Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, the method comprising: a first device establishes a first radio link control RLC entity and a second RLC entity, the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are associated with a first packet data convergence protocol PDCP entity; the first device sends first data through the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity. The first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode. The communication method provided by the present application configures a PDCP association corresponding to an RLC entity of a unicast transmission mode and an RLC entity of a multicast transmission mode. Data is transmitted through an RLC entity of a unicast transmission mode and / or an RLC entity of a multicast transmission mode, and flexible switching between the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode can be performed, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of switching the transmission mode and improving the reliability of data transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] Multicast transmission technology refers to the technology in which a network device sends the same data to multiple terminal devices at the same time, i.e. point-to-multipoint transmission. When multicast transmission is adopted, for the same data, multiple terminal devices receive it at the same time during the transmission process of the network device (such as a base station). Unicast transmission technology (or unicast transmission mode) refers to the technology in which a network device sends the same data to only one terminal device at the same time, i.e. point-to-point transmission.

[0003] The network devices and terminal devices that communicate with each other have a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer structure may include radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer and physical layer (PHY) and other protocol layers. Each layer has a corresponding functional entity to perform the corresponding function, for example, the PDCP layer corresponds to the PDCP entity, the RLC layer corresponds to the RLC entity, etc. When the network device and the terminal device transmit data, the data needs to pass through each layer on the network device and the terminal device in turn and be processed accordingly at each layer.

[0004] At present, when network devices and terminal devices use multicast transmission to transmit data, transmission failure may occur, resulting in low reliability of data transmission. In addition, when network devices need to switch between multicast transmission mode and unicast transmission mode, they need to release the configuration of the original transmission mode through RRC signaling, and then establish the configuration of the new transmission mode through RRC signaling, resulting in large signaling overhead and delay during the switching process, which seriously reduces communication efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which configures a PDCP to associate multiple RLC entities, and the multiple RLC entities include RLC entities corresponding to unicast transmission mode and RLC entities corresponding to multicast transmission mode. When data is transmitted, data is transmitted through the RLC entity of the unicast transmission mode and / or the RLC entity of the multicast transmission mode. Flexible switching can be performed between the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode, reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching, and improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0006] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the execution subject of the method can be either a first device or a chip applied to the first device. Exemplarily, the first device can be a network device, or, in a scenario where a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) are separately arranged, the first device can be a CU. Taking the execution subject as the first device as an example, the method includes: the first device establishes a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity, and the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are associated with a first PDCP entity; the first device sends first data through the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity. Among them, the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0007] In the communication method provided in the first aspect, when the first device needs to switch the transmission mode, it is not necessary to release the original unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode configuration, and only needs to stop using the unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode to complete the flexible switching of different transmission modes, without the need for reconfiguration process, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching. In addition, when using unicast transmission and multicast transmission modes at the same time, different transmission modes can be used to repeatedly send and receive the same data, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0008] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first device sends first indication information to the second device, the first indication information is used to indicate that the third RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the fourth RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a multicast transmission mode, wherein the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with the second PDCP entity. In this implementation, the first device notifies the type of each RLC entity in a plurality of RLC entities of the second device, so that the second device establishes the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity, which can improve the accuracy and efficiency of the second device in establishing the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity. It is easy to implement and has low complexity.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, the first indication information includes the radio network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity. In this implementation, the efficiency and accuracy of the second device in determining the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity can be improved, which is easy to implement.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first device sends second indication information to the second device, the second indication information is used to indicate a first radio bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer, the first radio bearer includes the first PDCP entity; the first transmission mode is: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode. In this implementation, the switching of the transmission mode between the first device and the second device can be realized quickly and flexibly, reducing the signaling overhead for indicating the switching of the transmission mode. In addition, the second device can adjust the mode of receiving data according to the indication information, so that the second device can receive data more accurately, improve the reliability of data transmission, and reduce the waste of resources of the second device.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first device receives third indication information from a third device, the third indication information being used to indicate that the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode, wherein the first device is a DU and the third device is a CU. In this implementation, flexible switching of the transmission mode of the first device can be achieved.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the third indication information is used to indicate the type of the first RLC entity and the type of the second RLC entity; or, the third indication information includes RNTI type information corresponding to the first RLC entity and RNTI type information corresponding to the second RLC entity.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the RNTI type corresponding to the first RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the second RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first device scrambles the data from the first RLC entity using a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and / or scrambles the transmission block TB of the data from the second RLC entity using a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI. In this implementation, the reliability and security of data transmission can be improved.

[0016] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, wherein the execution subject of the method can be either a second device or a chip applied to the second device. Exemplarily, the second device can be a terminal device. Taking the execution subject as the second device as an example, the method includes: the second device establishes a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity, and the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with a second PDCP entity; the second device receives the first data through the third RLC entity and / or the fourth RLC entity; wherein the third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0017] The communication method provided in the second aspect can flexibly switch between different transmission modes by simply stopping the use of the unicast transmission mode or the multicast transmission mode when the transmission mode needs to be switched, without the need for a reconfiguration process, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching. When the unicast transmission and the multicast transmission modes are used at the same time, the same data can be repeatedly received using different transmission modes, thereby improving the reliability of data reception.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second device receives first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode, and the second device establishes a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity, including: the second device establishes the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity according to the first indication information. In this implementation, the first device notifies the second device of the type of each RLC entity in a plurality of RLC entities, so that the second device establishes the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity, which can improve the accuracy and efficiency of the second device in establishing the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity. It is easy to implement and has low complexity.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, the first indication information includes the radio network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity. In this implementation, the efficiency and accuracy of the second device in determining the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity can be improved, which is easy to implement.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second device receives second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate a first radio bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer, the first radio bearer includes the second PDCP entity; the first transmission mode is: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode. In this implementation, the switching of the transmission mode between the first device and the second device can be realized quickly and flexibly, reducing the signaling overhead for indicating the switching of the transmission mode. In addition, the second device can adjust the mode of receiving data according to the indication information, so that the second device can receive data more accurately, improve the reliability of data transmission, and reduce the waste of resources of the second device.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, it is characterized in that when the first data is received only through the third RLC entity, the method further includes: the second device stops monitoring the first RNTI, the first RNTI is used to receive data transmitted using the multicast transmission mode in the first radio bearer, and the first radio bearer includes the second PDCP entity. In this implementation, the consumption of resources of the second device can be saved. For example, the second device can be made more power-saving and the use time of the second device can be extended.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second device delivers the received first data scrambled using the cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI to the third RLC entity, and / or delivers the received first data scrambled using the group cell radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI to the fourth RLC entity. In this implementation, the reliability and security of data transmission can be improved.

[0024] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit for executing each step in the above first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0025] According to a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit for executing each step in the above second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0026] In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, which may include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0027] In another design, the communication apparatus is a communication device (eg, a terminal device or an access network device or a core network device), and the communication chip may include a transmitter for sending information or data, and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor obtains a program or instruction in the memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor obtains a program or instruction in the memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0030] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for the at least one processor to obtain a program or instruction in at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method in the above first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0031] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for the at least one processor to obtain a program or instruction in at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method in the above second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0032] In a ninth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in each implementation of the first aspect to the second aspect, or any one of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0033] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation methods of the processor and various circuits.

[0034] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the third aspect, or the network device includes the communication device provided in the fifth aspect, or the network device includes the communication device provided in the seventh aspect.

[0035] In the eleventh aspect, a terminal device is provided, which includes the communication device provided in the fourth aspect, or the terminal includes the communication device provided in the sixth aspect, or the terminal includes the communication device provided in the eighth aspect.

[0036] In the twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, is used to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to execute the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0037] In the thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed, it is used to execute the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or to execute the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0038] According to the solution provided by the present application, a PDCP is configured to associate multiple RLC entities, and the multiple RLC entities include RLC entities corresponding to unicast transmission mode and RLC entities corresponding to multicast transmission mode. When data transmission is performed, data is transmitted through the RLC entity of the unicast transmission mode and / or the RLC entity of the multicast transmission mode. Flexible switching can be performed between the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode, and there is no need to switch the transmission mode through RRC signaling reconfiguration, which reduces the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching, and can also improve the reliability of data transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of data transmission at each layer of the protocol stack.

[0040] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 3 It is a schematic interaction diagram of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a first device and a second device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Figure 5It is a schematic interaction diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] Figure 6 It is a schematic interaction diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Figure 7 This is a schematic interaction diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, future fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), etc.

[0054] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to user equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0055] The network device in the embodiment of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device can be a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in a global system of mobile communications (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM) system or code division multiple access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA), or a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) system, or an evolved base station (Evolutional NodeB, eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (Cloud Radio Access Network, CRAN) scenario, or the network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a future 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0056] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, devices or products using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "product" used in this application covers computer programs that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks or tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), cards, sticks or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some terms used in the embodiments of the present application are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0058] 1) Network equipment, a device that can provide a random access function for a terminal device or a chip that can be set in the device, including but not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TRP or transmission and reception point) It can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G system, such as a NR system, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or it can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU, distributed unit), etc.

[0059] 2) Terminal, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. At present, terminal devices can be: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, etc.

[0060] 3) Multicast transmission technology, or also known as multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) technology, or also known as multicast transmission mode, refers to a technology that a certain service sends data to multiple terminal devices simultaneously through a network device. When using multicast technology for transmission, for the same data, multiple terminal devices simultaneously receive it during the transmission process of the network device (such as a base station). At present, multicast transmission technology is mainly divided into two types: multimedia broadcast multicast service single frequency network (MBSFN) and single cell point to multipoint (SC-PTM). Among them, the MBSFN mode refers to multiple mutually synchronized cells (such as multiple base stations) in the MBSFN area transmitting the same information to multiple terminal devices at the same time. From the perspective of the terminal device, what is received is a single superimposed data, which can improve the strength of the received signal and eliminate the interference between cells. The SC-PTM mode means that the MBMS service is transmitted only through one cell (such as one base station), and one network device performs group scheduling for multiple terminal devices at the same time.

[0061] 4) Transmission by multicast means: when a device sends a transport block (TB) corresponding to a protocol data unit (PDU), it uses a group radio network temporary identifier (G-RNTI) to scramble the PDU, or scrambles the downlink control information (DCI) corresponding to the PDU, and at the same time one or more devices receive the same PDU according to the same G-RNTI; or transmitting PDU by multicast means telling multiple devices the location of the same PDU in a semi-static manner, so that multiple devices can receive the PDU at the same time; or transmitting PDU by multicast means transmitting the PDU in a radio bearer established for multicast transmission or in a channel specially designed for multicast.

[0062] Receiving in a multicast transmission mode means that when sending in a multicast mode, one of the multiple receiving devices receives the PDU according to the G-RNTI; or one of the multiple receiving devices receives the PDU through a wireless bearer established for multicast transmission or on a channel used for multicast transmission.

[0063] In the present application, groupcast is a specific mode of multicast, therefore, multicast may also be referred to as groupcast.

[0064] 5) Transmitting by unicast means that: when a device sends the TB corresponding to the PDU, the cell network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) is used to scramble the PDU, or the DCI corresponding to the PDU is scrambled, and at the same time only one device receives the same PDU according to the C-RNTI; or transmitting the PDU by unicast may mean that the PDU is transmitted in a wireless bearer established for unicast transmission or in a channel specially designed for unicast.

[0065] Receiving in unicast transmission mode means that when sending in unicast mode, the one receiving device receives the PDU according to the C-RNTI; or the one device receives through a wireless bearer established for unicast transmission or receives on a channel used for unicast transmission.

[0066] 6) Sending and receiving by broadcast transmission means that a device sends the TB corresponding to the PDU on the broadcast channel, and all receiving devices can receive the PDU on the broadcast channel.

[0067] The network devices and terminal devices that communicate with each other have a certain protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of the protocol layers such as the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer and physical layer. The user plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of the protocol layers such as the PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer and physical layer. Among them, the physical layer is located at the lowest layer (layer one), the MAC layer, RLC and PDCP belong to the second layer (layer two), and the RRC belongs to the third layer (layer three). In one implementation, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may also be included above the PDCP layer.

[0068] The functions of these protocol layers can be implemented by one node or multiple nodes; for example, in an evolutionary structure, the wireless access network equipment may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), and multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU. The CU and DU may be divided according to the protocol layers of the wireless network, for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and above protocol layers are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP, the RLC layer and the MAC layer, etc. are set in the DU, etc.

[0069] It should be understood that this division of the protocol layer is only an example, and it can also be divided in other protocol layers, such as dividing in the RLC layer, setting the functions of the RLC layer and the protocol layers above the RLC layer in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer in the DU; or dividing in a certain protocol layer, for example, setting some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer in the CU, and setting the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer in the DU. In addition, it can also be divided in other ways, such as dividing by latency, setting the functions whose processing time needs to meet the latency requirements in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the latency requirements in the CU.

[0070] When the network device and the terminal device perform data transmission, take uplink data transmission as an example. Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1The following is a schematic diagram of data transmission in each layer of the protocol stack. The data first arrives at the PDCP layer of the terminal device, and after being processed by the PDCP layer, it is transmitted to the RLC layer and the MAC layer. After being processed at the MAC layer, it is sent to the network device through the physical layer. When the network device receives data, the protocol layers it passes through in sequence are the physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, and PDCP layer. For the data in each radio bearer, it needs to be processed by each layer. Each layer has a corresponding functional entity to perform the corresponding function, for example, the PDCP layer corresponds to the PDCP entity, the RLC layer corresponds to the RLC entity, and the MAC layer corresponds to the MAC entity. Among them, each radio bearer contains a PDCP entity and one or more RLC entities, and each RLC entity corresponds to a logical channel. A MAC entity corresponds to multiple logical channels, and the data in the logical channel can be multiplexed at the MAC layer, for example, multiplexed into the same data block at the MAC layer, and finally sent out through the physical layer. The transmission process for downlink data is similar.

[0071] At present, when multicast transmission is used to transmit data between network devices and terminal devices, the data in a PDCP entity is sent only through one RLC entity. The data in this RLC entity is transmitted to the MAC entity for packet assembly, and then the data packet is sent out through the physical layer, and multiple terminal devices receive the data packet. Assuming that some terminal devices do not receive the data packet, packet loss will occur. Some services have high requirements for data reliability. For example, services in industrial scenarios or batch terminal equipment software update services, data packet loss will cause software update failure, which requires re-update, seriously affecting the reliability of service transmission. In addition, when the network device needs to switch between multicast transmission mode and unicast transmission mode, it is necessary to release the configuration of the original transmission mode through radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and then establish the configuration of the new transmission mode through RRC signaling, resulting in large signaling overhead and delay during the switching process, which seriously reduces the communication efficiency.

[0072] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, by configuring a PDCP to associate multiple RLC entities, the multiple RLC entities include RLC entities corresponding to unicast transmission mode and RLC entities corresponding to multicast transmission mode. When data is transmitted, data is transmitted through the RLC entity of the unicast transmission mode and / or the RLC entity of the multicast transmission mode. Flexible switching can be performed between the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode, and there is no need to switch the transmission mode through RRC signaling reconfiguration, which reduces the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching, and can also improve the reliability of data transmission.

[0073] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first Figure 2A communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application is briefly introduced.

[0074] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the mobile communication system 100 may include at least one wireless access network device 110 and at least one terminal device (such as Figure 2 The terminal devices 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 shown in the figure). The terminal device is connected to the wireless access network device in a wireless manner, and the wireless access network device can be the above-mentioned network device. At least one terminal device can send uplink data or information to the wireless access network device, and the wireless access network device 110 can also send downlink data or information to at least one terminal device. In addition, multiple terminal devices can also form a communication system. For example, terminal devices 140, 150, and 160 can form a communication system. Terminal device 140 can also send downlink data or information to terminal devices 150 and 160, and terminal devices 150 and 160 can also send uplink data or information to terminal device 140. Uplink and downlink data and information related to URLLC services can be transmitted between the terminal device and the wireless access network device.

[0075] Should be understood. Figure 2 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices and / or terminal devices. Figure 3 The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of wireless access network devices and terminals included in the mobile communication system. In the mobile communication system 100, the wireless access network device 110 may be the above-mentioned network device. Furthermore, the communication between the network device and the terminal device follows a certain protocol layer structure. For example, Figure 1 The protocol layer architecture shown. The network device may include a CU and a DU, and the CU and the DU may be separately configured or centrally configured. The embodiment of the present application is not limited here.

[0076] Combine the following Figure 3 Detailed description This application provides a communication method, Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 200 can be applied in Figure 2 In the scenario shown, for example, in the scenario of transmission using a multicast transmission mode and / or transmission using a unicast transmission mode, the present application embodiment is not limited here.

[0077] It should be understood that in the following description, the first device and the second device are taken as the execution subjects of the execution methods of each embodiment to illustrate the methods of each embodiment. The first device can be the above-mentioned access network device, and the second device can be the above-mentioned terminal device. If the access network device adopts the CU and DU separation setting mode, the above-mentioned first device can be DU. As an example but not a limitation, the execution subject of the execution method can also be a chip used in the first device and the second device.

[0078] like Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The method 200 shown in FIG. 2 may include steps S210 to S220. Figure 3 The various steps in the method 200 are described in detail. The method 200 includes:

[0079] S210, the first device establishes a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity, wherein the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are associated with a first PDCP entity, wherein the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0080] S220, the second device establishes a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity, and the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with the second PDCP entity. The third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0081] S230: The first device sends first data to the second device through the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity.

[0082] S240: The second device receives the first data sent by the first device through the third RLC entity and / or the fourth RLC entity.

[0083] Specifically, in S210, when the first device needs to send data (first data) to the second device, multiple RLC entities will first be established in the protocol stack of the first device, and these multiple RLC entities are associated with one PDCP entity (first PDCP entity). The association of multiple RLC entities with the first PDCP entity can be understood as the first PDCP entity and the multiple RLC entities belonging to the same radio bearer, or the configuration of the first PDCP entity is the same as the identifier (identify, ID) contained in the configuration of the multiple RLC entities, and the identifier can be a radio bearer identifier. Among them, one RLC entity corresponds to one logical channel. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "RLC entity" and "logical channel" can be regarded as equivalent concepts and can be replaced with each other. For example, it can also be described as one PDCP entity is associated with multiple logical channels, or the configuration of the first PDCP entity is the same as the ID contained in the configuration of the multiple logical channels. Other descriptions for RLC entities also apply to the concept of logical channels; in addition, the concept of logical channels can also be considered to include the concept of RLC entities, or the logical channel can be considered to be an interface or channel connecting the RLC entity to the MAC entity. The first device can establish multiple RLC entities associated with the first PDCP, and the multiple RLC entities include a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity. Among them, the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode. The first RLC entity corresponding to the unicast transmission mode can be understood as the data in the first RLC entity will be sent using a unicast transmission mode. The second RLC entity corresponding to the multicast transmission mode can be understood as the data in the second RLC entity will be sent using a multicast transmission mode. The first RLC entity corresponding to the unicast transmission mode can also be referred to as the type of the first RLC entity being a unicast type, or the type of the logical channel corresponding to the first RLC entity being a unicast logical channel type. Among them, the unicast type RLC entity can be understood as the data in the first RLC entity being sent in a unicast manner, and the unicast logical channel type can be understood as the data in the logical channel corresponding to the first RLC entity being sent in a unicast manner. Similar to the first device, in S220, the second device will also establish multiple RLC entities in the protocol stack of the second device. Multiple RLC entities are associated with a PDCP entity (second PDCP entity) of the second device. The multiple RLC entities include a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity. The third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode. The third RLC entity corresponding to the unicast transmission mode can be understood as data received in the third RLC entity is received in a unicast mode, or data received in a logical channel corresponding to the third RLC entity is received in a unicast mode, that is, the physical layer entity and the MAC layer entity in the second device need to deliver the data received in the unicast transmission mode to the third RLC entity.The unicast transmission mode corresponding to the fourth RLC entity can be understood as the data received in the fourth RLC entity is received using the multicast mode, or the data received in the logical channel corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is received using the multicast mode, that is, the physical layer entity and the MAC layer entity in the second device need to deliver the data received using the multicast transmission mode to the fourth RLC entity.

[0084] It should be understood that the number of the first RLC entity may be only one, or there may be multiple first RLC entities. Similarly, the number of the second RLC entity, the third RLC entity, and the fourth RLC entity may also be one or more.

[0085] In S230, the first device sends the first data to the second device through the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity. Specifically, the first device may send the first data to the second device using only the first RLC entity (unicast transmission mode). Alternatively, the first device may send the first data to the second device using only the second RLC entity (multicast transmission mode). Alternatively, the first device may send the first data to the second device using only the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity (unicast transmission mode and multicast transmission mode). Correspondingly, in S240, the second device receives the first data sent by the first device through the third RLC entity and / or the fourth RLC entity. Specifically, when the first device sends the first data to the second device using only the first RLC entity, the second device receives the first data only through the third RLC entity. When the first device sends the first data to the second device using only the second RLC entity, the second device receives the first data only through the fourth RLC entity. When the first device sends the first data to the second device using the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity, the second device receives the first data through the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity, that is, the second device can repeatedly receive the first data using the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode.

[0086] The communication method provided by the present application does not need to release the original unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode configuration when the first device needs to switch the transmission mode. It only needs to stop using the unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode to complete the flexible switching of different transmission modes without the need for reconfiguration, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching. In addition, when using unicast transmission and multicast transmission modes at the same time, different transmission modes can be used to repeatedly send and receive the same data, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0087] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a protocol stack architecture of a first device and a second device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4As shown, the first PDCP entity of the first device (network device) is associated with three RLC entities, of which the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity are unicast type, and the second RLC entity is multicast type. The second PDCP entity of the second device (terminal device) is also associated with three RLC entities, of which the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity are unicast type, and the second RLC entity is multicast type. When the first device sends data to the second device, there can be the following three data transmission modes:

[0088] The first type: only using unicast transmission mode (only using the first RLC entity). That is, the data of the first PDCP entity is delivered to the first RLC entity (the first RLC entity is: the first RLC entity of the network device, or the third RLC entity of the network device, or the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity of the network device). The data in the logical channel corresponding to the first RLC entity is sent to the terminal device via unicast. Specifically, after the data is packaged at the MAC layer, it is delivered to the physical layer, and is scrambled at the physical layer by the radio network temporary identity (RNTI) corresponding to the first RLC entity and sent to the terminal device. The terminal device receives according to the assigned or predefined RNTI corresponding to the first RLC entity, and delivers the received unicast transmission mode data to the third RLC entity (the third RLC entity is: the first RLC entity of the terminal device, or the third RLC entity of the terminal device, or the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity of the terminal device).

[0089] The second type: only using the multicast transmission mode (only using the second RLC entity), that is, the data of the first PDCP entity is delivered to the second RLC entity (the second RLC entity is: the second RLC entity of the network device), and the data in the logical channel corresponding to the second RLC entity is sent to multiple devices via multicast mode, and the multiple devices include the terminal device. Specifically, after the data is packaged at the MAC layer, it is delivered to the physical layer, and is scrambled at the physical layer by the RNTI corresponding to the second RLC entity and sent to multiple devices for reception. The terminal device receives the data according to the assigned or predefined RNTI corresponding to the second RLC entity, and delivers the received multicast transmission mode data to the fourth RLC entity (the fourth RLC entity is: the second RLC entity of the terminal device).

[0090] The third type: using unicast and multicast transmission modes (using the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity). That is, the data of the first PDCP entity is delivered to the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity (the first to third RLC entities of the network device). The data in the logical channel corresponding to the first RLC entity is sent to the terminal device for reception by unicast, and the data in the logical channel corresponding to the second RLC entity is sent to multiple devices for reception by multicast, and the multiple devices include the terminal device. Specifically, when the data in the logical channels corresponding to the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are packaged at the MAC layer, they will not be multiplexed into the same data packet because different processing is required later. After the data in the unicast logical channel is processed by the MAC layer and delivered to the physical layer, it is scrambled and sent out by the RNTI corresponding to the first RLC entity at the physical layer. After the data in the multicast logical channel is processed by the MAC layer and delivered to the physical layer, it is scrambled and sent out by the RNTI corresponding to the second RLC entity at the physical layer. The terminal device can receive according to the assigned or predefined RNTI corresponding to the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity respectively.

[0091] It should be understood that Figure 4 This is merely exemplary and should not impose any restriction on the number of multicast RLC entities and the number of unicast RLC entities in the embodiments of the present application, nor should it impose any restriction on the protocol stack structures of the first device and the second device.

[0092] Optionally, in some possible implementations of the present application, such as Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 Based on the method steps shown, the method 200 also includes: S211.

[0093] S211, the first device sends first indication information to the second device, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the third RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the fourth RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0094] In the above-mentioned S220, the second device establishes the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity, including:

[0095] S221, the second device establishes the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity according to the first indication information.

[0096] Figure 5 The steps S210, S230 and S240 shown may refer to the above descriptions of S210, S230 and S240, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0097] In S211, the first device may configure the types of multiple RLC entities for the second device. For example, the first device may send a first indication message to the second device, and the first indication message is used to indicate that the third RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the fourth RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a multicast transmission mode. That is, the first device indicates to the second device the type of each RLC entity in the multiple RLC entities of the second device through the first indication message. The type of RLC entity in the RLC entity (or the type of the logical channel corresponding to the RLC entity) may be a unicast type or a multicast type. The data received in the unicast type RLC entity is received in a unicast manner, and the data received in the multicast type RLC entity is received in a multicast manner. In S221, after the second device receives the first indication message, it can determine which or which RLC entity is a multicast type RLC entity (the fourth RLC entity) and which or which RLC entity is a unicast type RLC entity (the third RLC entity) among the multiple RLC entities of the second device according to the first indication message, and further establish the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity.

[0098] By notifying the second device of the type of each RLC entity in the plurality of RLC entities, the second device can establish the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the second device in establishing the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity. It is easy to implement and has low complexity.

[0099] For the above-mentioned first indication information, a possible implementation manner is: the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity.

[0100] Specifically, whether an RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode or a multicast transmission mode can be indicated by indicating the type of each RLC entity in the multiple RLC entities of the second device. The type of the RLC entity can also be referred to as the type of the logical channel corresponding to the RLC entity. For example, if the type of a certain RLC is indicated as a unicast type RLC entity, then the RLC entity corresponds to the unicast transmission mode and is the third RLC entity. If the type of a certain RLC is indicated as a multicast type RLC entity, then the RLC entity corresponds to the multicast transmission mode and is the fourth RLC entity. By indicating the type of each RLC entity to the second device, the second device determines whether the third RLC entity (corresponding to the unicast transmission mode) and the fourth RLC entity (corresponding to the multicast transmission mode) correspond to the multicast transmission mode. The efficiency and accuracy of the second device in determining the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity can be improved, which is easy to implement.

[0101] For the above-mentioned first indication information, another possible implementation manner is: the first indication information includes the radio network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity.

[0102] Specifically, in addition to the above-mentioned direct indication of the type of each RLC entity, the RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity may also be indicated. Specifically, for each RLC entity, there may be a binding or correspondence relationship with an RNTI. Different types of RNTIs are used for different types of RNTI entities. For example, if the (bound) RNTI corresponding to a certain RLC entity is the first RNTI, and the first RNTI corresponds to the unicast transmission mode, then the RLC entity corresponds to the unicast transmission mode and is the third RLC entity. The second device receives data encrypted with the first RNTI and delivers it to the third RLC entity. If the (bound) RNTI corresponding to a certain RLC entity is the second RNTI, and the second RNTI corresponds to the multicast transmission mode, then the RLC entity corresponds to the multicast transmission mode and is the fourth RLC entity. The second device receives data encrypted with the second RNTI and delivers it to the fourth RLC entity. If the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity respectively include multiple RLC entities, the second device can first select the RLC entity type according to the bound RNTI type, and then select to submit to a specific RLC entity in the third RLC entity or the fourth RLC entity according to the logical channel number carried in the received data. Among them, each RLC entity can correspond to a logical channel number (or can also be called a logical channel number). By indicating the RNTI type corresponding to each RLC entity to the second device, the corresponding transmission mode is determined according to the RNTI type, which is easy to implement.

[0103] It should be understood that for the first device, the RNTI corresponding to the first RLC entity may also be used to scramble data. For example, data transmitted by the first RLC entity is scrambled by the first RNTI at the physical layer and sent to the second device. Data transmitted by the second RLC entity is scrambled by the second RNTI at the physical layer and sent to the second device.

[0104] As a possible implementation, the RNTI type corresponding to the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity may be a cell radio network temporary identity (C-RNTI), and the RNTI type corresponding to the second RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity may be a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI). The first device may use C-RNTI to scramble the data from the first RLC entity at the physical layer and send it to the second device, and use G-RNTI to scramble the data from the second RLC entity at the physical layer and send it to the second device. Specifically, the data from the first RLC entity is first submitted to the MAC layer to form a media access control protocol data unit (MAC PDU), and then submitted to the physical layer for processing to become a transport block (TB). Then the first device scrambles the transport block (TB) containing the data in the first RLC entity using C-RNTI and sends it to the second device. In addition, the first device may also use C-RNTI to scramble the downlink control information (DCI) corresponding to the transport block and send it to the second device. Similarly, the data from the second RLC entity is first submitted to the MAC layer to form a MAC PDU, and then submitted to the physical layer for processing to become a transport block (TB). Then the first device scrambles the transport block (TB) containing the data in the second RLC entity using the G-RNTI and sends it to the second device. In addition, the first device may also use the G-RNTI to scramble the downlink control information (DCI) corresponding to the transport block and send it to the second device;

[0105] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the RNTI corresponding to the first RLC entity and the third RLC entity may be other types of RNTIs, which are used to scramble data using a unicast transmission mode. The RNTI corresponding to the second RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity may also be other types of RNTIs, which are used to scramble data using a multicast transmission mode. The present application does not make any limitation here.

[0106] Optionally, in some possible implementations of the present application, such as Figure 6 As shown, Figure 3is a schematic flow chart of a communication method in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 Based on the method steps shown, the method 200 also includes: S231.

[0107] S231, the first device sends second indication information to the second device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a first radio bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer, where the first radio bearer includes the first PDCP entity;

[0108] The first transmission mode is: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode.

[0109] Figure 6 The steps S210, S220, S230 and S240 shown may refer to the above descriptions of S210, S220, S230 and S240, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0110] In S231, since the first device can use different data transmission modes when sending data, the first device can send a second indication information to the second device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the first radio bearer and the first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer. That is, it indicates to the second device which transmission mode it uses to send data. Among them, the first radio bearer may include a first PDCP entity, an RLC entity associated with the first PDCP entity (a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity), and a second PDCP entity, and an RLC entity associated with the second PDCP entity (a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity). Or the configuration information of the first radio bearer is associated with the configuration information of the second PDCP entity and the configuration information of the RLC entity associated with the second PDCP entity, and the association may be that the configuration information contains the same identifier, which may be a radio bearer identifier. Since there may be multiple radio bearers between the first device and the second device, the transmission mode corresponding to each radio bearer may be different. For example, radio bearer 1 adopts a unicast transmission mode, and radio bearer 2 adopts a multicast transmission mode. Therefore, the second indication information first needs to indicate which one or several radio bearers are targeted. Assuming that the target is the first wireless bearer, the data transmission mode between the first device and the second device corresponding to the first wireless bearer is indicated, that is, the data transmission mode (first transmission mode) corresponding to the first bearer is determined. For example, the second indication information may include a wireless bearer identifier for indicating the first wireless bearer. Alternatively, the second indication information includes a bitmap, which implicitly indicates the wireless bearer by using the correspondence between the position of each bit included in the bitmap and the wireless bearer. For the data transmission mode corresponding to each wireless bearer, for example, a bit value of 0 or 1 represents a different transmission mode. After the second device receives the second indication information, it can use the corresponding RLC entity to receive data according to the transmission mode.

[0111] The first transmission mode includes: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode. The unicast transmission mode can be understood as the first device only uses the first RLC entity to send data, and the second device only receives data through the third RLC entity. The multicast transmission mode can be understood as the first device only uses the second RLC entity to send data, and the second device only receives data through the fourth RLC entity. The unicast and multicast transmission modes can be understood as the first device uses the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity to send data, and the second device receives data through the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity.

[0112] By sending the second indication information for indicating the transmission mode to the second device by the first device, the switching of the transmission mode between the first device and the second device can be realized quickly and flexibly, and the signaling overhead for indicating the switching of the transmission mode can be reduced. In addition, the second device can adjust the mode of receiving data according to the indication information, so that the second device can receive data more accurately, improve the reliability of data transmission, and reduce the waste of resources of the second device.

[0113] It should be understood that the second indication information may also indicate a second radio bearer and a second transmission mode for the second radio bearer. The second transmission mode includes: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode. That is, the second indication information may indicate multiple radio bearers and a transmission mode for each bearer. The embodiment of the present application is not limited here.

[0114] It should also be understood that Figure 6 The method shown may also include S211 and S221.

[0115] It should also be understood that Figure 5 The method shown may also include S231.

[0116] The first indication information or the second indication information may be carried in a media access control element (MAC Control Element, MAC CE) signaling, a radio resource control signaling (radio resource control, RRC), an RLC signaling, or downlink control information (downlink control information, DCI). It should be understood that the first indication information and the second indication information may also be carried in other signaling sent by the first device to the second device, and the specific transmission method of the first indication information and the second indication information is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first device transmits the first data only using the unicast transmission mode, the second device stops monitoring the first RNTI, where the first RNTI is used to receive data transmitted in the first wireless bearer using the multicast transmission mode.

[0118] Take the case where the first RNTI is G-RNTI and the unicast transmission mode corresponds to C-RNTI as an example for explanation. If only the unicast transmission mode is used to transmit the first data, that is, the first device only uses the first RLC entity to send the first data to the second device, and does not use the second RLC entity to send the first data to the second device, then the second device only receives the first data sent by the first device through the third RLC entity, and the second device does not receive the first data sent by the first device through the fourth RLC entity. The data sent by the first device through the first RLC entity is sent to the second device after being scrambled by C-RNTI at the physical layer. The second device only needs to listen to C-RNTI for data descrambling. Since there is no data scrambled by G-RNTI, the second device can not listen to (or stop listening to) G-RNTI. This can save the consumption of resources of the second device. For example, the second device can be made more power-saving and the use time of the second device can be extended.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present application, if the access network device is a CU-DU separation architecture, the first device may be a DU, and the third device may be a DU. For example, the PDCP layer entity and the protocol layer entities above the PDCP layer entity may be set in the CU, and the RLC layer entity and the protocol layer entities below the RLC layer entity may be set in the DU. Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method in some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 Based on the method steps shown, the method 200 also includes: S209.

[0120] S209, the third device sends third indication information to the first device, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0121] Specifically, in the CU-DU separation scenario, for example, the functions of the PDCP layer and the protocol layers above are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP, namely the RLC layer and the MAC layer, are set in the DU. The CU needs to indicate the type of each RLC entity in the multiple RLC entities of the DU (the type of logical channel corresponding to the RLC entity). The type of the RLC entity in the RLC entity can be a unicast type or a multicast type. The data in the unicast type RLC entity (the first RLC entity) is sent in a unicast manner, and the data in the multicast type RLC entity (the second RLC entity) is sent in a multicast manner. By notifying the first device (DU) of the type of each RLC entity in the multiple RLC entities of the first device (CU), so that the first device establishes the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity, the accuracy and efficiency of the first device in establishing the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity can be improved, which is easy to implement and has low complexity.

[0122] For the third indication information mentioned above, a possible implementation method is: the third indication information is used to indicate the type of the first RLC entity and the type of the second RLC entity. Another possible implementation method is: the third indication information includes the RNTI type information corresponding to the first RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the second RLC entity. For example. The RNTI type corresponding to the first RLC entity is C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the second RLC entity is G-RNTI. Similar to the second indication information, the description of the third indication information can refer to the above description of the second indication information. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0123] It should be understood that in the CU-DU separation architecture. The first device can be a DU, and the third device can be a DU. In this case, the third device can also send indication information to the first device to notify the first wireless bearer and the first transmission mode corresponding to the first wireless bearer. The first transmission mode is: unicast transmission mode, multicast transmission mode, or unicast and multicast transmission mode. That is, it indicates which transmission mode the first device uses when sending data to the second device. Among them, the unicast transmission mode can be understood as the first device only using the first RLC entity to send data, the multicast transmission mode can be understood as the first device only using the second RLC entity to send data, and the unicast and multicast transmission modes can be understood as the first device using the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity to send data. Thereby, flexible switching of the transmission mode of the first device can be achieved.

[0124] It should also be understood that, in addition to notifying the second device of the first radio bearer and the first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer using the indication information, the third device can also notify through an implicit method. For example, the third device only delivers the data packet to the unicast logical channel in the first device, that is, indicates the unicast transmission mode, and delivers it to the unicast and multicast logical channels in the first device at the same time, that is, the unicast and multicast transmission mode, and only delivers the data packet to the multicast logical channel in the first device, that is, indicates the multicast transmission mode.

[0125] It should be understood that Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method shown may also include S209.

[0126] The communication method provided by the present application associates multiple RLC entities by configuring a PDCP, and the multiple RLC entities include RLC entities corresponding to unicast transmission mode and RLC entities corresponding to multicast transmission mode. When data is transmitted, data is transmitted through the RLC entity of the unicast transmission mode and / or the RLC entity of the multicast transmission mode. Flexible switching can be performed between the unicast transmission mode and the multicast transmission mode without the need for a reconfiguration process. The signaling overhead and delay of switching the transmission mode are reduced. The reliability of data transmission can also be improved.

[0127] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the first, second, etc. are only for the convenience of description. For example, the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are only for indicating different RLC entities. They should not have any impact on the RLC entity itself and the number of RLC entities. The above-mentioned first, second, etc. should not impose any limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0128] It should also be understood that the above is only to help those skilled in the art better understand the embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. According to the above examples given, those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes. For example, some steps in each embodiment of the above method may be unnecessary, or some new steps may be added. Or a combination of any two or any multiple embodiments of the above. Such modifications, changes or combined solutions also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0129] It should also be understood that the above description of the embodiments of the present application focuses on emphasizing the differences between the various embodiments. The same or similar points that are not mentioned can be referenced to each other. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0130] It should also be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "pre-setting" and "pre-definition" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, including a terminal and a network device), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method.

[0132] It should also be understood that the division of the methods, situations, categories and embodiments in the embodiments of the present application is only for the convenience of description and should not constitute a special limitation. The features of various methods, categories, situations and embodiments can be combined without contradiction.

[0133] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0134] Combination of the above Figures 1 to 7 The communication method of the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figures 8 to 13 The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0135] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 300 of an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication device 300 may correspond to the first device described in the above method 200, or may be a chip or component applied to the first device. In addition, each module or unit in the communication device 300 is used to execute each action or processing performed by the first device in the above method 200, such as Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 300 may include: a processing unit 310 and a communication unit 320 .

[0136] The processing unit 310 is used to establish a first RLC entity and a second RLC entity, and the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are associated with a first PDCP entity.

[0137] The communication unit 320 is used to send first data through the first RLC entity and / or the second RLC entity.

[0138] The first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0139] The communication device provided by the present application does not need to release the original unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode configuration when the communication device needs to switch the transmission mode. It only needs to stop using the unicast transmission mode or multicast transmission mode to complete the flexible switching of different transmission modes without the need for reconfiguration, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching. In addition, when using unicast transmission and multicast transmission modes at the same time, the same data can be repeatedly sent using different transmission modes, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission.

[0140] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 320 is also used to: send first indication information to the second device, the first indication information being used to indicate that the third RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and that the fourth RLC entity of the second device corresponds to a multicast transmission mode, wherein the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with the second PDCP entity.

[0141] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, the first indication information includes the wireless network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity.

[0142] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0143] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 320 is also used to: send second indication information to the second device, the second indication information is used to indicate a first wireless bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first wireless bearer, the first wireless bearer includes the first PDCP entity; the first transmission mode is: a unicast transmission mode, a multicast transmission mode, or a unicast and multicast transmission mode.

[0144] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 320 is further used to: receive third indication information from a third device, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and the second RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0145] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the third indication information is used to indicate the type of the first RLC entity and the type of the second RLC entity; or, the third indication information includes RNTI type information corresponding to the first RLC entity and RNTI type information corresponding to the second RLC entity.

[0146] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the RNTI type corresponding to the first RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the second RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0147] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the processing unit 310 is also used to: scramble the data from the first RLC entity using the cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and / or scramble the transmission block TB of the data from the second RLC entity using the group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0148] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit in the communication device 300 performing the above corresponding steps can be referred to in conjunction with the above Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7For the sake of brevity, the descriptions related to the first device in the illustrated embodiment and the related embodiments in method 200 are not repeated here.

[0149] Optionally, the communication unit 320 may include a receiving unit (module) and a sending unit (module) for executing various embodiments of the aforementioned method 200 and Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The steps of receiving information and sending information by the first device in the embodiment shown. Optionally, the communication device 300 may also include a storage unit 330 for storing instructions executed by the processing unit 310 and the communication unit 320. The processing unit 310, the communication unit 320 and the storage unit 330 are connected in communication, the storage unit 330 stores instructions, the processing unit 310 is used to execute the instructions stored in the storage unit 330, and the communication unit 320 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the drive of the processing unit 310.

[0150] It should be understood that the communication unit 320 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit 330 may be a memory. The processing unit 310 may be implemented by a processor. Fig. 9 As shown, the communication device 400 may include a processor 410 , a memory 420 , and a transceiver 430 .

[0151] Figure 8 The communication device 300 or Fig. 9 The communication device 400 shown can implement various embodiments of the aforementioned method 200 and Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The steps performed by the first device in the embodiment shown in the figure can be referred to the description of the corresponding method above for similar descriptions. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0152] Figure 8 The communication device 300 or Fig. 9 The communication device 400 shown may be a network device, or in a CU-DU separation scenario, may be a DU, and the third device mentioned above may be a CU.

[0153] Fig.10 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 of an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication device 500 may correspond to the method 200 and the second device described above, or may be a chip or component applied to the second device. In addition, each module or unit in the communication device 500 is used to execute each action or processing performed by the second device in the method 200, such as Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 500 may include: a processing unit 510 and a communication unit 520 .

[0154] The processing unit 510 is configured to establish a third RLC entity and a fourth RLC entity, where the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with the second PDCP entity;

[0155] The communication unit 520 is configured to receive first data through the third RLC entity and / or the fourth RLC entity;

[0156] The third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode, and the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode.

[0157] The communication device provided by the present application can flexibly switch between different transmission modes by simply stopping the use of the unicast transmission mode or the multicast transmission mode when the transmission mode needs to be switched, without the need for a reconfiguration process, thereby reducing the signaling overhead and delay of the transmission mode switching. When the unicast transmission and multicast transmission modes are used at the same time, the same data can be repeatedly received using different transmission modes, thereby improving the reliability of data reception.

[0158] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 520 is also used to receive first indication information, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate that the third RLC entity corresponds to a unicast transmission mode and that the fourth RLC entity corresponds to a multicast transmission mode, and the processing unit 510 is used to establish the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity according to the first indication information.

[0159] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, the first indication information includes the wireless network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and the RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity.

[0160] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

[0161] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the communication unit 520 is also used to receive second indication information, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate a first wireless bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first wireless bearer, and the first wireless bearer includes the second PDCP entity; the first transmission mode is: unicast transmission mode, multicast transmission mode, or unicast and multicast transmission mode.

[0162] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, when the communication unit 520 only receives the first data through the third RLC entity, the processing unit 510 is also used to stop monitoring the first RNTI, which is used to receive data transmitted using the multicast transmission method in the first wireless bearer, and the first wireless bearer includes the second PDCP entity.

[0163] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the processing unit 510 is also used to deliver the received first data encrypted using the cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI to the third RLC entity, and / or deliver the received first data encrypted using the group cell radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI to the fourth RLC entity.

[0164] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit in the communication device 500 performing the above corresponding steps can be referred to in conjunction with the above Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 For the sake of brevity, the descriptions related to the second device in the illustrated embodiment and the related embodiments in method 200 are not repeated here.

[0165] Optionally, the communication unit 520 may include a receiving unit (module) and a sending unit (module) for executing various embodiments of the aforementioned method 200 and Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The second device receives information and sends information in the illustrated embodiment. Optionally, the communication device 500 may further include a storage unit 530 for storing instructions executed by the processing unit 510 and the communication unit 520. The processing unit 510, the communication unit 520 and the storage unit 530 are in communication connection, the storage unit 530 stores instructions, the processing unit 510 is used to execute the instructions stored in the storage unit 530, and the communication unit 520 is used to perform specific signal transmission and reception under the drive of the processing unit 510.

[0166] It should be understood that the communication unit 520 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or an interface circuit. The storage unit 530 may be a memory. The processing unit 510 may be implemented by a processor. Fig.11 As shown, the communication device 600 may include a processor 610 , a memory 620 , and a transceiver 630 .

[0167] Fig.10 The communication device 500 or Fig.11 The communication device 600 shown can implement various embodiments of the aforementioned method 200 and Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The steps performed by the second device in the embodiment shown in the figure can be referred to the description of the corresponding method above for similar descriptions. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0168] Fig.10 The communication device 500 or Fig.11 The communication device 600 shown may be a terminal device.

[0169] It should also be understood that the division of units in the above device is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. And the units in the device can all be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements; they can also be all implemented in the form of hardware; some units can also be implemented in the form of software calling through processing elements, and some units can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, each unit can be a separately established processing element, or it can be integrated in a certain chip of the device. In addition, it can also be stored in the memory in the form of a program, and called and executed by a certain processing element of the device. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each unit above can be implemented by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor element or in the form of software calling through a processing element.

[0170] In one example, the unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), or one or more digital signal processors (DSP), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms. For another example, when the unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or other processor that can call a program. For another example, these units can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0171] Fig.12 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. It can be the second device in the above embodiment, and is used to implement the operation of the second device in the above embodiment. Fig.12As shown, the terminal device includes: an antenna 710, a radio frequency device 720, and a baseband device 730. The antenna 710 is connected to the radio frequency device 720. In the downlink direction, the radio frequency device 720 receives information sent by the network device through the antenna 710, and sends the information sent by the network device to the baseband device 730 for processing. In the uplink direction, the baseband device 730 processes the information of the terminal device and sends it to the radio frequency device 720, and the radio frequency device 720 processes the information of the terminal device and sends it to the network device through the antenna 710.

[0172] The baseband device 730 may include a modem subsystem for processing each communication protocol layer of the data; it may also include a central processing subsystem for processing the terminal operating system and the application layer; in addition, it may also include other subsystems, such as a multimedia subsystem, a peripheral subsystem, etc., wherein the multimedia subsystem is used to control the terminal device camera, screen display, etc., and the peripheral subsystem is used to connect to other devices. The modem subsystem can be an independent chip. Optionally, the above device for the terminal can be located in the modem subsystem.

[0173] The modem subsystem may include one or more processing elements 731, for example, including a main control CPU and other integrated circuits. In addition, the modem subsystem may also include a storage element 732 and an interface circuit 733. The storage element 732 is used to store data and programs, but the program for executing the method executed by the terminal device in the above method may not be stored in the storage element 732, but stored in a memory outside the modem subsystem. The interface circuit 733 is used to communicate with other subsystems. The above device for the terminal device may be located in the modem subsystem, and the modem subsystem may be implemented by a chip, the chip includes at least one processing element and an interface circuit, wherein the processing element is used to execute each step of any method executed by the above terminal device, and the interface circuit is used to communicate with other devices. In one implementation, the unit for the terminal device to implement each step in the above method can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduling program, for example, the device for the terminal device includes a processing element and a storage element, and the processing element calls the program stored in the storage element to execute the method executed by the terminal in the above method embodiment. The storage element may be a storage element on the same chip as the processing element, that is, an on-chip storage element.

[0174] In another implementation, the program for executing the method executed by the terminal device in the above method can be in a storage element on a different chip from the processing element, that is, an off-chip storage element. In this case, the processing element calls or loads the program from the off-chip storage element to the on-chip storage element to call and execute the method executed by the terminal in the above method embodiment.

[0175] In another implementation, the unit of the terminal device implementing each step in the above method may be configured as one or more processing elements, which are arranged on the modulation and demodulation subsystem. The processing elements here may be integrated circuits, such as one or more ASICs, or one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may be integrated together to form a chip.

[0176] The units of the terminal device that implement the various steps in the above method can be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC). The SOC chip is used to implement the above method.

[0177] Fig.13 Schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. It is used to implement the operation of the second device in the above embodiment. Fig.13 As shown, the network device includes: an antenna 801, a radio frequency device 802, and a baseband device 803. The antenna 801 is connected to the radio frequency device 802. In the uplink direction, the radio frequency device 802 receives information sent by the terminal through the antenna 801, and sends the information sent by the terminal device to the baseband device 803 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 803 processes the information of the terminal and sends it to the radio frequency device 802, and the radio frequency device 802 processes the information of the terminal device and sends it to the terminal through the antenna 801.

[0178] The baseband device 803 may include one or more processing elements 8031, for example, including a main control CPU and other integrated circuits. In addition, the baseband device 803 may also include a storage element 8032 and an interface 8033, the storage element 8032 is used to store programs and data; the interface 8033 is used to interact with the radio frequency device 802. The interface is, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI). The above device for the network device may be located in the baseband device 803. For example, the above device for the network device may be a chip on the baseband device 803, the chip includes at least one processing element and an interface circuit, wherein the processing element is used to execute each step of any method executed by the above network device, and the interface circuit is used to communicate with other devices. In one implementation, the unit for the network device to implement each step in the above method can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler. For example, the device for the network device includes a processing element and a storage element, and the processing element calls the program stored in the storage element to execute the method executed by the network device in the above method embodiment. The storage element may be a storage element on the same chip as the processing element, ie, an on-chip storage element, or may be a storage element on a different chip from the processing element, ie, an off-chip storage element.

[0179] In another implementation, the unit of the network device implementing each step in the above method may be configured as one or more processing elements, which are arranged on the baseband device. The processing elements here may be integrated circuits, such as one or more ASICs, or one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of these integrated circuits. These integrated circuits may be integrated together to form a chip.

[0180] The units of the network device implementing the various steps in the above method may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system on a chip. For example, the baseband device includes the SOC chip to implement the above method.

[0181] The terminal devices and network devices in the above-mentioned various device embodiments may completely correspond to the first device or the second device in the method embodiment, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the receiving unit may be an interface circuit of the chip used to receive signals from other chips or devices. The above-mentioned unit for sending is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to send signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the sending unit is an interface circuit of the chip used to send signals to other chips or devices.

[0182] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes: the above-mentioned first device and the above-mentioned second device, or the first device, the above-mentioned second device and the above-mentioned third device.

[0183] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer readable medium for storing computer program code, the computer program including instructions for executing the communication method of the embodiment of the present application in the above method 200. The readable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0184] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes instructions. When the instructions are executed, the first device and the second device perform operations corresponding to the first device and the second device of the above method.

[0185] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip in a communication device, the chip comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit, the processing unit, for example, may be a processor, the communication unit, for example, may be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc. The processing unit may execute computer instructions to enable the communication device to execute any one of the communication methods provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0186] Optionally, the computer instructions are stored in a storage unit.

[0187] Optionally, the storage unit is a storage unit in the chip, such as a register, a cache, etc. The storage unit can also be a storage unit located outside the chip in the terminal, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc. Among them, the processor mentioned in any of the above can be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the above-mentioned feedback information transmission method. The processing unit and the storage unit can be decoupled and respectively set on different physical devices, and connected by wired or wireless means to implement the respective functions of the processing unit and the storage unit, so as to support the system chip to implement various functions in the above-mentioned embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit and the memory can also be coupled on the same device.

[0188] It is understood that the memory in the embodiment of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a ROM, a programmable read-only memory (programmable ROM, PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a RAM, which is used as an external cache. There are many different types of RAM, such as static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous connection dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct rambus RAM, DRRAM).

[0189] The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this article. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0190] The terms "uplink" and "downlink" appearing in this application are used to describe the direction of data / information transmission in specific scenarios. For example, the "uplink" direction generally refers to the direction of data / information transmission from the terminal to the network side, or the direction of data / information transmission from a distributed unit to a centralized unit, and the "downlink" direction generally refers to the direction of data / information transmission from the network side to the terminal, or the direction of data / information transmission from a centralized unit to a distributed unit. It can be understood that "uplink" and "downlink" are only used to describe the transmission direction of data / information, and the specific starting and ending devices of the data / information transmission are not limited.

[0191] Various objects such as various messages / information / equipment / network elements / systems / devices / actions / operations / processes / concepts that may appear in this application are named. It can be understood that these specific names do not constitute a limitation on the relevant objects. The names assigned may change with factors such as scenarios, contexts or usage habits. The understanding of the technical meaning of the technical terms in this application should be mainly determined from the functions and technical effects embodied / executed in the technical scheme.

[0192] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0193] The method in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted via the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server that integrates one or more available media.

[0194] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0195] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0196] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0197] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0198] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0199] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Establishing a first radio link control RLC entity and a second RLC entity, wherein the first RLC entity and the second RLC entity are associated with a first packet data convergence protocol PDCP entity, wherein the first RLC entity corresponds to a point-to-point transmission mode, and the second RLC entity corresponds to a point-to-multipoint transmission mode; Sending first indication information to the second device, the first indication information is used to indicate the third RLC entity of the second device corresponding to the point-to-point transmission mode and the fourth RLC entity of the second device corresponding to the point-to-multipoint transmission mode, wherein the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with the second PDCP entity; The data in the first RLC entity is scrambled and sent using a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and / or the data in the second RLC entity is scrambled and sent using a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, The first indication information includes radio network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending second indication information to the second device, where the second indication information is used to indicate a first radio bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer, where the first radio bearer includes the first PDCP entity; The first transmission mode is: a point-to-point transmission mode, a point-to-multipoint transmission mode, or a point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission mode.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive third indication information from a third device, where the third indication information is used to indicate that the first RLC entity corresponds to a point-to-point transmission mode and the second RLC entity corresponds to a point-to-multipoint transmission mode.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The third indication information is used to indicate the type of the first RLC entity and the type of the second RLC entity; or, The third indication information includes RNTI type information corresponding to the first RLC entity and RNTI type information corresponding to the second RLC entity.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The RNTI type corresponding to the first RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the second RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: The data from the first RLC entity is scrambled using a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and / or the transport block TB of the data from the second RLC entity is scrambled using a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a point-to-point transmission mode corresponding to a third radio link control RLC entity of the second device and a point-to-multipoint transmission mode corresponding to a fourth RLC entity of the second device, where the RNTI type corresponding to the third RLC entity is a cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI, and the RNTI type corresponding to the fourth RLC entity is a group radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI, wherein the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity are associated with a second PDCP entity; Establishing the third RLC entity and the fourth RLC entity according to the first indication information; The data sent using the point-to-point transmission mode is received through the third RLC entity and / or the data sent using the point-to-multipoint transmission mode is received through the fourth RLC entity.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first indication information is used to indicate the type of the third RLC entity and the type of the fourth RLC entity; or, The first indication information includes radio network temporary identifier RNTI type information corresponding to the third RLC entity and RNTI type information corresponding to the fourth RLC entity.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate a first radio bearer and a first transmission mode corresponding to the first radio bearer, where the first radio bearer includes the second PDCP entity; The first transmission mode is: a point-to-point transmission mode, a point-to-multipoint transmission mode, or a point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission mode.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: When the data is received only through the third RLC entity, the method further includes: Stop monitoring a first RNTI, where the first RNTI is used to receive data transmitted using the point-to-multipoint transmission mode in a first radio bearer, and the first radio bearer includes the second PDCP entity.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The received data scrambled by using the cell radio network temporary identifier C-RNTI is delivered to the third RLC entity, and / or the received data scrambled by using the group cell radio network temporary identifier G-RNTI is delivered to the fourth RLC entity.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises means for executing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises means for executing the steps of the method according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for the at least one processor to obtain a program or instruction in at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction to enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises at least one processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used for the at least one processor to obtain a program or instruction in at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instruction to enable the communication device to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 13.

18. A network device, characterized in that: Comprising a communication device as claimed in claim 14 or 16.

19. A terminal device, characterized in that: Comprising a communication device as claimed in claim 15 or 17.

20. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a program, and when the program is executed by at least one processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

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