A method and apparatus for communication

Abstract

The application relates to the communication technology field and discloses a communication method and device, which are used for proposing a network coding mode and transmission mode of a data unit in an air interface. A first protocol layer of an encoding end carries out network coding on a plurality of first data units to obtain a plurality of network coded data units, and then a second protocol layer adds indication information for indicating the network coded data units in the packet header of the network coded data units. A second protocol layer of a decoding end receives the data units, and when it is determined that the indication information for indicating the network coded data units is included in the packet header of the received data units, the data units are sent to a first protocol layer for network decoding after the packet header of the second protocol layer is removed.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Compared to fourth-generation mobile communication systems, fifth-generation mobile communication systems impose more stringent requirements on various network performance indicators. For example, higher requirements are placed on the reliability of service transmission.

[0003] In air interface transmission, how the encoding and decoding ends perform network encoding and decoding, as well as how to transmit network-encoded data units, are technical problems that need to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus, which proposes a network encoding / decoding method and transmission method for data units over an air interface.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. A first device includes a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer, with the second protocol layer being a lower protocol layer than the first protocol layer. The second protocol layer can receive a third data unit, which includes a second protocol layer header and a second data unit. The second protocol layer can determine whether the second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes first indication information, which indicates that the third data unit is a network-coded data unit. If the first indication information is included, the second protocol layer can send the second data unit to the first protocol layer. If the first indication information is not included, the second protocol layer can send the second data unit to an upper protocol layer than the first protocol layer. Then, the first protocol layer can perform network decoding on multiple second data units to obtain multiple first data units.

[0006] In the above embodiments, the first device acts as the decoding end. The second protocol layer can determine whether to send the data unit to the first protocol layer for network decoding or to send it to an upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer without network decoding, based on whether the data unit includes first indication information indicating that the data unit is a network-coded data unit. This proposes a network decoding method and a transmission method for data units between different protocol layers.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the type of network coding, vector information of the network coding, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit. The vector information of the network coding is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit. That is, it indicates which first data units the second data unit was obtained by network coding.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the header of the second protocol layer of the third data unit further includes path identification information. If multiple third data units are received, at least two of these third data units will typically have different path identification information. Routing third data units within the same group (belonging to the same block, object, or bearer) can increase the probability of data decoding and improve the reliability of data transmission.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer may further determine at least one fourth data unit based on a plurality of the first data units. Furthermore, the at least one fourth data unit may be sent to a higher-level protocol layer above the first protocol layer.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer may perform the step of determining at least one fourth data unit based on the plurality of first data units in any of the following ways:

[0011] The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fourth data unit; or

[0012] The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it becomes a fourth data unit; or

[0013] The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units; or

[0014] The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it divides it into at least two fourth data units; or

[0015] The first protocol layer treats each of the multiple first data units as a fourth data unit; or

[0016] The first protocol layer removes the corresponding supplementary information from each of the multiple first data units and then treats them as a fourth data unit; or

[0017] The first protocol layer divides a portion of the first data units from the plurality of first data units into a fourth data unit, and divides the remaining portion of the first data units into a fourth data unit after deleting the corresponding supplementary information.

[0018] The above-mentioned combination of multiple first data units into a fifth data unit or a fourth data unit can be achieved by cascading multiple first data units (i.e., connecting them end to end) to form a fifth data unit or a fourth data unit; or by interleaving multiple first data units to form a fifth data unit or a fourth data unit.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first device may receive a sixth indication, which instructs the encoding end to determine a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. Thus, the first protocol layer of the first device can infer, based on the sixth indication, which of the aforementioned seven methods should be used to perform the step of determining at least one fourth data unit based on the plurality of first data units.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit. The length of the fourth data unit can be determined based on the length of the data field and the length of the header. Thus, the first protocol layer can determine whether to delete supplementary information to obtain the fourth data unit based on its length. Alternatively, each fourth data unit can be segmented within the fifth data unit based on its length.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the header of the fourth data unit further includes third indication information, which indicates whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information. The decoding end can determine whether to parse the length information field based on the third indication information. If it is determined that the length information is included, the length information field can be parsed for subsequent use. If it is determined that the length information is not included, there is no need to parse the length information field, thus reducing processing load.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the first device receives fifth indication information, which indicates the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units. Specifically, the length of each fourth data unit may be represented by a length value, or by the start and / or end position of each of the plurality of fourth data units in the fifth data unit.

[0023] In one possible implementation, when the first protocol layer divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units, it may divide the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units according to the length of each fourth data unit.

[0024] In one possible implementation, when the first protocol layer divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units after deleting supplementary information, the first protocol layer may divide the data unit after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units according to the length of each fourth data unit.

[0025] In one possible implementation, when the first protocol layer deletes the corresponding supplementary information from some or all of the first data units in a plurality of first data units and treats them as a fourth data unit, the fourth data unit may be extracted from the first data unit based on the length of the fourth data unit.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first device receives fourth indication information, which indicates the length of the supplementary information included in the first data unit. When the first protocol layer of the first device deletes the corresponding supplementary information from some or all of the first data units and treats them as a fourth data unit, it can delete the supplementary information of the corresponding length in the first data unit according to the fourth indication information.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the first data unit may be called a source symbol, the second data unit is an encoded symbol, the third data unit is a network-coded data unit, and the fourth data unit is a non-network-coded data unit.

[0028] Secondly, a communication method is provided. A second device includes a first protocol layer and a second protocol layer, wherein the second protocol layer is a lower protocol layer than the first protocol layer. The first protocol layer of the second device performs network encoding on a plurality of first data units to obtain a plurality of second data units. The second protocol layer of the second device adds a second protocol layer header to each second data unit to obtain a corresponding third data unit. The second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes: first indication information, which indicates that the third data unit is a network-coded data unit.

[0029] In the above embodiments, the second device acts as the encoding end. The first protocol layer performs network encoding on the data unit and sends the network-encoded data unit to the second protocol layer. The second protocol layer adds first indication information to the encoded data unit to indicate that the data unit is a network-encoded data unit. A network encoding method and a data unit transmission method between different protocol layers are proposed.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the type of network coding, vector information of the network coding, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit; the vector information of the network coding is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit. That is, it indicates which first data units the second data unit was obtained by network coding.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the second protocol layer adds path identification information to the packet header of each of the plurality of third data units, based on the second indication information. Typically, at least two of these third data units will have different path identification information. Routing third data units within the same group (belonging to the same block, object, or bearer) can increase the probability of data decoding and improve the reliability of data transmission.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer determines a plurality of first data units based on at least one fourth data unit, wherein the fourth data unit may be received by the first protocol layer from an upper protocol layer above the first protocol layer.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer may perform the step of determining a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit in any of the following ways:

[0034] The first protocol layer determines a plurality of the first data units based on one of the fourth data units; or

[0035] The first protocol layer adds supplementary information to each of the fourth data units to create a fifth data unit, and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data units; or

[0036] The first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units to form a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit; or

[0037] The first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units, adds supplementary information, and then creates a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit; or

[0038] The first protocol layer uses each of the at least two fourth data units as a first data unit; or

[0039] The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to each of the at least two fourth data units, and then uses each of them as a first data unit; or

[0040] The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to a portion of the fourth data units in at least two fourth data units and uses each of them as a first data unit, and uses the remaining portion of the fourth data units as a first data unit.

[0041] The "determine" in the above-mentioned determination of multiple first data units based on the fourth data unit and determination of multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit can be either direct segmentation or interleaved segmentation.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the second device may send a sixth indication message, which instructs the second device to perform the step of determining a plurality of first data units based on at least one fourth data unit using one of the seven methods described above. This allows the decoding end to infer, based on the sixth indication message, the method for determining at least one fourth data unit based on the plurality of first data units.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on the fourth data units received within a set time period; or the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on n fourth data units, wherein the sum of the lengths of the n fourth data units is greater than or equal to the set data unit length (e.g., data unit length), and the sum of the lengths of the n-1 fourth data units is less than the set data unit length; or the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on a set threshold m for the number of fourth data units.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the time length, data unit length, and fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be set or configured separately for each bearer in the second device. The settings or configurations for different bearers can be the same or different. Each user bearer has different quality of service (QoS) requirements; for example, different user bearers have different latency requirements, some requiring higher latency and others lower latency. For services with high latency requirements, the waiting time cannot be too long. Therefore, the set time length, data unit length, and fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be smaller so that the first protocol layer can begin network coding after receiving a smaller number of fourth data units. For services with low latency requirements, a longer waiting time can be allowed before network coding, so the set time length, data unit length, and fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be larger. Alternatively, the network device can be uniformly set or configured for all bearers of the second device. In this case, all bearers on the second device have the same settings, and uniform configuration can reduce the signaling overhead required for configuration.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit. The length of the fourth data unit can be determined based on the length of the data field and the length of the header. Thus, the decoding end can determine whether to delete supplementary information to obtain the fourth data unit based on its length. Alternatively, each fourth data unit can be segmented within the fifth data unit based on its length.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the header of the fourth data unit further includes third indication information, which indicates whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information. The decoding end can determine whether to parse the length information field based on the third indication information. If it is determined that the length information is included, the length information field can be parsed for subsequent use. If it is determined that the length information is not included, there is no need to parse the length information field, thus reducing processing load.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the second device sends a fifth indication message, which indicates the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units. Specifically, the length of each fourth data unit can be represented by a length value, or by the start and / or end position of each of the plurality of fourth data units in the fifth data unit.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the second device sends a fourth indication message, which indicates the length of the supplementary information included in the first data unit. This allows the decoding end to delete the corresponding length of supplementary information from the first data unit based on the fourth indication message when deleting the corresponding supplementary information from part or all of the first data units and treating each as a fourth data unit.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the first data unit may be called a source symbol, the second data unit is an encoded symbol, the third data unit is a network-coded data unit, and the fourth data unit is a non-network-coded data unit.

[0050] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided, the communication having the functions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. These functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more functional modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0051] Fourthly, a communication apparatus is provided, the communication having the functions described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. These functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more functional modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0052] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be the first device in the above method embodiments or a chip disposed in the first device. The apparatus includes a transceiver and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to both the memory and the transceiver. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the apparatus performs the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, executed by the first device, via the transceiver.

[0053] Sixthly, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be the second device in the above method embodiments or a chip disposed in the second device. The apparatus includes a transceiver and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory stores computer programs or instructions, and the processor is coupled to both the memory and the transceiver. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the apparatus performs the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, executed by the second device, via the transceiver.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by a first device in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method executed by a second device in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0056] Ninthly, this application provides a chip system including a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are electrically coupled together; the memory is used to store computer program instructions; the processor is used to execute some or all of the computer program instructions in the memory, wherein when the some or all of the computer program instructions are executed, they are used to implement the function of the first device in the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0057] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a transceiver for transmitting signals processed by the processor or receiving signals input to the processor. The chip system may consist of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0058] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are electrically coupled together; the memory is used to store computer program instructions; the processor is used to execute some or all of the computer program instructions in the memory, wherein when the some or all of the computer program instructions are executed, they are used to implement the function of the second device in the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect described above.

[0059] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a transceiver for transmitting signals processed by the processor or receiving signals input to the processor. The chip system may consist of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0060] Eleventhly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program, wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by the first device in the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof is executed.

[0061] In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program, wherein when the computer program is run, the method executed by a second device in the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof is performed.

[0062] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising: a first device for performing the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and a second device for performing the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 2a This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario architecture provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 2b This is a schematic diagram of a protocol layer provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 3 This is a communication diagram illustrating the network coding of a second device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 4a , Figure 4b , Figure 4c This application provides a network coding method in its embodiments.

[0068] Figure 5 This is a communication diagram illustrating network decoding of a first device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 This is a communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0070] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some terms used in the embodiments of this application are explained below, so that those skilled in the art can understand them.

[0072] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, 5th Generation (5G) system, such as new radio access technology (NR), and future communication systems, etc.

[0073] For example, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to this application, including: a terminal device 11, a wireless backhaul device 12, an access network device 13, and a core network device 14. The terminal device 11 is wirelessly connected to the wireless backhaul device 12, and the terminal device 11 is connected to the access network device 13 through one or more wireless backhaul devices 12. The terminal device 11 can also be directly connected to the access network device 13 wirelessly. The access network device 13 is connected to the core network device 14 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network device 14 and the access network device 13 can be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device 14 and the logical functions of the access network device 13 can be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network device 14 and some of the functions of the access network device 13. The terminal device can be fixed in location or movable. This application does not limit the number of core network device 14, access network device 13, wireless backhaul device 12, and terminal device 11. Multiple transmission paths may exist between the terminal device 11 and the access network device 13. A transmission path may contain multiple nodes, such as a terminal device, a wireless access network device, and one or more wireless backhaul devices.

[0074] Terminal equipment, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), or terminal, is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal equipment includes handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Currently, terminal equipment can be: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, etc.

[0075] A wireless backhaul device can provide backhaul services to its child nodes, which can be terminal devices or other wireless backhaul devices. Wireless backhaul devices can be relay nodes (RNs), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other devices capable of providing wireless relay functionality. An IAB node can consist of a mobile termination (MT) component and a distributed unit (DU) component. When an IAB node faces its parent node, it can be considered a user equipment (MT); when an IAB node faces its child nodes, it can be considered a network device.

[0076] A radio access network (RAN) is a sub-network of a carrier network, serving as the implementation system between service nodes and terminal devices within the carrier network. For a terminal device to access the carrier network, it first passes through the RAN, and then connects to service nodes in the carrier network via the RAN. The RAN equipment in this application is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices; RAN equipment is also called access network equipment. The RAN equipment in this application includes, but is not limited to: next-generation node B (gNB), evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), basestation controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B (HNB)), baseband unit (BBU), transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), mobile switching center, etc.

[0077] Access network equipment can also be IAB donor equipment. IAB donor equipment can be an access network element with complete base station functionality, or it can be an access network element with separate centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) configurations. The IAB donor equipment connects to the core network equipment serving the terminal equipment and provides wireless backhaul functionality for the IAB nodes. For ease of description, the centralized unit (IAB donor CU) of the IAB donor equipment is abbreviated as donor CU, or simply CU. The distributed unit (IAB donor DU) of the IAB donor equipment is abbreviated as donor DU. The donor CU can have separate control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) configurations; for example, a CU can consist of one CU-CP and one or more CU-UPs. In this application, the IAB donor can also be referred to as a donor node or a donor gNodeB (DgNB). The service data of the terminal equipment can be transmitted by the IAB node to the IAB donor equipment via a wireless backhaul link.

[0078] The access network device 13, the wireless backhaul device 12, and the terminal device 11 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the wireless access network device 13, the wireless backhaul device 12, and the terminal device 11.

[0079] Wireless links between devices can communicate using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. They can also communicate using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used by the wireless links.

[0080] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the application scenarios of this application will be introduced below. The business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0081] like Figure 2a As shown in the diagram, an application scenario architecture example is proposed, where the second device 22 acts as an encoding device and the first device 21 acts as a decoding device. The first device 21 includes a first protocol layer a and a second protocol layer b located below the first protocol layer a. The second device 22 includes a first protocol layer c and a second protocol layer d located below the first protocol layer c. The first protocol layer c of the second device 22 can perform network encoding on data units and send the network-encoded data units to the second protocol layer d. The second protocol layer d then sends the network-encoded data units, either to the decoding end or to the next protocol layer. The second protocol layer b of the first device 21 can receive the network-encoded data units and send the received network-encoded data units to the first protocol layer a. The first protocol layer a decodes the network-encoded data units. The second protocol layer b of the first device or the second protocol layer d of the second device can, for example, be an air interface protocol layer used for routing network-encoded data units for air interface transmission.

[0082] It should be noted that the first protocol layer a of the first device 21 can also have the function of network encoding data units as described above, which is the first protocol layer c of the second device 22. Similarly, the second protocol layer b of the first device can also have the function of sending network-encoded data units as described above, which is the second protocol layer d of the second device 22. The second protocol layer d of the second device 22 can also have the function of receiving network-encoded data units as described above, which is the second protocol layer b of the first device 21. Furthermore, the first protocol layer c of the second device can also have the function of network decoding data units as described above, which is the first protocol layer a of the first device 21. The first device 21 and the second device 22 can be different devices, with the first device 21 receiving network-encoded data units sent by the second device 22.

[0083] Combination Figure 1 For example, during downlink transmission, the second device 22 can be a wireless access device 13, meaning the network coding function is located on the wireless access device 13. The first device 21 can be a wireless backhaul device 12 or a terminal device 11, meaning the network decoding function is located on the wireless backhaul device 12 or the terminal device 11. For uplink transmission, the second device 22 can be a wireless backhaul device 12 or a terminal device 11, meaning the network coding function is located on the wireless backhaul device 12 or the terminal device 11. The first device 21 can be a wireless access device 13, meaning the network decoding function is located on the wireless access device 13. The wireless access device can be, for example, a gNB-CU (e.g., an IAB donor CU), a gNB-DU (e.g., an IAB donor DU), or a gNB. Furthermore, if direct communication between the two terminal devices 11 is possible, the first device 21 and the second device 22 can also be two different terminal devices 11.

[0084] The first protocol layer a in the first device 21 or the first protocol layer c in the second device 22 can be a newly defined protocol layer or protocol sublayer with network encoding and / or decoding functions. For example Figure 2b As shown, the first protocol layer is defined as the network coding (NC) layer, which is located between the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer and the backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer.

[0085] For example, the existing BAP layer may possess at least one of the following capabilities: adding routing information recognizable by the radio backhaul node to data packets; performing routing selection based on the routing information recognizable by the radio backhaul node; adding identification information related to quality of service (QoS) requirements recognizable by the radio backhaul node to data packets; performing QoS mapping on multiple links containing the radio backhaul node for data packets; adding data packet type indication information to data packets; and sending flow control feedback information to nodes with flow control capabilities. Further explanation of the existing BAP layer can also refer to the relevant description of the BAP layer in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical standard (TS) version 38.340V1.0.0.

[0086] The NC layer here can also be called the codec layer, network codec layer, or other names, and is not limited in this application. A sub-layer protocol can also be added to the existing PDCP layer for network encoding and / or decoding, in which case the first protocol layer a or the first protocol layer c can be a sub-layer protocol layer of the PDCP layer. Similarly, a sub-layer protocol can be added to the existing BAP layer for network encoding and / or decoding, in which case the first protocol layer can be a sub-layer protocol layer of the BAP layer. Likewise, the second protocol layer b in the first device 21 or the second protocol layer d in the second device 22 can be the BAP layer or a sub-layer protocol layer of the BAP layer. That is, the first protocol layer and the second protocol layer below the first protocol layer can both be sub-layer protocol layers of the BAP. The second protocol layer b in the first device 21 and the second protocol layer d in the second device 22 can also be lower-level protocol layers of the BAP layer, such as the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) sub-layer protocol, etc. Alternatively, the second protocol layer b in the first device 21 and the second protocol layer d in the second device 22 may be a newly defined protocol layer for implementing the routing function of data units on the wireless link. The name of the second protocol layer is not limited in this application.

[0087] Additionally: Network coding: The encoder can randomly linearly combine the source data to generate any number of network-coded data sets. The decoder only needs to receive enough network-coded data to recover the source data. Therefore, data loss during data transmission will not affect decoding performance. Network coding can reduce retransmission latency of data packets during transmission and improve data transmission reliability through multipath transmission.

[0088] Network decoding is the inverse process of network encoding.

[0089] In this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0090] The term "multiple" in this application refers to two or more.

[0091] In the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0092] Additionally, in the embodiments of this application, the term "exemplary" is used to indicate that it is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or implementation described as "exemplary" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or implementations. Rather, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0093] This application proposes a network encoding / decoding method and transmission method for data units over an air interface. The solution will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Features or contents indicated by dashed lines in the drawings can be understood as optional operations or optional structures in the embodiments of this application.

[0094] In the following embodiments, the fourth data unit can be understood as a regular data packet received from a higher layer, the first data unit can be understood as a source symbol, the second data unit can be understood as an encoded symbol, the third data unit can be understood as a network-coded data unit, and the fifth data unit can be understood as a data object or block. The source symbol is first determined based on the regular data packet, or the data object or block is first determined based on the regular data packet, and then the source symbol is determined based on the data object or block. Then, network encoding is performed on the source symbol to obtain the encoded symbol. The process of determining the source symbol based on the regular data packet, or first determining the data object or block based on the regular data packet, and then determining the source symbol based on the data object or block, can also be understood as part of network coding.

[0095] like Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a communication process in which a second device performs network encoding. Figure 3 The second device in the example can be Figure 2aThe second device 22 in the middle. The first protocol layer and the second protocol layer of the second device are respectively Figure 2a The first protocol layer c and the second protocol layer d in the process. Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0096] Step 301: The first protocol layer of the second device determines a plurality of first data units based on at least one fourth data unit.

[0097] Optionally, the fourth data unit is received by the first protocol layer from the protocol layer above it. When the first protocol layer is a sublayer of the PDCP layer, the fourth data unit can be a PDCP service data unit (SDU); or when the first protocol layer is located in the next lower protocol layer of the PDCP layer, for example... Figure 2b When the first protocol layer is in the network coding layer (NC) of the PDCP layer, the fourth data unit can be an NC SDU or a PDCP protocol data unit (PDU); or when the first protocol layer is located in the next protocol layer after the PDCP layer, such as the BAP layer, the fourth data unit can be a BAP SDU or a PDCP PDU.

[0098] Optionally, the second device can set the length of the first data unit, and can also set how to determine the fourth data unit, and thus determine the first data unit. For example, it can set information such as time length, quantity threshold m, or length threshold of data object or block, and determine which fourth data units are grouped together based on this information, thereby determining the first data unit.

[0099] In one example, the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on the fourth data unit received within a set time period. For example, the set time period is 5ms or 30ms, etc. The first protocol layer uses the set time period (e.g., 10ms, 20ms, etc.) as a cycle, and the fourth data units received in each cycle are grouped together. Based on this group of fourth data units, multiple first data units are determined.

[0100] In another example, the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on n fourth data units, wherein the sum of the lengths of the n fourth data units is greater than or equal to the set data unit length, and the sum of the lengths of the n-1 fourth data units is less than the set data unit length.

[0101] In another example, the first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on a set threshold m for the number of fourth data units. The first protocol layer determines the first data unit by grouping m consecutively received fourth data units together. Alternatively, it determines the first data unit by grouping m+1 consecutively received fourth data units together.

[0102] The aforementioned time length, data unit length, or fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be set or configured by the network device for each bearer in the second device. Each bearer can be set with at least one of these three pieces of information, and the information set for different bearers can be the same or different.

[0103] The aforementioned time length, data unit length, or the threshold m for the number of fourth data units can also be set by the network device for all bearers of the second device, with all bearers having the same settings. Unified configuration can reduce the signaling overhead required for configuration.

[0104] The aforementioned time length, and / or data unit length, and / or the threshold m for the number of fourth data units can be... Figure 1 The access network device 13 is configured. If the second device is access network device 12 (e.g., a base station or IAB host node), then it is configured itself. Figure 1 If the wireless backhaul device 12 or terminal device 11 is in the second device, then the access network device configures the aforementioned time length, and / or data unit length, and / or fourth data unit quantity threshold m for the second device.

[0105] Each user bearer has different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. For example, different user bearers have different latency requirements; some user bearers have high latency requirements, while others have low latency requirements. For services with high latency requirements, the waiting time cannot be too long. Therefore, the set time length, data unit length, and fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be relatively small, so that the first protocol layer can start network coding after receiving a small number of fourth data units. For services with low latency requirements, a longer waiting time can be allowed before network coding. Therefore, the set time length, data unit length, and fourth data unit quantity threshold m can be relatively large.

[0106] The following details the process by which the first protocol layer of the second device determines multiple first data units (source symbols) based on at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet). This process can also be referred to as part of the network coding process.

[0107] Method 1: The first protocol layer determines multiple first data units based on one of the fourth data units.

[0108] Method 2: Since one fourth data unit cannot be equally divided into multiple first data units, the first protocol layer can add padding to one fourth data unit to create a fifth data unit (object or block), and determine multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit. The length of the padding is determined by the lengths of the fourth and first data units. For example, if the fourth data unit is 100 bits long and the first data unit in the second device is 30 bits long, the padding length is 20 bits. After adding the padding, the fifth data unit is 120 bits long, and can be equally divided into four first data units. As another example, if the fourth data unit is 80 bits long and the first data unit in the second device is 40 bits long, the fourth data unit can be equally divided into two first data units, and therefore no padding is needed.

[0109] Method 3: The first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units (end to end) to form a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit.

[0110] Method 4: If the first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units (end-to-end), and these cannot be equally divided into multiple first data units, then the first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units, adds supplementary information, and forms a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit. For example... Figure 4a As shown, the first protocol layer determines four first data units based on four PDCP PDUs (fourth data units). PDCP PDU1 to PDCPPDU4 are concatenated end-to-end, and padding is added to form a fifth data unit. This fifth data unit is then divided into four equal parts to obtain four first data units. Network coding is performed on these four first data units to obtain multiple second data units.

[0111] In Method 1 above, multiple first data units are determined based on the fourth data unit. Similarly, in Methods 2, 3, and 4, multiple first data units are determined based on the fifth data unit. The term "determine" can refer to direct segmentation or interleaved segmentation. Direct segmentation here can mean, for example,... Figure 4a The division shown. Figure 4a An example of direct division is given, but in this application, the division can also be unequal.

[0112] Next, as follows Figure 4cAs shown, an interleaving segmentation method is provided. For example, if the fourth or fifth data unit is 150 bits, in direct segmentation, the 150 bits can be directly divided into three 50-bit first data units. In interleaving segmentation, the 150 bits can be first divided into five 30-bit data units, and then each of the five 30-bit data units can be divided into three 10-bit data units. The first 10-bit data units from each of the five 30-bit data units are combined into one 50-bit first data unit, and the second 10-bit data units from each of the five 30-bit data units are combined into another 50-bit first data unit, and so on, to form three 50-bit first data units.

[0113] Method 5: The first protocol layer uses each of the at least two fourth data units as a first data unit.

[0114] Method 6: The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to each of the at least two fourth data units and then uses each of them as a first data unit.

[0115] Method 7: The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to a portion of at least two fourth data units, and then uses each of these as a first data unit; and uses the remaining portion of the fourth data units as a first data unit. For example... Figure 4b As shown, the first protocol layer determines four first data units based on four PDCP PDUs (fourth data units). PDCP PDU1 and PDCP PDU3 can each be considered as a first data unit, while PDCP PDU2 and PDCP PDU4 need to be supplemented with additional information before becoming separate first data units. Multiple second data units are then obtained through network coding based on these four first data units.

[0116] The decoding end and the second device can pre-define one of the methods 1 to 7 above to determine multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. Alternatively, the second device itself can choose to use one of the methods 1 to 7 above to determine multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. In one example, the second device can send a sixth indication message, which indicates which method of 1 to 7 the second device should use to determine multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit.

[0117] Optionally, the second device sends a sixth indication message to the decoding end. This sixth indication message instructs the second device which of the seven methods described above to perform the step of determining multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. Upon receiving the sixth indication message, the decoding end can then use the method corresponding to the second device to determine at least one fourth data unit based on the multiple first data units.

[0118] Step 301 is an optional step. Step 301 can be combined with existing technology as an embodiment of this application, or it can be combined with subsequent steps 302-303 as an embodiment of this application. Of course, subsequent steps 302-303 can also be combined with existing technology as an embodiment of this application.

[0119] Step 302: The first protocol layer of the second device performs network encoding on the multiple first data units to obtain multiple second data units, and then sends the second data units to the second protocol layer.

[0120] Optionally, the first protocol layer of the second device performs network encoding on the first data unit to obtain multiple network-encoded data units, and adds packet header information of the first protocol layer to each network-encoded data unit to obtain a second data unit.

[0121] Optionally, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the type of network coding, the vector information of the network coding, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit.

[0122] The second indication information used to indicate that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit can occupy 1 bit. For example, when the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the data unit containing the second indication information is a network-coded data unit; when the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the data unit containing the second indication information is not a network-coded data unit. Alternatively, when the 1 bit is 1, it indicates that the data unit containing the second indication information is a network-coded data unit; when the 1 bit is 0, it indicates that the data unit containing the second indication information is not a network-coded data unit.

[0123] Network coding types can include fountain codes, random liner network coding (RLNC), etc.

[0124] During network encoding, one or more first data units (source symbols) are encoded into second data units (encoded symbols). The vector information of the network encoding can be used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit, that is, which first data units the second data unit is network encoded from. Which first data units the second data unit is network encoded from depends on the network encoding algorithm implementation. The vector information of the network encoding can be in the form of a bitmap indicating which first data units the second data unit is network encoded from. For example, during network encoding, there are 5 first data units (source symbols), and each second data unit (encoded symbol) is network encoded from one or more of the 5 first data units. For example, bitmap 10010 is used to indicate that the second data unit is network encoded from the first and fourth first data units. Optionally, the coefficients of the bitmap can also be positive integers greater than or equal to 1. For example, when the bitmap is 20010, it is used to indicate that the second data unit is network encoded by multiplying the first first data unit by 2 and then network encoded with the fourth first data unit.

[0125] For example, if the network coding algorithm is a systematic code encoding, the multiple second data units (coded symbols) generated by network coding include cases where the second data unit is obtained by network coding a single first data unit (source information or source symbol), and cases where the second data unit is obtained by network coding multiple first data units (here, obtaining the second data unit by network coding multiple first data units can be called a repair symbol). For example, network coding based on 4 first data units yields 6 second data units. The first 4 of these 6 second data units are obtained by network coding a single first data unit, and the bitmaps corresponding to the first 4 second data units are 1000, 0100, 0010, and 0001, respectively. Starting from the fifth second data unit, it is obtained by network coding based on multiple first data units, and the bitmap can be, for example, 1001, 1100, 0011, etc. When a second data unit is obtained by network coding a single first data unit, the encoding vector information of that second data unit can also be the number of the first data unit, i.e., which first data unit it is. Furthermore, the header formats of the second data unit can differ depending on whether it is obtained by network encoding a single first data unit or by network encoding multiple first data units. For example, the former can be identified by the source symbol number, while the latter can be identified by the vector information of the network encoding. Therefore, indicator information can also be added to the header of the second data unit to indicate whether it is obtained by network encoding a single first data unit or by network encoding multiple first data units.

[0126] In existing technologies, network coding algorithms are fixed, and the vector information of network coding is defined by protocols. For example, when using fountain codes for network coding, the protocol stipulates that the vector information of network coding can be derived from the number of the coded symbol, that is, which coded symbol is the nth coded symbol in a group of coded symbols. Therefore, the decoding end can correctly decode the source symbol corresponding to the coded symbol. In this application, the vector information of network coding is carried in the header of the first protocol layer of the network coding data unit (such as the second data unit), so the second device can flexibly perform network coding.

[0127] The network coding algorithm can be configured by the access network equipment. For downlink transmission, the network coding function can reside on the CU, which is the algorithm implementation behavior of the base station. When the network coding function is located on the DU, the DU can perform network coding according to the algorithm configured in the CU. For uplink transmission, the network coding function resides on the MT part of the terminal equipment or IAB node, and the MT of the terminal equipment or IAB node can perform network coding according to the algorithm configured in the CU.

[0128] Step 303: The second protocol layer of the second device receives multiple second data units from the first protocol layer, and adds a second protocol layer header to each second data unit to obtain a corresponding third data unit. The third data unit is, for example, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer data unit.

[0129] Optionally, the second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes: first indication information, which is used to indicate that the third data unit or the second data unit in the third data unit is a network-coded data unit.

[0130] The second device sends each third data unit to the decoding end. After receiving the data unit, the second protocol layer of the decoding end forwards it to the upper protocol layer. There are two possible forwarding methods: One method is to forward the ordinary (non-network encoded) data unit to the upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer, without network decoding. The other method is to forward the network-encoded third data unit to the first protocol layer for network decoding. For example, ... Figure 2b As shown, the second protocol layer at the decoding end is the BAP layer, the first protocol layer is the NC layer, and the upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer is the PDCP layer. The second protocol layer delivers non-network-coded data units to the PDCP layer and network-coded third data units to the NC layer. To enable the second protocol layer (BAP layer) to identify whether a data unit is a network-coded third data unit or a non-network-coded data unit, the second protocol layer (BAP layer or lower protocol layer of BAP) of the second device (encoding end) adds a first indication information to the second protocol layer header of each third data unit, indicating that the third data unit or the second data unit within the third data unit is a network-coded data unit. During multi-hop data transmission, even if intermediate nodes remove and re-add headers for the third data unit, the first indication information must always be present. After receiving the third data unit, the second protocol layer at the decoding end can determine, based on the first indication information included in the second protocol layer header of the third data unit, to send the third data unit to the first protocol layer for network decoding, rather than to the upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer.

[0131] Furthermore, for the third data units within the same group (belonging to the same block, object, or bearer), a split routing can be implemented to increase the probability of data decoding and ensure the reliability of data transmission. For example, this split routing can involve sending the third data units within the same group through different RLC bearers (RLC bearers can include RLC entities and corresponding logical channels). Optionally, the first protocol layer of the second device can add second indication information to the packet header of the second data unit to indicate that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit. When the second protocol layer determines that a data unit does not contain the second indication information, and therefore the data unit is a non-network-coded data unit, the second protocol layer performs routing normally. If a data unit contains the second indication information, and therefore the data unit is a network-coded data unit, the second protocol layer needs to split multiple data units within the group to which the data unit belongs. The second protocol layer adds its own packet header to the second data unit to obtain the third data unit. The second protocol layer can add path identification information to the packet header of the second protocol layer for each of the multiple third data units, based on the second indication information. Generally, within a group of multiple third data units, at least two of the third data units have different path identification information. Different route identification information indicates different routing paths. For example, a group has four third data units, namely data unit 1 to data unit 4. The path identification information in data unit 1, data unit 2, and data unit 4 is the same, while the path information in data unit 3 is different from the path information in the other data units. Alternatively, the path identification information in data unit 1 and data unit 4 is the same, the path information in data unit 1 and data unit 3 is the same, and it is different from the path information in the other data units. Or, the path information in data unit 1, data unit 3, and data unit 4 are all different, while the path information in data unit 2 is the same as that in data unit 1.

[0132] The above describes the network encoding process of the second device. Next, the network decoding process of the first device will be described. The second device may send the network-encoded third data unit to the first device, and the first device may perform network decoding on the third data unit. Therefore, the first device and the second device are different.

[0133] like Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a communication process for a first device to perform network decoding. Figure 5 The first device in the example can be Figure 2a The first device 21 in the process. The first protocol layer and the second protocol layer of the first device are respectively... Figure 2a The first protocol layer a and the second protocol layer b in the protocol. Specifically, the following steps are included:

[0134] Step 501: The second protocol layer of the first device receives the third data unit. The third data unit includes a second protocol layer header and a second data unit.

[0135] The third data unit is received from a device other than the first device, or from a lower protocol layer of the second protocol layer.

[0136] The protocol layer to which the third data unit belongs can depend on the protocol layer below the second protocol layer. For example, the third data unit can be a Radio Link Control (RCC) data unit, such as a Radio Link Control Service (RLC) data unit. For example, the third data unit can also be a Media Access Control (MAC) data unit, such as a Media Access Control Service (MAC) data unit.

[0137] Step 502: The second protocol layer determines whether the second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes first indication information, which indicates that the third data unit is a network-coded data unit. If yes, proceed to step 503; if no, proceed to step 504.

[0138] Optionally, the header of the second protocol layer of the third data unit includes path identification information.

[0139] Step 503: The second protocol layer sends the second data unit to the first protocol layer.

[0140] Optionally, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the type of network coding, the vector information of the network coding, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit. The function of each piece of information can be found above. Figure 3 The description at step 302 in the document.

[0141] Step 504: The second protocol layer sends the second data unit to the upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer.

[0142] Step 505: The first protocol layer performs network decoding on multiple second data units to obtain multiple first data units.

[0143] When the first protocol layer of the first device performs network decoding, the network decoding algorithm used is the same as the network encoding algorithm used by the encoding end.

[0144] Step 506: The first protocol layer determines at least one fourth data unit based on the plurality of first data units.

[0145] Optionally, the first protocol layer of the first device may also send the at least one fourth data unit to the upper protocol layer of the first protocol layer.

[0146] The following details the process by which the first protocol layer of the first device determines at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet) based on a plurality of the first data units (source symbols). It should be noted that this process can also be considered part of the network decoding process.

[0147] The foregoing Figure 3 In step 301, the second device, acting as the encoding end, has already described seven methods for determining multiple first data units (source symbols) based on at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet). Correspondingly, when the first device acts as the decoding end, it also has seven corresponding methods for determining at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet) based on multiple first data units (source symbols).

[0148] Method 1: The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fourth data unit.

[0149] Method 2: The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it becomes a fourth data unit.

[0150] Method 3: The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units.

[0151] Method 4: The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it divides it into at least two fourth data units. Combining multiple first data units into a fifth or fourth data unit can be achieved by cascading multiple first data units (i.e., connecting them end-to-end) to form a single fifth or fourth data unit; or by interleaving multiple first data units to form a single fifth or fourth data unit.

[0152] like Figure 4aAs shown, network decoding is performed based on multiple second data units to obtain four first data units. These four first data units are concatenated, and supplementary information is removed to divide them into four fourth data units (PDCP PDU1 to PDCPPDU4). Furthermore, when concatenating multiple first data units, the decoding end can determine the order of the multiple first data units based on existing technology, thus allowing the multiple first data units to be connected end-to-end as a single data unit.

[0153] like Figure 4c As shown, an example is provided of interleaving multiple first data units to form a single fifth or fourth data unit. The decoder can reason from bottom to top: first, divide each of the three 50-bit first data units into five 10-bit data units; then, concatenate the first 10 bits of each of the three first data units to form a first 30-bit data unit; concatenate the second 10 bits of each of the three first data units to form a second 30-bit data unit, and so on, forming five 30-bit data units. Finally, concatenate these five 30-bit data units to obtain a 150-bit fifth or fourth data unit.

[0154] Method 5: The first protocol layer treats each of the multiple first data units as a fourth data unit.

[0155] Method 6: The first protocol layer deletes the corresponding supplementary information from each of the multiple first data units and then treats them as a fourth data unit.

[0156] Method 7: The first protocol layer divides a portion of the multiple first data units into one fourth data unit, and deletes the corresponding supplementary information from the remaining first data units, then divides each portion into one fourth data unit. For example... Figure 4b As shown, based on multiple second data units, network decoding is performed to obtain four first data units. The first and third first data units are respectively used as fourth data units (PDCP PDU1 and PDCP PDU3). The second data unit, after deleting supplementary information, is also used as a fourth data unit (PDCP PDU2). The fourth data unit, after deleting supplementary information, is also used as a fourth data unit (PDCP PDU4).

[0157] In one example of this application, the header of the fourth data unit may include length information; the length information may be the length of the fourth data unit or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit. Generally, the length of the header is fixed, so the length of the fourth data unit can be derived from the length of the data field and the length of the header. This example can be applied to any of the seven methods described above.

[0158] For example, regarding methods 1 and 2, the decoding end can determine, based on the length of the fourth data unit, whether to use method 1 (concatenating multiple first data units and directly combining them into a single fourth data unit) or method 2 (concatenating multiple first data units, deleting supplementary information, and then combining them into a single fourth data unit).

[0159] For example, such as Figure 4a As shown, the decoding end needs to recover each individual fourth data unit (ordinary data packet, such as PDCP PDU) from a fifth data unit. Currently, the fourth data unit does not carry its length information. Therefore, the decoding end cannot recover each individual fourth data unit. When the first protocol layer of the first device adopts method 3 above: dividing the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units, or adopts method 4 above: dividing the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units after deleting supplementary information, it can accurately split the fifth data unit into each individual fourth data unit according to the length of each fourth data unit.

[0160] Furthermore, since existing protocols do not include length information in ordinary data packets, while the fourth data unit of this application includes length information, the header of the fourth data unit may optionally include third indication information. This third indication information indicates whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information. For example, 1 bit can be used to indicate whether the length information is included; for instance, 1 bit being 1 indicates that the length information is included, and 1 bit being 0 indicates that the length information is not included. Alternatively, 1 bit being 1 indicates that the length information is not included, and 1 bit being 0 indicates that the length information is included. The decoding end can determine whether to parse the length information field based on the third indication information. When it is determined that the length information is included, the length information field can be parsed for subsequent use. When it is determined that the length information is not included, there is no need to parse the length information field, reducing processing workload.

[0161] In another example, the encoding end can also notify the decoding end of the length of each fourth data unit via a notification message. When the second device acts as the encoding end, it can also send fifth indication information to the decoding end. This fifth indication information indicates the length of each of the multiple fourth data units. The length of the fourth data unit can be a length value or can be represented by the start and / or end position of each fourth data unit within the fifth data unit. When the first device acts as the decoding end, it can also receive the fifth indication information. Therefore, when the first protocol layer of the first device adopts method 3 (dividing the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units) or adopts method 4 (dividing the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units after deleting supplementary information), it can accurately split the fifth data unit into individual fourth data units based on the length of each fourth data unit (length value, or, the start and / or end position within the fifth data unit).

[0162] Regarding methods 5, 6, and 7 above, such as Figure 4b As shown, when the decoding end needs to recover each individual fourth data unit (ordinary data packet, such as PDCP PDU) from multiple first data units (source symbols), it needs to know whether each first data unit contains supplementary information. If it contains supplementary information, the supplementary information needs to be deleted in order to obtain the corresponding fourth data unit.

[0163] In one example, the header of the fourth data unit may include the length information of the fourth data unit, or the length information of the data fields in the fourth data unit. Alternatively, the first device may receive the length information of each of a plurality of fourth data units sent via a notification message. The first protocol layer of the first device can then determine, based on the length information of the fourth data unit, whether to classify the first data unit as a fourth data unit, or to classify it as a fourth data unit after deleting supplementary information.

[0164] In another example, the encoding end can notify the decoding end of the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit via a notification message. The second device, acting as the encoding end, can also send a fourth indication message to the decoding end, the fourth indication message indicating the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit. The first device, acting as the decoding end, can also receive the fourth indication message. Furthermore, the first protocol layer of the first device can, based on the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit indicated in the fourth indication, delete the corresponding length of supplementary information from each first data unit to obtain each corresponding fourth data unit.

[0165] The foregoing Figure 3In step 301, the second device, acting as the encoding end, describes seven methods for determining multiple first data units (source symbols) based on at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet). Correspondingly, when the first device acts as the decoding end, it also describes seven corresponding methods for determining at least one fourth data unit (ordinary data packet) based on multiple first data units (source symbols).

[0166] The protocol can specify which of the above seven methods the encoding end uses to determine multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. Correspondingly, the decoding end uses the same method as the encoding end to determine at least one fourth data unit based on the multiple first data units.

[0167] The encoding end (e.g., the second device) can also send a sixth indication message to the decoding end (e.g., the first device) to instruct the encoding end to use which of the seven methods to determine multiple first data units based on at least one fourth data unit. Upon receiving the sixth indication message, the decoding end can then use the method corresponding to that of the encoding end to determine at least one fourth data unit based on the multiple first data units.

[0168] Furthermore, if the encoding end sends a fourth indication message to the decoding end, indicating the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit, the decoding end can also infer that, using method 6 or method 7 described above, at least one fourth data unit can be determined based on the plurality of first data units. If the encoding end sends a fifth indication message to the decoding end, indicating the start position and / or end position of each fourth data unit in the fifth data unit, the decoding end can also infer that, using method 3 or method 4 described above, at least one fourth data unit can be determined based on the plurality of first data units.

[0169] The fourth, and / or fifth, and / or sixth indication information sent by the encoding end to the decoding end can be sent directly from the encoding end to the decoding end, or the encoding end can first send it to the access network device, and then the access network device sends it to the decoding end. For example, the encoding end and the decoding end can be two terminal devices, which can communicate directly with each other or through the access network device. Alternatively, the encoding end and the decoding end can be two IAB nodes, which can communicate directly with each other or through the access network device.

[0170] The communication method of the embodiments of this application has been introduced above. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be introduced below. The method and the device are based on the same technical concept. Since the principle of solving the problem by the method and the device is similar, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0171] Based on the same technical concept as the above communication method, such as Figure 6 As shown, a communication device 600 is provided, which is capable of performing the above-described... Figure 5 The method comprises the various steps performed by the first device. The device 600 can be the first device or a chip applied within the first device. The device 600 may include: a transceiver module 620, a processing module 610, and optionally, a storage module 630; the processing module 610 may be connected to both the storage module 630 and the transceiver module 620, and the storage module 630 may also be connected to the transceiver module 620.

[0172] In one example, the transceiver module 620 is configured to receive a third data unit; the third data unit is a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer data unit, and the third data unit includes a second protocol layer header and a second data unit; the processing module 610 is configured to send the second data unit to a first protocol layer when it is determined that the second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate that the third data unit is a network coded data unit; the second protocol layer is a lower protocol layer than the first protocol layer; and to perform network decoding on a plurality of second data units to obtain a plurality of first data units.

[0173] In one example, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes at least one of the following: network coding type, network coding vector information, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit; the network coding vector information is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit.

[0174] In one example, the processing module 610 is further configured to determine at least one fourth data unit based on the plurality of first data units.

[0175] In one example, when the processing module 610 determines at least one fourth data unit based on a plurality of first data units, it is specifically configured to:

[0176] The plurality of the first data units are combined into a fourth data unit; or

[0177] Multiple first data units are combined into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it becomes a fourth data unit; or

[0178] Multiple first data units are combined into a fifth data unit; and the fifth data unit is divided into at least two fourth data units; or

[0179] Multiple first data units are combined into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it is divided into at least two fourth data units; or

[0180] Each of the multiple first data units is treated as a fourth data unit; or

[0181] Each of the multiple first data units is then treated as a fourth data unit after deleting its corresponding supplementary information; or

[0182] A portion of the first data units from the plurality of first data units are each treated as a fourth data unit, and the remaining portion of the first data units are each treated as a fourth data unit after deleting the corresponding supplementary information.

[0183] In one example, the header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit.

[0184] In one example, the header of the fourth data unit further includes: third indication information, which indicates whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information.

[0185] In one example, the transceiver module 630 is further configured to receive fifth indication information, the fifth indication information being used to indicate the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units.

[0186] In one example, the processing module 610 can be used to divide the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units according to the length of each fourth data unit; or, according to the length of each fourth data unit, divide the data unit after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units.

[0187] In one example, the transceiver module 630 is further configured to receive fourth indication information, the fourth indication information being used to indicate the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit.

[0188] In one example, the storage module 630 is used to store network decoding algorithms.

[0189] The storage module 630 may include one or more memories, which may be devices in one or more devices or circuits used to store programs or data. The storage module 630 may store computer-executable instructions for methods on the terminal, access gateway, AMF network element, and SMF network element sides, so that the processing module 620 executes the methods on the terminal, access gateway, AMF network element, and SMF network element sides in the above embodiments. The storage module 630 may be a register, cache, or RAM, etc., and may be integrated with the processing module 610. The storage module 630 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, and may be independent of the processing module 610.

[0190] The transceiver module 620 may be an input or output interface, pins, or circuits, etc.

[0191] Based on the same technical concept as the above communication method, such as Figure 7 As shown, a communication device 700 is provided, which is capable of performing the above-described... Figure 3 The steps performed by the second device in the method will not be detailed here to avoid redundancy. The device 700 can be the second device or a chip used in the second device. The device 700 may include: a transceiver module 720, a processing module 710, and optionally, a storage module 730; the processing module 710 may be connected to both the storage module 730 and the transceiver module 720, and the storage module 730 may also be connected to the transceiver module 720.

[0192] In one example, the processing module 710 is configured to perform network coding on a plurality of first data units to obtain a plurality of second data units; and to add a second protocol layer header to each of the second data units to obtain a corresponding third data unit. The second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes: first indication information, which indicates that the third data unit is a network-coded data unit; the second protocol layer is a lower protocol layer than the first protocol layer. The third data unit is a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer data unit.

[0193] In one example, the first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes at least one of the following: network coding type, network coding vector information, and second indication information for indicating that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit; the network coding vector information is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit.

[0194] In one example, the processing module 710 can also be used to add path identification information to the packet header of the second protocol layer for each of the plurality of third data units, based on the second indication information.

[0195] In one example, the processing module 710 is further configured to determine a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit.

[0196] In one example, when the processing module 710 determines a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit, it is specifically configured to:

[0197] Based on one of the fourth data units, a plurality of the first data units are determined; or

[0198] Add supplementary information to one of the fourth data units to form a fifth data unit, and determine multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit; or

[0199] At least two fourth data units are concatenated to form a fifth data unit; and multiple first data units are determined based on the fifth data unit; or

[0200] At least two fourth data units are cascaded together, and supplementary information is added to form a fifth data unit; and multiple first data units are determined based on the fifth data unit; or

[0201] Each of the at least two fourth data units is used as a first data unit; or

[0202] Each of the at least two fourth data units is supplemented with corresponding information and then used as a first data unit; or

[0203] Each of the at least two fourth data units is used as a first data unit after adding corresponding supplementary information to a portion of the fourth data units, and the remaining portion of the fourth data units is used as a first data unit.

[0204] In one example, the processing module 710 is further configured to determine a first data unit based on the fourth data units received within a set time period; or to determine a first data unit based on n fourth data units, wherein the sum of the lengths of the n fourth data units is greater than or equal to the set data unit length, and the sum of the lengths of the n-1 fourth data units is less than the set data unit length; or to determine a first data unit based on a set threshold for the number of fourth data units.

[0205] In one example, the header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit.

[0206] In one example, the header of the fourth data unit further includes: third indication information, which indicates whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information.

[0207] In one example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to send a fifth indication message, the fifth indication message being used to indicate the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units.

[0208] In one example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to send a fourth indication message, the fourth indication message being used to indicate the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit.

[0209] In one example, the storage module 730 is used to store network coding algorithms.

[0210] The storage module 730 may include one or more memories, which may be devices in one or more devices or circuits used to store programs or data. The storage module 730 may store computer-executable instructions for methods on the terminal, access gateway, AMF network element, and SMF network element sides, so that the processing module 720 executes the methods on the terminal, access gateway, AMF network element, and SMF network element sides in the above embodiments. The storage module 730 may be a register, cache, or RAM, etc., and may be integrated with the processing module 710. The storage module 730 may be a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, and may be independent of the processing module 710.

[0211] The transceiver module 720 may be an input or output interface, pins, or circuits, etc.

[0212] Figure 8 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the device 800 is capable of performing the above-described... Figure 5The various steps performed by the first device in the method are not detailed here to avoid redundancy. The device 800 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820, and optionally, a memory 830. The interface circuit can be used to receive program instructions and transmit them to the processor, or it can be used for communication interaction between the device and other communication devices, such as exchanging control signaling and / or service data. The interface circuit can be a code and / or data read / write interface circuit, or it can be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and a transceiver. The processor 810 and the memory 830 are electrically coupled.

[0213] For example, memory 830 is used to store computer programs; processor 810 can be used to call the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute the above-described communication method, or to execute the above-described communication method through interface circuit 820.

[0214] Figure 6 The processing module 610 can be implemented by the processor 810, the transceiver module 620 can be implemented by the interface circuit 820, and the storage module 630 can be implemented by the memory 830.

[0215] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the device 900 is capable of performing the above-described... Figure 3 The steps performed by the second device in the method are not detailed here to avoid redundancy. The device 900 includes a processor 910 and an interface circuit 920, and optionally, a memory 930. The interface circuit can be used to receive program instructions and transmit them to the processor, or it can be used for communication interaction between the device and other communication devices, such as exchanging control signaling and / or service data. The interface circuit can be a code and / or data read / write interface circuit, or it can be a signal transmission interface circuit between the communication processor and a transceiver. The processor 910 and the memory 930 are electrically coupled.

[0216] For example, memory 930 is used to store computer programs; processor 910 can be used to call the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute the above-described communication method, or to execute the above-described communication method through interface circuit 920.

[0217] Figure 7 The processing module 710 can be implemented by the processor 910, the transceiver module 720 can be implemented by the interface circuit 720, and the storage module 730 can be implemented by the memory 930.

[0218] The aforementioned processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. The processor may further include hardware chips or other general-purpose processors. The aforementioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), generic array logic (GAL), and other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0219] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memories described in this application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0220] The transceiver device, interface circuit, or transceiver described in the embodiments of this application may include a separate transmitter and / or a separate receiver, or the transmitter and receiver may be integrated into one unit. The transceiver device, interface circuit, or transceiver can operate under the instruction of a corresponding processor. Optionally, the transmitter may correspond to a transmitter in a physical device, and the receiver may correspond to a receiver in a physical device.

[0221] This application also provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to perform the aforementioned communication method.

[0222] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the communication method described above.

[0223] This application also provides a communication system, the communication system comprising: a first device and a second device for performing the above-described communication method.

[0224] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0225] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0226] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0227] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0228] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.

[0229] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The second protocol layer of the first device receives the third data unit; the third data unit is a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer data unit, and includes a second protocol layer header and a second data unit. When the second protocol layer determines that the second protocol layer packet header of the third data unit includes first indication information, the second protocol layer sends the second data unit to the first protocol layer; the first indication information is used to indicate that the third data unit is a network-coded data unit; the second protocol layer is the lower protocol layer of the first protocol layer; The first protocol layer performs network decoding on multiple second data units to obtain multiple first data units.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes at least one of the following: The type of network coding, the vector information of the network coding, and the second indication information used to indicate that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit; The vector information encoded by the network is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Also includes: The first protocol layer determines at least one fourth data unit based on a plurality of first data units, wherein the fourth data unit is a non-network encoded data unit.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first protocol layer determines at least one fourth data unit based on a plurality of first data units, including: The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fourth data unit; or The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it becomes a fourth data unit; or The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units; or The first protocol layer combines multiple first data units into a fifth data unit; and after deleting supplementary information from the fifth data unit, it divides it into at least two fourth data units; or The first protocol layer treats each of the multiple first data units as a fourth data unit; or The first protocol layer removes the corresponding supplementary information from each of the multiple first data units and then treats them as a fourth data unit; or The first protocol layer divides a portion of the first data units from the plurality of first data units into a fourth data unit, and divides the remaining portion of the first data units into a fourth data unit after deleting the corresponding supplementary information.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The header of the fourth data unit also includes: third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information.

7. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: The first device receives a fifth indication message, which indicates the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that, The first protocol layer divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units, including: The first protocol layer divides the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units based on the length of each fourth data unit.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that, After the first protocol layer deletes the supplementary information in the fifth data unit, it divides it into at least two fourth data units, including: The first protocol layer divides the data unit after deleting the supplementary information of the fifth data unit into at least two fourth data units according to the length of each fourth data unit.

10. The method according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that, Also includes: The first device receives a fourth indication message, which indicates the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit.

11. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first data unit is a source symbol, the second data unit is an encoded symbol, and the third data unit is a network encoded data unit.

12. A method of communication, characterized in that, The method includes: The first protocol layer of the second device performs network encoding on multiple first data units to obtain multiple second data units; The second protocol layer of the second device adds a second protocol layer header to each second data unit to obtain a corresponding third data unit. The second protocol layer header of the third data unit includes: first indication information, which indicates that the third data unit is a network coded data unit; the third data unit is a radio link control (RLC) layer data unit; and the second protocol layer is the lower protocol layer of the first protocol layer.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The first protocol layer header of the second data unit includes at least one of the following: The type of network coding, the vector information of the network coding, and the second indication information used to indicate that the second data unit is a network-coded data unit; The vector information encoded by the network is used to indicate the first data unit information corresponding to the second data unit.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, Also includes: For each of the plurality of third data units, the second protocol layer adds path identification information to the packet header of the second protocol layer based on the second indication information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, Also includes: The first protocol layer determines a plurality of first data units based on at least one fourth data unit, wherein the fourth data unit is a non-network encoded data unit.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The first protocol layer determines a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit, including: The first protocol layer determines a plurality of the first data units based on one of the fourth data units; or The first protocol layer adds supplementary information to each of the fourth data units to create a fifth data unit, and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data units; or The first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units to form a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit; or The first protocol layer concatenates at least two fourth data units, adds supplementary information, and then creates a fifth data unit; and determines multiple first data units based on the fifth data unit; or The first protocol layer uses each of the at least two fourth data units as a first data unit; or The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to each of the at least two fourth data units, and then uses each of them as a first data unit; or The first protocol layer adds corresponding supplementary information to a portion of the fourth data units in at least two fourth data units and uses each of them as a first data unit, and uses the remaining portion of the fourth data units as a first data unit.

17. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The first protocol layer determines a plurality of the first data units based on at least one fourth data unit, including: The first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on the fourth data unit received within a set time period; or The first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on n fourth data units, wherein the sum of the lengths of the n fourth data units is greater than or equal to the set data unit length, and the sum of the lengths of the (n-1) fourth data units is less than the set data unit length; or The first protocol layer determines the first data unit based on the set threshold number of the fourth data unit.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The time length, and / or the set data unit length, and / or the threshold number of the fourth data unit are configured separately for each bearer in the second device.

19. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The header of the fourth data unit includes length information; the length information is the length of the fourth data unit, or the length of the data field in the fourth data unit.

20. The method as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The header of the fourth data unit also includes: third indication information, which is used to indicate whether the header of the fourth data unit includes the length information.

21. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, Also includes: The second device sends a fifth indication message, which indicates the length of each of the plurality of fourth data units.

22. The method as described in claim 16, characterized in that, Also includes: The second device sends a fourth indication message, which indicates the length of the supplementary information included in each first data unit.

23. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The first data unit is a source symbol, the second data unit is an encoded symbol, and the third data unit is a network encoded data unit.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a processor and a memory; the processor and the memory are electrically coupled together. The memory is used to store computer program instructions; The processor is configured to execute some or all of the computer program instructions in the memory, which, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or implement the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that, Also includes: A transceiver is used to send signals processed by the processor or to receive signals input to the processor.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer storage medium stores computer-readable instructions, which, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-11, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 12-23.

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