A communication method and apparatus in an IAB network

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and apparatus in an IAB network. The method includes: an IAB donor sending transmission hop count indication information to an IAB node, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to a target terminal for services carried on the RLC channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus in an IAB network. Background Art

[0002] The IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) network technology relays wireless signals through multiple nodes to expand the coverage range of the base station, which is a network networking mode for 5G to solve the base station coverage problem in the future.

[0003] While the IAB network enhances coverage through multi-hop, it also increases the end-to-end transmission delay. With the further development of IAB technology, the load fairness of the IAB network is particularly important. To achieve load fairness, the number of hops required for service transmission needs to be considered, but the traditional network does not consider the number of hops required for end-to-end data packets during scheduling. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus in an IAB network to indicate the number of hops for service transmission to an IAB node, so that the IAB node can achieve load fairness based on the number of hops for service transmission.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method in an IAB network is provided, including:

[0006] An IAB donor node sends transmission hop indication information to an IAB node, where the transmission hop indication information is used to indicate at least one of the number of hops for the service carried on the radio link control (RLC) channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the number of hops from the IAB node to the target terminal.

[0007] In some implementation manners, the IAB donor sending the transmission hop indication information to the IAB node includes at least one of the following:

[0008] After the IAB donor configures the at least one DRB, it sends the transmission hop indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel;

[0009] After the IAB donor reconfigures the at least one DRB, it sends the transmission hop indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel;

[0010] The IAB donor sends the transmission hop indication information to the IAB node according to a period;

[0011] When the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, it sends transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node; wherein, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0012] In some implementation manners, the IAB donor sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node includes:

[0013] The IAB donor receives a transmission hop count request message sent by the IAB node;

[0014] The IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node according to the transmission hop count request message.

[0015] In some implementation manners, the transmission hop count request message is sent by the IAB node when it detects a change in the DRB or detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold; wherein, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0016] In some implementation manners, the transmission hop count request message includes a F1 Application Part (F1AP) message or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.

[0017] In some implementation manners, the transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

[0018] In some implementation manners, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0019] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period, and / or according to the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for the transmission hop count required by the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period; wherein, only one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

[0020] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0021] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period, and / or according to the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal among the transmission hop counts required for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period; wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration, and the RLC channel carries only one DRB.

[0022] In some implementations, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0023] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the largest one among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel, and / or according to the largest one among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel; wherein, the RLC channel carries at least one DRB.

[0024] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then:

[0025] The largest one among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs is the one with the largest statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs in the most recent period;

[0026] The largest one among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs is the one with the largest statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs in the most recent period.

[0027] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then:

[0028] The largest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the largest statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor;

[0029] The largest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the largest statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal;

[0030] Among them, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0031] In some implementations, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0032] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor, and / or according to the smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the target terminal; where the RLC channel carries at least one DRB.

[0033] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then:

[0034] The smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the smallest statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor;

[0035] The smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the smallest statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal.

[0036] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then:

[0037] The smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the smallest statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor;

[0038] The smallest one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the smallest statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal;

[0039] Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is the closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0040] In some implementations, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0041] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor, and / or according to the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the target terminal; wherein, the RLC channel carries at least one DRB.

[0042] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then:

[0043] The average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor required by all the DRBs; or, the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor required by all the DRBs.

[0044] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then:

[0045] The average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the IAB donor required for all the DRBs;

[0046] The average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts from the IAB node to the target terminal required for all the DRBs;

[0047] Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and with a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0048] In some implementations, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes:

[0049] The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the transmission hop count of each DRB carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor, and / or according to the transmission hop count of each DRB carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the target terminal; wherein, at least one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

[0050] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then:

[0051] The transmission hop count of each DRB from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of each DRB from the IAB node to the IAB donor;

[0052] The transmission hop count of each DRB from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of each DRB from the IAB node to the target terminal.

[0053] In some implementations, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then:

[0054] The transmission hop count of each DRB from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of each DRB from the IAB node to the IAB donor;

[0055] The transmission hop count of each DRB from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of each DRB from the IAB node to the target terminal;

[0056] Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is the closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0057] In a second aspect, a communication method in an IAB network is provided, including:

[0058] The IAB node receives the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor, wherein the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of the service carried on the radio link control (RLC) channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal.

[0059] In some implementations, before the IAB node receives the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor, it further includes:

[0060] The IAB node sends a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor.

[0061] In some implementations, the IAB node sending the transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor includes:

[0062] The IAB node sends the transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor when it detects a change in the DRB or detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold; wherein the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0063] In some implementations, the transmission hop count request message includes a FI interface application part F1AP message or a radio resource control RRC message.

[0064] In some implementations, the transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

[0065] In a third aspect, an IAB donor device is provided, including:

[0066] A sending module, configured to send transmission hop count indication information to an IAB node, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of the service carried on a radio link control RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to a target terminal.

[0067] In a fourth aspect, an IAB node device is provided, including:

[0068] A receiving module, configured to receive transmission hop count indication information sent by an IAB donor node, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of the service carried on a radio link control RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to a target terminal.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, an IAB donor device is provided, including: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver; the transceiver is controlled by the processor to receive and send data; the memory stores computer instructions; the processor is configured to read the computer instructions and execute the method according to any one of the above first aspects.

[0070] In a sixth aspect, an IAB node device is provided, including: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver; the transceiver is controlled by the processor to receive and send data; the memory stores computer instructions; the processor is configured to read the computer instructions and execute the method according to any one of the above second aspects.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, where the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to execute the method according to any one of the above first aspect or second aspect.

[0072] In the above embodiments of the present application, since the IAB donor sends transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for the service carried on the RLC channel, the IAB node can obtain the remaining transmission hop count of the service in the uplink or downlink direction, and further the IAB node can achieve load fairness according to the service transmission hop count. Description of the Drawings

[0073] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings introduced below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0074] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the architecture of the IAB network in the embodiments of the present application;

[0075] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the connection of the IAB node in the embodiments of the present application;

[0076] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of 1:1 load mapping in the embodiments of the present application;

[0077] Figure 4a 、 Figure 4b Schematic diagrams of N:1 load mapping in the embodiments of the present application respectively;

[0078] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the flow of the communication method in the IAB network provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0079] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the flow of the communication method in the IAB network provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0080] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the IAB donor device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0081] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the IAB node device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0082] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the IAB donor device provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0083] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of the IAB node device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0084] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following will further describe this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0085] The following explains some terms in the embodiments of this application to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0086] (1) In the embodiments of this application, the nouns "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings.

[0087] (2) In the embodiments of this application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0088] (3) "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0089] Figure 1 An exemplary topological structure diagram of an IAB network is shown.

[0090] As Figure 1 shown, the IAB network includes an IAB donor (IAB host node or central control node), an IAB node, and a terminal (UE). The IAB donor is a node with a wired connection, connected to the core network, and is used to send the information of the IAB node and the UE back to the core network, and transmit the information of the core network to the IAB node and the UE. The IAB donor is also responsible for managing the IAB nodes in the entire IAB network.

[0091] The IAB node is responsible for relaying the information of the UE to the IAB donor through a wireless link (NR Uu interface), and relaying the information of the IAB donor to the UE. The IAB nodes are connected to each other and to the IAB donor through a wireless link (NR Uu interface).

[0092] Among them, a terminal is a device that can provide voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connection functions, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, or wireless terminals in smart home, etc.

[0093] The relay function of the IAB node is implemented through the BAP layer (Backhaul Adaptation Protocol layer, Adaptive Backhaul Protocol layer) in the IAB node.

[0094] Figure 2 An exemplary schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the IAB donor and the IAB node based on the BAP layer protocol is shown under the architecture separated by CU / DU (Centralized Unit / Distributed Unit, Distributed Unit / Centralized Unit).

[0095] Such as Figure 2 As shown, an IAB node includes two parts: IAB MT (IAB Mobile Termination, IAB Mobile Terminal) and IAB DU (IAB Distributed Unit, IAB Distributed Unit), and an IAB donor includes two parts: DU and CU.

[0096] The IAB MT of an IAB node is connected to the IAB DU in the IAB node or to the DU of the IAB donor above. The upper-level IAB node or the IAB donor connected to this IAB node is called the parent node of this IAB node; the IAB DU of an IAB node is connected to the UE below or to the MT part of the IAB node. The UE connected to this IAB node or the lower-level IAB node connected is called the child node of this IAB node.

[0097] As shown in Figure 1 Figure, IAB node 1 is the parent node of IAB node 2, IAB node 3 is the child node of IAB node 2, and IAB node 3 is the descendant node of IAB node 1. Among them, the hop count from IAB node 1 to the IAB donor is 1 hop, that is, IAB node 1 is directly connected to the IAB donor; the hop count from IAB node 2 to the IAB donor is 2 hops, that is, there is an IAB node as a relay node between IAB node 2 and the IAB donor; the hop count from IAB node 3 to the IAB donor is 3 hops. And so on. In the uplink direction, the hop count from a child node to the IAB donor is equal to the hop count from the child node's parent node to the IAB donor plus 1.

[0098] The IAB node acts as a DU to provide access services for local UEs. Each IAB node is connected to the upper-level parent node through a local MT. This MT acts as an access UE of the parent node and shares the access bandwidth with other UEs of the parent node. Since the DU of the IAB node and the CU of the IAB donor are connected through the F1 interface, a one-hop or multi-hop Data Radio Bearer (DRB) needs to be established between the DU of an IAB node and the CU of the IAB donor to transmit F1 messages. At each hop, the DRB transmits data through the BH RLC (BH is the abbreviation of Backhaul, indicating the backhaul link; RLC is the abbreviation of Radio Link Control, indicating the radio link control) channel on the wireless NR Uu interface between the MT and the DU.

[0099] In the IAB network topology, 1:1 load mapping or N:1 load mapping can be adopted.

[0100] Figure 3 An exemplary schematic diagram of 1:1 load mapping is shown. In the 1:1 load mapping, the IAB node needs to aggregate the DRBs of multiple UEs onto the same backhaul RLC channel. In this case, each UE DRB is mapped to an independent backhaul RLC channel respectively, and each backhaul RLC channel is mapped to an independent backhaul RLC channel on the next-hop node. Therefore, the number of backhaul RLC channels that the IAB node needs to establish is equal to the number of UE DRBs carried. As Figure 3As shown, UE1 is configured with two DRBs: UE DRB1 for carrying VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services and UE DRB2 for carrying streaming services. These two DRBs are respectively mapped to two independent BH RLC channels (RLC channel 1, RLC channel 2) between IABnode2 and IAB node1, and two independent BH RLC channels between IAB node1 and IAB donor. The mapping method of the two DRBs configured for UE1 and the three DRBs configured for UE3 is similar.

[0101] Figure 4a and Figure 4b respectively exemplarily show schematic diagrams of N:1 load mapping. In N:1 load mapping, the IABnode multiplexes multiple DRBs from different UEs onto the same backhaul RLC channel. DRBs on the same backhaul RLC channel generally have the same Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Figure 4a In this case, UE1, UE2, and UE3 are all connected to IABnode2, and the number of DRBs included in the RLC channel between IAB node2 and IAB node1 and the RLC channel between IAB node1 and IAB donor is the same. For example, RLC channel 1 includes three DRBs from three UEs. Figure 4b In this case, UE1 and UE2 are connected to IAB node2, and UE3 is connected to IAB node1. The number of DRBs included in the RLC channel between IAB node2 and IAB node1 and the RLC channel between IABnode1 and IAB donor is different. For example, RLC channel 1 between IAB node2 and IAB node1 includes the DRBs corresponding to the VoIP services of UE1 and UE2, and RLC channel 1 between IAB node1 and IAB donor includes the DRBs corresponding to the VoIP services of UE1, UE2, and UE3. Since multiple DRBs on the backhaul RLC channel may come from different UEs, the backhaul RLC channel needs to include the identifiers of the UEs or DRBs. As for which identifiers are required, it depends on the IAB implementation.

[0102] In the existing IAB network, the scheduling method based on the traditional network during scheduling does not consider the number of hops that a service needs to experience to complete end-to-end transmission. Therefore, load fairness cannot be achieved. For example, for two services with the same QoS requirements but different numbers of hops to complete end-to-end transmission, the priorities during IAB node scheduling should be different, that is, the service with more hops should be preferentially transmitted under the condition that the QoS of the service with fewer hops can be guaranteed. However, the IAB nodes in the current network cannot obtain the service transmission hop count information. Therefore, the transmission hop count of the service cannot be considered during scheduling, which is not conducive to network fairness.

[0103] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method in an IAB network to implement the indication of the service transmission hop count, facilitating the consideration of the service transmission hop count during IAB network scheduling, thereby making the IAB network service transmission more balanced and reducing the system transmission delay.

[0104] The embodiment of the present application can be applied to the N:1 or 1:1 load mapping process. The embodiment of the present application can be applied to the 5GNR system or its evolved system.

[0105] See Figure 5 , which is a schematic diagram of a communication method in an IAB network provided by an embodiment of the present application. Through this method, the service transmission hop count can be indicated to the IAB node.

[0106] It should be noted that the IAB donor can send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node corresponding to the RLC channel for the service carried on one RLC channel. If there are multiple RLC channels, the IAB donor can send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node corresponding to each RLC channel respectively.

[0107] Figure 5 Only the schematic diagram of sending the transmission hop count indication information between the IAB donor and one IAB node is shown in Figure 5 . If the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to multiple IAB nodes, the process of sending the transmission hop count indication information to each IAB node can refer to the process shown in

[0108] As shown in the figure, the method may include:

[0109] S501: The IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node.

[0110] Among them, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the IAB donor for the service carried on the RLC channel and the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the target terminal. Among them, the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the IAB donor is the hop count of the uplink transmission, and the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the target terminal is the hop count of the downlink transmission.

[0111] Among them, the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the IAB donor is the hop count of the uplink transmission, and it can also be understood that the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the IAB donor CU is the hop count of the uplink transmission.

[0112] Among them, the DRB is used to carry service data. One RLC channel can carry (or aggregate) one or more DRBs. The service carried on one RLC channel can be understood as the service data carried by all the DRBs aggregated by this RLC channel. For example, for a 1:1 load mapping, one RLC channel only carries one DRB, that is, the service carried on one RLC channel is the service carried by this DRB; for an N:1 load mapping, one RLC channel can carry one or more DRBs. For example, it can carry DRBs from multiple UEs. The multiple DRBs carried on one RLC channel can be DRBs with the same QoS requirements. For example, the DRBs of the VoIP services of different terminals can be carried on one RLC channel. That is, the service carried on this RLC channel includes the VoIP services from multiple UEs. Under the N:1 load mapping, the DRBs of different UEs carried on one RLC channel may have different hop counts. For example, as Figure 4b shown, the UE1 DRB1 carried on the RLC channel 1 has 2 hops, and the UE3 DRB1 carried on the RLC channel 1 has 1 hop.

[0113] Optionally, the transmission hop count indication information can be carried in the F1AP reconfiguration message or the RRC message and sent to the IAB node.

[0114] S502: The IAB node receives the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor.

[0115] Furthermore, the IAB-node can make a scheduling decision according to the transmission hop count indication information of the services carried on each RLC channel. For example, on the premise of ensuring the QoS of the services, the services with more transmission hop counts can be preferentially scheduled, so as to reduce the IAB network system delay and ensure system fairness.

[0116] In the above embodiments of the present application, since the IAB donor sends transmission hop indication information to the IAB node, where the transmission hop indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hops of the service carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal, the IAB node can obtain the remaining transmission hops of the DRB in the uplink or downlink direction, and further the IAB node can achieve load fairness according to the transmission hops.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the IAB donor may actively send transmission hop indication information to the IAB node. Specifically, when the IAB donor actively sends transmission hop indication information to the IAB node, any one of the following several active triggering methods can be adopted:

[0118] Active triggering method 1: After the IAB donor configures the DRB, for the RLC channel carrying the DRB, it can send transmission hop indication information to the IAB node configured with the channel.

[0119] For example, taking Figure 3 the 1:1 load mapping shown as an example, UE1 requests a VoIP service. The IAB donor creates a corresponding data bearer UE1 DRB for UE1 and allocates a 2-hop transmission: from UE1 to IAB node2, and from IAB node2 to IAB node1. RLC channels are established between UE1 and IAB node2 and between IAB node2 and IAB node1 to carry the VoIP service from UE1. The IAB donor sends the transmission hop indication information of the VoIP service from UE1 carried on the RLC channel to IAB node1, and the indication information can indicate at least one of the following:

[0120] The transmission hop in the uplink direction is 1 (indicating 1 hop from IAB node1 to the IAB donor);

[0121] The transmission hop in the downlink direction is 2 (indicating 2 hops from IAB node1 to UE1).

[0122] Active triggering method 2: After the IAB donor reconfigures the DRB, for the RLC channel carrying the DRB, it can send transmission hop indication information to the IAB node configured with the channel.

[0123] For example, taking Figure 3Taking the 1:1 load mapping shown as an example, if the UE1 DRB1 carried by the RLC channel 1 is reconfigured, the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information of the service carried by this RLC channel to the IAB node1. This indication information indicates that the transmission hop count in the uplink direction is 1 (indicating 1 hop from the IAB node1 to the IAB donor), and the transmission hop count in the downlink direction is 2 (indicating 2 hops from the IAB node1 to the UE1).

[0124] Active triggering method 3: The IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node according to a period.

[0125] Among them, the length of this period is configurable. The length of this period can be configured according to factors such as network performance and service requirements.

[0126] Optionally, the IAB donor can send the transmission hop count information of the service carried by each RLC channel to the corresponding IAB node according to a set period, or can also send the transmission hop count information of the service carried by some channels among all RLC channels to the corresponding IAB node. For example, after receiving the transmission hop count request sent by a certain IAB node, according to the set period, send the transmission hop count indication information of the service carried by the RLC channels configured by this IAB node to the corresponding IAB node.

[0127] Active triggering method 4: When the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, it sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node; among them, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0128] Among them, the set threshold is configurable. The set threshold can be configured according to factors such as service requirements and network performance.

[0129] In the embodiments of this application, the IAB donor can actively detect the service transmission delay on the backhaul link of a certain IAB node, or the IAB node can report the service transmission delay on the backhaul link to the IAB donor, so that the IAB donor can determine that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold.

[0130] Optionally, when the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the feedback link of an IAB node is greater than a set threshold, it may send transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node to indicate the transmission hop count of the service carried on the RLC channel. The transmission hop count indication information may indicate the transmission hop count of the service carried on the corresponding RLC channel, that is, the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the IAB donor, and / or the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the target terminal.

[0131] The above several active triggering methods can be used alone, that is, any one of the above active triggering methods can be used to send the transmission hop count indication information. For example, the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information according to a set period. The above several active triggering methods can also be used in any combination. For example, the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information after configuring the DRB. If the IAB donor reconfigures the DRB, it sends the transmission hop count indication information after the reconfiguration. Another example is that the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information according to a set period. If the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the feedback link is greater than the set threshold, but according to the set period, the current time has not reached the time to send the transmission hop count indication information, it will also send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node.

[0132] In the embodiments of the present application, through the above active triggering method, the IAB donor can timely send the transmission hop count indication information to the corresponding IAB node, so that the IAB node can timely execute the scheduling decision according to the transmission hop count of the service, thereby reducing the IAB network system delay and ensuring system fairness.

[0133] In some embodiments of the present application, the IAB donor may send the transmission hop count indication information based on the request of the IAB node.

[0134] See Figure 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a communication method in an IAB network provided by the embodiments of the present application. Through this method, the IAB donor can indicate the service transmission hop count to the IAB node based on the request of the IAB donor.

[0135] As shown in the figure, the method may include:

[0136] S601: The IAB node sends a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor.

[0137] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count request message is sent by the IAB node when it detects a change in the service carried on the RLC channel. For example, when the IAB donor configures or reconfigures a certain DRB, it may cause a change in the service carried on the RLC channel (such as a change in the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and / or the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal on the RLC channel). This change can be detected by the corresponding IAB node. When the IAB node detects a change in the service carried on the RLC channel, it sends a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor.

[0138] In other embodiments, the transmission hop count request message is sent by the IAB node when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold. Among them, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, and the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0139] Optionally, the transmission hop count request message can be an F1 Application Part (F1AP) message of the FI interface or an RRC message.

[0140] S602: The IAB donor sends transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node.

[0141] For the relevant description of the transmission hop count indication information, reference can be made to the foregoing embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0142] In this step, the IAB donor can send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node that sent the transmission hop count request message. Further, it can also send the transmission hop count indication information to the parent node or child node of the IAB node.

[0143] For example, taking Figure 4a the N:1 load mapping shown as an example, if IAB node1 detects that the service transmission delay on the link between the IAB node and the parent node is greater than the set threshold, it sends a transmission hop count request message, causing the IAB donor to send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node.

[0144] For another example, still taking Figure 4a the N:1 load mapping shown as an example, if IAB node1 detects that the service transmission delay on the link between the IAB node and the child node is greater than the set threshold, it sends a transmission hop count request message, causing the IAB donor to send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node and the child node of the IAB node respectively.

[0145] Optionally, the transmission hop count indication information may be carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

[0146] In the embodiments of the present application, through the above request based on the IAB node, the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the corresponding IAB node, so that the IAB donor can execute scheduling decisions in a timely manner according to the transmission hop count of the service, thereby reducing the latency of the IAB network system and ensuring system fairness.

[0147] In some embodiments of the present application, the method of the IAB donor actively sending the transmission hop count indication information and the method of sending the transmission hop count indication information based on the request of the IAB node can be combined. For example, after receiving the transmission hop count request message sent by the IAB node, the IAB sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, and then sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node at a set period.

[0148] The transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node will be described below for 1:1 load mapping and N:1 load mapping respectively.

[0149] (1) For 1:1 load mapping

[0150] The transmission hop count indication information may indicate only the transmission hop count in the uplink direction, or only the transmission hop count in the downlink direction, or may also indicate the transmission hop count in the uplink direction and the transmission hop count in the downlink direction.

[0151] In the uplink direction, for the service carried by the RLC channel, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node is used to indicate the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor among the transmission hop counts that the service carried by the RLC channel needs to experience. For the IAB donor, the transmission hop count indication information can be determined according to the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor of the DRB carried by the RLC channel.

[0152] For Figure 3Taking the 1:1 responsible mapping shown as an example, for the UE1 DRB1 carried by the RLC channel 1, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node1 is used to indicate that in the uplink direction, the transmission hop count of the service carried by the RLC channel 1 from the IAB node1 to the IAB donor is equal to 1; the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node2 is used to indicate that in the uplink direction, the transmission hop count of the service carried by the RLC channel 1 from the IAB node2 to the IAB donor is equal to 2.

[0153] In some embodiments, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor in the required transmission hop count of the service carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period.

[0154] For example, the IAB donor can count the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB according to the first period, and send the transmission hop count indication information according to the second period, where the first period is less than the second period. In this way, when it comes to the time of sending the transmission hop count indication information, the average value of the transmission hop count statistically obtained based on the first period within the most recent second period can be sent to the IAB node through the transmission hop count indication information.

[0155] In other embodiments, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate the statistical average value of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor in the required transmission hop count of the service carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period. Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or is the time period within this time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0156] For example, the time when the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold is t1, and the time when the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold is t0. Then the most recent time period can be the time period from the t0 moment to the t1 moment, or can also be the time period from the t2 moment to the t1 moment, where the t2 moment is between the t0 moment and the t1 moment, and the duration from the t2 moment to the t1 moment is equal to the set duration.

[0157] In the downlink direction, for the service carried on the RLC channel, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node is used to indicate the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal among the number of transmission hops that the service needs to experience. For the IAB donor, the transmission hop count indication information can be determined according to the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal for the DRB carried on the RLC channel.

[0158] Taking Figure 3 the 1:1 dedicated mapping shown as an example, for the UE1 DRB1 carried on the RLC channel 1, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node1 is used to indicate that in the downlink direction, the number of transmission hops of the service carried on the RLC channel 1 from the IAB node1 to the UE1 is equal to 2; the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node2 is used to indicate that in the downlink direction, the number of transmission hops of the service carried on the RLC channel 1 from the IAB node2 to the UE1 is equal to 1.

[0159] In some embodiments, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal among the number of transmission hops required for the service carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period.

[0160] In some embodiments, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal among the number of transmission hops required for the service carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period. Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from this detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this time period that is closest to this detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0161] (2) For N:1 load mapping

[0162] The transmission hop count indication information can indicate only the transmission hop count in the uplink direction, or only the transmission hop count in the downlink direction, or can also indicate the transmission hop count in the uplink direction and the transmission hop count in the downlink direction.

[0163] In the uplink direction, for the service carried on the RLC channel, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node can adopt any one of the following four methods:

[0164] Method 1: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the maximum value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs carried on the RLC channel from this IAB node to the IAB donor (i.e., the maximum value). That is, the transmission hop count in the uplink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this maximum value.

[0165] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then the maximum value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the maximum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor within the most recent period.

[0166] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, then the maximum value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the maximum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor within the most recent time period. Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0167] Method 2: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the minimum value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs carried on the RLC channel from this IAB node to the IAB donor (i.e., the minimum value). That is, the transmission hop count in the uplink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this minimum value.

[0168] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then the minimum value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the minimum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the IAB donor within the most recent period.

[0169] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, then the minimum one among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs is: the minimum one among the statistical averages of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs within the most recent time period. Herein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0170] Method 3: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the average hop count of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor among all DRBs carried on the RLC channel, that is, the transmission hop count in the uplink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this average hop count.

[0171] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor at a periodic interval, then the average hop count of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs is: the statistical average within the most recent period of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs.

[0172] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, then the average hop count of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs is: the statistical average within the most recent time period of the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor for all DRBs. Herein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0173] Method 4: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the number of transmission hops required for each DRB carried on the RLC channel from this IAB node to the IAB donor, that is, the number of transmission hops in the uplink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information includes the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB. For the IAB node, after receiving this transmission hop count indication information, it can determine the number of transmission hops of the service carried on this RLC channel according to the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB. For example, the maximum value or the minimum value or the average value of the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB can be determined as the number of transmission hops of the service carried on this RLC channel.

[0174] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the number of transmission hops from this IAB node to the IAB donor in the number of transmission hops required for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent period in the number of transmission hops from this IAB node to the IAB donor in the number of transmission hops required for each DRB.

[0175] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the number of transmission hops from this IAB node to the IAB donor in the number of transmission hops required for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent period of time in the number of transmission hops from this IAB node to the IAB donor in the number of transmission hops required for each DRB. Wherein, the recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and with a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0176] In the downlink direction, for the service carried on the RLC channel, the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor to this IAB node can adopt any one of the following four methods:

[0177] Method 1: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the maximum value (i.e., the maximum value) among the number of transmission hops from this IAB node to the corresponding target terminal in all DRBs carried on the RLC channel, that is, the number of transmission hops in the downlink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this maximum value.

[0178] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the maximum one among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs is: the one with the maximum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs within the most recent period.

[0179] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the maximum one among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs is: the one with the maximum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs within the most recent time period. Herein, the most recent time period is the time period from this detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold to the previous detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this period that is closest to this detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0180] Method 2: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the minimum one (i.e., the minimum value) among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the corresponding target terminal for all DRBs carried on the RLC channel, that is, the transmission hop count in the downlink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this minimum value.

[0181] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the minimum one among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs is: the one with the minimum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs within the most recent period.

[0182] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the minimum one among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs is: the one with the minimum statistical average value among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal for all DRBs within the most recent time period. Herein, the most recent time period is the time period from this detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold to the previous detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this period that is closest to this detection of the service transmission delay on the backhaul link being greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

[0183] Method 3: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information based on the average hop count among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs carried on the RLC channel from this IAB node to the corresponding target terminal, that is, the transmission hop count in the uplink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information is equal to this average hop count.

[0184] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the average hop count among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the IAB donor required for all DRBs.

[0185] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the average hop count among the transmission hop counts required for all DRBs from this IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal required for all DRBs. Herein, the most recent period is the period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the period closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and with a length equal to the set duration within this period.

[0186] Method 4: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information based on the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the corresponding target terminal for each DRB carried on the RLC channel, that is, the transmission hop count in the downlink direction indicated by the transmission hop count indication information includes the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB. For the IAB node, after receiving this transmission hop count indication information, it can determine the transmission hop count of the service carried on this RLC channel according to the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB. For example, the maximum value or the minimum value or the average value among the corresponding transmission hop counts of each DRB can be determined as the transmission hop count of the service carried on this RLC channel.

[0187] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal required for each DRB.

[0188] Optionally, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, the transmission hop count from this IAB node to the target terminal in the transmission hop count required for each DRB is: the statistical average value in the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts from this IAB node to the target terminal in the transmission hop count required for each DRB. Wherein, the recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

[0189] The communication method in the IAB network provided by the embodiments of this application can facilitate considering the transmission hop count of services during IAB network scheduling. This method is applicable to both uplink transmission and downlink transmission. The embodiments of this application define the transmission hop count under N:1 and 1:1 load mappings, as well as the triggering conditions for hop count indication in the IAB network. During IAB network scheduling, the transmission hop count that different services need to experience can be considered to reduce the network egress delay.

[0190] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of this application also provide an IAB donor device.

[0191] See Figure 7 , which is a schematic structural diagram of an IAB donor device provided by the embodiments of this application. This IAB donor device can implement Figure 5 or Figure 6 the functions implemented by the IAB donor device in

[0192] The processing module 701 is used to determine the transmission hop count indication information;

[0193] The transceiver module 702 is used to send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of the service carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal.

[0194] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 702 sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node includes at least one of the following:

[0195] After configuring the at least one DRB, send the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel;

[0196] After reconfiguring the at least one DRB, send transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel;

[0197] Send transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node according to a period;

[0198] When it is detected that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, send transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node; wherein, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0199] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 702 sends transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, including: receiving a transmission hop count request message sent by the IAB node, and sending transmission hop count indication information to the IAB donor according to the transmission hop count request message.

[0200] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count request message is sent by the IAB node when it detects a change in the DRB or detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold; wherein, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0201] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count request message includes an F1AP message or an RRC message.

[0202] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

[0203] The relevant content of the transmission hop count indication information (such as the determination method of the transmission hop count indication information, etc.) is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0204] It should be noted here that the above IAB donor device provided by the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described here.

[0205] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide an IAB node device.

[0206] See Figure 8 , which is a schematic structural diagram of an IAB node device provided by an embodiment of the present application. This IAB node device can implement Figure 5 and Figure 6Functions implemented by the IAB node. As shown in the figure, the IAB node device may include: a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802, where:

[0207] The transceiver module 802 is configured to receive transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor, where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for the service carried on the RLC channel.

[0208] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to: before receiving the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor, send a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor.

[0209] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 802 sending the transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor includes:

[0210] When detecting that the DRB changes or detecting that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, send the transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor; where the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

[0211] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count request message includes an F1AP message or an RRC message.

[0212] In some embodiments, the transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

[0213] The relevant content of the transmission hop count indication information (such as the determination method of the transmission hop count indication information, etc.) is the same as that in the foregoing embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0214] It should be noted here that the above IAB node provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described here.

[0215] It should be noted here that the above IAB node device provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described here.

[0216] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides an IAB donor device. The IAB donor device can implement the functions on the IAB donor device side in the foregoing embodiments.

[0217] See Figure 9 , which is a schematic structural diagram of the IAB donor device provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the IAB donor device may include: a processor 901, a memory 902, a communication interface 903, and a bus interface 904.

[0218] The processor 901 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing. The memory 902 can store the data used by the processor 901 when performing operations. The communication interface 903 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 901.

[0219] The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically various circuits represented by one or more processors represented by the processor 901 and the memory represented by the memory 902 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The processor 901 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing. The memory 902 can store the data used by the processor 901 when performing operations.

[0220] The processes disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the processor 901 or implemented by the processor 901. During the implementation process, each step of the signal processing flow can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor 901 or the instructions in software form. The processor 901 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by the hardware processor, or executed by a combination of the hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory 902, and the processor 901 reads the information in the memory 902 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the signal processing flow.

[0221] Specifically, the processor 901 is used to read the computer instructions in the memory 902 and execute the functions implemented by the IAB donor in the embodiments of the present application.

[0222] It should be noted here that the above IAB donor provided in the embodiment of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented by the IAB donor in the above method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiment will not be specifically described herein.

[0223] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides an IAB node device. This IAB node device can implement the functions on the IAB node device side in the foregoing embodiment.

[0224] See Figure 10 , which is a schematic structural diagram of the IAB node device provided in the embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the IAB node device may include: a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a transceiver 1003, and a bus interface 1004.

[0225] The processor 1001 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing. The memory 1002 can store the data used by the processor 1001 when performing operations. The transceiver 1003 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1001.

[0226] The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically various circuits of one or more processors represented by the processor 1001 and the memory represented by the memory 1002 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art. Therefore, they will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The processor 1001 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing. The memory 1002 can store the data used by the processor 1001 when performing operations.

[0227] The process disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the processor 1001. During the implementation process, each step of the signal processing process can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1001 or the instructions in the form of software. The processor 1001 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by the hardware processor, or executed by the combination of the hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory 1002, and the processor 1001 reads the information in the memory 1002 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the signal processing process.

[0228] Specifically, the processor 1001 is configured to read the computer instructions in the memory 1002 and execute the functions implemented by the IAB node device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0229] It should be noted here that the above IAB node device provided in the embodiments of the present invention can implement all the method steps implemented by the IAB node device in the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described in this embodiment.

[0230] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to execute the method executed by the IAB donor in the above embodiments.

[0231] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to execute the method executed by the IAB node in the above embodiments.

[0232] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0233] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, and the combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to generate a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate means for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one or more of the flows Figure 1 or blocks or the combination of blocks.

[0234] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory generate a manufactured article including instruction means that implement the functions specified in Figure 1 one or more of the flows Figure 1 or blocks or the combination of blocks.

[0235] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, such that a series of operation steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to generate a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in Figure 1 one or more of the flows Figure 1 or blocks or the combination of blocks.

[0236] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method in an integrated access and backhaul IAB network, characterized in that, it includes: The IAB donor node sends transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node. Among them, the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of the service carried on the radio link control (RLC) channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal; Among them, the IAB donor sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node includes: when the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, it sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node; among them, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The IAB donor sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node further includes at least one of the following: After the IAB donor configures at least one DRB, it sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel; After the IAB donor reconfigures at least one DRB, it sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node that configures the RLC channel; The IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node according to a period.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The IAB donor sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node includes: The IAB donor receives the transmission hop count request message sent by the IAB node; The IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node according to the transmission hop count request message.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission hop count request message is sent by the IAB node when it detects a change in the DRB or detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold; among them, the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, the link between the IAB node and the child node.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission hop count request message includes a F1 application part (F1AP) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, If the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor according to a period, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information based on the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the IAB donor for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period, and / or based on the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal among the number of transmission hops required for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent period; wherein, only one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information based on the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the IAB donor for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period, and / or based on the statistical average value of the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal among the number of transmission hops required for the DRB carried on the RLC channel in the most recent time period; wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration, and only one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: The IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information based on the largest one among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel, and / or based on the largest one among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel; wherein, at least one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor in a cycle, then: the largest one among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs is: the one with the largest statistical average value among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the IAB donor for all the DRBs in the most recent cycle; the largest one among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs is: the one with the largest statistical average value among the number of transmission hops from the IAB node to the target terminal for all the DRBs in the most recent cycle.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then: the maximum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the maximum statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor; the maximum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the maximum statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal; wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: the IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the minimum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor carried on the RLC channel, and / or according to the minimum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal carried on the RLC channel; wherein, the RLC channel carries at least one DRB.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor at a periodic interval, then: the minimum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the minimum statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor; the minimum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the minimum statistical average value within the most recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, then: the minimum one among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the one with the minimum statistical average value within the most recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor; The minimum of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the one with the minimum statistical average value within the recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal; wherein, the recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and with a length equal to the set duration within this time period.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 6, characterized in that, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: the IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor, and / or according to the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs carried on the RLC channel from the IAB node to the target terminal; wherein, at least one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then: the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs required from the IAB node to the IAB donor; or the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the recent period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs required from the IAB node to the target terminal.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when detecting that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, then: the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the IAB donor is: the statistical average value within the recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs required from the IAB node to the IAB donor; the average hop count of the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs from the IAB node to the target terminal is: the statistical average value within the recent time period among the transmission hop counts of all the DRBs required from the IAB node to the target terminal; Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, before the IAB donor sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node, it further includes: the IAB donor determines the transmission hop count indication information according to the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB carried on the RLC channel, and / or according to the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB carried on the RLC channel; wherein, at least one DRB is carried on the RLC channel.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor periodically, then: the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent period of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB; the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent period of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB.

20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, if the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor when it detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, then: the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor for each DRB; the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB is: the statistical average value within the most recent time period of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for each DRB; Wherein, the most recent time period is the time period from the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold to the previous detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold, or the time period within this period that is closest to the current detection that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than the set threshold and has a length equal to the set duration.

21. A communication method in an integrated access backhaul IAB network, characterized in that, including: The IAB node receives transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor. The transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for the service carried on the radio link control (RLC) channel. The transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node when the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold. The backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, and the link between the IAB node and the child node.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, before the IAB node receives the transmission hop count indication information sent by the IAB donor, it further includes: the IAB node sends a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, the IAB node sending a transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor includes: the IAB node sends the transmission hop count request message to the IAB donor when it detects a change in the DRB or detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold. The backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, and the link between the IAB node and the child node.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein, the transmission hop count request message includes an F1 application part (F1AP) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein, the transmission hop count indication information is carried in an F1AP reconfiguration message or an RRC message.

26. An IAB donor device, wherein, it includes: a sending module, configured to send transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node. The transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to the target terminal for the service carried on the radio link control (RLC) channel. wherein, the IAB donor sending the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node includes: when the IAB donor detects that the service transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold, it sends the transmission hop count indication information to the IAB node. The backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and the parent node, and the link between the IAB node and the child node.

27. An IAB node device, wherein, it includes: A receiving module, configured to receive transmission hop count indication information sent by an IAB host node (IAB donor), where the transmission hop count indication information is used to indicate at least one of the transmission hop count of traffic carried on a radio link control (RLC) channel from the IAB node to the IAB donor and the transmission hop count from the IAB node to a target terminal; the transmission hop count indication information is sent by the IAB donor to the IAB node when it detects that the traffic transmission delay on the backhaul link is greater than a set threshold; the backhaul link includes at least one of the following: the link between the IAB node and its parent node, and the link between the IAB node and its child node.

28. An IAB host node (IAB donor) device Characterized in that It includes: A processor, a memory, and a transceiver; The transceiver is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor; The memory stores computer instructions; The processor is configured to read the computer instructions and execute the method according to any one of claims 1-20.

29. An IAB node (IAB node) device Characterized in that It includes: A processor, a memory, and a transceiver; The transceiver is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor; The memory stores computer instructions; The processor is configured to read the computer instructions and execute the method according to any one of claims 21-25.

30. A computer-readable storage medium Characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to cause a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-25.

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