include a fourth quantity corresponding to different latency value ranges.

[0174] For example, by determining the services of the first terminal and the first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity, a third quantity C corresponding to the services of the first terminal can be determined. Correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the third quantity C. The first terminal can compare C with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, and can determine the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to C as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0175] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal, the service quality of that service, and the second correspondence between the service quality and the fourth quantity, based on the service quality and the second correspondence, the fourth quantity D corresponding to the service quality can be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the fourth quantity D. The first terminal can compare D with the first quantity A corresponding to at least one determined second terminal, and can determine the second terminal whose corresponding first quantity A is less than or equal to D as the relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0176] In some implementations, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0177] For example, the first terminal obtains the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence from a higher layer, which may include the PC5-S layer, the application layer, or the non-access layer (NAS).

[0178] For example, the first terminal can obtain the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence through broadcast signaling sent by the network device. The broadcast signaling may include: Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or secondary link radio resource control messages, etc.

[0179] In this embodiment, the first terminal can determine a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal based on a third quantity of services or a fourth quantity corresponding to the quality of service of the services. Then, based on the second quantity, a relay terminal for the first terminal can be determined from at least one second terminal. Accordingly, the determined relay terminal for the first terminal can better meet the quality of service requirements of the first terminal's services. Therefore, after accessing the network device through the relay terminal, communication interruptions can be avoided when performing communication corresponding to the services, thus improving communication reliability.

[0180] In some embodiments, when determining a relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one second terminal, if the first terminal determines that the number of relay terminals as the first terminal is one, then the first terminal can directly designate the relay terminal as a serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device. Alternatively, the first terminal can further judge the relay terminal to determine whether the relay terminal meets other requirements of the first terminal, such as whether the channel quality reaches a certain threshold. If the other requirements of the first terminal are met, then the relay terminal is designated as a serving relay terminal and a multi-hop relay link is established with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device; if the other requirements of the first terminal are not met, then relevant prompt information can be generated.

[0181] In some embodiments, when determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, the first terminal may determine that there are multiple relay terminals as the first terminal. In this case, the first terminal may select one of the multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0182] There are various ways to select one relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal. In some embodiments, the first terminal may selectively select one relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal, and then establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first terminal may select one relay terminal from a plurality of relay terminals as the serving relay terminal based on at least one of the following: the relay terminal with the fewest corresponding first quantities; the relay terminal with the best wireless channel quality; the relay terminal with the best service quality, etc.

[0184] For example, the first terminal determines a first number corresponding to multiple second terminals, and then compares the first number with the second number corresponding to the first terminal. Based on the comparison result, multiple second terminals (terminal T1, terminal T2) that can serve as relay terminals of the first terminal are determined from the multiple second terminals. That is, multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined. The multiple relay terminals are sorted based on the first number A_1 corresponding to terminal T1 and the first number A_2 corresponding to terminal T2. If A_2 is less than A_1, then terminal T2 with the fewest first number can be used as the serving relay terminal of the first terminal. Then, the first terminal can access the network device through terminal T2 to realize relay communication with the network device.

[0185] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined, one of the multiple relay terminals can be selected as the serving relay terminal of the first terminal, so that the first terminal can access the network device through the serving relay terminal. Accordingly, the determined serving relay terminal can better meet the service quality requirements of the first terminal's business for communication, and the best serving relay terminal can be selected from multiple serving terminals based on a certain selection method, so that the first terminal can obtain a more reliable communication link after accessing the network device through the serving relay terminal, avoiding communication interruption.

[0186] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a first quantity change corresponding to the serving relay terminal, and the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity, and redetermining the serving relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0187] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected serving relay terminal, the first terminal can also obtain the update status of the first number corresponding to the serving relay terminal to determine that the first number corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed.

[0188] The method for determining the change of the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal can be varied. For example, a new first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal can be received from the serving relay terminal or network device, or an indication information indicating that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed can be received from the serving relay terminal or network device to indicate the change or new first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal.

[0189] When the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed, it can further determine whether the changed first quantity still meets the first terminal's service quality requirements for communication. In some embodiments, the determination can be made by at least one of the following methods: whether the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal; or whether the wireless channel quality between the serving relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0190] For example, if the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed from the original first quantity A_1 to the first quantity A_2, the changed first quantity A_2 is compared with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the changed first quantity A_2 is greater than the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, then the first terminal can determine that the serving relay terminal can no longer meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and it is necessary to re-determine the serving relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0191] The method by which the first terminal re-determines its serving relay terminal may be that the first terminal selects another relay terminal from the plurality of relay terminals determined in the above embodiments as a new serving relay terminal, or the first terminal may obtain a first number of at least one second terminal, re-determine at least one relay terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first number, and then select one of the re-determined at least one relay terminal as a new serving relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0192] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected service relay terminal, the first terminal can also obtain the update status of the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal to determine that the second quantity has changed.

[0193] There are various ways to determine that the second quantity has changed. For example, it can be a change in the service of the first terminal; it can be a change in the third quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; or it can be a change in the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service.

[0194] When the first terminal determines that the second quantity of the first terminal has changed, it can further determine whether the serving relay terminal still meets the service quality requirements of the first terminal for communication after the change. In some embodiments, this determination can be made by at least one of the following methods: whether the first quantity of the serving relay terminal is greater than the changed second quantity; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the serving relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0195] For example, if the first terminal determines the corresponding second quantity variable, and the first quantity of the serving relay terminals is greater than the changed second quantity, then the first terminal can redetermine the serving relay terminals of the first terminal.

[0196] In some embodiments, during the process of the first terminal re-determining its serving relay terminal, the first terminal may first disconnect from the serving relay terminal and then determine a new serving relay terminal for the first terminal to access the network device through the new serving relay terminal; or the first terminal may first determine its serving relay terminal, then disconnect from the serving relay terminal and access the network device through the new serving relay terminal.

[0197] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first terminal accesses the network device through a serving relay terminal, it can reselect a new serving relay terminal if the second number of serving relay terminals changes and is less than the first number. This allows the communication between the first terminal and the network device to continuously meet the first terminal's quality of service requirements and maintain the reliability of the communication.

[0198] In some embodiments, the second terminal as a relay terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device, such as a terminal that has established a direct connection with the network device or a terminal that has established a relay connection with the network device.

[0199] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a relay communication method. Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a relay communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The relay communication method shown in this embodiment can be executed by a second device.

[0200] like Figure 4 As shown, the relay communication method may include the following steps: In step S401, a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal is indicated to the first terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device.

[0201] It should be noted that the first terminal can be a remote terminal, and the second terminal can be a relay terminal.

[0202] In some embodiments, the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal may be the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device; wherein, the number of links may be the number of links required to access the network device, or the number of relay terminals required to access the network device.

[0203] It should be noted that the number of links required for the access network device can be the number of relay terminals required for the access network device plus 1. For example, if the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device is A1, and the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device is A2, where A1 = A2 + 1, then the determined first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal can be either A1 or A2.

[0204] It should be noted that the number of links required for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second device to access the network device can be the number of links currently accessed by the second device to the network device or the number of relay terminals currently accessed by the second device to the network device; or it can be the number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device; or it can be the maximum number of links allowed for the second device to access the network device or the maximum number of relay devices allowed for the second device to access the network device.

[0205] In some embodiments, after determining the first number of the second terminals, the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number. If the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal, the first terminal can access the network device by using the second terminal as a serving relay terminal.

[0206] In some embodiments, the first terminal can determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For example, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, the corresponding first quantities are determined to be A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. Based on A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, it is determined whether there is a relay terminal that can serve as the first terminal among the four second terminals. If A_1 and A_3 meet the requirements (such as being greater than a preset first quantity threshold), while A_2 and A_4 do not meet the requirements, then it is determined that the second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals of the first terminal. Thus, the first terminal can access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a serving relay terminal.

[0207] For example, if a first terminal determines the number of links required by at least one second terminal, the first terminal can determine the relay terminal of the first terminal among the at least one second terminal based on the number of links required by the at least one second terminal.

[0208] For example, if a first terminal determines the number of relay terminals required by at least one second terminal, the first terminal can determine the relay terminals of the first terminal among at least one second terminal based on the number of relay terminals required by the at least one second terminal.

[0209] It should be noted that, Figure 4 The embodiments shown can be implemented independently or in combination with at least one other embodiment of this disclosure. The specific choice can be made as needed, and this disclosure does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0210] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a second terminal can indicate a first number corresponding to the second terminal to a first terminal, enabling the first terminal to determine its relay terminals based on the first number corresponding to at least one second terminal. Accordingly, the first terminal can establish a multi-hop relay link to access network devices through the determined relay terminals, ensuring that the link meets the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoiding communication interruptions, and improving communication reliability.

[0211] In some embodiments, the second terminal sends a first message to the first terminal, the first message indicating a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, so that the first terminal can determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal from the first message, and determine the relay terminal of the first terminal based on the first message.

[0212] The first message sent by the second terminal to the first terminal can vary. In some embodiments, the first message may include a discovery signal, which indicates or carries a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal. For example, during a wireless channel quality measurement between the first and second terminals, the second terminal may send a secondary link discovery signal to the first terminal. This secondary link discovery signal can be used to measure the SD-RSRP between the first and second terminals, and it can indicate or carry a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal.

[0213] For example, a first terminal and a second terminal measure the quality of a wireless channel. The second terminal sends a secondary link discovery signal to the first terminal. This secondary link discovery signal may carry information such as the serving cell identifier of the second terminal, the terminal identifier of the second terminal, and a first number corresponding to the second terminal. The second terminal can use this secondary link discovery signal to indicate the first number corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal can act as a relay terminal for the first terminal based on the first number.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first message may further include a secondary link communication signal, which is used to measure the SL-RSRP between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the secondary link communication signal is used to indicate or carry a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal.

[0215] In this embodiment, the second terminal can send a first message to the first terminal, indicating a first number corresponding to the second terminal, so that the first terminal can determine whether the second terminal is a relay terminal based on the first number. Accordingly, the second terminal can conveniently indicate the first number to the first terminal, enabling the first terminal to identify relay terminals and establish multi-hop relay links through the identified relay terminals to access network devices. This satisfies the first terminal's quality of service requirements for communication, avoids communication interruptions, and improves communication reliability.

[0216] In some embodiments, when the first terminal determines that the second terminal is a relay terminal, the method further includes: the second terminal establishing a connection with the first terminal to serve as a serving relay terminal for the first terminal to enable the first terminal to access the network device. The serving relay terminal for the first terminal may be determined by the first terminal based on a first number of corresponding second terminals.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first number of second terminals corresponding to the first terminal serving as a relay terminal is less than or equal to the second number of the second terminals, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0218] In some embodiments, the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal may be the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; wherein, the number of links may be the number of links allowed when accessing the network device, or the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device.

[0219] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when accessing the network device can be the number of relay terminals allowed when accessing the network device plus 1. For example, if the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B1, and the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is B2, where B1 = B2 + 1, then the determined second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2.

[0220] It should be noted that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the maximum number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be the maximum number of relay devices allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0221] For example, if the number of links B1 allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device is determined, and the number of relay terminals B2 required for the first terminal to access the network device is determined, then the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2.

[0222] In some embodiments, the first terminal may determine a first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal and a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. The first terminal may determine the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal.

[0223] The method for determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from the at least one second terminal, based on a first quantity A corresponding to the at least one second terminal and a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, can be varied. In some embodiments, if the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal, then the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal of the first terminal, and the first terminal can then establish a connection with the second terminal as a serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0224] When the first terminal determines the first quantity A corresponding to at least one second terminal, it can compare the first quantity A of each second terminal with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the first quantity A is less than or equal to the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal can serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal meets the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal. If the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption can be avoided. If the first quantity A is greater than the second quantity B, it can be determined that the second terminal cannot serve as a relay terminal for the first terminal, which is equivalent to determining that the second terminal does not meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal. If the first terminal accesses the network device through the second terminal, communication interruption is likely to occur.

[0225] For example, the first terminal can determine a first quantity corresponding to multiple second terminals. For instance, taking four second terminals T1, T2, T3, and T4 as an example, their corresponding first quantities are determined as A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4, respectively. The second quantity corresponding to the first terminal is determined as B. Then, A_1, A_2, A_3, and A_4 are compared with B to determine whether there exists a relay terminal among the four second terminals that can serve as the first terminal. If A_1 and A_3 are less than or equal to B, and A_2 and A_4 are greater than B, then it is determined that second terminals T1 and T3 can serve as relay terminals for the first terminal. Furthermore, the first terminal can access the network device by using either T1 or T3 as a serving relay terminal.

[0226] In some embodiments, the first number corresponding to the second terminal being less than or equal to the second number can be used as one of the judgment conditions for the first terminal to determine that the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal. The judgment condition may also include at least one of the following: the wireless channel quality between the second terminal and the first terminal is greater than a preset threshold; the wireless channel quality between the second terminal and the network device is greater than a preset threshold, etc.

[0227] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the first number of the second terminal meets the service quality requirements of the first terminal for communication, the second terminal can be used as a service relay terminal of the first terminal to establish a connection, so that the first terminal can access the network device, thereby avoiding communication interruption and improving communication reliability.

[0228] The first terminal can determine the second quantity in various ways. In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; wherein, the third quantity is the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the service of the first terminal.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first terminal may determine a second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the first terminal's service, compare the second quantity B with a first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal, and if the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the second quantity B, then the second terminal may be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0230] The services provided or received by the first terminal can be services provided by or received by the first terminal.

[0231] The service quality can be measured by various service quality indicators, such as 5QI, latency, etc.

[0232] For example, the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device. The service of the first terminal can be determined, and the number of links C1 required for that service can be determined. Therefore, the third quantity C corresponding to that service can be C1, and correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be C1. The first terminal can compare C1 with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to C1, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0233] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, the service of the first terminal and the quality of service of that service can be determined, and the number of relay terminals C2 required for that service and the number of relay terminals D2 corresponding to the quality of service of that service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to that service can be C2, and the fourth quantity D corresponding to that service can be D2. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be either the third quantity C2 or the fourth quantity D2. The second quantity B can be the smallest of the third quantity C2 and the fourth quantity D2. The first terminal can compare the smallest quantity between C2 and D2 with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the smallest quantity, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0234] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal, the quality of service (QoS) of that service, and the number of links required for that service (C1) or the number of relay terminals required for that service (C2), as well as the number of links corresponding to the QoS of that service (D1) or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the QoS of that service (D2), it can be determined that the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device can be B1, which is the minimum of C1 and D1. The number of relay terminals required when the first terminal accesses the network device can be B2, which is the minimum of C2 and D2. Correspondingly, the second number B corresponding to the first terminal can be either B1 or B2, that is, the second number B can be the minimum of C1 and D1, or the minimum of C2 and D2. The first terminal can compare the minimum number of C1 and D1, or the minimum number of C2 and D2, with the first number A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first number A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum number, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0235] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest of the multiple third quantities; or the smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

[0236] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, multiple services of the first terminal can be determined, and the number of links C1 required for each service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to each service can be the C1 corresponding to each service. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the minimum quantity C among multiple third quantities C corresponding to multiple services, that is, the minimum C1 among multiple C1s. The first terminal can compare the minimum C1 with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the minimum C1, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0237] For example, if the second quantity B of the first terminal is the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device, multiple services of the first terminal and the service quality of each service can be determined, and the number of relay terminals C2 required for each service and the number of relay terminals D2 corresponding to the service quality of each service can be determined. Then, the third quantity C corresponding to each service can be the corresponding C2, and the fourth quantity corresponding to each service can be the corresponding D2. Correspondingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the smallest of the third quantities C corresponding to each service, that is, the smallest C2 among multiple C2s, or the second quantity B can be the smallest of the fourth quantities C corresponding to each service, that is, the smallest D2 among multiple D2s. The second quantity B can be the smallest of the smallest C2 and the smallest D2. The first terminal can compare the smallest of the smallest C1 and the smallest D2 with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to the smallest quantity, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0238] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0239] The first correspondence may include multiple services Si of the first terminal, and a third quantity corresponding to each service Si.

[0240] The second correspondence may include a second correspondence corresponding to multiple service quality levels. For example, it may include a second correspondence corresponding to 5QI, which may include a fourth quantity corresponding to different 5QI values; or it may include a second correspondence corresponding to latency, which may include a fourth quantity corresponding to different latency value ranges.

[0241] For example, by determining the services of the first terminal and the first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity, a third quantity C corresponding to the services of the first terminal can be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the third quantity C. The first terminal can compare C with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to C, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0242] For example, by determining the service of the first terminal, the service quality of that service, and the second correspondence between the service quality and the fourth quantity, based on the service quality and the second correspondence, the fourth quantity D corresponding to the service quality can be determined. Accordingly, the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal can be the fourth quantity D. The first terminal can compare D with the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal. If the first quantity A corresponding to the second terminal is less than or equal to D, the second terminal can be used as a relay terminal of the first terminal.

[0243] In some implementations, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0244] For example, the first terminal obtains the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence from a higher layer, which may include the PC5-S layer, the application layer, or the non-access layer (NAS).

[0245] For example, the first terminal can obtain the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence through broadcast signaling sent by the network device. The broadcast signaling may include: Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or secondary link radio resource control messages, etc.

[0246] In this embodiment, the first terminal can determine a second quantity corresponding to the first terminal based on a third quantity of services or a fourth quantity corresponding to the quality of service of the services. Then, based on the second quantity, a relay terminal for the first terminal can be determined from at least one second terminal. Accordingly, the determined relay terminal for the first terminal can better meet the quality of service requirements of the first terminal's services. Therefore, after accessing the network device through the relay terminal, communication interruptions can be avoided when performing communication corresponding to the services, thus improving communication reliability.

[0247] In some embodiments, when determining a relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one second terminal, if the first terminal determines that the number of relay terminals as the first terminal is one, then the first terminal can directly designate the relay terminal as a serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device. Alternatively, the first terminal can further judge the relay terminal to determine whether the relay terminal meets other requirements of the first terminal, such as whether the channel quality reaches a certain threshold. If the other requirements of the first terminal are met, then the relay terminal is designated as a serving relay terminal and a multi-hop relay link is established with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device; if the other requirements of the first terminal are not met, then relevant prompt information can be generated.

[0248] In some embodiments, when determining the relay terminal of the first terminal from at least one of the second terminals, the first terminal may determine that there are multiple relay terminals as the first terminal. In this case, the first terminal may select one of the multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal and establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0249] There are various ways to select one relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal. In some embodiments, the first terminal may selectively select one relay terminal from multiple relay terminals as the serving relay terminal, and then establish a multi-hop relay link with the network device through the serving relay terminal to access the network device.

[0250] In some embodiments, the first terminal may select one relay terminal from a plurality of relay terminals as the serving relay terminal based on at least one of the following: the relay terminal with the fewest corresponding first quantities; the relay terminal with the best wireless channel quality; the relay terminal with the best service quality, etc.

[0251] For example, the first terminal determines a first number corresponding to multiple second terminals, and then compares the first number with the second number corresponding to the first terminal. Based on the comparison result, multiple second terminals (terminal T1, terminal T2) that can serve as relay terminals of the first terminal are determined from the multiple second terminals. That is, multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined. The multiple relay terminals are sorted based on the first number A_1 corresponding to terminal T1 and the first number A_2 corresponding to terminal T2. If A_2 is less than A_1, then terminal T2 with the fewest first number can be used as the serving relay terminal of the first terminal. Then, the first terminal can access the network device through terminal T2 to realize relay communication with the network device.

[0252] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when multiple relay terminals of the first terminal are determined, one of the multiple relay terminals can be selected as the serving relay terminal of the first terminal, so that the first terminal can access the network device through the serving relay terminal. Accordingly, the determined serving relay terminal can better meet the service quality requirements of the first terminal's business for communication, and the best serving relay terminal can be selected from multiple serving terminals based on a certain selection method, so that the first terminal can obtain a more reliable communication link after accessing the network device through the serving relay terminal, avoiding communication interruption.

[0253] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a change in the first number corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal, so that the first terminal can determine that the first number corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed.

[0254] In some embodiments, when the first terminal determines that the first number of serving relay terminals has changed and the changed first number is greater than the second number, the first terminal may redetermine the serving relay terminals of the first terminal.

[0255] The first terminal can determine the change of the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal in various ways. For example, it can receive a new first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal from the serving relay terminal or network device, or it can receive an indication information that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed from the serving relay terminal or network device, which is used to indicate the change or new first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal.

[0256] When the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed, it can further determine whether the changed first quantity still meets the first terminal's service quality requirements for communication. In some embodiments, the determination can be made by at least one of the following methods: whether the changed first quantity is greater than the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal; or whether the wireless channel quality between the serving relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0257] For example, if the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal T1, which is the serving relay terminal of the first terminal, changes from the original first quantity A_1 to the first quantity A_2, then the second terminal T1 can send the changed first quantity A_2 to the first terminal. After the first terminal determines that the first quantity corresponding to the serving relay terminal has changed, it compares the changed first quantity A_2 with the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal. If the changed first quantity A_2 is greater than the second quantity B corresponding to the first terminal, then the first terminal can determine that the serving relay terminal can no longer meet the service quality requirements of the communication corresponding to the first terminal, and it is necessary to re-determine the serving relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0258] The method by which the first terminal re-determines its serving relay terminal may be that the first terminal selects another relay terminal from the plurality of relay terminals determined in the above embodiments as a new serving relay terminal, or the first terminal may obtain a first number of at least one second terminal, re-determine at least one relay terminal from the at least one second terminal based on the first number, and then select one of the re-determined at least one relay terminal as a new serving relay terminal for the first terminal.

[0259] In some embodiments, after the first terminal accesses the network device through the selected service relay terminal, the first terminal can also obtain the update status of the second quantity corresponding to the first terminal to determine that the second quantity has changed.

[0260] There are various ways to determine that the second quantity has changed. For example, it can be a change in the service of the first terminal; it can be a change in the third quantity corresponding to the service of the first terminal; or it can be a change in the fourth quantity corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service.

[0261] When the first terminal determines that the second quantity of the first terminal has changed, it can further determine whether the serving relay terminal still meets the service quality requirements of the first terminal for communication after the change. In some embodiments, this determination can be made by at least one of the following methods: whether the first quantity of the serving relay terminal is greater than the changed second quantity; or whether the quality of the wireless channel between the serving relay terminal and the first terminal is lower than a preset threshold; etc.

[0262] For example, if the first terminal determines the corresponding second quantity variable, and the first quantity of the serving relay terminals is greater than the changed second quantity, then the first terminal can redetermine the serving relay terminals of the first terminal.

[0263] In some embodiments, during the process of the first terminal re-determining its serving relay terminal, the first terminal may first disconnect from the serving relay terminal and then determine a new serving relay terminal for the first terminal to access the network device through the new serving relay terminal; or the first terminal may first determine its serving relay terminal, then disconnect from the serving relay terminal and access the network device through the new serving relay terminal.

[0264] In this embodiment of the disclosure, when the second terminal accesses the network device as a serving relay terminal of the first terminal, it can send a change in the second number of serving relay terminals to the first terminal. This allows the first terminal to reselect a new serving relay terminal when it determines the second number variable corresponding to the serving relay terminal and the changed second number is less than the first number. This enables the communication between the first terminal and the network device to continuously meet the first terminal's service quality requirements and maintain the reliability of the communication.

[0265] In some embodiments, the second terminal as a relay terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device, such as a terminal that has established a direct connection with the network device or a terminal that has established a relay connection with the network device.

[0266] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0267] In some embodiments, terms such as “moment,” “point in time,” “time,” and “time location” can be used interchangeably, as can terms such as “duration,” “segment,” “time window,” “window,” and “time.”

[0268] In some embodiments, the terms "component carrier (CC)," "cell," "frequency carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0269] In some embodiments, “get,” “obtain,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” and “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation, among other meanings.

[0270] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0271] Corresponding to the aforementioned relay communication methods and embodiments thereof, this disclosure also provides embodiments of terminals and network devices.

[0272] This disclosure also proposes a terminal, including: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processor, the terminal performs the relay communication method performed by the first terminal described in the above embodiments.

[0273] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, the terminal can be a relay communication device, which includes a transceiver module 501 and an execution module 502.

[0274] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is used to determine a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; the execution module 502 is used to determine the relay terminal of the relay communication device in at least one of the second terminals based on the first quantity.

[0275] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is configured to receive a first message from the second terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

[0276] In some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0277] In some embodiments, the execution module 502 is configured to determine a second quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device.

[0278] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the relay communication device; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the services of the relay communication device or the number of relay terminals required for the services of the relay communication device; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the relay communication device or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the relay communication device.

[0279] In some embodiments, the services of the relay communication device include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest of the multiple third quantities; or the smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

[0280] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the relay communication device and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the quality of service of the services of the relay communication device and the fourth quantity.

[0281] In some embodiments, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0282] In some embodiments, the execution module 502 is configured to determine, among at least one second terminal, that a corresponding first number of second terminals is less than or equal to the second number of second terminals as relay terminals of the relay communication device.

[0283] In some embodiments, the relay communication device has multiple relay terminals, and the execution module 502 is used to select one relay terminal from the multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, wherein the relay communication device accesses the network device through the serving relay terminal.

[0284] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 501 is used to determine a change in the first number corresponding to the serving relay terminal, and the changed first number is greater than the second number; the execution module 502 is used to re-determine the serving relay terminal of the relay communication device.

[0285] In some embodiments, the second terminal includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device.

[0286] It should be noted that the modules included in the terminal are not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and may also include other modules, such as storage modules, display modules, etc.

[0287] This disclosure also proposes a terminal, including: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the processors, the memory storing executable instructions, wherein when the executable instructions are executed by the processors, the terminal performs the relay communication method performed by the second terminal described in the above embodiments.

[0288] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the terminal can be a relay communication device, which includes a transceiver module 601 and an execution module 602.

[0289] In some embodiments, the execution module 602 is used to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access the network device; the transceiver module 601 is used to indicate the first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device to the first terminal.

[0290] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is used to send a first message to the first terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first message includes a discovery signal.

[0292] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is used to establish a connection with the first terminal to serve as a service relay terminal for the first terminal to enable the first terminal to access the network device.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first number of relay communication devices corresponding to the serving relay terminals of the first terminal is less than or equal to the second number of relay communication devices, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

[0294] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on a third quantity and / or a fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; wherein the third quantity is the number of links required for the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the services of the first terminal; and the fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the quality of service of the services of the first terminal.

[0295] In some embodiments, the services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second quantity is determined by at least one of the following: the smallest of the multiple third quantities; or the smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

[0296] In some embodiments, the second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: a first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or a second correspondence between the service quality of the services of the first terminal and the fourth quantity.

[0297] In some embodiments, the first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: higher-layer configuration; protocol pre-configuration; broadcast signaling configuration; or dedicated signaling configuration.

[0298] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 601 is used to send a change in the first number of relay communication devices to the first terminal.

[0299] In some embodiments, the relay communication device includes a terminal that has been connected to the network device.

[0300] It should be noted that the modules included in the terminal are not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and may also include other modules, such as storage modules, display modules, etc.

[0301] For the device embodiments, since they basically correspond to the method embodiments, the relevant parts can be referred to in the description of the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0302] This disclosure also proposes a communication device, including: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to invoke instructions to cause the communication device to execute the relay communication method described in the optional embodiments above.

[0303] This disclosure also proposes a communication system, including a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the optional embodiments above, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method described in the optional embodiments above.

[0304] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the relay communication method described in the optional embodiments above.

[0305] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0306] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0307] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0308] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 7100 proposed in this embodiment. The communication device 7100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0309] like Figure 7As shown, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The processor 7101 is used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 7100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0310] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 7102 may also be located outside the communication device 7100.

[0311] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7103. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7103, the communication steps such as sending and receiving in the above method are performed by the transceivers 7103, and other steps are performed by the processor 7101.

[0312] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0313] Optionally, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more interface circuits 7104 connected to the memory 7102. The interface circuits 7104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 7102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 7104 can read instructions stored in the memory 7102 and send the instructions to the processor 7101.

[0314] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may vary. Figure 7The limitations. The communication device can be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally including storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0315] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 8200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to... Figure 8 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the structure of chip 8200, but it is not limited to this.

[0316] Chip 8200 includes one or more processors 8201, which are used to invoke instructions to cause chip 8200 to perform any of the above methods.

[0317] In some embodiments, the chip 8200 further includes one or more interface circuits 8202, which are connected to the memory 8203. The interface circuits 8202 can be used to receive signals from the memory 8203 or other devices, and can also be used to send signals to the memory. 8203 or other devices send signals. For example, interface circuit 8202 can read instructions stored in memory 8203 and send those instructions to processor 8201. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0318] In some embodiments, chip 8200 further includes one or more memories 8203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 8203 may be located outside of chip 8200.

[0319] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 7100, cause the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0320] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 7100, causes the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0321] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

1. A relay communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first terminal, including: Determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; A second quantity corresponding to the first terminal is determined, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device; In at least one second terminal, the corresponding first number of second terminals that is less than or equal to the second number are identified as relay terminals of the first terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: Receive a first message from the second terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first message includes a detection signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second quantity is determined based on a third and / or fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; The third quantity refers to the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal. The fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: The smallest of the multiple third quantities; or The smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: The first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or The second correspondence between the service quality of the first terminal's services and the fourth quantity.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: High-level configuration; Protocol pre-configuration; Broadcast signaling configuration; or Dedicated signaling configuration.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first terminal has multiple relay terminals. One relay terminal is selected from the multiple relay terminals as a serving relay terminal, and the first terminal accesses the network device through the serving relay terminal.

9. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the first number of serving relay terminals is determined to be changed, and the changed first number is greater than the second number, the serving relay terminals of the first terminal are re-determined.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The second terminal includes terminals that have been connected to the network device.

11. A relay communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the second terminal, including: The first terminal is indicated to the second terminal a first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device; the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, which serves as a relay terminal for the first terminal, is less than or equal to the second quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of instructing the first terminal to the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal includes: A first message is sent to the first terminal, the first message being used to indicate the first quantity.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first message includes a detection signal.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: A connection is established with the first terminal to serve as a service relay terminal for enabling the first terminal to access network devices.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The second quantity is determined based on a third and / or fourth quantity corresponding to the services of the first terminal; The third quantity refers to the number of links required for the service of the first terminal or the number of relay terminals required for the service of the first terminal. The fourth quantity is the number of links corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service or the number of relay terminals corresponding to the service quality of the first terminal's service.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The services of the first terminal include multiple services, wherein the second number is determined by at least one of the following: The smallest of the multiple third quantities; or The smallest of the multiple fourth quantities.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second quantity is determined based on at least one of the following: The first correspondence between the services of the first terminal and the third quantity; or The second correspondence between the service quality of the first terminal's services and the fourth quantity.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first correspondence and / or the second correspondence are obtained through at least one of the following methods: High-level configuration; Protocol pre-configuration; Broadcast signaling configuration; or Dedicated signaling configuration.

19. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the change of the first number corresponding to the second terminal to the first terminal.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11-19, characterized in that, The second terminal includes terminals that have been connected to the network device.

21. A relay communication device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to determine the first quantity corresponding to the second terminal, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the second terminal to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the second terminal to access the network device. An execution module is configured to determine a second quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the second quantity is the number of links allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the relay communication device accesses the network device; and to determine, among at least one second terminal, a second terminal whose corresponding first quantity is less than or equal to the second quantity as a relay terminal of the relay communication device.

22. A relay communication device, characterized in that, include: An execution module is used to determine a first quantity corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the first quantity is the number of links required for the relay communication device to access the network device or the number of relay terminals required for the relay communication device to access the network device; The transceiver module is used to indicate to the first terminal a first number corresponding to the relay communication device; the first number corresponding to the relay communication device serving as the first terminal is less than or equal to a second number corresponding to the relay communication device, wherein the second number is the number of links allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device or the number of relay terminals allowed when the first terminal accesses the network device.

23. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; A memory coupled to the processor stores executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the terminal to perform the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1-10.

24. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; A memory coupled to the processor stores executable instructions, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the network device to perform the relay communication method according to any one of claims 11-20.

25. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a first terminal, a second terminal, and a network device, wherein the first terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1-10, and the second terminal is configured to implement the relay communication method according to any one of claims 11-20.

26. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the relay communication method according to any one of claims 1-10, and / or the relay communication method according to any one of claims 11-20.

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