A direct communication method and device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a direct communication method and apparatus. Among them, the direct communication method includes: when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link Sidelink, determining whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX). According to the present disclosure, the terminal does not perform direct communication in the Sidelink DRX manner under any circumstances, but determines whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX according to the actual situation. On the one hand, it can avoid unnecessary data delay caused by Sidelink DRX; on the other hand, it can also avoid data loss caused by the mismatch in the use of Sidelink DRX between the sending end and the receiving end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a direct communication method and apparatus, a communication apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The Slidelink direct link is an end-to-end D2D communication technology, that is, direct communication between terminals. This technology mainly includes two functions: one is the D2D discovery function, which enables user equipment to discover each other in the near field through the radio frequency air interface; the other is the D2D communication function, which enables user equipment to directly transmit data through the radio frequency air interface and avoid routing through the network, while the network only responsible for some resource coordination and security control.

[0003] The direct communication based on Slidelink supports three transmission modes, namely unicast, multicast, and broadcast.

[0004] To save the device power consumption of the terminal during direct communication, Sidelink DRX (Discontinuous Reception) is introduced. For broadcast and multicast, the Sidelink DRX configuration of the receiving terminal is determined according to the service type; for unicast, the Sidelink DRX configuration of the receiving terminal is configured by the sending terminal or the base station of the sending terminal.

[0005] However, different terminals have different usage situations of Sidelink DRX, and there are some problems when terminals perform direct communication based on Sidelink DRX. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure propose a direct communication method and apparatus to solve the technical problems in the related art.

[0007] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direct communication method is proposed, which is executed by a first terminal. The method includes: when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link Sidelink, determining whether to ignore the restriction of Sidelink discontinuous reception DRX.

[0008] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a direct communication apparatus is proposed, which is applied to a first terminal. The apparatus includes: a communication module configured to determine whether to ignore the restriction of Sidelink discontinuous reception DRX when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link Sidelink.

[0009] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication apparatus is proposed, including:

[0010] Processor;

[0011] A memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

[0012] Wherein, the processor is configured to execute the direct communication method described in the first aspect above.

[0013] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, and when the program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps in the direct communication method described in the first aspect above.

[0014] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal does not always use the Sidelink DRX method for direct communication, but determines whether to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX according to the actual situation. On the one hand, it can avoid unnecessary data delay caused by Sidelink DRX; on the other hand, it can also avoid data loss caused by the mismatch in the use of Sidelink DRX between the sender and the receiver. Description of the Drawings

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 It is a schematic block diagram of a direct communication device shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 It is a schematic block diagram of a device for direct communication shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0026] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure to describe various information, these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when" or "while" or "in response to determining".

[0028] For the purpose of simplicity and easy understanding, when representing the size relationship in this article, the terms used are "greater than" or "less than", "higher than" or "lower than". However, for those skilled in the art, it can be understood that the term "greater than" also covers the meaning of "greater than or equal to", and "less than" also covers the meaning of "less than or equal to"; the term "higher than" covers the meaning of "higher than or equal to", and "lower than" also covers the meaning of "lower than or equal to".

[0029] Figure 1FIG. 0 is a schematic flowchart of a direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The direct communication method shown in this embodiment can be applied to a first terminal, and the first terminal includes, but is not limited to, communication devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, sensors, and Internet of Things devices. The first terminal can communicate with a base station as a user equipment, and the base station includes, but is not limited to, base stations in communication systems such as 4G base stations, 5G base stations, and 6G base stations. As Figure 1 shown, the direct communication method may include the following steps:

[0030] In step S101, when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a sidelink, it is determined whether to ignore the restrictions of sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX).

[0031] In one embodiment, the first terminal may perform direct communication with a destination address based on a sidelink. For example, in unicast communication, the destination address is the address of the peer device; in multicast communication, the destination address is the address of the multicast group; in broadcast communication, the destination address is the broadcast address.

[0032] In one embodiment, the first terminal may be a data sender, and the first terminal may send data to the destination address. The data receiver may be referred to as a second terminal, and the second terminal may receive the data sent to the destination address. Taking multicast communication as an example, the first terminal may send data to the multicast group address, and the second terminal may receive the data sent to the multicast group address.

[0033] In one embodiment, the first terminal may be a data receiver, and the first terminal may receive the data sent to the destination address. The data sender and other data receivers may be referred to as second terminals. As the data sender of the second terminal, it may send data to the destination address; as the data receiver of the second terminal, similar to the first terminal, it may receive the data sent to the destination address. It should be noted that if the communication with the destination address is unicast communication, the second terminal only includes the data sender; if the communication with the destination address is multicast or broadcast communication, the second terminal includes the data sender and may also include several other data receivers.

[0034] In one embodiment, if the first terminal is a terminal supporting the sidelink DRX function, after the terminal determines that it needs to perform sidelink-based communication with the destination address, before performing the communication, for example, before sending or receiving data, it first determines whether to ignore the restrictions of sidelink DRX.

[0035] It should be noted that based on the Sidelink DRX function, the terminal can switch between the sleep state and the wake-up state. For the receiving end, when in the wake-up state (or during the activation time), it listens to the sidelink channel to receive data, and when in the sleep state, it does not listen to the sidelink channel, thus achieving energy saving; for the sending end, it can determine whether to send data according to the DRX state of the receiving end. When the receiving end is in the wake-up state, the sending end sends data, and when the receiving end is in the sleep state, the sending end does not send data.

[0036] In one embodiment, the first terminal ignores the limitations of Sidelink DRX, which can be to perform the corresponding operations regardless of whether it is in the wake-up state. For example, when the first terminal is a data receiving end and ignores the Sidelink DRX limitations, it can listen for communications sent to the destination address at all sidelink receiving resource positions; or, when the first terminal is a data sending end and ignores the Sidelink DRX limitations, it can determine that all sidelink sending resources can be used to send data to the destination address.

[0037] In one embodiment, if the first terminal determines not to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX, it still performs scheduling based on Sidelink DRX, that is, data reception and transmission are only carried out during the activation time of the receiving end, thereby saving the power consumption of the terminal.

[0038] According to Figure 1 the embodiments shown, the terminal does not use the Sidelink DRX method for direct communication in all cases, but determines whether to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX according to the actual situation. On the one hand, it can avoid unnecessary data delays caused by Sidelink DRX; on the other hand, it can also avoid data loss caused by mismatches in the use of Sidelink DRX between the sending end and the receiving end.

[0039] There are various methods for the terminal to determine whether to ignore Sidelink DRX, which will be introduced below in combination with specific embodiments.

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, determining whether to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX includes:

[0041] In step S201, it is determined whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0042] In one embodiment, according to different types of communication, the second terminal for direct communication with the destination address is also different. For example, for unicast communication, the second terminal is the peer device of the first terminal; for multicast communication, the second terminal is other terminals in the multicast group except the first terminal; for broadcast communication, the second terminal is other terminals in the broadcast domain except the first terminal.

[0043] The following separately describes the case where the first terminal is a data sender and a data receiver.

[0044] In one embodiment, the first terminal may be a data sender. The communication between the first terminal and the destination address includes: the first terminal sending data to the destination address. The second terminal for direct communication with the destination address is a data receiver, that is, it receives the data sent to the destination address.

[0045] For unicast communication, the second terminal for direct communication with the destination address is the terminal indicated by the destination address. Based on this, the first terminal can determine whether the terminal indicated by the destination address can use Sidelink DRX. If it can, it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; if not, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address.

[0046] For multicast and broadcast communication, the second terminal for direct communication with the destination address is the terminal that receives data from the destination address, such as other terminals in the multicast group or other terminals in the broadcast domain. Based on this, the first terminal can determine whether there is at least one second terminal in the multicast group or broadcast domain that cannot use Sidelink DRX. If all terminals in the multicast group or broadcast domain can use Sidelink DRX, it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; if there is at least one second terminal in the multicast group or broadcast domain that cannot use Sidelink DRX, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first terminal may be a data receiver. The communication between the first terminal and the destination address includes: the first terminal receiving the data sent to the destination address. The second terminal for direct communication with the destination address includes a data sender or may also include other data receivers (that is, other terminals that receive data from the destination address except the first terminal).

[0048] For unicast communication, the second terminal that communicates directly with the destination address is the data sender (i.e., the terminal that sends data to the destination address). Based on this, the first terminal can determine whether the data sender of the unicast communication can use Sidelink DRX. If it can, it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX communicating directly with the destination address; if not, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX communicating directly with the destination address.

[0049] For multicast and broadcast communication, the second terminals that communicate directly with the destination address include: the data sender (i.e., the terminal that sends data to the destination address), and at least one other data receiver (i.e., other terminals that receive data from the destination address except the first terminal), that is, other terminals in the multicast group or other terminals in the broadcast domain. Based on this, the first terminal can determine whether there is at least one second terminal in the multicast group or broadcast domain that cannot use Sidelink DRX. If all terminals in the multicast group or broadcast domain can use Sidelink DRX, it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX communicating directly with the destination address; if there is at least one second terminal in the multicast group or broadcast domain that cannot use Sidelink DRX, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX communicating directly with the destination address.

[0050] In one embodiment, the first terminal can determine whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX among at least one second terminal that communicates directly with the destination address.

[0051] It should be noted that whether a terminal can use Sidelink DRX includes at least the following two cases. One is that the version of the communication standard supported by the terminal does not support the Sidelink DRX function; the second is that the terminal determines according to the base station indication or according to the service type not to enable the Sidelink DRX function during this direct communication.

[0052] In step S202, if so, it is determined to ignore the restriction of Sidelink DRX.

[0053] In one embodiment, if the first terminal determines that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX communicating directly with the destination address, it is determined to ignore the restriction of Sidelink DRX.

[0054] If the first terminal performs unicast communication and the destination address is the address of the peer device (i.e., the second terminal), if the first terminal determines that the second terminal cannot use Sidelink DRX, it ignores the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

[0055] If the first terminal performs multicast communication and the destination address is the multicast group address, if the first terminal determines that there is a second terminal in the multicast group that cannot use Sidelink DRX, it ignores the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

[0056] If the first terminal performs broadcast communication and the destination address is the broadcast address, if the first terminal determines that there is a second terminal in the broadcast domain that cannot use Sidelink DRX, it ignores the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

[0057] It should be noted that if the first terminal is the sender, in the case where there is a second terminal in the receiver that cannot use Sidelink DRX, in order to improve the timeliness of sending data and avoid unnecessary delays, the first terminal can ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX. For example, it can be determined that all sidelink transmission resources can be used for sending data.

[0058] If the first terminal is the receiver, in the case where there is a second terminal in other receivers that cannot use Sidelink DRX, the sender ignores the restrictions of Sidelink DRX when sending data, that is, it does not restrict sending data within the activation time. Based on this, if the first terminal only receives data within the activation time, data loss will occur. Therefore, in order to ensure the reliability of receiving data, the first terminal can ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX. For example, it can listen for communications sent to the destination address at all sidelink reception resource positions.

[0059] In one embodiment, if it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address, the restrictions of Sidelink DRX are not ignored, and direct communication is still based on Sidelink DRX.

[0060] Figure 3 It is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 3 shown, determining whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address includes:

[0061] In step S301, determine the communication standard supported by the second terminal;

[0062] In step S302, if at least one of the second terminals does not support a specified version of the communication protocol, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address; wherein the specified version is a version that can use Sidelink DRX.

[0063] In one embodiment, the first terminal can detect the communication standards supported by the second terminals. If it is detected that at least one of the second terminals does not support a specified version of the communication protocol, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0064] For example, the specified version can be the R17 (Release 17) version and subsequent versions in the 5G communication standard. For example, if the first terminal detects that the communication standard version supported by at least one of the second terminals is R16, it is determined that the second terminal does not support the specified version of the communication protocol, and thus it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0065] In one embodiment, if it is detected that all the second terminals support the specified version of the communication protocol, it is determined that there is no second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address. Thus, when performing direct communication, scheduling is based on Sidelink DRX, that is, data reception and transmission are only performed within the activation time of the receiving end.

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 4 shown, the determining whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address includes:

[0067] In step S401, system information broadcast by a specified cell is received;

[0068] In step S402, if the system information does not carry parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0069] In one embodiment, the specified cell can be a cell that matches the communication frequency of the direct communication.

[0070] It should be noted that: when the first terminal and the destination address perform direct communication, and when the second terminal and the destination address perform direct communication, both are based on the communication frequency of the direct communication. This communication frequency may be the same as, or different from, the communication frequency between the first terminal and its serving cell, and the communication frequency between the second terminal and its serving cell. Since the first terminal and the second terminal operate on the communication frequency of the direct communication, a base station located on this communication frequency can interact with the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, it can send system messages to the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, if the first terminal and the second terminal support Sidelink DRX, a cell that matches the communication frequency of the direct communication can configure Sidelink DRX for the first terminal and the second terminal, that is, send the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX to them by broadcasting system messages.

[0071] Based on this, in one embodiment, the terminal can receive the system message of a specified cell. If the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX are not included in the system messages of at least one specified cell, and the first terminal can determine that it can use Sidelink DRX, the first terminal can thus determine that there is at least one second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0072] In one embodiment, the specified cell may be at least one of the serving cell and neighboring cells of the first terminal.

[0073] It should be noted that: the direct communication based on sidelink is usually the direct communication between terminals at close range. Therefore, the first terminal can consider that several second terminals that perform direct communication with the destination address are within the serving cell or neighboring cells of the first terminal. Similarly to the foregoing embodiment, if the first terminal and the second terminal support Sidelink DRX, the serving cell or neighboring cells can configure Sidelink DRX for the first terminal and the second terminal, that is, send the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX to them by broadcasting system messages.

[0074] Based on this, in one embodiment, the first terminal can receive the system messages broadcast by the serving cell and / or neighboring cells. That is to say, the first terminal receives the system messages broadcast by all the cells to which the second terminal may belong. If the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX are not configured in the system messages of at least one specified cell, and the first terminal can determine that it can use Sidelink DRX, the first terminal can thus determine that there is at least one second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0075] According to Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the first terminal can receive the system message of a specified cell, and predict whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address according to whether the system message configures the parameters of Sidelink DRX. The method is simple and efficient, so that it can effectively determine whether to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX when performing direct communication.

[0076] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 5 shown, determining whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address includes:

[0077] In step S501, receive the system information broadcast by the specified cell.

[0078] In step S502, if the system information indicates that the specified cell cannot use Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0079] In one embodiment, the specified cell may be a cell that matches the communication frequency of the direct communication.

[0080] It should be noted that: since the first terminal and the second terminal operate on the communication frequency of the direct communication, the base station located on this communication frequency can indicate the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, if the cell only indicates through the system message that Sidelink DRX cannot be used, then the first terminal and the second terminal cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0081] Based on this, in one embodiment, the terminal can receive the system message of the specified cell. If the system message of at least one specified cell indicates that the cell cannot use Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0082] In one embodiment, the specified cell may be at least one of the serving cell and neighboring cells of the first terminal.

[0083] It should be noted that: since direct communication is usually used for terminals in close proximity to each other, the first terminal can consider that several second terminals performing direct communication with the destination address are in the serving cell or neighboring cells of the first terminal. That is to say, the serving cell of the second terminal is the serving cell and / or neighboring cells of the first terminal. For example, if the cell only indicates through the system message that Sidelink DRX cannot be used, then the terminals in this cell cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0084] Based on this, in one embodiment, the first terminal may receive system messages broadcast by the serving cell and / or neighboring cells. In other words, the first terminal receives system messages broadcast by all cells to which the second terminal may belong. If the system message of the at least one specified cell indicates that Sidelink DRX cannot be used, and the first terminal may consider that there is at least one second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0085] According to Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, the first terminal can predict whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address by receiving the system message of the specified cell and according to whether the system message indicates that Sidelink DRX cannot be used. The method is simple and efficient, so that it can effectively determine whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX when performing direct communication.

[0086] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 6 shown, determining whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address includes:

[0087] In step S601, obtain the Sidelink DRX configuration.

[0088] In step S602, send the Sidelink DRX configuration to the second terminal that performs direct communication with the destination address.

[0089] In one embodiment, the first terminal may obtain the Sidelink DRX configuration. For example, the terminal may obtain it from the configuration saved by itself, or may also request the configuration from the base station.

[0090] In one embodiment, the first terminal may send the Sidelink DRX configuration to each second terminal. For example, if the direct communication is multicast communication, the Sidelink DRX configuration may be sent to other terminals in the multicast group; if the direct communication is broadcast communication, the Sidelink DRX configuration may be sent to other terminals in the broadcast domain. In one embodiment, the first terminal may send the Sidelink DRX configuration to each second terminal by unicast.

[0091] In step S603, if at least one second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0092] In one embodiment, after receiving the Sidelink DRX configuration, if the second terminal accepts the configuration, it may return an indication message of successful configuration to the first terminal; if it rejects the configuration, it may return an indication message of rejecting the configuration to the terminal.

[0093] Based on this, in one embodiment, the first terminal may determine whether the second terminal can use Sidelink DRX according to whether the second terminal returns an indication message of rejecting the configuration. If the second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, it is determined that the second terminal cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0094] In one embodiment, if at least one second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, it is determined that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address.

[0095] According to Figure 6 the embodiment shown, the first terminal may determine whether the second terminal can use Sidelink DRX by sending the Sidelink DRX configuration method according to whether the second terminal rejects the configuration. According to the method of this embodiment, the first terminal can efficiently determine whether to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX during direct communication.

[0096] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of another direct communication method shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 7 shown, determining whether to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX includes:

[0097] In step S701, obtain the service characteristics of the direct communication.

[0098] In step S702, if the service characteristics indicate that the service does not support Sidelink DRX, it is determined to ignore the limitations of Sidelink DRX.

[0099] In one embodiment, the first terminal may determine whether to support Sidelink DRX according to the service carried by the direct communication.

[0100] For example, several service types and indication information on whether the service type supports Sidelink DRX can be pre-configured in the first terminal. Optionally, this configuration can be sent by the base station to the first terminal. Based on this configuration, the first terminal can determine the service type to which the service carried by the direct communication belongs. If this type does not support Sidelink DRX, the service characteristics of this service indicate that this service does not support Sidelink DRX, so that the first terminal can determine to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

[0101] Alternatively, the services may not be classified, but determined according to the attributes of the services. For example, multiple attributes and whether each attribute supports Sidelink DRX can also be pre-configured in the first terminal. If the attributes of the service carried by the direct communication include an attribute that does not support Sidelink DRX, the service characteristics of this service indicate that this service does not support Sidelink DRX, so that the first terminal can determine to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

[0102] According to Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the first terminal can make a judgment based on the service carried by the direct communication. If the service characteristics of this service indicate that it does not support Sidelink DRX, the first terminal does not need to detect the second terminal that communicates with the destination address, that is, it can directly determine to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX, improving the processing efficiency, which can avoid unnecessary data delays caused by Sidelink DRX and also avoid data loss caused by mismatches in the use of Sidelink DRX between the sender and the receiver.

[0103] As described in the foregoing embodiments, the first terminal can be a data sender or a data receiver, which will be introduced separately below.

[0104] In one embodiment, when the first terminal is a data sender, if the first terminal determines to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX, it can also send indication information to the base station, and the indication information is used to instruct the base station to ignore the Sidelink DRX restrictions for data transmission to the destination address.

[0105] In an example, if the first terminal is in the RRC connected state, the direct communication of the first terminal is controlled by the serving cell. After the first terminal determines to ignore the restrictions of Sidelink DRX, it can report to the base station, which may include the destination address and indication information indicating that the Sidelink DRX restrictions are ignored for data transmission to the destination address.

[0106] Based on this, when the base station schedules resources for direct communication to the first terminal, it does not consider the Sidelink DRX restriction, that is, the sidelink transmission resources do not need to be limited within the Sidelink DRX activation time. Thus, when the terminal performs direct communication based on the sidelink transmission resources scheduled by the base station, it also correspondingly realizes ignoring the Sidelink DRX restriction.

[0107] Optionally, the first terminal may report the transmission situations of multiple destination addresses to the base station in the same indication message, that is, indicate to the base station whether to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction for data transmission to multiple destination addresses. If the transmission situations of these multiple destination addresses are the same, for example, all ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction or all do not ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction, the first terminal may only send one indication message to the base station; if the transmission situations of these multiple destination addresses are different, for example, some ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction and some do not, the first terminal sends an indication message for each destination address to the base station respectively.

[0108] In one embodiment, when the first terminal is a data sender, for the first terminal to determine to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction, it may include ignoring the Sidelink DRX restriction when selecting sidelink resources for sending data to the destination address.

[0109] In one example, if the first terminal is in the RRC disconnected state, such as the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state, the direct communication of the first terminal is not controlled by the serving cell. Thus, the first terminal can independently select sidelink resources for direct communication, and all sidelink transmission resources can be used to send data to the destination address when selecting resources, without being restricted by Sidelink DRX.

[0110] In one embodiment, when the first terminal is a data receiver, for the first terminal to determine to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction, it includes: receiving data sent to the destination address in the case of ignoring the Sidelink DRX restriction.

[0111] Specifically, the first terminal does not need to consider whether it is in the DRX activation state, but continuously listens for data sent to the destination address at all sidelink reception resource positions. Thus, the first terminal can receive the data sent to this destination address.

[0112] Corresponding to the foregoing embodiments of the direct communication method, the present disclosure also provides embodiments of a direct communication device.

[0113] Figure 8 It is a schematic block diagram of a direct communication device shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The direct communication device shown in this embodiment can be applicable to a first terminal, and the first terminal includes, but is not limited to, communication devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, wearable devices, sensors, and Internet of Things devices. The first terminal can communicate with a base station as a user equipment, and the base station includes, but is not limited to, base stations in communication systems such as 4G base stations, 5G base stations, and 6G base stations. As Figure 8 shown, the direct communication device may include:

[0114] A communication module 801, configured to determine whether to ignore the restriction of Sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link Sidelink.

[0115] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: determine whether there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address; if so, determine to ignore the restriction of Sidelink DRX.

[0116] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: determine the communication standard supported by the second terminal; if at least one of the second terminals does not support a specified version of the communication protocol, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address; wherein, the specified version is the version that can use Sidelink DRX.

[0117] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: receive system information broadcast by a specified cell; if the system information does not carry parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to perform direct communication with the destination address.

[0118] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: receive system information broadcast by a specified cell; if the system information indicates that the specified cell cannot use Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

[0119] In one embodiment, the specified cell is a cell that matches the communication frequency of the direct communication.

[0120] In one embodiment, the specified cell is at least one of the serving cell and neighboring cells of the first terminal.

[0121] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: obtain the Sidelink DRX configuration; send the Sidelink DRX configuration to a second terminal that directly communicates with the destination address; if at least one second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX to directly communicate with the destination address.

[0122] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: obtain the service characteristics of the direct communication; if the service characteristics indicate that the service does not support Sidelink DRX, determine to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction.

[0123] In one embodiment, the first terminal is a data sending end, and the device further includes:

[0124] An indication module 802, configured to send indication information to a base station if it is determined to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction, where the indication information is used to indicate that the base station ignores the Sidelink DRX restriction for data sending to the destination address.

[0125] In one embodiment, the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction when selecting a sidelink resource for sending data to the destination address.

[0126] In one embodiment, the first terminal is a data receiving end, and the communication module 801 is specifically configured to: receive data sent to the destination address in the case of ignoring the Sidelink DRX restriction.

[0127] In one embodiment, the destination address is a destination address for Sidelink broadcast or multicast.

[0128] Regarding the device in the above embodiments, the specific manners in which each module performs operations have been described in detail in the embodiments of the related methods, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0129] For the device embodiments, since they basically correspond to the method embodiments, the relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed to multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment. A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without creative work.

[0130] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a direct communication device, including:

[0131] A processor;

[0132] A memory for storing a computer program;

[0133] Wherein, when the computer program is executed by the processor, the direct communication method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0134] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a computer-readable storage medium, when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the direct communication method described in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0135] Next, in combination with specific technical details, the mechanism of the direct communication method according to the present disclosure is generally and exemplarily described.

[0136] In the related art, the sending UE cannot determine whether a certain multicast or broadcast sidelink communication is applicable to sidelink DRX, and thus cannot determine whether the sending of the corresponding sidelink communication needs to consider the sidelink DRX activation time limit. Or, the base station sending to the UE cannot determine whether a certain multicast or broadcast sidelink communication uses sidelink DRX, whether the corresponding sidelink resource scheduling needs to consider the sidelink DRX activation time limit. If the sending resources are scheduled according to the sidelink DRX activation time, it may cause data delay. If the sending resources are not scheduled considering the sidelink DRX activation time, it may cause data loss.

[0137] To solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure can adopt the following direct communication method:

[0138] In one embodiment, the UE determines whether a sidelink communication with a certain destination address is applicable to Sidelink DRX.

[0139] In one embodiment, the determination method includes any one or more of the following:

[0140] Method 1: Whether the sidelink communication of the destination address is received by an R16 sidelink UE. If so, the sidelink communication corresponding to the destination address does not apply sidelink DRX.

[0141] Method 2: Whether the sidelink DRX parameter is carried in the cell system broadcast. The cell can be a serving cell or a neighboring cell. If not carried, the sidelink communication of broadcast and multicast does not apply sidelink DRX.

[0142] As one embodiment, the cell is any cell on the sidelink transmission frequency.

[0143] As one embodiment, the cell can be a serving cell or a neighboring cell.

[0144] Method 3: The cell system broadcast carries an indication to support the sidelink DRX function. If the cell does not support sidelink DRX, the sidelink communication of broadcast and multicast does not apply sidelink DRX.

[0145] As one embodiment, the cell is any cell on the sidelink transmission frequency.

[0146] As one embodiment, the cell can be a serving cell or a neighboring cell.

[0147] Method 4: After the peer UE receives the DRX configuration sent by the UE and replies with a rejection of the Sidelink DRX indication, the destination address of the peer UE does not apply sidelink DRX.

[0148] In one embodiment, the UE reports the information on whether the destination address applies sidelink DRX to the base station.

[0149] Optionally, if all multicast or broadcast addresses do not apply sidelink DRX, only one indication can be reported.

[0150] In one embodiment, when the UE sends sidelink communication to a destination address that does not apply sidelink DRX, it can send on all transmission resources.

[0151] In one embodiment, after the base station receives that a certain destination address is not applicable to sidelink DRX, when scheduling the corresponding sidelink transmission resource, it does not consider the sidelink DRX restriction, that is, the sidelink transmission resource does not need to be limited within the sidelink DRX activation time.

[0152] In one embodiment, when the UE receives sidelink communication with a destination address that is not applicable to sidelink DRX, it does not use sidelink DRX.

[0153] Figure 9 FIG. 900 is a schematic block diagram of a device 900 for direct communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the device 900 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, etc.

[0154] Referring to Figure 9 , the device 900 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 902, a memory 904, a power supply component 906, a multimedia component 908, an audio component 910, an input / output (I / O) interface 912, a sensor component 914, and a communication component 916.

[0155] The processing component 902 generally controls the overall operation of the device 900, such as operations associated with display, telephone call, data communication, camera operation, and recording operation. The processing component 902 may include one or more processors 920 to execute instructions to complete all or part of the steps of the above direct communication method. In addition, the processing component 902 may include one or more modules to facilitate the interaction between the processing component 902 and other components. For example, the processing component 902 may include a multimedia module to facilitate the interaction between the multimedia component 908 and the processing component 902.

[0156] The memory 904 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the device 900. Examples of these data include instructions for any application or method operating on the device 900, contact data, phone book data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory 904 may be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0157] Power component 906 provides power for various components of device 900. The power component 906 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the device 900.

[0158] The multimedia component 908 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 900 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen can be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touches, swipes, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensors can not only sense the boundaries of the touch or swipe actions, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 908 includes a front camera and / or a rear camera. When the device 900 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front camera and / or the rear camera can receive external multimedia data. Each of the front camera and the rear camera can be a fixed optical lens system or have focal length and optical zoom capabilities.

[0159] The audio component 910 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 910 includes a microphone (MIC) that is configured to receive external audio signals when the device 900 is in an operating mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals can be further stored in the memory 904 or transmitted via the communication component 916. In some embodiments, the audio component 910 further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0160] The I / O interface 912 provides an interface between the processing component 902 and a peripheral interface module, and the peripheral interface module can be a keyboard, a click wheel, buttons, etc. These buttons can include but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a power button, and a lock button.

[0161] The sensor assembly 914 includes one or more sensors for providing a status assessment of various aspects of the device 900. For example, the sensor assembly 914 can detect the on / off state of the device 900, the relative positioning of components, such as the display and keypad of the device 900. The sensor assembly 914 can also detect a change in the position of the device 900 or a component of the device 900, the presence or absence of user contact with the device 900, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the device 900, and the temperature change of the device 900. The sensor assembly 914 can include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 914 can also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 914 can further include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0162] The communication component 916 is configured to facilitate communication between the device 900 and other devices in a wired or wireless manner. The device 900 can access a wireless network based on communication standards, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, 4G LTE, 5G NR, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 916 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 916 further includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

[0163] In an exemplary embodiment, the device 900 can be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other electronic components for performing the above direct communication method.

[0164] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 904 including instructions, and the above instructions can be executed by a processor 920 of the device 900 to complete the above direct communication method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, and an optical data storage device, etc.

[0165] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include known common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are only illustrative, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are pointed out by the following claims.

[0166] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of the present disclosure is only limited by the appended claims.

[0167] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. The term "comprising", "including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising a..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0168] The methods and devices provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure have been introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used herein to elaborate on the principles and implementation manners of the present disclosure. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present disclosure; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present disclosure, there will be changes in the specific implementation manners and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A direct communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a first terminal, and the method includes: When the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link Sidelink, determining whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX); Wherein, the determining whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX includes: Determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address, and then determining to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX; The determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address includes: Obtaining the Sidelink DRX configuration; sending the Sidelink DRX configuration to a second terminal that performs direct communication with the destination address; if at least one second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; The first terminal is a data sending end, and the method further includes: If it is determined to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX, sending indication information to a base station, where the indication information is used to indicate that the base station ignores the Sidelink DRX limitation for data sending to the destination address.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address includes: Determining the communication standard supported by the second terminal; If at least one of the second terminals does not support a specified version of the communication protocol, determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; wherein, the specified version is a version that can use Sidelink DRX.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address includes: Receiving the system information broadcast by a specified cell; If the system information does not carry the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX, determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address includes: Receiving the system information broadcast by a specified cell; If the system information indicates that the specified cell cannot use Sidelink DRX, determining that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The specified cell is a cell that matches the communication frequency of the direct communication.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The specified cell is at least one of the serving cell and neighboring cells of the first terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determining whether to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX includes: Obtaining the service characteristics of the direct communication; If the service characteristics indicate that the service does not support Sidelink DRX, determining to ignore the limitation of Sidelink DRX.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first terminal is a data sender, and the ignoring of the Sidelink DRX restriction includes: When selecting a sidelink resource for sending data to the destination address, ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first terminal is a data sender, and the ignoring of the Sidelink DRX restriction includes: Receive data sent to the destination address under the condition of ignoring the Sidelink DRX restriction.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The destination address is the destination address of Sidelink broadcast or multicast.

11. A direct communication device, characterized in that, Applied to the first terminal, the device includes: A communication module, configured to determine whether to ignore the Sidelink discontinuous reception (DRX) restriction when the first terminal performs direct communication with a destination address based on a direct link (Sidelink). Wherein, the communication module is specifically configured to: determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address, and then determine to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction; The communication module is specifically configured to: obtain the Sidelink DRX configuration; send the Sidelink DRX configuration to the second terminal that performs direct communication with the destination address; if at least one second terminal rejects the Sidelink DRX configuration, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; The first terminal is a data sender, and the device further includes: An indication module, configured to, if it is determined to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction, send indication information to the base station, where the indication information is used to indicate that the base station ignores the Sidelink DRX restriction for data transmission to the destination address.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The communication module is specifically configured to: Determine the communication standard supported by the second terminal; If at least one of the second terminals does not support a specified version of the communication protocol, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address; wherein, the specified version is the version that can use Sidelink DRX.

13. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The communication module is specifically configured to: Receive the system information broadcast by a specified cell; If the system information does not carry the parameters for configuring Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX for direct communication with the destination address.

14. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The communication module is specifically configured to: Receive the system information broadcast by a specified cell; If the system information indicates that the specified cell cannot use Sidelink DRX, determine that there is a second terminal that cannot use Sidelink DRX.

15. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The communication module is specifically configured to: Obtain the service characteristics of the direct communication; If the service characteristics indicate that the service does not support Sidelink DRX, determine to ignore the Sidelink DRX restriction.

16. The device according to claim 11, wherein The first terminal is a data sender, and the communication module is specifically configured to: When selecting sidelink resources for sending data to the destination address, Sidelink DRX restrictions are ignored.

17. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first terminal is a data sender, and the communication module is specifically configured to: Receive data sent to the destination address while ignoring the restrictions of Sidelink DRX.

18. A direct communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processor; A memory for storing computer programs; Wherein, when the computer program is executed by the processor, the direct communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented.

19. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps in the direct communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 are implemented.

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