Multi-path communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a multi-path communication method and device. And the remote terminal equipment receives first indication information sent by the relay terminal equipment or second indication information sent by network equipment, and triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal equipment according to the first indication information or the second indication information, and the first PC5-RRC message is used for enabling the relay terminal equipment to enter an RRC connection state. Therefore, the relay terminal equipment can provide relay service for the remote terminal equipment.

Description

Multipath communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies. Background Art

[0002] In 3GPP Release 18, research is underway to support multi-path solutions. A multi-path scenario involves a remote UE connecting to the same network device (e.g., a gNB) using both a direct path and an indirect path. For example, a direct path involves the UE connecting directly to the network device via the Uu interface; an indirect path involves the UE connecting to the network device via a Layer 2 (L2) UE-to-Network relay, such as a relay UE connecting to the network device.

[0003] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is merely for convenience, to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because they are described in the background technology section of this application.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The inventors discovered that in some multipath scenarios, it is impossible to make a relay terminal device in the RRC (Radio Resource Control) idle (RRC_Idle) or RRC inactive (RRC_Inactive) state enter the RRC connected (RRC_Connected) state.

[0006] To address at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a multi-path communication method and apparatus.

[0007] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a remote terminal device, and the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives first indication information sent by a relay terminal device or second indication information sent by a network device; and a processing unit, which triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0008] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a remote terminal device, wherein the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives a third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and a processing unit, which does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the third indication information.

[0009] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a remote terminal device, the method comprising: the remote terminal device receiving first indication information sent by a relay terminal device or second indication information sent by a network device; and the remote terminal device triggering or sending a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0010] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a remote terminal device, wherein the method includes: the remote terminal device receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the third indication information.

[0011] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a relay terminal device, and the device includes: a sending unit, which sends first indication information to a remote terminal device; and a receiving unit, which receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0012] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a relay terminal device, wherein the device includes: a receiving unit, which receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device; and a processing unit, which initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0013] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a relay terminal device, wherein the method includes: the relay terminal device sends a third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to prevent the remote terminal device from triggering or canceling or not sending the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0014] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a relay terminal device, the method comprising: the relay terminal device sending first indication information to a remote terminal device; and the relay terminal device receiving a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0015] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a relay terminal device, wherein the method includes: the relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device; when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process.

[0016] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a relay terminal device, wherein the method includes: the relay terminal device sends a third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to prevent the remote terminal device from triggering or canceling or not sending the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0017] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication device is provided, which is configured in a network device, and the device includes: a sending unit, which sends second indication information to a remote terminal device, wherein the second indication information is used to trigger the remote terminal device or send a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0018] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a multi-path communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device, the method comprising: the network device sending a second indication information to a remote terminal device, the second indication information being used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to a relay terminal device, the first PC5-RRC message being used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0019] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a remote terminal device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the multi-path communication method on the remote terminal device side.

[0020] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a relay terminal device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the multi-path communication method on the relay terminal device side.

[0021] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a network device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the multi-path communication method on the network device side.

[0022] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication system is provided, comprising the above-mentioned network device and / or the above-mentioned remote terminal device and / or the above-mentioned relay terminal device.

[0023] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that: the remote terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device, and triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message for the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connection state according to the first indication information or the second indication information, thereby enabling the relay terminal device to provide a relay service for the remote terminal device.

[0024] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0025] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0026] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0028] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a multipath scenario according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path protocol stack structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] 5 to 7 are schematic diagrams of the information interaction process according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] 8 to 12 are schematic diagrams of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] 13 to 18 are schematic diagrams of multi-path communication devices according to embodiments of the present application;

[0035] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a remote terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network device of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first," "second," etc. are used to distinguish different elements in terms of title, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components, or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, or components.

[0040] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), etc.

[0042] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example, including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G (generation), 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G, New Radio (NR), etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0044] Base stations may include, but are not limited to, NodeB (NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), and 5G base stations (gNB), among others. They may also include remote radio heads (RRHs), remote radio units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" may include some or all of their functions, and each base station may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. The term "cell" may refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and so on.

[0046] Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0047] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted communication terminals, device-to-device (D2D) terminals, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminals, terminals that support edge links, and the like.

[0048] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, illustrating a situation using a remote terminal device, a relay terminal device, and a network device as an example. As shown in Figure 1 , communication system 100 may include a remote terminal device 101, a relay terminal device 102, and a network device 103. Remote terminal device 101 is connected to network device 103 via a direct path and an indirect path. For simplicity, Figure 1 illustrates only two terminal devices (one remote terminal device and one relay terminal device) and one network device as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be carried out between the network device 103 and the remote terminal device 101 and the relay terminal device 102. For example, these services may include, but are not limited to, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multipath scenario in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present application, a remote terminal device can communicate with a network device (e.g., a gNB) via both a direct path and an indirect path. For example, a remote terminal device can communicate with a network device via a Uu interface (direct path) and communicate with the same network device via a relay terminal device (indirect path).

[0052] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the multi-path protocol stack structure of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the direct path between the remote terminal device and the network device uses the Uu interface protocol stack, and the indirect path between the remote terminal device and the network device is transmitted via the L2UE-to-Network relay and uses the PC5 interface and Uu interface protocol stack.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the RRC layer, SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer, and PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer in the remote terminal device are equivalent to the RRC layer, SDAP layer, and PDCP layer in the network device. The PDCP layer data of the remote terminal device can be sent to the network device via an indirect path through the relay terminal device. For example, the remote terminal device PDCP PDU (Protocol Data Unit) can be sent to the relay UE via PC5-SRAP, PC5-RLC, PC5-MAC, and PC5-PHY on the PC5 interface via the sidelink. The relay UE then sends the data to the gNB via its own Uu interface protocol stack (Uu SRAP, Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC, and Uu-PHY). The gNB receives the data from the Uu interface protocol stack equivalent to the relay UE and sends it to the gNB's Uu-PDCP for processing.

[0054] Alternatively, the PDCP layer data of the remote terminal device can be sent to the network device through a direct path. For example, the remote terminal device PDCP PDU can be sent to the gNB via Uu-RLC, Uu-MAC and Uu-PHY. The Uu interface protocol stack on the gNB side that is equivalent to the remote UE receives the data and sends it to the Uu-PDCP of the gNB for processing.

[0055] In some embodiments, in a direct path and / or an indirect path, one or more RLC (Radio Link Control) entities (Uu-RLC entity or PC5-RLC entity) may be associated with a PDCP entity of a radio bearer.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , in the protocol stack on the gNB side, more than one Uu-MAC entity may be used to process data of a remote terminal device and a relay terminal device. The present application is not limited thereto, and a single Uu-MAC entity may also be used to process data of a remote terminal device and a relay terminal device.

[0057] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , in the protocol stack on the remote terminal device side, a PC5-MAC entity and a Uu-MAC entity can be used to process data of the indirect path and the direct path. The present application is not limited thereto, and a single MAC entity can also be used to perform the operations of PC5-MAC and Uu-MAC.

[0058] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , sending through a direct path (direct path) for example means that the PDCP layer sends data to a Uu RLC bearer or channel or entity, and sending through an indirect path for example means that the PDCP layer sends data to a SRAP entity and then sends it through the RLC bearer or channel or entity of PC5.

[0059] In some embodiments, the data may be a PDCP SDU (Service Data Unit), a PDCP PDU, or an RLC SDU, etc.

[0060] In some embodiments, the gNB to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path is the same gNB as the gNB to which the remote terminal device is connected via an indirect path. The cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the direct path is the same cell as the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the indirect path; or, the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the direct path is different from the cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via the indirect path, where the different cells may be same-frequency cells or different-frequency cells.

[0061] In some embodiments, in a multipath scenario, the following situations may be supported:

[0062] A. The remote UE operating only on the direct path adds the indirect path under the same gNB.

[0063] B. The remote UE operating only on the indirect path adds the direct path under the same gNB.

[0064] C. The remote UE operating in multi-path releases the indirect path;

[0065] D. The remote UE operating in multi-path releases the direct path;

[0066] G. The remote UE operating in multi-path changes to a new relay UE for the indirect path while keeping the direct path under the same gNB. FFS if this case would be supported via separate release-and-add (A+C in separate reconfigurations) or a single switch procedure (e.g. similar to i2i service continuity)

[0067] For the above-mentioned case A (adding an indirect path) and case G (changing an indirect path, for example, releasing and adding), both cases involve the operation of adding an indirect path. In some cases, it is possible that the relay terminal device of the added indirect path is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state.

[0068] In the case where the indirect path is configured with a signaling radio bearer (SRB) for carrying the RRC reconfiguration complete message, for example, when the added indirect path is configured with SRB1, split SRB1, or duplication SRB1, the RRC reconfiguration complete message can be sent via the indirect path. For example, the remote terminal device sends the RRC reconfiguration complete message to the relay terminal device; when the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, the RRC reconfiguration complete message can trigger the relay terminal device to enter the RRC_connected state; after the relay terminal device enters the RRC_connected state, the RRC reconfiguration complete message is sent to the network device.

[0069] If an indirect path is not configured for the SRB that carries the RRC reconfiguration complete message, for example, if the added indirect path is not configured with SRB1, split SRB1, or duplicate SRB1, the RRC reconfiguration complete message can only be sent to the gNB via the direct path. Therefore, the RRC reconfiguration complete message cannot trigger the relay UE to enter the RRC_Connected state.

[0070] The following describes various implementations of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These implementations are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0071] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0072] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication method, which is applied to a remote terminal device. FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the multi-path communication method of the embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4, the method includes:

[0073] 401, the remote terminal device receives first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or second indication information sent by the network device; and

[0074] 402. The remote terminal device triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first indication information or the second indication information. The first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0075] It is worth noting that FIG4 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG4 above.

[0076] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device, and triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information. This enables the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, thereby enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the above “the relay UE enters the RRC_Connected state” can be equivalently replaced by “the relay UE initiates the RRC connection establishment process or the RRC resume process”, or “the relay UE provides services as a relay”, etc.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message. Thus, the remote terminal device can decide whether to trigger the first PC5-RRC message based on the RRC status information and / or the first information of the relay terminal device, or decide whether to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. In other words, the remote terminal device can trigger or not trigger the first PC5-RRC message based on the RRC status information and / or the first information of the relay terminal device, or send or not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Thus, unnecessary signaling and processes can be avoided, the signaling overhead is relatively small, and the method is simple and easy to implement.

[0079] For example, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0080] For another example, when the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0081] In some embodiments, the RRC status information in the first indication information may include at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device; information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0082] In some embodiments, the RRC status information in the first indication information is the RRC status information of the Uu interface of the relay terminal device.

[0083] In some embodiments, the information of the RRC state of the relay terminal device may include, for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected, etc. Thus, the current specific RRC state of the relay terminal device can be notified to the remote terminal device.

[0084] In some embodiments, the information indicating whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state may indicate that the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, or that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC_Connected state. Thus, the RRC state of the relay terminal device can be indicated with fewer bits, for example, the information indicating whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state may be 1 bit.

[0085] In some embodiments, the information of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state may indicate that the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. Thus, the RRC state of the relay terminal device can be indicated with fewer bits, for example, the information of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state may be 1 bit.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first information in the first indication information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be 1 bit. For example, when the 1 bit is 1, it instructs the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message; when the 1 bit is 0, it instructs the remote terminal device not to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. The present application is not limited thereto, and the first information in the first indication information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be optional. For example, if the first information appears, it instructs the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message; if the first information is absent, it instructs the remote terminal device not to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0087] In some embodiments, when the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message; when the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0088] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information at various times. For example, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information during the PC5 discovery process, or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information during the process of establishing a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device, or after the process of establishing a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device.

[0089] The following uses the scenario of adding an indirect path and the first indication information being the RRC status information of the relay terminal device as an example to exemplify the timing (or moment) when the remote terminal device receives the first indication information (or when the relay terminal device sends the first indication information). It is understood that the following content also applies to the scenario of changing the indirect path and the case where the first indication information is other information.

[0090] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the information exchange process of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the network device sends a measurement configuration to the remote terminal device (501), and the remote terminal device initiates a PC5 discovery process (502) based on the measurement configuration.

[0091] During the PC5 discovery process, the relay terminal device may send RRC status information to the remote terminal device (which may also be described as the remote terminal device receiving the RRC status information sent by the relay terminal device) (503). That is, the step of the relay terminal device sending the RRC status information to the remote terminal device may be incorporated into the PC5 discovery process. For example, the relay terminal device may add the RRC status information of the relay terminal device to the original steps of the PC5 discovery process, thereby allowing the RRC status information of the relay terminal device to be sent through the original steps of the PC5 discovery process, which has good compatibility. The present application is not limited thereto, and the step of the relay terminal device sending the RRC status information to the remote terminal device may also be a separate step. The separate step may be a newly added step in the PC5 discovery process, or may be a step outside the PC5 discovery process.

[0092] The remote terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device (504). The network device determines whether to add an indirect path based on the measurement report (505). If the network device determines to add the indirect path, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message for adding the indirect path to the remote terminal device (506). In the scenario of changing the indirect path, in 505, the network device determines whether to change the indirect path based on the measurement report of the remote terminal device; in 506, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message for changing the indirect path to the remote terminal device.

[0093] The remote terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device based on the RRC reconfiguration message (507). The remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the RRC status information of the relay terminal device received in 503 (508). For example, if the relay terminal device is not in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. Based on the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device initiates related processes and enters the RRC_Connected state (509).

[0094] Figure 6 is another schematic diagram of the information interaction process of an embodiment of the present application. Among them, 601-606, 608-609 in Figure 6 are similar to or the same as 501-502, 504-509 in Figure 5. The difference lies in the timing of sending the RRC status information of the relay terminal device. As shown in Figure 6, in the process of establishing a PC5 connection between the remote terminal device and the relay terminal device, the relay terminal device sends RRC status information (607) to the remote terminal device. That is, the step of the relay terminal device sending the RRC status information to the remote terminal device can be incorporated into the PC5 connection establishment process. For example, the relay terminal device can add the RRC status information of the relay terminal device to the original steps of the PC5 connection establishment process, thereby, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device can be sent through the original steps of the PC5 discovery process, which has good compatibility. The present application is not limited to this, and the step of the relay terminal device sending the RRC status information to the remote terminal device can also be a separate step. Among them, the separate step can be a newly added step in the PC5 connection establishment process, or it can also be a step outside the PC5 connection establishment process.

[0095] It is worth noting that Figures 5 and 6 above are merely schematic illustrations of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the descriptions of Figures 5 and 6 above.

[0096] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device. For example, the remote terminal device may have discovered the relay terminal device before receiving the measurement configuration. In this case, the PC5 discovery process may be performed before the remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration. Alternatively, the remote terminal device may have established a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before receiving the measurement configuration. In this case, the PC5 connection establishment process may be performed before the remote terminal device receives the measurement configuration and after the PC5 discovery process. In the above case, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device. The present application is not limited to this, and the remote terminal device may also receive the first indication information after receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device.

[0097] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before sending the measurement report to the network device. For example, the remote terminal device may establish a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before sending the measurement report to the network device. In this case, the PC5 connection establishment process may be performed before the remote terminal device sends the measurement report to the network device and after the PC5 discovery process. In the above case, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before sending the measurement report to the network device. The present application is not limited to this, and the remote terminal device may also receive the first indication information after sending the measurement report to the network device.

[0098] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path. For example, the remote terminal device may establish a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device before receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path. In this case, the PC5 connection establishment process may be performed before receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path and after the PC5 discovery process. In the above case, the remote terminal device may receive the first indication information before receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path. The present application is not limited to this, and the remote terminal device may also receive the first indication information after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0100] For example, the first indication information may be included in a PC5-S message and / or a second PC5-RRC message and / or a MAC CE (Media Access Control Element) sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. The PC5-S message may include at least one of the following: a direct communication request; or a direct communication response. The present application is not limited thereto, and the PC5-S message may also include other messages.

[0101] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRC reconfiguration side link (RRCReconfigurationSidelink), RRC reconfiguration completion side link (RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink), UE assistance information side link (UEAssistanceInformationSidelink), or notification message side link (NotificationMessageSidelink). The present application is not limited to this, and the PC5-RRC message may also include other messages.

[0102] The MAC CE may be a new MAC CE, for example, a new logical channel identifier (LCID) may be used to represent the first indication information, and the MAC CE may be 0 bytes, or a new LCID and a 1-byte MAC CE may be used, and the MAC CE includes the first indication information, etc. The present application is not limited thereto, and the MAC CE may also include an existing MAC CE, for example, indicating the first indication information by a reserved bit (R) in a sidelink channel state information reporting MAC CE (Sidelink CSI Reporting MAC CE).

[0103] For another example, the first indication information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: a discovery request (Discovery solicitation) or a discovery response (Discovery response).

[0104] In some embodiments, the second indication information sent by the network device to the remote terminal device may include at least one of the following: RRC status information of the relay terminal device, second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message, or an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path.

[0105] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device; information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0106] Among them, the relevant description of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device in the second indication information can refer to the relevant description of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device in the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device; the relevant description of the second information can refer to the relevant description of the first information in the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device; their contents are merged here and will not be repeated.

[0107] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may decide whether to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message based on the RRC status information of the relay terminal device sent by the network device and / or the second information instructing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message. For example, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is not When in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device may trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, when the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device may also always trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, regardless of the RRC status information of the relay terminal device. For example, after the remote terminal device receives an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or modify an indirect path, the first PC5-RRC message may be triggered or sent to the relay terminal device. This simplifies the method by eliminating the need for the remote terminal device to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device or receive the second message sent by the network device.

[0109] In this embodiment, on the relay terminal device side, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device can decide whether to initiate a related process to enter the RRC_Connected state based on its own current RRC state. For example, if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message; if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, it initiates the RRC connection establishment process or the RRC resume process.

[0110] In some embodiments, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing an indirect path, the remote terminal device may also determine whether to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on whether the RRC reconfiguration complete message will be sent to the network device via a direct path. For example, if the RRC reconfiguration complete message will be sent to the network device via a direct path, the first PC5-RRC message may be triggered or sent to the relay terminal device; or if the RRC reconfiguration complete message will be sent to the network device via an indirect path, the first PC5-RRC message may not be triggered or sent to the relay terminal device.

[0111] In some embodiments, the second indication information may be received via a direct path. For example, the RRC state information of the relay terminal device in the second indication information and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be included in at least one of the following: an RRC message; a PDCP control PDU; an RLC control PDU; a MAC CE; or downlink control information (DCI).

[0112] In which, when the network device sends the RRC status information and / or the second information of the relay terminal device through an RRC message, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path. For example, a new IE (information element, information element to represent the RRC status information and / or the second information, etc.) is added to the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the indirect path. The present application is not limited to this, and the RRC message may also be other messages, such as measurement configuration, etc.; or, the RRC status information and / or the second information of the relay terminal device may also be sent in other ways.

[0113] The following uses the scenario of adding an indirect path and the second indication information being the RRC status information and / or the second information of the relay terminal device as an example to illustrate the timing of the remote terminal device receiving the second indication information (or the network device sending the second indication information). It is understood that the following content also applies to the scenario of changing the indirect path.

[0114] FIG7 is another schematic diagram of the information exchange process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the network device sends a measurement configuration to the remote terminal device (701), the remote terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device (702), the network device decides whether to add an indirect path based on the measurement report (703), and if the network device decides to add an indirect path, it sends an RRC reconfiguration message for adding the indirect path to the remote terminal device (704). The RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information of the second indication information may be included in the RRC reconfiguration message for adding the indirect path.

[0115] In the scenario of changing the indirect path, in 703, the network device determines whether to change the indirect path based on the measurement report of the remote terminal device; in 704, the network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message for changing the indirect path to the remote terminal device. The RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information of the second indication information may be included in the RRC reconfiguration message for changing the indirect path.

[0116] The remote terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the relay terminal device based on the RRC reconfiguration message (705). The remote terminal device sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the RRC status information and / or the second information received in 704 (706). For example, if the relay terminal device is not in the RRC connected state, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The relay terminal device initiates related processes based on the first PC5-RRC message and enters the RRC_Connected state (707).

[0117] It is worth noting that FIG7 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG7 above.

[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the multi-path communication method may further include:

[0119] 403, the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and

[0120] 404. The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device and does not trigger or cancel or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0122] For example, between the time a remote terminal device receives a measurement configuration sent by a network device and the time it establishes a PC5 connection with a relay terminal device, the relay terminal device may have changed its serving cell or serving base station, and the network device to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path may not be aware of the aforementioned change in the relay terminal device. Because the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device and the serving cell (or serving base station) to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path may be different, in this case, the remote terminal device may not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the third indication information may include at least one of the following: information about the first service cell or first service base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the service cell or service base station; information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0124] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station may include: information of the relay terminal device performing cell selection, cell reselection or switching.

[0125] In some embodiments, in 404, when the third indication information indicates that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or when the third indication information indicates that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0126] In some embodiments, the sending timing and / or sending manner of the third indication information may refer to the sending timing and / or sending manner of the first indication information.

[0127] For example, the remote terminal device may receive the third indication information at various times. For example, the relay terminal device sending the third indication information to the remote terminal device may be incorporated into the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, or the relay terminal device sending the third indication information to the remote terminal device may be a separate step.

[0128] For example, the third indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third indication information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0129] The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: a discovery solicitation; or a discovery response. In the case where the discovery-related message indicates that the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device is different from the previous serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device (for example, the current serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device is different from the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device in the measurement configuration), the remote terminal device recognizes that the relay terminal device has changed its serving cell (or serving base station).

[0130] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink; RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink. When the second PC5-RRC message indicates that the relay terminal device has performed cell selection or cell reselection, the remote terminal device recognizes that the relay terminal device has changed the serving cell (or serving base station).

[0131] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may include a PC5-RRC trigger. The PC5-RRC trigger may be used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0132] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may be an RRC message of various PC5 interfaces. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may be a new PC5-RRC message. For example, when the remote terminal device sends the new PC5-RRC message, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to enter the RRC_Connected state. For another example, the first PC5-RRC message may be an existing PC5-RRC message. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0133] For another example, the PC5-RRC trigger can be included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message. The IE can be 1 bit. For example, when the bit is 1, it indicates that the relay terminal device needs to enter the RRC_Connected state; when the bit is 0, it indicates that the relay terminal device does not need to enter the RRC_Connected state. Alternatively, the IE can be optional. The presence of the IE indicates that the relay terminal device needs to enter the RRC_Connected state; the absence of the IE indicates that the relay terminal device does not need to enter the RRC_Connected state.

[0134] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0135] It is worth noting that the above only describes the steps related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication method may also include other steps, and for the specific content of these steps, reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0136] As can be seen from the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device, and triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information. This enables the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, thereby enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0137] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0138] The present application provides a multi-path communication method for use on a remote terminal device. The contents identical to those of the first aspect are not repeated here. The second aspect may be implemented independently, or in combination with the first aspect.

[0139] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , the method includes:

[0140] 801, the remote terminal device receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and

[0141] 802. The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

[0142] It is worth noting that FIG8 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG8 above.

[0143] In the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device and does not trigger or cancel or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0144] For example, between the time a remote terminal device receives a measurement configuration sent by a network device and the time it establishes a PC5 connection with a relay terminal device, the relay terminal device may have changed its serving cell or serving base station, and the network device to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path may not be aware of the change in the relay terminal device. Since the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device and the serving cell (or serving base station) to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path may be different, in this case, the remote terminal device may not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0145] In some embodiments, the third indication information may include at least one of the following: information about the first service cell or first service base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the service cell or service base station; information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0146] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station may include: information of the relay terminal device performing cell selection, cell reselection or switching.

[0147] In some embodiments, in 802, when the third indication information indicates that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or when the third indication information indicates that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0148] In some embodiments, the timing and / or manner of sending the third indication information may refer to the timing and / or manner of sending the third indication information described in the embodiments of the first aspect.

[0149] For example, the remote terminal device may receive the third indication information at various times. For example, the relay terminal device sending the third indication information to the remote terminal device may be incorporated into the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, or the relay terminal device sending the third indication information to the remote terminal device may be a separate step.

[0150] For example, the third indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third indication information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0151] The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: a discovery solicitation; or a discovery response. In the case where the discovery-related message indicates that the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device is different from the previous serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device (for example, the current serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device is different from the serving cell (or serving base station) of the relay terminal device in the measurement configuration), the remote terminal device recognizes that the relay terminal device has changed its serving cell (or serving base station).

[0152] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink; RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink. When the second PC5-RRC message indicates that the relay terminal device has performed cell selection or cell reselection, the remote terminal device recognizes that the relay terminal device has changed the serving cell (or serving base station).

[0153] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0154] It can be seen from the above embodiments that the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device and does not trigger or cancel or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0155] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0156] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication method, which is applied to a relay terminal device. The contents that are the same as those in the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated here.

[0157] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method includes:

[0158] 901, the relay terminal device sends first instruction information to the remote terminal device; and

[0159] 902. The relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device. The first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0160] It is worth noting that FIG9 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG9 above.

[0161] According to the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the first indication information to the remote terminal device and receives the first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device for entering the RRC connected state. As a result, the relay terminal device can enter the RRC connected state according to the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: RRC state information of the relay terminal device; or first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message.

[0163] In some embodiments, the RRC status information may include at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device; information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0164] In some embodiments, the information of the RRC state of the relay terminal device may include, for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected, etc. Thus, the current specific RRC state of the relay terminal device can be notified to the remote terminal device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the information indicating whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state may indicate that the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, or that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC_Connected state. Thus, the RRC state of the relay terminal device can be indicated with fewer bits. For example, the information indicating whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state may be 1 bit of information.

[0166] In some embodiments, the information of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state may indicate that the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or that the relay terminal device is not in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. Thus, the RRC state of the relay terminal device can be indicated with fewer bits, for example, the information of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state may be 1-bit information.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first information in the first indication information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be 1 bit. Alternatively, the first information in the first indication information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be optional.

[0168] In some embodiments, when the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message; when the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the first information may be a value indicating that the remote terminal device does not trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message.

[0169] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device may send the first indication information at various times. For example, the relay terminal device may send the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or the relay terminal device may send the first indication information during or after the PC5 connection is established with the remote terminal device.

[0170] In other words, the relay terminal device sending the first indication information to the remote terminal device can be incorporated into the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process. For example, the relay terminal device can add the RRC status information of the relay terminal device to the existing steps of the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process. As a result, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device can be sent through the existing steps of the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, which has better compatibility. Alternatively, the relay terminal device sending the first indication information to the remote terminal device can also be a separate step. For example, this separate step can be a new step in the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, or it can be a step outside of the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process.

[0171] In some embodiments, the first indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the first indication information may be included in a PC5-S message and / or a second PC5-RRC message and / or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0172] The PC5-S message may include at least one of the following: a direct communication request; or a direct communication response. The present application is not limited thereto, and the PC5-S message may also include other messages.

[0173] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink; RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink. The present application is not limited thereto, and the PC5-RRC message may also include other messages.

[0174] The MAC CE may be a new MAC CE. The present application is not limited thereto, and the MAC CE may also include an existing MAC CE.

[0175] For another example, the first indication information may be included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: a discovery solicitation; or a discovery response.

[0176] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9 , the multi-path communication method may further include:

[0177] 903 : The relay terminal device sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0178] In the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the third indication information to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0179] In some embodiments, the third indication information may include at least one of the following: information about the first service cell or first service base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the service cell or service base station; information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0180] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station may include: information of the relay terminal device performing cell selection, cell reselection or switching.

[0181] In some embodiments, the sending timing and / or sending manner of the third indication information may refer to the sending timing and / or sending manner of the first indication information.

[0182] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device may send the third indication information at various times. For example, the relay terminal device may send the third indication information to the remote terminal device during the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, or the relay terminal device may send the third indication information to the remote terminal device as a separate step.

[0183] In some embodiments, the third indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third indication information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0184] The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: Discovery solicitation; or Discovery response. The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink; RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may include a PC5-RRC trigger. The PC5-RRC trigger may be used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message may be an RRC message of various PC5 interfaces.

[0187] For example, the first PC5-RRC message may be a new PC5-RRC message. For example, the remote terminal device sends the new PC5-RRC message to indicate that the relay terminal device needs to enter the RRC_Connected state.

[0188] For another example, the first PC5-RRC message may be an existing PC5-RRC message. For example, the first PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RemoteUEInformationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationSidelink, RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0189] For another example, the PC5-RRC trigger may be included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message, wherein the IE may be 1 bit or may be optional.

[0190] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG9 , the communication method may further include:

[0191] 904. The relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process according to the first PC5-RRC message. Specific methods for initiating an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process by the relay terminal device may be referred to in related technologies.

[0192] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0193] According to the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the first indication information to the remote terminal device and receives the first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device for entering the RRC connected state. As a result, the relay terminal device can enter the RRC connected state according to the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0194] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0195] The present application provides a multi-path communication method for use on a relay terminal device. The contents identical to those in the second aspect are not repeated here. The fourth aspect may be implemented independently, or in combination with the third aspect.

[0196] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG10 , the method includes:

[0197] 1001. The relay terminal device sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0198] It is worth noting that FIG10 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG10 above.

[0199] In the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the third indication information to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0200] In some embodiments, the third indication information may include at least one of the following: information about the first service cell or first service base station of the relay terminal device; information that the relay terminal device changes the service cell or service base station; information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0201] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station may include: information of the relay terminal device performing cell selection, cell reselection or switching.

[0202] In some embodiments, the timing and / or manner of sending the third indication information may refer to the timing and / or manner of sending the third indication information described in the embodiments of the third aspect.

[0203] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device may send the third indication information at various times. For example, the relay terminal device may send the third indication information to the remote terminal device during the PC5 discovery process or the PC5 connection establishment process, or the relay terminal device may send the third indication information to the remote terminal device as a separate step.

[0204] In some embodiments, the third indication information may be included in various messages sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device. For example, the third indication information may be included in a discovery-related message (discovery message) or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0205] The discovery-related message may include at least one of the following: a discovery solicitation; or a discovery response.

[0206] The second PC5-RRC message may include at least one of the following: RRCReconfigurationSidelink; RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink.

[0207] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0208] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device and does not trigger or cancel or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0209] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0210] The present application provides a multipath communication method for use on a relay terminal device. The same content as in the first aspect is not repeated here. The fifth aspect may be implemented independently, or in combination with the third and / or fourth aspects.

[0211] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG11 , the communication method includes:

[0212] 1101, the relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device; and

[0213] 1102. When the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process.

[0214] It is worth noting that FIG11 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG11 above.

[0215] In the above embodiment, the remote terminal device can always send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, regardless of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. For example, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or modify an indirect path. This eliminates the need for the remote terminal device to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device, simplifying the method.

[0216] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11 , the communication method may further include:

[0217] 1102. When the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0218] This can prevent the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0219] For example, on the relay terminal device side, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device decides whether to initiate the relevant process to enter the RRC_Connected state based on its own current RRC state. If the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message; if the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, it initiates the RRC connection establishment process or the RRC resume process.

[0220] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0221] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device can always send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, regardless of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. For example, after receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the network device to add or modify an indirect path, the remote terminal device sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. As a result, the remote terminal device does not need to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device, simplifying the method.

[0222] Embodiments of the sixth aspect

[0223] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication method, which is applied to a network device side. The contents that are the same as those in the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated here.

[0224] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the method includes:

[0225] 1201. The network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device. The second indication information is used to enable the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connection state.

[0226] It is worth noting that FIG12 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG12 above.

[0227] According to the above embodiment, the network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state. This allows the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, thereby facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0228] In some embodiments, the second indication information sent by the network device to the remote terminal device may include at least one of the following: RRC status information of the relay terminal device, second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message, or an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path.

[0229] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following: information on the RRC status of the relay terminal device; information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0230] In some embodiments, the second indication information may be sent via a direct path.

[0231] In some embodiments, the RRC status information of the relay terminal device of the second indication information and / or the second information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message may be included in at least one of the following: RRC message; PDCP control PDU; RLC control PDU; MAC CE; or DCI.

[0232] In some embodiments, when a network device sends the RRC status information and / or the second information of a relay terminal device via an RRC message, the RRC message may be an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path. The present application is not limited thereto, and the RRC message may also be a measurement configuration message, or the RRC status information and / or the second information of the relay terminal device may also be sent via other means.

[0233] In some embodiments, when the second indication information includes an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path, the remote terminal device triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. In other words, the remote terminal device may also send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device upon receiving an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path sent by the network device, regardless of whether the relay terminal device is in the RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. On the relay terminal device side, after receiving the first PC5-RRC message, the relay terminal device may decide whether to initiate a related process to enter the RRC_Connected state based on its own current RRC state. Thus, the remote terminal device does not need to obtain the RRC status information of the relay terminal device, and the method is simple. Among them, the specific method for the network device to send an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path can be referred to the relevant technology.

[0234] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0235] According to the above embodiment, the network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state. This allows the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, thereby facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0236] Embodiments of the seventh aspect

[0237] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device, which may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the remote terminal device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the first aspect will not be repeated.

[0238] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , a multi-path communication device 1300 includes:

[0239] A receiving unit 1301 receives first indication information sent by a relay terminal device or second indication information sent by a network device; and

[0240] The processing unit 1302 triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first indication information or the second indication information, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0242] RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or

[0243] The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

[0244] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device receives the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or,

[0245] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information during the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection.

[0246] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device; or

[0247] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after sending the measurement report to the network device; or

[0248] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path.

[0249] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0250] In some embodiments, the PC5-S message includes at least one of the following:

[0251] direct communication request; or

[0252] direct communication response;

[0253] and / or

[0254] The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0255] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0256] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink;

[0257] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or

[0258] NotificationMessageSidelink;

[0259] and / or

[0260] The MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0262] In some embodiments, the discovery-related message includes at least one of the following:

[0263] Discovery solicitation; or

[0264] Discovery response.

[0265] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0266] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0267] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0268] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0269] In some embodiments, the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0270] In some embodiments, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or,

[0271] In a case where the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message instructs the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0272] In some embodiments, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0273] RRC status information of the relay terminal device;

[0274] causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or

[0275] RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0276] In some embodiments, the second indication information is received via a direct path.

[0277] In some embodiments, the RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following:

[0278] RRC message;

[0279] PDCP control PDU;

[0280] RLC control PDU;

[0281] MAC CE; or

[0282] DCI.

[0283] In some embodiments, the RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path.

[0284] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0285] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0286] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0287] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0288] In some embodiments, when the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or,

[0289] In a case where the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or

[0290] Upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the indirect path, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0291] In some embodiments, the remote terminal device further receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and according to the third indication information, does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0292] In some embodiments, when the third indication information includes information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or when the third indication information includes information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0293] In some embodiments, the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0294] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0295] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0296] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0297] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0298] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0299] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0300] In some embodiments, the third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0301] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0302] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0303] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0304] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0305] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0306] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0307] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0308] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0309] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit; or the IE is optional.

[0310] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0311] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1300 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0312] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG13 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0313] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device, and triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information. This enables the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, thereby enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0314] Embodiments of the eighth aspect

[0315] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device, which may be, for example, a remote terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the remote terminal device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the second aspect will not be repeated.

[0316] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG14 , a multi-path communication device 1400 includes:

[0317] A receiving unit 1401, which receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and

[0318] The processing unit 1402 does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

[0319] In some embodiments, when the third indication information includes information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or when the third indication information includes information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0320] In some embodiments, the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0321] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0322] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0323] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0324] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0325] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0326] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0327] In some embodiments, the third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0328] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0329] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1400 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0330] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG14 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0331] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device and does not trigger or cancel or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or the relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0332] Embodiments of the ninth aspect

[0333] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device, which may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the relay terminal device, and the same contents as those in the embodiment of the third aspect will not be repeated here.

[0334] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG15 , a multi-path communication device 1500 includes:

[0335] A sending unit 1501, which sends first indication information to a remote terminal device; and

[0336] The receiving unit 1502 receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0337] In some embodiments, the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0338] RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or

[0339] The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

[0340] In some embodiments, the relay terminal device sends the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or,

[0341] The relay terminal device sends the first indication information during the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the remote terminal device or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection.

[0342] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0343] In some embodiments, the PC5-S message includes at least one of the following:

[0344] direct communication request; or

[0345] direct communication response;

[0346] and / or

[0347] The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0348] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0349] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink;

[0350] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or

[0351] NotificationMessageSidelink;

[0352] and / or

[0353] The MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0354] In some embodiments, the first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0355] In some embodiments, the discovery-related message includes at least one of the following:

[0356] Discovery solicitation; or

[0357] Discovery response.

[0358] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0359] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0360] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0361] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0362] In some embodiments, the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0363] In some embodiments, the sending unit 1501 sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0364] In some embodiments, the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0365] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0366] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0367] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0368] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0369] In some embodiments, the information about the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes: information about the relay terminal device performing cell selection, cell reselection, or switching.

[0370] In some embodiments, the third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0371] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0372] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or the PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0373] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0374] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0375] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0376] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0377] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0378] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit; or

[0379] The IE is optional.

[0380] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0381] The processing unit 1503 initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process according to the first PC5-RRC message.

[0382] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0383] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1500 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0384] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG15 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0385] According to the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the first indication information to the remote terminal device and receives the first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device for entering the RRC connected state. As a result, the relay terminal device can enter the RRC connected state according to the first PC5-RRC message, thereby providing relay services to the remote terminal device and facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0386] Embodiments of the tenth aspect

[0387] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device, which may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the relay terminal device, and the contents identical to those in the embodiment of the fourth aspect will not be repeated.

[0388] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG16 , a multi-path communication device 1600 includes:

[0389] The sending unit 1601 sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to enable the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0390] In some embodiments, the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0391] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0392] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0393] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0394] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0395] In some embodiments, the information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0396] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0397] In some embodiments, the third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0398] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0399] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1600 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0400] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG16 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0401] According to the above embodiment, the relay terminal device sends the third indication information to the remote terminal device, so that the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, thereby saving signaling overhead and avoiding the remote terminal device and / or relay terminal device from performing unnecessary operations.

[0402] Embodiment of the eleventh aspect

[0403] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device, which may be, for example, a relay terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the relay terminal device, and the contents identical to those in the embodiment of the fifth aspect are not repeated here.

[0404] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG17 , a multi-path communication device 1700 includes:

[0405] A receiving unit 1701, which receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal equipment; and

[0406] The processing unit 1702 initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0407] In some embodiments, when the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0408] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0409] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0410] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0411] In some embodiments, the first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0412] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0413] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0414] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0415] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0416] In some embodiments, the IE is 1 bit; or the IE is optional.

[0417] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0418] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1700 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0419] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG17 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0420] According to the above embodiment, the remote terminal device can always send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device regardless of whether the relay terminal device is in RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state. Therefore, the remote terminal device does not need to obtain the RRC state information of the relay terminal device, and the method is simple.

[0421] Embodiments of the twelfth aspect

[0422] The embodiment of the present application provides a multi-path communication device. The device may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the network device. The contents that are the same as those in the embodiment of the sixth aspect are not repeated here.

[0423] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a multi-path communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG18 , a multi-path communication device 1800 includes:

[0424] The sending unit 1801 sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, where the second indication information is used to trigger the remote terminal device or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connection state.

[0425] In some embodiments, the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0426] RRC status information of the relay terminal device;

[0427] causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or

[0428] RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0429] In some embodiments, the second indication information is sent via a direct path.

[0430] In some embodiments, the RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following:

[0431] RRC message;

[0432] PDCP control PDU;

[0433] RLC control PDU;

[0434] MAC CE; or

[0435] DCI.

[0436] In some embodiments, the RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path.

[0437] In some embodiments, the RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0438] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0439] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0440] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0441] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used individually, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0442] It is worth noting that the above only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The multi-path communication device 1800 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0443] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG18 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0444] According to the above embodiment, the network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device. The first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state. This allows the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connected state, enabling the relay terminal device to provide relay services to the remote terminal device, thereby facilitating the successful addition or modification of an indirect path.

[0445] Embodiments of the thirteenth aspect

[0446] An embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, and reference may be made to FIG1 . The contents identical to those in the first to twelfth embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0447] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include: a remote terminal device 101 and / or a relay terminal device 102 and / or a network device 103 .

[0448] In an embodiment of the present application, the remote terminal device 101 is configured to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect, the contents of which are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0449] In an embodiment of the present application, the relay terminal device 102 is configured to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the third aspect and / or the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect, the contents of which are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0450] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device 103 is configured to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiment of the sixth aspect, the content of which is incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0451] An embodiment of the present application also provides a remote terminal device.

[0452] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be a remote terminal device. As shown in Figure 19 , terminal device 1900 may include a processor 1901 and a memory 1902. Memory 1902 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 1901. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunication or other functions.

[0453] For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method as described in the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to perform the following operations: the remote terminal device receives first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or second indication information sent by the network device; and the remote terminal device triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the first indication information or the second indication information, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0454] For another example, the processor 1901 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method as described in the embodiment of the second aspect. For example, the processor 1901 may be configured to perform the following operations: the remote terminal device receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device based on the third indication information.

[0455] As shown in Figure 19 , the terminal device 1900 may further include: a communication module 1903, an input unit 1904, a display 1905, and a power supply 1906. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described here in detail. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1900 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in Figure 19 , and these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1900 may also include components not shown in Figure 19 , for which reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0456] An embodiment of the present application also provides a relay terminal device.

[0457] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be a relay terminal device. As shown in Figure 20 , terminal device 2000 may include a processor 2001 and a memory 2002. Memory 2002 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 2001. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunication or other functions.

[0458] For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method as described in the embodiment of the third aspect. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the following operations: the relay terminal device sends first indication information to the remote terminal device; and the relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0459] For another example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multipath communication method as described in the embodiment of the fourth aspect. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the following operation: the relay terminal device sends, to the remote terminal device, third indication information for causing the remote terminal device to not trigger, cancel, or not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0460] For another example, the processor 2001 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method as described in the embodiment of the fifth aspect. For example, the processor 2001 may be configured to perform the following operations: the relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device; when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process.

[0461] As shown in Figure 20 , the terminal device 2000 may further include: a communication module 2003, an input unit 2004, a display 2005, and a power supply 2006. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 2000 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in Figure 20 , and these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 2000 may also include components not shown in Figure 20 , for which reference may be made to the relevant art.

[0462] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other network devices.

[0463] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 21, network device 2100 may include a processor 2101 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 2102; the memory 2102 is coupled to the processor 2101. The memory 2102 may store various data and information processing programs, which are executed under the control of the processor 2101.

[0464] For example, the processor 2101 may be configured to execute a program to implement the multi-path communication method as described in the embodiment of the sixth aspect. For example, the processor 2101 may be configured to perform the following operations: the network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, where the second indication information is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0465] In addition, as shown in Figure 21, network device 2100 may also include: a transceiver 2103 and an antenna 2105; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described here in detail. It is worth noting that network device 2100 does not necessarily include all the components shown in Figure 21; in addition, network device 2100 may also include components not shown in Figure 21, and reference may be made to the prior art.

[0466] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a remote terminal device, the program enables the computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect in the remote terminal device.

[0467] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the first aspect and / or the second aspect in a remote terminal device.

[0468] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a relay terminal device, the program enables the computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the third aspect and / or the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect in the relay terminal device.

[0469] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiments of the third aspect and / or the fourth aspect and / or the fifth aspect in a relay terminal device.

[0470] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program enables the computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiment of the sixth aspect in the network device.

[0471] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium storing a computer-readable program, wherein the computer-readable program enables a computer to execute the multi-path communication method described in the embodiment of the sixth aspect in a network device.

[0472] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0473] The method / apparatus described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can correspond to the various steps shown in the figure, respectively. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0474] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0475] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0476] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0477] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

[0478] Method on the remote terminal device:

[0479] 1. A multi-path communication method, applied to a remote terminal device, comprising:

[0480] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device; and

[0481] The remote terminal device triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first indication information or the second indication information, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0482] 2. The method according to Note 1, wherein the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0483] RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or

[0484] The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

[0485] 3. The method according to Supplement 1 or 2, wherein:

[0486] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or,

[0487] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information during the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection.

[0488] 4. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein:

[0489] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device; or

[0490] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after sending the measurement report to the network device; or

[0491] The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message sent by the network device for adding or changing the indirect path.

[0492] 5. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein:

[0493] The first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0494] 6. The method according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein:

[0495] The PC5-S message includes at least one of the following:

[0496] direct communication request; or

[0497] direct communication response;

[0498] and / or

[0499] The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0500] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0501] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink;

[0502] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or

[0503] NotificationMessageSidelink;

[0504] and / or

[0505] The MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0506] 7. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein:

[0507] The first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0508] 8. The method according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein:

[0509] The discovery-related message includes at least one of the following:

[0510] Discovery solicitation; or

[0511] Discovery response.

[0512] 9. The method according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0513] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0514] Information about the RRC state of the relay terminal device (for example, RRC_Idle, RRC_Inactive, or RRC_Connected state);

[0515] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connection state (for example, in an RRC_Connected state, or not in an RRC_Connected state); or

[0516] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state (for example, in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state, or not in an RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive state).

[0517] 9A. The method according to Note 2, wherein:

[0518] The first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0519] 10. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0520] In a case where the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or,

[0521] In a case where the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message instructs the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0522] 11. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0523] RRC status information of the relay terminal device;

[0524] causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or

[0525] RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0526] 12. The method according to Supplement 11, wherein:

[0527] The second indication information is received through a direct path.

[0528] 13. The method according to Supplement 11, wherein:

[0529] The RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following:

[0530] RRC message;

[0531] PDCP control PDU;

[0532] RLC control PDU;

[0533] MAC CE; or

[0534] DCI.

[0535] 14. The method according to Supplement 13, wherein:

[0536] The RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0537] 15. The method according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein:

[0538] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0539] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0540] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0541] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0542] 16. The method according to Supplement 11, wherein:

[0543] In a case where the RRC status information indicates that the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or,

[0544] In a case where the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or

[0545] Upon receiving the RRC reconfiguration message for adding or changing the indirect path, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0546] 17. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising:

[0547] The remote terminal device receives the third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and

[0548] The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

[0549] 18. The method according to Note 17, wherein the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, comprising:

[0550] In a case where the third indication information includes information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or where the third indication information includes information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0551] 19. The method according to Supplement 17 or 18, wherein:

[0552] The third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0553] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0554] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0555] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0556] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0557] 20. The method according to Supplement 19, wherein:

[0558] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0559] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0560] 21. The method according to any one of Notes 17 to 20, wherein:

[0561] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0562] 22. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0563] The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0564] 23. The method according to Note 22, wherein:

[0565] The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0566] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0567] 24. The method according to any one of Notes 1, 22, and 23, wherein:

[0568] The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0569] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0570] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0571] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0572] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0573] 25. The method according to Supplement 23, wherein:

[0574] The IE is 1 bit; or

[0575] The IE is optional.

[0576] 26. A multi-path communication method, applied to a remote terminal device, wherein the method comprises:

[0577] The remote terminal device receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and

[0578] The remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

[0579] 27. The method according to note 26, wherein the remote terminal device does not trigger, cancel, or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information, comprising:

[0580] In a case where the third indication information includes information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or where the third indication information includes information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0581] 28. The method according to Note 26 or 27, wherein:

[0582] The third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0583] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0584] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0585] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0586] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0587] 29. The method according to Supplementary Note 28, wherein:

[0588] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0589] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0590] 30. The method according to any one of Notes 26 to 29, wherein:

[0591] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0592] Devices on the relay terminal side:

[0593] 1. A multi-path communication device, configured in a relay terminal device, comprising:

[0594] a sending unit configured to send first indication information to a remote terminal device; and

[0595] A receiving unit receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0596] 2. The apparatus according to Note 1, wherein the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0597] RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or

[0598] The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

[0599] 3. The device according to Note 1 or 2, wherein:

[0600] The relay terminal device sends the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or,

[0601] The relay terminal device sends the first indication information during the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the remote terminal device or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection.

[0602] 4. The device according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein:

[0603] The first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0604] 5. The device according to Supplement 4, wherein:

[0605] The PC5-S message includes at least one of the following:

[0606] direct communication request; or

[0607] direct communication response;

[0608] and / or

[0609] The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0610] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0611] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink;

[0612] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or

[0613] NotificationMessageSidelink;

[0614] and / or

[0615] The MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0616] 6. The device according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein:

[0617] The first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0618] 7. The device according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0619] The discovery-related message includes at least one of the following:

[0620] Discovery solicitation; or

[0621] Discovery response.

[0622] 8. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0623] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0624] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0625] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0626] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0627] 8A. The device according to Note 2, wherein:

[0628] The first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0629] 9. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0630] The sending unit sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to enable the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0631] 10. The apparatus according to Note 9, wherein the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0632] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0633] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0634] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0635] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0636] 11. The device according to Supplement 10, wherein:

[0637] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0638] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0639] 12. The device according to any one of Notes 9 to 11, wherein:

[0640] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0641] 13. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0642] The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0643] 14. The device according to Supplement 13, wherein:

[0644] The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0645] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0646] 15. The device according to any one of Notes 1, 13, and 14, wherein:

[0647] The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0648] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0649] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0650] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0651] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0652] 16. The device according to Note 14, wherein:

[0653] The IE is 1 bit; or

[0654] The IE is optional.

[0655] 17. The device according to Supplement 1, wherein the device further comprises:

[0656] A processing unit, which initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process according to the first PC5-RRC message.

[0657] 18. A multi-path communication device, configured in a relay terminal device, wherein the device comprises:

[0658] A sending unit is configured to send third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to enable the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0659] 19. The apparatus according to Note 18, wherein the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0660] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0661] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0662] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0663] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0664] 20. The device according to Note 19, wherein:

[0665] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0666] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0667] 21. The device according to any one of Notes 18 to 20, wherein:

[0668] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0669] 22. A multi-path communication device, configured in a relay terminal device, wherein the device comprises:

[0670] a receiving unit configured to receive a first PC5-RRC message sent by a remote terminal device; and

[0671] A processing unit, which initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process when the relay terminal device is in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0672] 23. The device according to Note 22, wherein:

[0673] When the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0674] 24. The device according to Note 22, wherein:

[0675] The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0676] 25. The device according to Note 24, wherein:

[0677] The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0678] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0679] 26. The device according to Note 22, wherein:

[0680] The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0681] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0682] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0683] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0684] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0685] 27. The device according to Note 25, wherein:

[0686] The IE is 1 bit; or

[0687] The IE is optional.

[0688] Method on the relay terminal device side:

[0689] 1. A multi-path communication method, applied to a relay terminal device, comprising:

[0690] The relay terminal device sends first indication information to the remote terminal device; and

[0691] The relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connected state.

[0692] 2. The method according to Note 1, wherein the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0693] RRC status information of the relay terminal device; or

[0694] The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

[0695] 3. The method according to Supplement 1 or 2, wherein:

[0696] The relay terminal device sends the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or,

[0697] The relay terminal device sends the first indication information during the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the remote terminal device or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection.

[0698] 4. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein:

[0699] The first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a MAC CE sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0700] 5. The method according to Supplement 4, wherein:

[0701] The PC5-S message includes at least one of the following:

[0702] direct communication request; or

[0703] direct communication response;

[0704] and / or

[0705] The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0706] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0707] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink;

[0708] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or

[0709] NotificationMessageSidelink;

[0710] and / or

[0711] The MAC CE is a new MAC CE.

[0712] 6. The method according to any one of Notes 1 to 3, wherein:

[0713] The first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0714] 7. The method according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein:

[0715] The discovery-related message includes at least one of the following:

[0716] Discovery solicitation; or

[0717] Discovery response.

[0718] 8. The method according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0719] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0720] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0721] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0722] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0723] 8A. The method according to Note 2, wherein:

[0724] The first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

[0725] 9. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the method further comprises:

[0726] The relay terminal device sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0727] 10. According to the method of Supplementary Note 9, the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0728] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0729] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0730] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0731] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0732] 11. The method according to Supplementary Note 10, wherein:

[0733] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0734] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0735] 12. The method according to any one of Notes 9 to 11, wherein:

[0736] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0737] 13. The method according to Supplement 1, wherein:

[0738] The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0739] 14. The method according to Supplement 13, wherein:

[0740] The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0741] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0742] 15. The method according to any one of Notes 1, 13, and 14, wherein:

[0743] The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0744] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0745] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0746] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0747] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0748] 16. The method according to Supplement 14, wherein:

[0749] The IE is 1 bit; or

[0750] The IE is optional.

[0751] 17. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising:

[0752] The relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process according to the first PC5-RRC message.

[0753] 18. A multi-path communication method, applied to a relay terminal device, wherein the method comprises:

[0754] The relay terminal device sends third indication information to the remote terminal device, which is used to cause the remote terminal device not to trigger or cancel or not to send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

[0755] 19. The method according to Supplementary Note 18, wherein the third indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0756] Information about the first serving cell or first serving base station of the relay terminal device;

[0757] The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station;

[0758] Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or

[0759] The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

[0760] 20. The method according to Supplement 19, wherein:

[0761] The information of the relay terminal device changing the serving cell or serving base station includes:

[0762] The relay terminal device performs cell selection, cell reselection or switching information.

[0763] 21. The method according to any one of Notes 18 to 20, wherein:

[0764] The third indication information is included in a discovery message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

[0765] 22. A multi-path communication method, applied to a relay terminal device, wherein the method comprises:

[0766] The relay terminal device receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device;

[0767] When the relay terminal device is in the RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the relay terminal device initiates an RRC connection establishment process or an RRC recovery process.

[0768] 23. The method according to Note 22, wherein:

[0769] When the relay terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the relay terminal device ignores the first PC5-RRC message.

[0770] 24. The method according to Note 22, wherein:

[0771] The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0772] 25. The method according to Note 24, wherein:

[0773] The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or

[0774] The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new IE in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

[0775] 26. The method according to Supplement 22, wherein:

[0776] The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following:

[0777] RemoteUEInformationSidelink;

[0778] RRCReconfigurationSidelink;

[0779] RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or

[0780] UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

[0781] 27. The method according to Supplement 25, wherein:

[0782] The IE is 1 bit; or

[0783] The IE is optional.

[0784] Devices on the network equipment side:

[0785] 1. A multi-path communication device, configured in a network device, comprising:

[0786] A sending unit, which sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, wherein the second indication information is used to trigger the remote terminal device or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, and the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter the RRC connection state.

[0787] 2. The apparatus according to Note 1, wherein the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0788] RRC status information of the relay terminal device;

[0789] causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or

[0790] RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0791] 3. The device according to Note 1 or 2, wherein:

[0792] The second indication information is sent through a direct path.

[0793] 4. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0794] The RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following:

[0795] RRC message;

[0796] PDCP control PDU;

[0797] RLC control PDU;

[0798] MAC CE; or

[0799] DCI.

[0800] 5. The device according to Supplement 4, wherein:

[0801] The RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0802] 6. The device according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0803] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0804] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0805] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0806] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

[0807] Method on the network device side:

[0808] 1. A multi-path communication method, applied to a network device, comprising:

[0809] The network device sends second indication information to the remote terminal device, where the second indication information is used to cause the remote terminal device to trigger or send a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device, where the first PC5-RRC message is used to cause the relay terminal device to enter an RRC connection state.

[0810] 2. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the second indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0811] RRC status information of the relay terminal device;

[0812] causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or

[0813] RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0814] 3. The method according to Supplement 1 or 2, wherein:

[0815] The second indication information is sent through a direct path.

[0816] 4. The method according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein:

[0817] The RRC state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following:

[0818] RRC message;

[0819] PDCP control PDU;

[0820] RLC control PDU;

[0821] MAC CE; or

[0822] DCI.

[0823] 5. The method according to Supplement 4, wherein:

[0824] The RRC message is an RRC reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

[0825] 6. The method according to Supplement 2, wherein:

[0826] The RRC status information includes at least one of the following:

[0827] Information about the RRC status of the relay terminal device;

[0828] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in an RRC connected state; or

[0829] Information on whether the relay terminal device is in RRC idle or RRC inactive state.

Claims

1. A multi-path communication device, configured in a remote terminal device, comprising: A receiving unit, which receives the first indication information sent by the relay terminal device or the second indication information sent by the network device; as well as A processing unit, which triggers or sends a first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the first indication information or the second indication information, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter a radio resource control connection state.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first indication information includes at least one of the following: Radio resource control status information of the relay terminal device; or The remote terminal device triggers or sends the first information of the first PC5-RRC message.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The remote terminal device receives the first indication information during or after the PC5 discovery process; and / or, The remote terminal device receives the first indication information during or after the process of establishing the PC5 connection with the relay terminal device; and / or, The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after receiving the measurement configuration information sent by the network device; and / or, The remote terminal device receives the first indication information before or after sending the measurement report to the network device; and / or, The remote terminal equipment receives the first indication information before or after receiving a radio resource control reconfiguration message sent by a network device for adding or changing an indirect path.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first indication information is included in a PC5-S message, a second PC5-RRC message, or a media access control control element sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device; and / or The first indication information is included in a discovery-related message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The PC5-S message includes at least one of the following: direct communication request; or direct communication responsedirect communication response; and / or The second PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following: Radio resource control reconfiguration side link RRCReconfigurationSidelink; Radio resource control reconfiguration completes side link RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; User equipment assistance information side link UEAssistanceInformationSidelink; or NotificationMessageSidelink; and / or The media access control element is a new media access control element; and / or The discovery-related message includes at least one of the following: Discovery solicitation; or Discovery response 6. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The radio resource control state information includes at least one of the following: Information on the radio resource control status of the relay terminal device; Information on whether the relay terminal device is in a radio resource control connection state; or Information on whether the relay terminal device is in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state; and / or The first information that causes the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is 1 bit.

7. The device according to claim 2, wherein: When the radio resource control state information indicates that the relay terminal device is in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state or is not in a radio resource control connected state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, In the case where the first information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device Trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The second indication information includes at least one of the following: Radio resource control status information of the relay terminal device; causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the second information of the first PC5-RRC message; or A radio resource control reconfiguration message used to add or modify an indirect path.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The second indication information is received through a direct path.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The radio resource control state information of the relay terminal device and / or the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message is included in at least one of the following: Radio resource control message; Packet Data Convergence Protocol Control Protocol Data Unit PDCP control PDU; Radio link control protocol data unit RLC control PDU; Media Access Control Element MAC CE; or Downlink control information DCI.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein: When the radio resource control state information indicates that the relay terminal device is in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state or is not in a radio resource control connected state, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, In the case where the second information causing the remote terminal device to trigger or send the first PC5-RRC message indicates that the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device; or, Upon receiving the radio resource control reconfiguration message for adding or changing an indirect path, the remote terminal device triggers or sends the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The receiving unit further receives third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; The processing unit does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device according to the third indication information.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: In a case where the third indication information includes information that the first service cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second service cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, or where the third indication information includes information that the first service base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second service base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path, the remote terminal device does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The third indication information includes at least one of the following: Information about the first serving cell or the first serving base station of the relay terminal device; The relay terminal device changes the information of the serving cell or serving base station; Information that the first serving cell of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving cell to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path; or The first serving base station of the relay terminal device is different from the second serving base station to which the remote terminal device is connected via a direct path.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The third indication information is included in a discovery-related message or a second PC5-RRC message sent by the relay terminal device to the remote terminal device.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein The first PC5-RRC message includes a PC5-RRC trigger, and the PC5-RRC trigger is used to trigger the relay terminal device to enter a radio resource control connection state.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The first PC5-RRC message is a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message; or The PC5-RRC trigger is included as a new information element in a new PC5-RRC message or an existing PC5-RRC message.

18. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first PC5-RRC message includes at least one of the following: Remote UE Information Sidelink RemoteUEInformationSidelink; Radio resource control reconfiguration side link RRCReconfigurationSidelink; Radio resource control reconfiguration completes side link RRCReconfigurationCompleteSidelink; or User equipment assistance information side link UEAssistanceInformationSidelink.

19. A multi-path communication device, configured in a remote terminal device, wherein: The device comprises: a receiving unit, configured to receive third indication information sent by the relay terminal device; and A processing unit, which, according to the third indication information, does not trigger or cancel or does not send the first PC5-RRC message to the relay terminal device.

20. A multi-path communication device, configured in a relay terminal device, the device comprising: A sending unit, which sends first indication information to a remote terminal device; as well as A receiving unit receives a first PC5-RRC message sent by the remote terminal device, wherein the first PC5-RRC message is used to enable the relay terminal device to enter a radio resource control connection state.

Images