A communication method and device

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device. In the method, in the process of registration requested by a first terminal device, if a first base station accessed by the first terminal device is different from a second base station accessed by a second terminal device in a terminal device combination to which the first terminal device belongs, an access and mobility management function element in a core network can instruct the first terminal device to access the second base station. In this way, the core network can control the terminal devices belonging to the terminal device combination requiring cooperative communication to access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the terminal device combination and finally ensuring the implementation of the whole service.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Because the transmission capacity of a single terminal device is limited, in some communication scenarios, multiple terminal devices may need to be combined and cooperate to transmit data in order to complete the corresponding service. For example, in a high uplink traffic splitting scenario, multiple terminal devices need to send and receive different parts of the same service data to achieve service transmission. Another example is in a high-reliability service scenario, where multiple terminal devices or relay devices connected to them can copy the service data multiple times for transmission to prevent the loss of service data on a certain communication link from affecting the reliability of the service.

[0003] In real-world scenarios, two terminal devices that need to communicate collaboratively are likely to be within the shared coverage area of ​​two base stations.

[0004] (For example, the edge area within the coverage of a base station). Therefore, these two terminal devices are likely to access different base stations. The packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers between different base stations are difficult to communicate with each other, which makes it impossible for the two to achieve cooperative communication. This affects the service transmission effect of the entire terminal device combination and ultimately affects the service implementation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and device to ensure that multiple terminal devices that need to communicate collaboratively can access the same base station.

[0006] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements. The method is illustrated below using AMF as an example. The method includes the following steps:

[0007] After receiving a registration request from a first terminal device via a first base station, the AMF determines the combined configuration information; wherein, the first base station is the base station accessed by the first terminal device; the combined configuration information is used to indicate the combination of terminal devices subscribed to by the first terminal device, the combination of terminal devices includes multiple target terminal devices, and the multiple target terminal devices include the first terminal device; when the second base station accessed by a second terminal device included in the combination of terminal devices is different from the first base station, the AMF instructs the first terminal device to access the second base station.

[0008] Using this method, during the registration process of the first terminal device, if the first base station accessed by the first terminal device is different from the second base station accessed by the second terminal device in the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs, the access and mobility management function network element in the core network can instruct the first terminal device to access the second base station. Through this method, the core network can control terminal devices belonging to a terminal device group that requires cooperative communication to access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the terminal device group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0009] In one possible design, the AMF can instruct the first terminal device to access the second base station in the following manner:

[0010] Method 1: The AMF sends a registration rejection message to the first terminal device, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station. Optionally, the registration rejection message may also contain a rejection reason value. This reason value is used to notify the first terminal device that it has been rejected because it does not have access under the same base station as any other target terminal device in its terminal device group. In this case, the first terminal device can determine whether it needs to access through another base station based on the reason value.

[0011] Method 2: The AMF sends information to the first base station to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station.

[0012] With this design, the AMF can instruct the first terminal device to access the second base station, or redirect the first terminal device to the second base station through the first base station.

[0013] In one possible design, the information of the second base station is the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; the information used to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station is any one of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; a radio frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0014] In one possible design, when the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station is the radio frequency selection priority index, before sending the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station to the first base station, the AMF may also obtain the radio frequency selection priority index through the following steps:

[0015] The AMF sends a policy association request to the policy control function network element; wherein the policy association request includes the combined configuration information; and receives a policy association response from the policy control function network element, wherein the policy association response includes the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0016] Through this design, the AMF can obtain the radio frequency selection priority index from the policy control function network element.

[0017] In one possible design, the policy association response further includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; the AMF may also send the indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to at least one of the first terminal device, the first base station, and the second base station.

[0018] Through this method, the AMF can also obtain the relay mode of the first terminal device from the policy control function network element, and send the relay mode indication to at least one of the first terminal device, the first base station, and the second base station, so that the first terminal device can use the relay mode to access the second base station.

[0019] In one possible design, the AMF can also send a redirection instruction to the first base station, so that the first base station redirects the first terminal device according to the redirection instruction.

[0020] In one possible design, the AMF may also send an indication to the second base station to instruct the second base station not to redirect the first terminal device to other base stations. This indication may also be called a no-reselection indication, a no-redirection indication, or a no-handover indication, etc.

[0021] With this design, when the first terminal device is subsequently redirected to the second base station, the second base station can, based on the prohibition of reselection indication, no longer initiate a cell reselection process for the first terminal device; or, when initiating a cell reselection process for the first terminal device, the configuration in the cell reselection configuration information can prevent the first terminal device from reselecting to a cell managed by another base station. For example, the cell reselection configuration information may only carry information about cells managed by the second base station; or the cell reselection configuration information may carry information about multiple cells, but the reselection priority of the cells managed by the second base station is the highest, thus enabling the second base station to prioritize providing access services to the first UE.

[0022] In one possible design, after determining the combined configuration information, the AMF can also send a policy association request to the policy control function network element; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, the location indication information of the first terminal device being used to indicate the location of the first terminal device; the AMF receives a policy association response from the policy control function network element; wherein, the policy association response includes an indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; the AMF sends the indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to at least one of the first terminal device, the first base station, and the second base station.

[0023] Through this method, the AMF can also obtain the relay mode of the first terminal device from the policy control function network element, and send the relay mode indication to at least one of the first terminal device, the first base station, and the second base station, so that the first terminal device can use the relay mode to access the second base station.

[0024] In one possible design, the AMF can determine the combined configuration information in, but is not limited to, the following ways:

[0025] Method 1: Send the information of the first terminal device to the unified data management network element; receive the subscription information from the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information;

[0026] Method 2: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information;

[0027] Method 3: Obtain the combined configuration information from other access and mobility management function network elements.

[0028] Through this design, the AMF can flexibly obtain the combination configuration information of the terminal device combination to which the first terminal device belongs in multiple ways.

[0029] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to policy control function network elements. The method is illustrated below using a PCF (Policy Control Function) as an example. The method includes the following steps:

[0030] During the registration process of the first terminal device, the PCF receives a policy association request from the access and mobility management function network element; determines combination configuration information, wherein the combination configuration information is used to indicate the terminal device combination subscribed to by the first terminal device, the terminal device combination includes multiple target terminal devices, and the multiple target terminal devices include the first terminal device; the PCF sends a policy association response to the access and mobility management function network element; wherein the policy association response includes a radio frequency selection priority index, in which the frequency or access technology used by the second base station (a target terminal device already registered in the terminal device combination) has the highest priority, wherein the terminal device combination corresponds to the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

[0031] In this method, the PCF can store frequencies or access technologies corresponding to multiple terminal device combinations. When the combination configuration information of the terminal device combination to which the first terminal device belongs is obtained during the registration process, the frequency or access technology corresponding to the terminal device combination indicated by the combination configuration information can be determined. Since the registered second terminal device also uses the method provided in this application embodiment to access the second base station, the frequency or access technology corresponding to the terminal device combination indicated by the combination configuration information is the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

[0032] Using this method, the PCF can store the frequencies or access technologies corresponding to a combination of terminal devices, enabling terminal devices in that combination to access the same base station using the same frequency or access technology. Ultimately, the core network can use the radio frequency selection priority index to control whether UEs in a combination of UEs requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE combination and ultimately guaranteeing the implementation of the entire service.

[0033] Optionally, the PCF may determine the combined configuration information in, but is not limited to, the following ways:

[0034] Method 1: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information;

[0035] Method 2: Send the information of the first terminal device to the unified database network element; receive the subscription information from the unified data storage network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information;

[0036] Method 3: Obtain the combined configuration information from the policy association request.

[0037] Optionally, after determining the combined configuration information, the PCF can also obtain the location indication information of the first terminal device accessed by the first terminal device, the location indication information of the first terminal device being used to indicate the location of the first terminal device; and determine, based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, that the relay mode to be used by the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay; the policy association response also includes an indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay.

[0038] Through this design, the PCF can preferentially configure a Layer 2 relay mode for the first terminal device based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device. In this way, the core network can ensure that the first terminal device can access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination through the method provided in this application embodiment, or directly instruct the first terminal device to access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination by indicating the Layer 2 relay mode. This improves the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminates some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via Layer 3 relay). In summary, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication generated by the PCF is the preferred or required relay mode for the first terminal device.

[0039] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a terminal device. The method is described below using a first terminal device as an example. The method includes the following steps:

[0040] The first terminal device sends a registration request to the access and mobility management function network element through the first base station it accesses; then the first terminal device receives a registration rejection message from the access and mobility management function network element, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station; the first terminal device accesses the second base station according to the information of the second base station.

[0041] Using this method, during the registration process of the first terminal device, if the first base station accessed by the first terminal device is different from the second base station accessed by the second terminal device in the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs, the access and mobility management function network element in the core network can instruct the first terminal device to access the second base station. Through this method, the core network can control terminal devices belonging to a terminal device group that requires cooperative communication to access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the terminal device group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0042] In one possible design, the information of the second base station is the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station.

[0043] In one possible design, after sending a registration request to the access and mobility management function network element through the first base station, the first terminal device can also receive an indication from the access and mobility management function network element indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; in this case, when the first terminal device accesses the second base station, it can use the Layer 2 relay mode to access the second base station.

[0044] Through this method, the access and mobility management function network element can also control and configure the relay mode of the first terminal device during the registration process of the first terminal device.

[0045] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first base station, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0046] The system forwards the registration request of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element; then, after receiving information from the access and mobility management function network element for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station, it redirects the first terminal device to the second base station.

[0047] This method allows the core network's access and mobility management functions to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station during the registration process if the first base station accessed by the first terminal device is different from the second base station accessed by the second terminal device in the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs. This method enables the core network to control terminal devices belonging to a group of terminals requiring cooperative communication to access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the terminal device group and ultimately guaranteeing the implementation of the entire service.

[0048] In one possible design, the information used to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station is any one of the following: identification information of the second base station; identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; a radio frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0049] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first base station receiving a redirection instruction from the access and mobility management function network element; in this case, the first base station can redirect the first terminal device to the second base station according to the redirection instruction.

[0050] In one possible design, when the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station is a radio frequency selection priority index, the method may further include, before the first base station redirects the first terminal device to the second base station, determining that the frequency or access technology with the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index is different from the frequency or access technology used by the first base station.

[0051] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a method for determining the relay mode of a terminal device. This method can be applied to access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements. The method is illustrated below using AMF as an example. The method includes the following steps:

[0052] After receiving a registration request from a first terminal device via a first base station, the AMF determines the location indication information of the first terminal device. The AMF then sends a policy association request to the policy control function network element, wherein the policy association request includes the location indication information of the first terminal device. The AMF receives a measurement association response from the policy control function network element, wherein the policy association response includes a relay mode indication for indicating the relay mode. The AMF can send the relay mode indication to either the first terminal device or the first base station. Optionally, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication can be Layer 2 relay or Layer 3 relay.

[0053] Using this method, the PCF can configure a relay mode for the first terminal device based on the location indication information of the first terminal device. Thus, when the relay mode of the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay, the core network can ensure that the first terminal device can access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination through the method provided in this application embodiment, or directly instruct the first terminal device to access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination by indicating a Layer 2 relay mode. This improves the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminates some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via Layer 3 relay). In summary, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication generated by the PCF is the preferred or required relay mode for the first terminal device.

[0054] In one possible design, the location indication information of the first terminal device may include: information about the first base station accessed by the first terminal device, and / or, the physical location information of the first terminal device. The information about the first base station indicates that the first terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the first base station, and may include, but is not limited to, the identifier of the first base station, the physical location information of the first base station, and the identifier of the cell managed by the first base station accessed by the first UE.

[0055] In one possible design, the AMF can also obtain the combined configuration information of the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs, and carry the combined configuration information in the policy association request.

[0056] Through this design, the policy control network element can determine the relay mode of the first terminal device based on the location indication information of other registered terminal devices in the terminal device combination and the location indication information of the first terminal device.

[0057] In one possible design, the AMF may obtain the combined configuration information, but is not limited to, through the following means:

[0058] Method 1: Send the information of the first terminal device to the unified data management network element; receive the subscription information from the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information;

[0059] Method 2: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information;

[0060] Method 3: Obtain the combined configuration information from other access and mobility management function network elements.

[0061] Through this design, the AMF can flexibly obtain the combination configuration information of the terminal device combination to which the first terminal device belongs in multiple ways.

[0062] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a method for determining the relay mode of a terminal device. This method can be applied to policy control function network elements, and the method is described below using PCF as an example. The method includes the following steps:

[0063] During the registration process of the first terminal device, the PCF receives a policy association request from the AMF, wherein the policy association request includes location indication information of the first terminal device; the PCF determines the combination configuration information of the terminal device group to which the first terminal device belongs; the PCF determines the relay mode of the first terminal device based on the combination configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device; the PCF sends a policy association response to the AMF, wherein the policy association response includes a relay mode indication for indicating the relay mode of the first terminal device. Optionally, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication can be a Layer 2 relay or a Layer 3 relay.

[0064] Using this method, the PCF can configure a relay mode for the first terminal device based on the location indication information of the first terminal device. Thus, when the relay mode of the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay, the core network can ensure that the first terminal device can access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination through the method provided in this application embodiment, or directly instruct the first terminal device to access the same base station as other terminal devices in the same combination by indicating a Layer 2 relay mode. This improves the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminates some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via Layer 3 relay). In summary, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication generated by the PCF is the preferred or required relay mode for the first terminal device.

[0065] In one possible design, the location indication information of the first terminal device may include: information about the first base station accessed by the first terminal device, and / or, the physical location information of the first terminal device. The information about the first base station indicates that the first terminal device is within the coverage area of ​​the first base station, and may include, but is not limited to, the identifier of the first base station, the physical location information of the first base station, and the identifier of the cell managed by the first base station accessed by the first UE.

[0066] In one possible design, the PCF can also obtain the combined configuration information through, but is not limited to, the following methods:

[0067] Method 1: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information;

[0068] Method 2: Send the information of the first terminal device to the unified database network element; receive the subscription information from the unified data storage network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information;

[0069] Method 3: Obtain the combined configuration information from the policy association request.

[0070] In one possible design, the PCF can preferentially configure the L2 relay mode for the first UE based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE. In this way, the AMF or PCF in the core network can ensure that the first UE can access the same base station as other UEs in the same combination through the methods provided in the above embodiments, or directly instruct the first UE to access the same base station as other UEs in the same combination by indicating the L2 relay mode. This improves the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminates some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via L3 relay). In summary, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication generated by the PCF is the preferred or required relay mode for the first UE.

[0071] In one possible design, the PCF can, based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE, preferentially configure the L2 relay mode for the first UE, including:

[0072] The PCF determines the location indication information of other registered target terminal devices (hereinafter referred to as the second terminal devices) in the terminal device combination indicated by the combined configuration information. Then, based on the location indication information of the first terminal device and the location indication information of the second terminal device, it determines whether the first terminal device can access the second terminal device through the same base station. When it is determined that the two can access the same base station, the relay mode of the first terminal device is determined to be L2 relay.

[0073] Optionally, when the location indication information of the first terminal device and the location indication information of the second terminal device indicate that the first terminal device and the second terminal device are close in location (e.g., located in the same tracking area, or within the coverage area of ​​the same cell, or the first base station accessed by the first terminal device and the second base station accessed by the second terminal device are close in distance, or the physical distance is close (e.g., the Euclidean distance between the latitude and longitude of the first terminal device and the latitude and longitude of the second terminal device is less than a set threshold), or the first terminal device and the second terminal device access the same base station, the PCF can decide that the first terminal device (optionally, the second terminal device) can use the L2 relay relay method to access.

[0074] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a unit for performing the steps of the first to sixth aspects above.

[0075] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including at least one processing element and at least one storage element, wherein the at least one storage element is used to store programs and data, and the at least one processing element is used to execute the methods provided in the first to sixth aspects of this application above.

[0076] Ninthly, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods provided in any of the above aspects.

[0077] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0078] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application also provide a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory and executing the method provided in any of the above aspects.

[0079] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the methods provided in any of the foregoing aspects. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Attached Figure Description

[0080] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system.

[0081] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another mobile communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system employing an L2 relay scheme is provided for embodiments of this application;

[0083] Figure 3B A schematic diagram of another mobile communication system architecture using an L2 relay scheme provided for embodiments of this application;

[0084] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of a communication scenario for a large uplink traffic offloading service provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 4B A schematic diagram illustrating a high-reliability service scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 4CA schematic diagram illustrating another high-reliability service scenario provided in this application embodiment;

[0087] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a remote UE, a relay UE, and a mobile communication network is provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0088] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating yet another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0093] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating a method for determining the relay mode of a UE, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0094] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating another method for determining the relay mode of a UE, provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0095] Figure 13 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0096] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0097] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to ensure that multiple terminal devices requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station. The method and apparatus are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles by which the method and apparatus solve problems are similar, their implementations can be mutually referenced, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0098] The following explanations of some terms used in this application are provided to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0099] 1) A base station is a device in a communication system that connects terminal devices to a wireless network. As a node in a radio access network, a base station can also be called a network device, a radio access network (RAN) node (or device), an access network (AN) node (or device), or an access point (AP).

[0100] Currently, some examples of base stations include: generation Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), access point (AP), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), or base band unit (BBU), Enterprise LTE Discrete Spectrum Aggregation (eLTE-DSA) base station, etc.

[0101] In another network architecture, a base station may include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes. This architecture separates the base station's protocol layer, with some protocol layer functions centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, which are centrally controlled by the CU.

[0102] 2) Terminal equipment is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. Terminal equipment can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0103] For example, terminal devices can be handheld devices with wireless connectivity, various vehicle-mounted devices, roadside units, etc. Currently, some examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), point-of-sale (POS) terminals, wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, various smart meters (smart water meters, smart electricity meters, smart gas meters), vehicle electronic control units (ECUs), vehicle computers, vehicle cruise control systems, and telematics boxes (T-BOXs), etc.

[0104] 3) Relay mode: This refers to the method by which terminal devices access the mobile communication network through relay devices. From the perspective of the protocol stack, relay modes are mainly divided into: Layer 0 relay, Layer 1 relay, Layer 2 relay, and Layer 3 relay.

[0105] An L0 relay is a traditional repeater that acts as a relay between the terminal device and the base station. This repeater can directly amplify and forward all received signals.

[0106] An L1 relay is a relay device between a terminal device and a base station. It performs an inverse Fast Fourier Transform on the received signal, then amplifies and forwards the sampled data. This relay device can be considered an enhanced repeater, capable of appropriate power control and frequency-selective amplification.

[0107] L2 relay, building upon L1 relay, is an intermediary device between terminal equipment and base stations that can decode and verify received data, and then re-encode it. It possesses independent MAC layer functionality, partial resource allocation capabilities, and can flexibly schedule and control users. With L2 relay, terminal equipment and base stations can communicate via MAC addressing. The base station's PDCP layer can perform sorting, combining, and deduplication of data packets, while the core network remains unaware of the relay device.

[0108] L3 relay, building upon L2 relay, introduces IP layer functionality into the relay equipment between terminal devices and base stations. Communication is achieved through IP routing, and the core network is aware of the relay equipment. The relay equipment in L3 relay can be considered as a wireless backhaul base station, possessing complete network layer protocols.

[0109] It should be noted that the relay methods involved in this application embodiment are L2 relay and L3 relay.

[0110] 4) "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0111] It should be noted that "multiple" in this application refers to two or more. "At least one" refers to one or more.

[0112] In addition, it should be understood that in the description of this application, the words "first" and "second" are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0113] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0114] The communication method provided in this application is applicable to mobile communication systems, and the architecture of the mobile communication system is as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown. Among them, Figure 1 For a reference-point based system architecture, Figure 2 This is a system architecture based on service-oriented interfaces.

[0115] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the accompanying drawings, the mobile communication system comprises three parts: terminal equipment, mobile communication network, and data network (DN). The functions and entities of each part will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] A terminal device, or UE for short, is an entity on the user side capable of receiving and transmitting wireless signals. It needs to access the DN (Digital Network) through a mobile communication network to realize the UE's services. The UE can be any device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, and this application does not limit it.

[0117] A DN, also known as a packet data network (PDN), is a network located outside the mobile communication network. Various services can be deployed on a DN, providing data and / or voice services to the UE. A mobile communication network can access at least one DN, and the same DN can be accessed by at least one mobile communication network. For example, the DN can be the Internet, an IP Multimedia Service (IMS) network, a data network dedicated to certain applications, Ethernet, an IP local area network, etc., and this application does not limit this to any particular type.

[0118] A mobile communication network, deployed and maintained by an operator, provides access services and end-to-end connectivity services to a UE. A UE can access a DN (Digital Network) through the mobile communication network to perform specific services. This mobile communication network can include two parts: a radio access network (RAN) and a core network (CN). When a UE requests access to the DN, the mobile communication network can establish a PDU (Programmable Node) session between the UE and the DN to enable communication between them.

[0119] The (R)AN is primarily responsible for the UE's radio access functions, which are specifically implemented through the base station. The base station is the network-side entity capable of receiving and transmitting radio signals, responsible for providing radio access-related services to UEs within its coverage area. This includes physical layer functions, resource scheduling and radio resource management, Quality of Service (QoS) management, radio access control, user plane data forwarding, and mobility management. The base station and UE communicate via the Uu interface over the air.

[0120] The Core Network (CN) is responsible for connecting the UE to different data networks based on call requests or service requests sent by the UE through the access network, as well as providing services such as billing, mobility management, and session management. Based on specific logical functions, the CN can be divided into a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP). Therefore, network elements responsible for control plane functions in the CN can be collectively referred to as control plane network elements, and network elements responsible for user plane functions can be collectively referred to as user plane network elements. The functions of the main network elements in the core network are described in detail below.

[0121] User plane network elements, also known as user plane function (UPF) network elements, are primarily responsible for forwarding and receiving user plane data for the UE. UPF elements can receive user plane data from the DN and transmit it to the UE via the base station; they can also receive user plane data from the UE via the base station and forward it to the DN. The transmission resources and scheduling functions within the user plane network elements that provide services to the UE are managed and controlled by the control plane network elements.

[0122] Control plane network elements include: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, unified data repository (UDR) network elements, unified data management (UDM) network elements, and application function (AF) network elements. Each control plane network element is briefly introduced below.

[0123] The AMF (Automatic Mobility Provider) element, or AMF for short, is primarily responsible for mobility management, access authentication / authorization, and signaling processing in mobile communication networks. This includes functions such as access control, UE location update, UE registration, attach and detach, and SMF selection. Furthermore, the AMF is responsible for transmitting user policies between the UE and the PCF (Programmable Component Provider).

[0124] The SMF (Service Provider Function) network element, or SMF for short, is primarily responsible for session management in mobile communication networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specifically, the functions of the SMF include: UPF selection, UPF redirection, Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, bearer establishment, modification, and release, and QoS control.

[0125] The PCF network element, or PCF for short, is mainly responsible for providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, providing policy rules to other control plane network elements, and obtaining user subscription information related to the policy.

[0126] The AUSF network element, which can be abbreviated as AUSF, is mainly responsible for providing authentication functions and supports authentication for both 3GPP access and Non-3GPP access.

[0127] NEF (Network Element Function) elements primarily support secure interaction between mobile communication networks and third-party applications. They can securely expose network capabilities and events to third parties to enhance or improve application service quality. Mobile communication networks can also securely obtain relevant data from third parties through NEF elements to enhance network intelligent decision-making.

[0128] The UDR network element, which can be abbreviated as UDR, is mainly responsible for storing UE subscription data, policy data, application data and other types of data.

[0129] UDM network elements, or UDM for short, are mainly responsible for storing and managing UE subscription data, user access authorization, generating authentication trust letters, and user identification processing (such as storing and managing permanent user identity identifiers).

[0130] An AF (Active Front-End) network element, often abbreviated as AF, primarily transmits the application's demands on the network side. It supports interaction with other network elements in the core network to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing third-party services to the network side. AF elements can be third-party functional entities or application services deployed by the operator.

[0131] The NSSF network element, which can be abbreviated as NSSF, is mainly responsible for selecting network slices.

[0132] It should be understood that the network elements mentioned above in CN can be network components implemented on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or instances of virtualized functions on a virtualization platform (such as a cloud platform). Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not limit the distribution of the various network elements in the communication system. Optionally, the various network elements can be deployed in different physical devices, or multiple network elements can be integrated into the same physical device.

[0133] in addition, Figure 1 The document also demonstrates the interaction relationships between various network functional entities in a mobile communication system, as well as their corresponding interfaces. Figure 2 It also showcased the service-oriented interfaces used between some network functional entities in the mobile communication system.

[0134] It should be noted that, Figure 1 or Figure 2The mobile communication system shown does not constitute a limitation on the mobile communication systems to which the embodiments of this application are applicable. Therefore, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, 6th Generation (6G) communication systems, and future communication systems. Furthermore, Figure 1 or Figure 2 It also does not limit the communication scenarios of mobile communication systems, except Figure 1 and Figure 2 In addition to the non-roaming scenarios shown, this application can also be applied to various roaming scenarios.

[0135] Finally, it should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the names of each network element in the mobile communication system. For example, in mobile communication systems of different standards, each network element may have other names; or, for example, when multiple network elements are integrated into the same physical device, the physical device may also have other names.

[0136] To expand the coverage of base stations in (R)AN, eliminate coverage blind spots, and improve system capacity, UEs can also use L2 relay to access the base station through relay nodes (also known as relay equipment). This effectively improves channel transmission quality and reduces UE power consumption. Specifically, the UE can access the relay node through the relay interface, while the relay node can communicate with the base station via the traditional Uu interface. The relay node can be a UE or other equipment in its physical form; this application does not limit its physical form.

[0137] The relay interface between the UE and the relay node can be a short-range service communication interface 5 (ProSe communication 5, PC 5), a WIFI interface, a Bluetooth interface, etc., and this application does not limit it.

[0138] When a UE accesses the mobile communication network through a relay node, the UE can also be called a remote UE, or simply a remote UE; while when the relay node is the UE, the relay node can be called a relay UE. The following embodiments in this application will only use the relay node as an example for illustration. For example, the architecture of a mobile communication system using the L2 relay scheme can be as follows: Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown.

[0139] In the L2 relay scheme, the relay UE can forward uplink and downlink data of the remote UE according to the access stratum layer (ASlayer) configuration, so that the remote UE can access the base station.

[0140] In mobile communication systems, both Uu and PC5 interfaces, as relay interfaces, contain control plane and user plane protocol stacks. The user plane protocol stack includes at least the following protocol layers: Physical (PHY) layer, Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, PDCP layer, and Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer. The control plane protocol stack includes at least the following protocol layers: PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer.

[0141] Each UE can be based on Figures 1 to 3B The architecture of the mobile communication system shown implements communication services. However, due to the limited transmission capacity of a single UE, in some communication scenarios, multiple UEs may need to cooperate to communicate in order to complete certain specific services.

[0142] Example 1: In Figure 4A In the scenario of large uplink traffic offloading (taking extended reality (XR) service as an example), the mobile communication system can divide the XR service data generated by the service end—XR glasses—into two parts (the first service data and the second service data shown in the figure). Then, UEa sends the first service data to the base station, and UEb sends the second service data to the base station. Either UE can directly access the base station or use an L2 relay scheme to access the base station through a relay node. Figure 4AAs shown, the XR service data can be traffic split at the PDCP layer, RLC layer, or MAC layer of UEa. That is, after receiving the XR service data from the XR glasses, UEa can separate the second service data from the XR service data at the PDCP layer, RLC layer, or MAC layer and send it to UEb, which then forwards the second service data to the base station. Meanwhile, UEa directly sends the first service data to the base station. Additionally, the PDCP' layer in the figure represents an additional function of the PDCP layer, namely, uniformly sorting the PDCP layer data packets of UEa and UEb. Optionally, the PDCP' layer can reuse the PDCP layer of UEa or UEb; this application does not limit this. In this scenario, UEa and UEb, which need to cooperate in communication, are configured in the same UE group to facilitate mobile communication network management.

[0143] To further improve data routing, Figure 4A Any UE (UEa or UEb) in the network can act as a remote UE to access the base station via a relay UE. If the UE can directly access the base station, data transmission can also be achieved through UE cooperation (UC). UC refers to the simultaneous activation of both the relay link and the direct link of the UE to transmit service data. A relay link is the communication link through which the UE accesses the base station via a relay node, and a direct link is the communication link through which the UE directly accesses the base station. In scenarios where the remote UE uses UC to transmit service data, the remote UE can further split the service data to be transmitted and transmit it to the base station via a direct link and at least one relay link (or multiple relay links). The base station can aggregate the service data received on different communication links before sending it outwards. In this scenario, the remote UE requiring cooperative communication and its relay UE should also be configured in the same UE group for mobile network management.

[0144] Example 2: In Figure 4BIn the high-reliability service scenario shown, multiple communication links exist between the service provider and the base station. When the service provider is a UE, it can act as a remote UE and access the base station via relay UE1 and relay UE2 using an L2 relay scheme. The remote UE can duplicate service data and then transmit it to the base station via at least two of the following communication links: direct link, relay link 1, and relay link 2. The base station can select only one communication link (e.g., the one with the highest transmission quality) to receive service data, or it can receive service data from multiple communication links simultaneously and then select one copy to send. In this scenario, the remote UE requiring cooperative communication and its relay UE should also be configured in the same UE group for ease of mobile network management.

[0145] Example 3: In Figure 4C In the high-reliability service scenario shown, the service terminal does not have the function of establishing a connection with the base station (i.e., the service terminal is not a UE). Therefore, the service terminal can establish connections with multiple UEs, and these multiple UEs can access the base station separately. For example... Figure 4C As shown, the service terminal can copy the generated service data and then transmit it to the base station through the three communication links of UEa-UEc. Figure 4B In the scenario shown, the base station operates similarly. It can select only one communication link to receive service data, or receive service data from multiple communication links simultaneously and then select one portion to transmit. In this scenario, UEa-UEc, which require cooperative communication, should be configured within the same UE group for easier mobile network management.

[0146] To further improve data reliability, Figure 4C Any UE (UEa, UEb, or UEc) can act as a remote UE to access the base station via a relay UE. If the UE can directly access the base station, data transmission can also be achieved through the UC (Unified Communication) method. That is, the remote UE can copy the service data to be transmitted multiple times and then transmit it to the base station via a direct link and at least one relay link (or multiple relay links). In this case, the remote UE requiring cooperative communication and its relay UE should also be configured in the same UE group for mobile communication network management.

[0147] It should be noted that in mobile communication systems, both remote UEs and relay UEs can directly access the base station via the Uu interface. Therefore, the relationship between remote UEs, relay UEs, and the mobile communication network is as follows: Figure 5As shown. It should be noted that the core network equipment serving the remote UE and the core network equipment serving the relay UE can be all the same network elements, all different network elements, or partially the same network elements; this application does not limit this. Similarly, DN1 accessed by the remote UE and DN2 accessed by the relay UE can be the same or different DNs.

[0148] To improve data transmission efficiency and resource utilization in mobile communication networks, multiple UEs should access the same base station in scenarios involving collaborative communication. Furthermore, since PDCP layers between different base stations are difficult to interoperate, when multiple UEs requiring collaborative communication access a base station using an L2 relay method, they must access the same base station; otherwise, collaborative communication cannot be achieved.

[0149] However, in real-world scenarios, two UEs in a UE combination that require cooperative communication may be within the common coverage area of ​​two base stations. As a result, these two UEs may access different base stations, which would prevent them from cooperating with each other and thus affect the cooperative communication effect of the UE combination, ultimately impacting the implementation of the entire service.

[0150] To ensure that multiple UEs can access the same base station in scenarios where multiple UEs cooperate in communication, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to... Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The mobile communication system shown below. See below. Figure 6 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method.

[0151] S601: The first UE sends a registration request to the AMF through the first base station. The AMF receives the registration request from the first UE through the first base station.

[0152] Optionally, the first UE may access the first base station through processes such as network search, cell reselection, cell handover, inter-system handover, and random access.

[0153] S602: The AMF determines the combination configuration information, wherein the combination configuration information is used to indicate the UE combination subscribed to by the first UE, the UE combination includes multiple target UEs, and the first UE is included among the multiple target UEs.

[0154] Optionally, the combined configuration information may include information (e.g., identification information) for each target UE in the UE combination. Optionally, the combined configuration information may also include group identification information for the UE combination. For example, if UE combination a includes UE1 and UE2, then the combined configuration information indicating UE combination a may include: the group identification information of UE combination a (UEgroup IDa), the identification information of UE1 (UE ID1), and the identification information of UE2 (UE2 ID2).

[0155] In this UE group, multiple target UEs need to cooperate and communicate to achieve specific services. This UE group can also be called a UE cooperation group or a UE cooperation communication group.

[0156] For example, in a scenario involving large uplink traffic splitting, where the first UE and the second UE are assigned different service data for the same service, the first UE and the second UE should be configured into the same UE combination.

[0157] For example, when the first UE needs to connect to the base station through a relay UE (e.g., UEa) (optionally, the first UE can also connect to the base station through a direct link), the first UE and UEa should be configured in the same UE combination.

[0158] For example, when the first UE is connected to the base station through multiple relay UEs (e.g., UEa and UEb), the first UE, UEa, and UEb should be configured into the same UE combination.

[0159] In this embodiment of the application, the AMF may determine the combined configuration information in, but is not limited to, the following ways:

[0160] Method 1: The AMF obtains the configuration information of the combination from the UDM through the contract information acquisition process. The specific steps are as follows:

[0161] The AMF sends the information of the first UE to the UDM; then it receives the subscription information of the first UE from the UDM. The subscription information includes the combined configuration information.

[0162] Optionally, the AMF can send a subscription information retrieval request to the UDM, the subscription information retrieval request containing information about the first UE. Correspondingly, the subscription information can be carried in the subscription information retrieval response and sent by the UDM to the AMF.

[0163] In a mobile communication system, the first UE may initiate multiple registration processes. Optionally, the AMF may use method one to obtain the combined configuration information each time it receives a registration request from the first UE.

[0164] Method 2: The AMF determines the locally stored combined configuration information.

[0165] In a mobile communication system, a first UE may initiate multiple registration processes, meaning the AMF (Active Information Controller) may need to obtain the combined configuration information in each registration process. In one implementation, the AMF can obtain the combined configuration information using method one when it first receives the first UE's registration request, and then save this combined configuration information. Thus, when the AMF receives the first UE's registration request again, it can directly read the combined configuration information locally, i.e., determine the combined configuration information using method two. This reduces the signaling interaction of the AMF, allowing it to quickly determine the combined configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs when the first UE initiates the registration process again. This reduces the latency for the first UE and other registered target UEs in the same group to access the same base station, ultimately improving the efficiency of cooperative communication within the UE group.

[0166] In another implementation, the AMF can be an AMF in a private network scenario (e.g., a factory), and therefore, the combined configuration information can be configured in the AMF. For example, the AMF can be configured with the combined configuration information at the factory, or the user can store the combined configuration information in the AMF; this application does not limit this. Therefore, each time the first UE initiates a registration process, the AMF can obtain the combined configuration information through method two.

[0167] Method 3: The AMF can obtain the combined configuration information from other AMFs.

[0168] For example, when the first UE moves from the service area of ​​another AMF to the service area of ​​the current AMF, the AMF can obtain the combined configuration information from the other AMF. As another example, when the first UE switches over via a cross-system handover procedure, the other AMF can be a network element (e.g., MME) responsible for access and mobility management functions in the source mobile communication system.

[0169] S603: When the second base station accessed by the target UE (hereinafter referred to as the second UE) in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information is different from the first base station, the AMF instructs the first UE to access the second base station.

[0170] In one implementation, the current network environment in which the first UE is located has only one AMF, or the first UE is located within the service area of ​​an AMF, such as in a private network scenario or within a fixed working environment (factory, enterprise). In this case, all base stations in the current network environment are connected to the AMF. When each UE registers with the mobile communication network through a base station, the AMF can locally store information about the base stations accessed by the UE (e.g., the base station's identification information, the tunnel identification information connecting to the base station, the cell identification information managed by the base station, etc.).

[0171] Therefore, in this implementation, when the AMF performing mobility management on the first UE executes S603, it can determine the information of the base station accessed by the registered target UE in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information, and then determine whether the first base station accessed by the first UE is the same as the base station accessed by the registered target UE.

[0172] In another implementation, the current network environment in which the first UE is located contains multiple AMFs, or the first UE is located within the service area of ​​multiple AMFs. In this case, within the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information, there may be scenarios where different target UEs access base stations connected to different AMFs. In this scenario, when any UE registers with the mobile communication network through a base station, the AMF responsible for the mobility management of that UE in the mobile communication network can store the UE's information, as well as the information of the base stations accessed by the UE, in a unified data storage network element. Optionally, the data storage network element can be any of the following: unstructured data storage function (UDSF), UDM (assuming that these target UEs in the UE combination to which the first UE belongs can choose to access the same UDM), UDR (this information may be stored in the UDR through NEF), or PCF, etc.

[0173] Optionally, in this embodiment, when the AMF performing mobility management for the first UE executes S603, it can obtain information about the base stations accessed by the registered target UEs in the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information from the unified data storage network element. Then, the AMF determines whether the first base station accessed by the first UE is the same as the base stations accessed by other registered target UEs. For example, the AMF can obtain information about the base stations accessed by the registered target UEs in the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information through the following steps:

[0174] The AMF can send the combined configuration information to the data storage network element, or the AMF can send the information of the target UE in the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information to the data storage network element; then, the AMF receives the information of the base station accessed by the registered target UE sent by the data storage network element.

[0175] Optionally, in this embodiment, when the AMF performing mobility management for the first UE executes S603, it may also send the information of the first base station (optionally, it may also include: the combination configuration information, or the information of the target UE in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information) to the data storage network element. The data storage network element determines whether the first base station is the same as the base station accessed by other registered target UEs in the UE combination, and then feeds back the determination result to the AMF. Further, when the data storage network element determines that the first base station is different from the base station accessed by other registered target UEs (the second UE), it may also feed back the information of the base station accessed by the second UE (i.e., the information of the second base station) to the AMF.

[0176] In this embodiment of the application, the AMF may, but is not limited to, instruct the first UE to access the second base station in the following ways:

[0177] Method a: The AMF sends a registration rejection message to the first UE, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station (referred to as first information). It should be noted that in specific implementations, the AMF can also notify the first UE through other messages; this example only uses the registration rejection message.

[0178] The first information may include, but is not limited to, the identification information of the second base station or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station. This application does not limit this information.

[0179] Additionally, the registration rejection message may also include a rejection reason value. This reason value is used to notify the first UE that it is being rejected because it is not connected to any other target UE within its UE group under the same base station. In this case, the first UE can determine, based on the reason value, that it needs to access the network through another base station.

[0180] Method b: The AMF sends information (referred to as the second information) to the first base station for redirecting the first UE to the second base station.

[0181] The second information may include, but is not limited to, any of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; and the radio frequency selection priority index ((RAT / frequency selection priority, RFSP) index), wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the RFSP index.

[0182] In this approach, the AMF can also send a redirection indication to the first base station, causing the first base station to redirect the first UE to the second base station according to the redirection indication. Optionally, the second information (and the redirection indication) can be carried in the registration acceptance message. It should be noted that in specific implementations, the AMF can also notify the first UE through other messages; here, only the registration acceptance message is used as an example.

[0183] Furthermore, after the AMF instructs the first base station to redirect the first UE to the second base station via method b, the AMF can also send an instruction to the second base station to instruct it not to redirect the first UE to any other base station. This instruction can also be called a prohibition on reselection instruction, a prohibition on redirection instruction, or a prohibition on handover instruction, and will be referred to as a prohibition on reselection instruction below. Thus, when the first UE subsequently accesses the second base station via S604, the second base station can, based on this prohibition on reselection instruction, refrain from initiating a cell reselection procedure for the first UE; or, when initiating a cell reselection procedure for the first UE, it can configure the cell reselection configuration information to prevent the first UE from reselecting to a cell managed by another base station. For example, the cell reselection configuration information may only carry information about cells managed by the second base station; or the cell reselection configuration information may carry information about multiple cells, but the reselection priority of the cells managed by the second base station is the highest, thus allowing the second base station to prioritize providing access services to the first UE.

[0184] It should be noted that this application does not limit whether different target UEs belonging to the same UE group access the same cell. Therefore, when the second base station manages multiple cells, the cell reselection configuration information sent by the second base station to the first UE may include information on at least one cell managed by the second base station or information on all cells; and when the cell reselection configuration information also includes cells managed by other base stations, the reselection priority of the cells managed by the second base station is higher than the reselection priority of the cells managed by other base stations.

[0185] When the AMF instructs the first UE to access the second base station via method b, and the second information is an RFSP index, in step S603, the AMF can also obtain the RFSP index through the following steps:

[0186] a1: The AMF sends a policy association request to the PCF, wherein the policy association request contains the combined configuration information obtained by the AMF in S602.

[0187] a2: After receiving the policy association request from the AMF, the PCF determines the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information. In this embodiment, since the registered second UE also accesses the second base station using the method provided in this embodiment, the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information is the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

[0188] The PCF can store frequencies or access technologies corresponding to multiple UE combinations. When the combination configuration information is received, the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information can be determined.

[0189] a3: The PCF generates the RFSP index according to the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information; the PCF sends a policy association response to the AMF, and the policy association response contains the RFSP index.

[0190] For example, when the frequency or access technology corresponding to (and required to correspond to) the UE combination is frequency band A or access technology A, the RFSP index generated by the PCF indicates the index value corresponding to frequency band A or access technology A in the highest priority field.

[0191] a4: The AMF receives the policy association response from the PCF.

[0192] It should be noted that the policy association request involved in the above steps can be a policy association establishment / modification request (e.g., an access and mobility policy association establishment / modification request), and correspondingly, the policy association response can be a policy association establishment / modification response (e.g., an access and mobility policy association establishment / modification response).

[0193] S604: The first UE accesses the second base station.

[0194] Corresponding to the method described in S603 where the AMF instructs the first UE to access the second base station, there are two ways to execute this step:

[0195] Method I: Corresponding to Method a, the first UE receives a registration rejection message from the AMF, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station (i.e., first information). In this case, the first UE can access the second base station based on the first information. The first information may, but is not limited to, the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station.

[0196] Optionally, in mode I, the first UE can filter the currently accessible cells or base stations and select only the cells or base stations corresponding to the first information (i.e., the cells or base stations managed by the second base station).

[0197] For example, if the AMF sends the identification information (gNB ID 2) of the second base station to the first UE, then the first UE will only access cells whose cell identifier (e.g., NR cell global identifier (NCGI) or NR cell identity (NCI)) contains gNB ID 2. It is understood that the NCGI contains the NCI, and the NCI contains the gNB ID.

[0198] For example, if the AMF sends the cell identifier information (NCGI2) managed by the second base station to the first UE, then the first UE accesses the cell with the identifier NCGI2.

[0199] It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrations and do not constitute a limitation on how the first UE accesses the second base station.

[0200] In addition, the first UE can continue to initiate the registration process with the AMF through the second base station.

[0201] Method II: Corresponding to Method b, after receiving information from the AMF (i.e., second information) for redirecting the first UE to the second base station, the first base station redirects the first UE to the second base station. The second information may include, but is not limited to, any of the following: identification information of the second base station; identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; RFSP index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the RFSP index.

[0202] Optionally, in mode II, the first base station may also receive a redirection instruction from the AMF, so that the first base station can redirect the first UE to the second base station according to the redirection instruction and the second information.

[0203] It should also be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, after S602, the AMF can further determine the relay mode of the first UE based on the combined configuration information, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0204] b1: The AMF sends a policy association request to the PCF, wherein the policy association request includes the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE.

[0205] The location indication information of the first UE is used to indicate the location of the first UE. Optionally, the location indication information of the first UE may include: information about the first base station accessed by the first UE, and / or, the physical location information of the first UE. The information of the first base station is used to indicate that the first UE is within the coverage area of ​​the first base station, and may include, but is not limited to, the identifier of the first base station, the physical location information of the first base station, and the identifier of the cell managed by the first base station accessed by the first UE.

[0206] b2: Based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE, the PCF determines that if the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information can be accessed through the same base station, the first UE needs to adopt the L2 relay mode (e.g., L2 relay preference).

[0207] b3: The PCF sends a policy association response to the AMF, wherein the policy association response includes an indication for the relay mode to be L2 relay (hereinafter referred to as relay mode indication, for example, L2 relay preference information).

[0208] b4: The AMF receives a policy association response from the PCF.

[0209] b5: The AMF sends the relay mode indication to the first UE and / or the second base station so that the first UE can access the network using the L2 relay mode.

[0210] It should be noted that the policy association request involved in the above steps can be a policy association establishment / modification request, and correspondingly, the policy association response can be a policy association establishment / modification response.

[0211] In one implementation, the policy association establishment / modification request in the above steps may include an access and mobility policy association establishment / modification request, and the policy association establishment / modification response may include an access and mobility policy association establishment / modification response. In this case, the AMF can obtain specific policy information (i.e., relay mode indication) from the PCF and perform the operation in this method when it is determined that the first UE can use L2 relay.

[0212] In another implementation, the policy association establishment / modification request in the above steps may include a user equipment policy association establishment / modification request, and the policy association establishment / modification response may include a user equipment policy association establishment / modification response. In this case, the AMF can obtain specific policy information (i.e., relay mode indication) from the PCF and pass the policy information to the first UE to instruct the first UE to select a relay mode according to the policy information.

[0213] It should be noted that one or both of the above implementation methods may exist simultaneously.

[0214] It should also be noted that the AMF can obtain the RFSP index and relay mode indication from the PCF simultaneously through a policy association process. That is, the policy association request in step a1 above also includes the location indication information of the first UE. Step b2 is executed before step a3. In addition to the RFSP index, the policy association response in steps a3 and a4 also includes the relay mode indication.

[0215] It should be noted that in practical applications, there may be multiple UEs in the same UE group that access the same or different base stations and request registration at the same time. In this case, the AMF can execute the above method for each UE requesting registration to ensure that UEs in the same UE group access the same base station.

[0216] This application provides a communication method in which, during the registration process of a first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a second UE in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the AMF can instruct the first UE to access the second base station. In this way, the AMF can control that UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0217] based on Figure 6 The method provided in the illustrated embodiments is further supported by other embodiments in this application, which are also applicable to, for example... Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The mobile communication system shown below. See below. Figures 7-9 The various embodiments are described below.

[0218] Example 1: See Figure 7 As shown.

[0219] S701: After the first UE accesses the first base station, it sends a registration request to the AMF through the first base station.

[0220] S702: The AMF sends a subscription information acquisition request containing the information of the first UE to the UDM in order to request the acquisition of the subscription information of the first UE.

[0221] S703: The UDM obtains the subscription information of the first UE based on the subscription information acquisition request; then the UDM returns the subscription information to the AMF. The subscription information of the first UE includes not only commonly used subscription data, but also the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs.

[0222] The combined configuration information is used to indicate the UE combination subscribed to by the first UE, which includes multiple target UEs.

[0223] S704: After obtaining the combined configuration information, the AMF determines that the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by other registered target UEs (second UEs) in the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information.

[0224] Optionally, the AMF can be adopted. Figure 6 In the embodiments shown, the two implementation methods described in S603 are executed in S704. The specific process can be referred to the description in S603, and will not be repeated here.

[0225] S705: The AMF sends a registration rejection message to the first UE, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station. Optionally, the registration rejection message may also contain a rejection reason value, wherein the reason value is used to notify the first UE that it is rejected because it does not have access under the same base station as any other target UE in its UE group.

[0226] The information of the second base station may include, but is not limited to, the identification information of the second base station or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station.

[0227] Obviously, the AMF determines that the second base station is the base station jointly accessed by the UE combination to which the first UE belongs. However, it should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the rules by which the AMF determines the base station jointly accessed by the UE combination. In specific implementations, the AMF can determine the base station jointly accessed by the UE combination based on the order in which the target UEs in the UE combination access the base station, the load condition of the base station (e.g., the number of UEs accessed by the base station), etc.

[0228] For example, when the second UE has accessed the second base station, and then receives the first registration request initiated by the first UE, the AMF can determine that the second base station is the base station that the UE combination accesses together. At this time, the AMF can instruct the first UE to access the second base station by executing S705.

[0229] For example, before the second UE accesses the second base station, the first UE accesses the first base station (when this registration process is not the first registration process initiated by the first UE). The AMF can determine that the first base station is the base station that the UE combination accesses together. At this time, the AMF can also notify the second UE to access the first base station.

[0230] For example, if the load rate of the second base station accessed by the second UE is lower than that of the first base station accessed by the first UE, then the AMF can determine that the second base station is the base station that the UE combination accesses together. At this time, the AMF can instruct the first UE to access the second base station by executing S705.

[0231] S706: The first UE can access the second base station based on the information from the second base station.

[0232] In this embodiment, the first UE can adopt Figure 6 The method I in S604 of the illustrated embodiment for accessing the second base station will not be described again here.

[0233] S707: After the first UE accesses the second base station, it sends a registration request to the AMF through the second base station.

[0234] In this embodiment, during the registration process of the first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a second UE already registered in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the AMF can send information about the second base station to the first UE so that the first UE can access the second base station. In this way, the AMF can control that UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0235] Example 2: See Figure 8 As shown.

[0236] S801-S804 are the same as S701-S704 in Embodiment 1. The same steps can be referred to each other, and will not be repeated here.

[0237] S805: The AMF sends information about the second base station to the first base station, so that the first base station redirects the first UE to the second base station. Optionally, the AMF may also send a redirection instruction to the first base station.

[0238] Optionally, the AMF may send the information of the second base station and the redirection instruction (optionally) in the registration acceptance message to the first base station.

[0239] The information of the second base station may include, but is not limited to, the identification information of the second base station or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station.

[0240] It should be noted that, similar to S705, this embodiment does not limit the rules by which the AMF determines the base stations jointly accessed by the UE combination. For details, please refer to the description in S705, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] S806: The first base station can redirect the first UE to the second base station based on the information received from the second base station.

[0242] Optionally, after the first UE is redirected to the second base station, the second base station may send a notification message to the AMF that provides services to the second base station (in this embodiment, it is assumed that the AMF that provides services to the first base station is the same as the AMF that provides services to the second base station) to inform the AMF that the first UE has been successfully redirected to the second base station.

[0243] S807: After the first UE accesses the second base station, the AMF providing services to the first base station can also send an instruction to the second base station to instruct the second base station not to redirect the first UE to other base stations, i.e., to prohibit reselection. It should be noted that S807 is an optional step.

[0244] Through step S807, the second base station can, based on the prohibition of reselection indication, cease initiating a cell reselection process for the first UE; or, when initiating a cell reselection process for the first UE, configure the cell reselection configuration information to prevent the first UE from reselecting to cells managed by other base stations. For example, the cell reselection configuration information may only carry information about cells managed by the second base station; or the cell reselection configuration information may carry information about multiple cells, but the reselection priority of the cells managed by the second base station is the highest, thus enabling the second base station to prioritize providing access services to the first UE.

[0245] For example, after the second base station receives the prohibition of reselection instruction for the first UE, when the second base station needs to redirect some UEs (for example, the cell load managed by the second base station is too high), the second base station will prioritize redirecting UEs that have not received the prohibition of reselection instruction; or, the second base station can redirect the same group of UEs in a unified manner, that is, it can redirect all the accessed target UEs in the UE group to which the first UE belongs to the third base station (it should be noted that in this scheme, the network side (such as AMF) also needs to send the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs to the second base station).

[0246] In this embodiment, during the registration process of the first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a second UE already registered in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the AMF can send information about the second base station to the first base station so that the first base station can redirect the first UE to the second base station. In this way, the AMF can control that UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the implementation of the entire service.

[0247] It should be noted that the methods provided in Embodiments 1 and 2 are implemented in a scenario where there is an already registered target UE in the UE group to which the first UE belongs when the first UE requests registration. Therefore, when the first UE requests registration but there is no already registered target UE in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the mobile communication network can use a traditional registration process. Furthermore, when multiple target UEs belonging to the same UE group accessing different base stations request registration from the AMF, and there are no other already registered target UEs in the UE group at this time, the AMF can select any one of the multiple base stations accessed by the multiple target UEs as the base station for the UE group to access together. For example, the AMF can select the base station for the UE group to access together from the multiple base stations using any of the following principles:

[0248] Random selection; selecting the base station with the largest number of current access target UEs; selecting a base station whose distance to each target UE requesting registration is within a set range; selecting the base station with the shortest sum of distances to each target UE requesting registration, etc.

[0249] Example 3: See Figure 9 As shown.

[0250] S901-S903 are the same as S701-S703 in Embodiment 1. The same steps can be referred to each other, and will not be repeated here.

[0251] S904: The AMF sends a policy association request to the PCF, wherein the policy association request contains the combined configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs.

[0252] S905: The PCF determines the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information. Since other registered second UEs in this UE combination also access the second base station using the method provided in this application embodiment, the frequency or access technology used by the second base station is the same as the frequency or access technology corresponding to this UE combination. The PCF generates an RFSP index based on the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information. In the RFSP index, the frequency or access technology corresponding to this UE combination has the highest priority. The PCF sends a policy association response to the AMF, and the policy association response includes the RFSP index.

[0253] In this embodiment, by configuring the frequency or access technology corresponding to each UE combination in the PCF, UEs in the same UE combination can access the same base station using the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination.

[0254] S906: The AMF sends the RFSP index to the first base station, so that the first base station can redirect the first UE to the second base station according to the RFSP index. Optionally, the AMF may also send a redirection instruction to the first base station.

[0255] Optionally, the AMF may send the RFSP index and the redirection indication (optionally) in the registration acceptance message to the first base station.

[0256] S907: The first base station determines whether the highest priority frequency or access technology in the RFSP index is the same as the frequency or access technology used by the first base station (i.e., whether the base station accessed by the first base station and other registered second UEs in the UE combination is the same). When it is determined that the highest priority frequency or access technology in the RFSP index is different from the frequency or access technology used by the first base station, S908 is executed.

[0257] When the first base station determines that the highest priority frequency or access technology in the RFSP index is the same as the frequency or access technology used by the first base station, there is no need to execute the redirection procedure.

[0258] S908: The first base station redirects the first UE to the second base station (i.e., the base station using the frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE combination) according to the received RFSP index.

[0259] S909 is the same as S807 in Embodiment 2. The same steps can be referred to each other, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] Example 4: Similar to Example 3, but with the following difference: In this example, the AMF can also determine whether the highest priority frequency or access technology in the RFSP index is the same as the frequency or access technology used by the first base station before executing S906 (i.e., determine whether the base station accessed by the first base station and other registered second UEs in the UE combination is the same). If they are not the same, then S906 is executed; if they are the same, then S906 does not need to be executed.

[0261] In this embodiment, S907 is an optional step.

[0262] Example 5: Similar to Example 3 or Example 4, except that after S903 and before S906 (e.g., between S904 and S904), the AMF can also, after obtaining the combination configuration information of the UE combination to which the first UE belongs, determine whether the first base station accessed by the first UE is the same as the second base station accessed by other registered target UEs (i.e., the second UE) in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information. The specific process can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 6 The description in S603 of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated here. Step S904 is executed when the AMF determines that the first base station and the second base station are different.

[0263] In this embodiment, S907 is an optional step.

[0264] In embodiments three to five, during the registration process of the first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a registered second UE in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the first base station redirects the first UE to the second base station according to the RFSP index received from the AMF. The frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE group to which the first UE belongs in the RFSP index (i.e., the frequency or access technology used by the second base station accessed by the registered second UE in the UE group) has the highest priority. In this way, the core network can control UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication to access the same base station through the RFSP index, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0265] To ensure that multiple UEs can access the same base station in scenarios where multiple UEs cooperate in communication, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to... Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The mobile communication system shown below. See below. Figure 10 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method.

[0266] S1001: After the first UE accesses the first base station, the first UE sends a registration request to the AMF through the accessed first base station. The AMF receives the registration request from the first UE through the first base station.

[0267] Optionally, the first UE may access the first base station through processes such as network search, cell reselection, cell handover, inter-system handover, and random access.

[0268] S1002: The AMF sends a policy association request to the PCF. During the first UE's registration request process, the PCF receives a policy association request from the AMF. The policy association request may contain information about the first UE.

[0269] The PCF may, but is not limited to, obtain the combined configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs through the following two methods.

[0270] Method 1:

[0271] S1003a. The PCF obtains the locally stored configuration information of the combination.

[0272] Method 2: Obtain the configuration information for this combination from the UDR.

[0273] S1003b1: The PCF sends a subscription information acquisition request containing information about the first UE to the UDR.

[0274] S1003b2: The UDR sends the subscription information of the first UE to the PCF, wherein the subscription information includes the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs.

[0275] and Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the AMF obtains the combined configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs in a similar manner. In a mobile communication system, the first UE may initiate multiple registration processes. Therefore, the PCF can also obtain the combined configuration information from the UDR using the second method described above during the first UE's initial registration process, and then the PCF can save the combined configuration information. In this way, when the first UE initiates the registration process again, the PCF can directly read the combined configuration information locally.

[0276] In addition, if the PCF has the function of storing the combined configuration information of multiple UEs, the PCF can also directly use method one to obtain the combined configuration information of any UE.

[0277] S1004-S1008 and Figure 9 S905-S909 in Example 3 are the same, and the same steps can be referred to each other, so they will not be repeated here.

[0278] Optionally, in another embodiment, the AMF may further determine, before executing S1005, whether the highest priority frequency or access technology in the RFSPindex is the same as the frequency or access technology used by the first base station (i.e., whether the first base station is the same as the base station accessed by other registered second UEs in the UE combination). If they are different, then S1005 is executed; if they are the same, then S1005 does not need to be executed. In this embodiment, S1006 is an optional step.

[0279] Optionally, in another embodiment, after the PCF obtains the combination configuration information of the UE combination to which the first UE belongs via S1003a or S1003b2, it can further determine whether the first base station accessed by the first UE is the same as the second base station accessed by other registered target UEs (i.e., the second UE) in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information; if it is determined that the first base station and the second base station are different, step S1004 is executed. In this embodiment, S1006 is an optional step. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the PCF can store the information of registered UEs and the base station information accessed by the UE; that is, after any UE registers with the mobile communication network through a base station, the AMF responsible for the mobility management of the UE in the mobile communication network can store the information of the UE and the information of the base station accessed by the UE in the PCF.

[0280] This application provides a communication method in which, during the registration process of a first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a second UE already registered in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the first base station can redirect the first UE to the second base station based on the RFSP index received from the AMF. The frequency or access technology corresponding to the UE group to which the first UE belongs in the RFSP index (i.e., the frequency or access technology used by the second base station accessed by the second UE already registered in the UE group) has the highest priority. In this way, the core network can control UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication to access the same base station through the RFSP index, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the implementation of the entire service.

[0281] To determine the relay mode for UE access to the network in scenarios where multiple UEs cooperate in communication, this application embodiment also provides a method for determining the UE's relay mode. This method is applicable to the mobile communication systems shown in the above figures and can be combined with the communication method provided in any embodiment or example. See below for further details. Figure 11 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method.

[0282] S1101-S1103 and Figure 7 S701-S703 in the example shown are the same, and the same steps can be referred to each other, so they will not be repeated here.

[0283] S1104: The AMF sends a policy association request to the PCF, wherein the policy association request includes the combined configuration information of the first UE and the location indication information of the first UE.

[0284] Optionally, the location indication information of the first UE may include: information about the first base station accessed by the first UE, and / or, the physical location information of the first UE. The information of the first base station indicates that the first UE is within the coverage area of ​​the first base station, and may include, but is not limited to, the identifier of the first base station, the physical location information of the first base station, and the identifier of the cell managed by the first base station accessed by the first UE.

[0285] The information of the first base station can be obtained by the AMF when the first UE accesses (or requests registration). For example, the AMF can determine the information of the first base station based on the tunnel information between the first base station and the AMF. The physical location information of the first UE can be obtained by the AMF from the location management function (LMF), or obtained by the AMF based on the tracking area (TA) where the first UE is located, or obtained by the AMF by mapping based on the cell identifier of the cell where the first UE is located.

[0286] S1105: The PCF determines, based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE, whether the first UE can access the network through the same base station as other registered target UEs in the UE combination indicated by the combined configuration information; if so, the PCF generates a relay mode indication (e.g., L2 relay preference information) to indicate that the relay mode is L2 relay; otherwise, the PCF generates a relay mode indication (L3 relay preference information) to indicate that the relay mode is L3 relay. The PCF sends a policy association response carrying the relay mode indication (L2 / L3 relay preference information) to the AMF.

[0287] In this step, the PCF can preferentially configure the L2 relay mode for the first UE based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE. In this way, the AMF or PCF in the core network can ensure that the first UE can access the same base station as other UEs in the same combination through the methods provided in the above embodiments, or directly instruct the first UE to access the same base station as other UEs in the same combination by indicating the L2 relay mode. This improves the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminates some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via L3 relay). In summary, the relay mode indicated by the relay mode indication generated by the PCF is the preferred or required relay mode for the first UE.

[0288] In one implementation, after the UE completes registration, the AMF responsible for the UE's mobility management can store the UE's location indication information in the PCF. Thus, when the PCF executes S1105, it can determine whether the first UE can access the network through the same base station as the second UE based on the location indication information of the first UE and the location indication information of other registered target UEs (hereinafter referred to as the second UE) in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information.

[0289] For example, when the location indication information of the first UE and the location indication information of the second UE indicate that the first UE and the second UE are close in location (e.g., in the same tracking area (TA), or within the coverage area of ​​the same cell, or the first base station accessed by the first UE and the second base station accessed by the second UE are close in distance, or the physical distance is close (e.g., the Euclidean distance between the latitude and longitude of the first UE and the latitude and longitude of the second UE is less than a set threshold), or the first UE and the second UE access the same base station, the PCF can decide that the first UE (optionally, the second UE) can use the L2relay relay mode to access.

[0290] In another implementation, after the UE completes registration, the AMF responsible for the UE's mobility management can store the UE's location indication information in another identical data storage network element. Optionally, the data storage network element can be a UDSF, a UDM (assuming that these target UEs in the UE combination to which the first UE belongs can choose to access the same UDM), or a UDR (this information may be stored in the UDR via the NEF). In this case, when the PCF executes S1105, it can obtain the location indication information of other registered target UEs (hereinafter referred to as the second UE) in the UE combination indicated by the combination configuration information from the data storage network element according to the combination configuration information. In this way, the PCF can determine whether the first UE can access the second UE through the same base station based on the location indication information of the first UE and the second UE. The specific determination process can be referred to the above implementation method, and will not be repeated here.

[0291] It should also be noted that the above two implementation methods do not limit the way the PCF determines whether the first UE can access the network through the same base station as the second UE. For example, when the location indication information of the registered UE is stored in the data storage network element, the PCF can also send the combined configuration information (or the identifier of the second UE registered in the UE combination indicated by the current combined configuration information) and the location indication information of the first UE to the data storage network element; the data storage network element can determine whether the first UE can access the network through the same base station as the second UE based on the received information, and notify the PCF of the determination result. The specific determination process of the data storage network element can refer to the first implementation method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0292] S1106: The AMF sends the relay mode indication to the first UE and / or the first base station so that the first UE can access the network using the L2 relay or L3 relay indicated by the relay mode indication.

[0293] It should also be noted that when this embodiment is combined with the foregoing embodiments, the AMF will only execute the step of instructing the first UE to access the second base station when the AMF receives the relay mode indication L2 relay.

[0294] When the AMF receives the relay mode indication L3 relay, the AMF can use the traditional scheme to perform the subsequent process, which will not be elaborated here.

[0295] S1107: The first UE and / or the first base station execute corresponding steps according to the received relay mode indication, so that the first UE can access the network using the indicated L2 relay or L3 relay.

[0296] Optionally, when executing S1107, the first base station may further determine whether the first UE is capable of using the relay method indicated by the relay method instruction, based on the capabilities of the first UE or the current network environment. When the first base station determines that the first UE has not used the relay method instruction to indicate the L2 relay or L3 relay, the first base station may also notify the first UE of the relay method instruction or refuse the access of the first UE.

[0297] In addition, the first UE and / or the first base station can also feed back the execution result of the steps in S1107 to the AMF. If the first UE fails to access the network using the indicated relay method, the AMF can also report the execution result to the PCF so that the PCF can generate a corresponding policy (e.g., update to other relay methods).

[0298] Based on and Figure 11 The embodiments shown share the same concept. This application also provides another method for determining the relay mode of a UE. This method is also applicable to the mobile communication systems shown in the above figures and can be combined with the communication method provided in any embodiment or example. See below. Figure 12 The flowchart shown below provides a detailed explanation of the method.

[0299] Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments and Figure 11 The embodiments shown are similar, except that the AMF no longer obtains the combination configuration information of the UE combination to which the first UE belongs, but the PCF determines it itself.

[0300] Among them, S1201-S1203b2 and Figure 10The steps S1001-S1003b2 in the example shown are basically the same. The only difference is that in S1202, the policy association request sent by the AMF to the PCF includes the location indication information of the first UE. Other steps are the same and can be referred to each other. They will not be repeated here.

[0301] S1204-S1206 and Figure 11 S1105-S1107 in the illustrated embodiment are the same, and the same steps can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] In summary, this application Figure 11 and Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments provide methods for determining the relay mode of a UE. Using this method, the core network can determine the relay mode of the first UE based on the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs and the location indication information of the first UE. Using this method, the PCF can preferentially configure the L2 relay mode for the first UE based on the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs and the location indication information of the first UE. In this way, the AMF or PCF in the core network can ensure that the target UE in the UE group can access the network through the same base station using the methods provided in the above embodiments, thereby improving the data transmission efficiency and resource utilization of the mobile communication network and eliminating some unnecessary attempts (attempts to access via L3 relay).

[0303] It should be noted that, Figure 11 or Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments, and Figures 6-10 The embodiments shown may utilize the same process to achieve the same or different functions, for example, in Figure 11 In the illustrated embodiment, the AMF can utilize the policy association request procedure to obtain the relay mode indication of the first UE; while Figure 9 or Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, the AMF can utilize the policy-associated request process to obtain the RFSP index. For example, in... Figure 11 The illustrated embodiments, and Figure 7-9 In the example shown, the AMF can obtain the first UE's subscription information from the UDM through the subscription information acquisition process. For another example, in... Figure 10 and Figure 12 In the illustrated embodiment, the PCF can obtain the combination configuration information of the UE group to which the first UE belongs, which is stored locally, or obtain the subscription information of the first UE from the UDR through the subscription information acquisition process. Therefore, when Figure 11 or Figure 12 The illustrated embodiments and Figures 6-10 When any of the methods in the illustrated embodiments is combined, and when the two methods share the same process, that process can be reused to achieve the corresponding function.

[0304] In addition, it should be noted that this application Figures 6-12 The illustrated embodiment is performed for a first UE; therefore, the information exchanged between different devices may include information about the first UE to identify that the information is for the first UE. Examples include registration requests, policy association requests, policy association responses, subscription information retrieval requests, and messages carrying some information or instructions provided in this application.

[0305] As another solution, after the operations of one of the above embodiments, multiple UEs in the same UE group can access the same base station. The network side (such as the AMF) can further send the combination configuration information of the UE group to the corresponding base station (wherein, the AMF can obtain the combination configuration information as described in the above embodiments). In this way, when the base station needs to redirect some UEs (for example, the cell managed by the base station has too high a load), the base station can uniformly redirect the UEs in the same UE group, that is, redirect the UEs in the same UE group to the same new base station. It should be noted that the new base station can also obtain the combination configuration information of the UE group, for example, it can obtain it from the source base station or from the AMF.

[0306] Furthermore, it should be noted that each step in the above embodiments can be executed by the corresponding device, or by components such as chips, processors, or chip systems within that device. This application does not limit the scope of these steps. The above embodiments are only illustrated by examples of execution by the corresponding device.

[0307] It should be noted that, in Figure 6-12 In the specific embodiments shown, some steps may be selected for implementation, and the order of the steps in the figures may be adjusted. This application does not limit this. It should be understood that performing some of the steps in the figures, adjusting the order of the steps, or combining them in a specific implementation all fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0308] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions described in the above embodiments, each device involved in the above embodiments includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0309] It is understood that the network architecture and application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present invention are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new services, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0310] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device that can be applied to... Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The mobile communication system shown is used to implement the method provided in the above embodiments. (See also...) Figure 13 As shown, the device includes a communication unit 1301 and a processing unit 1302.

[0311] The communication unit 1301 is used to receive and send data. For example, the communication unit 1301 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, or an input / output interface. The communication device 1300 can connect to a network cable or electrical cable through the communication unit 1301, thereby establishing a physical connection with other devices.

[0312] The following describes the application of communication device 1300. Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The functions of the time processing unit 1302 of each network element in the mobile communication system shown are introduced.

[0313] In one embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to Figure 6-10 In the illustrated embodiment, the AMF, specifically the processing unit 1302, is configured to execute via the communication unit 1301:

[0314] After receiving a registration request from a first UE via a first base station, combination configuration information is determined; wherein, the first base station is the base station accessed by the first UE; the combination configuration information is used to indicate the UE combination subscribed to by the first UE, the UE combination includes multiple target UEs, and the multiple target UEs include the first UE; and when the second base station accessed by a second UE included in the UE combination is different from the first base station, the first UE is instructed to access the second base station.

[0315] Optionally, when the processing unit 1302 instructs the first UE to access the second base station based on the instruction from the communication unit 1301, it is specifically used for:

[0316] The communication unit 1301 sends a registration rejection message to the first UE, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station; or

[0317] The communication unit 1301 sends information to the first base station for redirecting the first UE to the second base station.

[0318] Optionally, the information of the second base station is the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station;

[0319] The information used to redirect the first UE to the second base station is any one of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; and the radio frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0320] Optionally, when the information for redirecting the first UE to the second base station is the radio frequency selection priority index, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0321] Before sending information to the first base station for redirecting the first UE to the second base station, a policy association request is sent to the PCF through the communication unit 1301; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information;

[0322] And receive a policy association response from the PCF via the communication unit 1301, wherein the policy association response includes the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0323] Optionally, the policy association response further includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0324] The communication unit 1301 sends the indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to the first UE and / or the second base station.

[0325] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0326] The communication unit 1301 sends a redirection instruction to the first base station.

[0327] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0328] The communication unit 1301 sends an instruction to the second base station to instruct the second base station not to redirect the first UE to other base stations.

[0329] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0330] After determining the combined configuration information, a policy association request is sent to the PCF through the communication unit 1301; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first UE, and the location indication information of the first UE is used to indicate the location of the first UE;

[0331] The communication unit 1301 receives a policy association response from the PCF; wherein the policy association response includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay;

[0332] The communication unit 1301 sends the indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to the first UE and / or the second base station.

[0333] Optionally, the processing unit 1302, when determining the combined configuration information, is specifically used for:

[0334] The communication unit 1301 sends the information of the first UE to the UDM and receives subscription information from the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or

[0335] Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or

[0336] The combined configuration information is obtained from other AMFs through the communication unit 1301.

[0337] In one embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to Figure 6 or Figure 7 In the first UE of the illustrated embodiment, the processing unit 1302 is specifically executed through the communication unit 1301:

[0338] Send a registration request to the AMF through the first base station accessed;

[0339] Receive a registration rejection message from the AMF, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station;

[0340] Access the second base station based on the information from the second base station.

[0341] Optionally, the information of the second base station may be the identification information of the second base station or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station.

[0342] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0343] After sending a registration request to the AMF through the first access base station, the system receives an indication from the AMF that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay.

[0344] When the processing unit 1302 accesses the second base station, it is specifically used for:

[0345] The second base station is accessed using a Layer 2 relay method.

[0346] In one embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to Figure 6 , Figure 8-10 In any of the embodiments shown, the first base station, specifically the processing unit 1302, is executed through the communication unit 1301:

[0347] Forward the registration request of the first UE to the AMF;

[0348] After receiving information from the AMF to redirect the first UE to the second base station, the first UE is redirected to the second base station.

[0349] Optionally, the information used to redirect the first UE to the second base station may be any one of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; and a radio frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index.

[0350] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0351] Receive a redirection instruction from the AMF;

[0352] The processing unit 1302, when redirecting the first UE to the second base station, is specifically used for:

[0353] According to the redirection instruction, the first UE is redirected to the second base station.

[0354] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to:

[0355] When the information used to redirect the first UE to the second base station is a radio frequency selection priority index, before redirecting the first UE to the second base station, it is determined that the frequency or access technology with the highest priority in the radio frequency selection priority index is different from the frequency or access technology used by the first base station.

[0356] In one embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to Figure 6 , Figure 9 or Figure 10 In the PCF of the illustrated embodiment, the processing unit 1302 is configured to execute via the communication unit 1301:

[0357] During the first UE registration process, a policy association request is received from the AMF;

[0358] Determine the combination configuration information, wherein the combination configuration information is used to indicate the UE combination subscribed to by the first UE, the terminal device combination includes multiple target UEs, and the multiple target UEs include the first UE;

[0359] Send a policy association response to the AMF; wherein the policy association response includes a radio frequency selection priority index, in which the frequency or access technology used by the second base station (other registered target UEs in the UE group) has the highest priority, and the UE group corresponds to the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

[0360] Optionally, the processing unit 1302, when determining the combined configuration information, is specifically used for:

[0361] Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or

[0362] Send information about the first terminal device to the UDR; receive subscription information from the UDR, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or

[0363] Obtain the combined configuration information from the policy association request.

[0364] Optionally, after determining the combined configuration information, the processing unit 1301 further includes:

[0365] Obtain the location indication information of the first terminal device accessed by the first terminal device, wherein the location indication information of the first terminal device is used to indicate the location of the first terminal device;

[0366] Based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, it is determined that the relay method to be used by the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay;

[0367] The policy-related response also includes an indication that the relay method is a Layer 2 relay.

[0368] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0369] It should be noted that the module division in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, exist as separate physical entities, or have two or more units integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0370] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0371] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device that can be applied to... Figures 1-3B ,as well as Figure 5 The mobile communication system shown is used to implement the method provided in the above embodiments and has the functions of the communication device 1300 provided in the above embodiments. (See also...) Figure 14 As shown, the communication device 1400 includes: a communication module 1401, a processor 1402, and a memory 1403. The communication module 1401, the processor 1402, and the memory 1403 are interconnected.

[0372] Optionally, the communication module 1401, processor 1402, and memory 1403 are interconnected via bus 1404. Bus 1404 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 14 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0373] The communication module 1401 is used to receive and send data, enabling communication with other devices in the mobile communication system. For example, when the communication device 1400 is a core network device (e.g., AMF, PCF), or when the communication device 1400 is a base station and the base station communicates with the core network device, the communication module 1401 can be implemented through a physical interface, a communication module, or an input / output interface. When the communication device 1400 is a UE, or when the communication device 1400 is a base station and the base station communicates with the UE, the communication module 1401 can be implemented through a transceiver.

[0374] The processor 1402 is used to implement the methods provided in the above embodiments. The specific functions can be referred to the description in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0375] The processor 1402 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP, etc. The processor 1402 may further include hardware chips. These hardware chips can be application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or combinations thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof. The processor 1402 can implement the above functions through hardware, or it can implement the corresponding software by executing the software.

[0376] Memory 1403 is used to store program instructions, etc. Specifically, program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1403 may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Processor 1402 executes the program instructions stored in memory 1403 to implement the above functions, thereby implementing the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0377] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0378] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0379] The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to, a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0380] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory to implement the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0381] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions involved in the communication devices described in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the computer device. This chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0382] In summary, this application provides a communication method and device. In this method, during the registration process of a first UE, if the first base station accessed by the first UE is different from the second base station accessed by a second UE in the UE group to which the first UE belongs, the AMF can instruct the first UE to access the second base station. In this way, the AMF can control that UEs belonging to a UE group requiring cooperative communication can access the same base station, thereby ensuring the cooperative communication effect of the UE group and ultimately guaranteeing the realization of the entire service.

[0383] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0384] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0385] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0386] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable equipment to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable equipment for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0387] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method applied to an access and mobility management function network element, characterized in that, include: After receiving a registration request from a first terminal device via a first base station, combined configuration information is determined; wherein, the first base station is the base station accessed by the first terminal device; the combined configuration information is used to indicate the combination of terminal devices subscribed to by the first terminal device, the combination of terminal devices includes multiple target terminal devices, the multiple target terminal devices are used for cooperative communication, and the multiple target terminal devices include the first terminal device. When the second base station accessed by the second terminal device included in the terminal device combination is different from the first base station, the first terminal device is instructed to access the second base station.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Instructing the first terminal device to access the second base station includes: Send a registration rejection message to the first terminal device, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station; or Send information to the first base station to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The information of the second base station is the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; The information used to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station is any one of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; A wireless frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the wireless frequency selection priority index.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, When the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station is the radio frequency selection priority index, the method further includes the following before sending the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station to the first base station: Send a policy association request to the policy control function network element; wherein the policy association request includes the combined configuration information; Receive a policy association response from the policy control function network element, wherein the policy association response includes the radio frequency selection priority index.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The policy-associated response also includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; the method further includes: Send the indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to the first terminal device and / or the second base station.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a redirection instruction to the first base station.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send an instruction to the second base station to instruct the second base station not to redirect the first terminal device to other base stations.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, After determining the combined configuration information, the method further includes: Send a policy association request to the policy control function network element; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, and the location indication information of the first terminal device is used to indicate the location of the first terminal device; Receive a policy association response from the policy control function network element; wherein the policy association response includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; Send the indication for indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay to the first terminal device and / or the second base station.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Determine the combined configuration information, including: Send information about the first terminal device to the unified data management network element; receive subscription information from the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or The combined configuration information is obtained from other access and mobility management function network elements.

10. A communication method applied to a policy control function network element, characterized in that, include: During the registration process of the first terminal device, a policy association request is received from the access and mobility management function network element; Determine the combination configuration information, wherein the combination configuration information is used to indicate the combination of terminal devices subscribed to by the first terminal device, the combination of terminal devices includes multiple target terminal devices, the multiple target terminal devices are used for cooperative communication, and the multiple target terminal devices include the first terminal device; A policy association response is sent to the access and mobility management function network element; wherein the policy association response includes a radio frequency selection priority index, in which the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority, and wherein, among the frequencies or access technologies corresponding to multiple terminal device combinations stored in the policy control function network element, the terminal device combination corresponds to the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Determine the combined configuration information, including: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or Send information from the first terminal device to the unified database network element; receive subscription information from the unified data storage network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or Obtain the combined configuration information from the policy association request.

12. The method as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, After determining the combined configuration information, the method further includes: Obtain the location indication information of the first terminal device accessed by the first terminal device, wherein the location indication information of the first terminal device is used to indicate the location of the first terminal device; Based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, it is determined that the relay method to be used by the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay; The policy-related response also includes an indication that the relay method is a Layer 2 relay.

13. A communication device applied to a network element for access and mobility management functions, characterized in that, include: The communication unit is used to receive and send data; A processing unit is configured to, after receiving a registration request from a first terminal device via a first base station based on the communication unit, determine combined configuration information; wherein the first base station is a base station accessed by the first terminal device; the combined configuration information is used to indicate a combination of terminal devices subscribed to by the first terminal device, the combination of terminal devices including multiple target terminal devices, the multiple target terminal devices being used for cooperative communication, the multiple target terminal devices including the first terminal device; and when a second base station accessed by a second terminal device included in the combination of terminal devices is different from the first base station, instructing the first terminal device to access the second base station based on the communication unit.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that, The processing unit, when instructing the first terminal device to access the second base station based on the communication unit, is specifically used for: Based on the communication unit, a registration rejection message is sent to the first terminal device, wherein the registration rejection message contains information about the second base station; or The communication unit sends information to the first base station to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that, The information of the second base station is the identification information of the second base station, or the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; The information used to redirect the first terminal device to the second base station is any one of the following: the identification information of the second base station; the identification information of the cell managed by the second base station; A wireless frequency selection priority index, wherein the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority in the wireless frequency selection priority index.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that, When the information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station is the radio frequency selection priority index, the processing unit is further configured to: Before sending information for redirecting the first terminal device to the second base station to the first base station based on the communication unit, a policy association request is sent to the policy control function network element based on the communication unit; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information; The communication unit receives a policy association response from the policy control function network element, wherein the policy association response includes the radio frequency selection priority index.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The policy-associated response also includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; the processing unit is further configured to: Based on the communication unit, the instruction indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay is sent to the first terminal device and / or the second base station.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14-17, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to: The communication unit sends a redirection instruction to the first base station.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14-18, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to: The communication unit sends an instruction to the second base station to instruct the second base station not to redirect the first terminal device to other base stations.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to: After determining the combined configuration information, a policy association request is sent to the policy control function network element based on the communication unit; wherein, the policy association request includes the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, and the location indication information of the first terminal device is used to indicate the location of the first terminal device; The communication unit receives a policy association response from the policy control function network element; wherein the policy association response includes an indication that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay; Based on the communication unit, the instruction indicating that the relay mode is Layer 2 relay is sent to the first terminal device and / or the second base station.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13-20, characterized in that, The processing unit, when determining the combined configuration information, is specifically used for: Based on the communication unit, the information of the first terminal device is sent to the unified data management network element, and subscription information is received from the unified data management network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or The combined configuration information is obtained from other access and mobility management function network elements based on the communication unit.

22. A communication device applied to a strategy control function network element, characterized in that, include: The communication unit is used to receive and send data; A processing unit is configured to, during the registration process of a first terminal device, receive a policy association request from an access and mobility management function network element via the communication unit; determine combination configuration information, wherein the combination configuration information is used to indicate a combination of terminal devices subscribed to by the first terminal device, the combination of terminal devices including multiple target terminal devices, the multiple target terminal devices being used for cooperative communication, and the multiple target terminal devices including the first terminal device; and send a policy association response to the access and mobility management function network element via the communication unit; wherein the policy association response includes a radio frequency selection priority index, in which the frequency or access technology used by the second base station has the highest priority, and wherein, among the frequencies or access technologies corresponding to multiple combinations of terminal devices stored by the policy control function network element, the combination of terminal devices corresponds to the frequency or access technology used by the second base station.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that, The processing unit, when determining the combined configuration information, is specifically used for: Determine the locally stored combined configuration information; or Based on the communication unit, the information of the first terminal device is sent to the unified database network element, and subscription information is received from the unified database storage network element, wherein the subscription information includes the combined configuration information; or The combined configuration information is obtained from the policy association request based on the communication unit.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to: After determining the combined configuration information, the location indication information of the first terminal device accessed by the first terminal device is obtained, and the location indication information of the first terminal device is used to indicate the location of the first terminal device. Based on the combined configuration information and the location indication information of the first terminal device, it is determined that the relay method to be used by the first terminal device is Layer 2 relay; The policy-related response also includes an indication that the relay method is a Layer 2 relay.

25. A network element for access and mobility management functions, characterized in that, include: A communication interface used to receive and send data; Memory is used to store program instructions and data; A processor is configured to read program instructions and data from the memory and implement the method described in any one of claims 1-9 through the communication interface.

26. A policy control function network element, characterized in that, include: A communication interface used to receive and send data; Memory is used to store program instructions and data; A processor is configured to read program instructions and data from the memory and implement the method described in any one of claims 10-12 through the communication interface.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-12.

28. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is coupled to a memory, and the chip reads a computer program stored in the memory to execute the method described in any one of claims 1-12.

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