A routing method and apparatus

Abstract

A routing method and device, the method comprising: a first node receiving a data packet; the first node determining a backhaul adaptation protocol layer (BAP) header in the data packet; the BAP header comprising a BAP address of a target node of the data packet and first information; the first information being used to determine whether the BAP header comprises a routing path identifier of the data packet; and the first node sending the data packet containing the BAP header to the target node according to the BAP header. With the above method, after receiving the data packet, the first node determines the BAP header in the data packet, and sends the data packet containing the BAP header to the target node according to the BAP header, thereby enabling routing of the data packet and realizing offloading of the data packet in an IAB network.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the original application with the application number 201910755511.7 and the original filing date of August 15, 2019, and the entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a routing method and device. BACKGROUND

[0003] Compared with the fourth generation mobile communication system, the fifth generation mobile communication (5G) puts forward more stringent requirements for network performance indicators, such as 1000 times improvement of capacity indicators, wider coverage requirements, ultra-high reliability and ultra-low latency, etc. In some scenarios, considering the rich frequency resources of high frequency carriers, in order to meet the ultra-high capacity demand of 5G, it is increasingly popular to use high frequency small stations for networking in hot spot areas. However, the propagation characteristics of high frequency carriers are poor, and the attenuation caused by shielding is serious, so the coverage is not wide, and therefore a large number of intensive deployment is needed, and accordingly, it is costly to provide optical fiber backhaul for these large number of intensive deployment of small stations, and the construction difficulty is great, so a more economical and convenient backhaul scheme is needed. In other scenarios, from the perspective of wide coverage requirements, it is difficult and costly to provide optical fiber deployment for network coverage in some remote areas, and there is an urgent need for an economical and convenient backhaul scheme. The integrated access and backhaul (IAB) technology provides a solution to the above problems: both the access link and the backhaul link use wireless transmission scheme, which can avoid optical fiber deployment.

[0004] In the IAB network, the relay node (RN) is also called IAB node, which can provide wireless access service for user equipment (UE), and the service data of the UE is transmitted by one or more IAB nodes through a wireless backhaul link to an IAB donor node.

[0005] In the existing routing mechanism discussion of IAB, each IAB node is configured with a routing table, wherein each routing table at least includes the following information: the target node of the data packet and the next hop node corresponding to the target node. Optionally, the routing table can also include the routing path identifier of the data packet. One target node can correspond to one or more routing path identifiers. In this routing method, how the IAB node implements the routing of the data packet is being discussed. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a routing method and device, which are used to solve the problem of how an IAB node implements routing of a data packet.

[0007] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a routing method, which includes: a first node receiving a data packet; the first node determining a BAP header in the data packet; the BAP header including a BAP address of a target node of the data packet and first information; the first information being used to determine whether the BAP header includes a routing path identifier of the data packet; and the first node sending the data packet containing the BAP header to the target node according to the BAP header.

[0008] With the above method, after receiving the data packet, the first node determines the BAP header in the data packet, wherein the BAP header includes the BAP address of the target node of the data packet and the first information. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a new format of the BAP header. Further, the first node can send the data packet containing the BAP header to the target node according to the BAP address of the target node of the data packet and the first information in the BAP header, thereby implementing routing of the data packet.

[0009] In a possible design, the first information is the routing path identifier of the data packet, and if the routing path identifier of the data packet is a preset value, the preset value is used to disable the routing path identifier of the data packet. With the above design, it can be ensured that the BAP header has a unified format in the case of having or not having the routing path identifier of the data packet, and the length of the BAP header remains unchanged.

[0010] Alternatively, the first information includes an indication field, the indication field being used to indicate whether the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet, and if the indication field indicates that the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet, the first information further includes the routing path identifier of the data packet. With the above design, the header overhead can be reduced when the BAP header does not include the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0011] In a possible design, the first information further includes a BAP address of a source node of the data packet.

[0012] In a possible design, the first node determining the BAP header in the data packet can mean that the first node determines the BAP header added to the data packet.

[0013] In a possible design, the method further includes: the first node removing an old BAP header in the data packet, and adding the BAP header to the data packet.

[0014] In a possible design, the method further includes: determining, by the first node, a next-hop node of the first node in a routing path of the data packet based on the BAP header in the data packet and according to a common field in the BAP header and a routing table.

[0015] In a possible design, the routing path of the data packet is a first path between the first node and the target node; the first path is a first default routing path between the first node and the target node; or, the first path is a routing path with a highest priority among at least one routing path between the first node and the target node in a routing table of the first node; or, the first path is a routing path determined by the first node from a plurality of routing paths between the first node and the target node based on a preset relationship between an amount of data cached by the first node and a preset threshold; or, the first path is a routing path determined by the first node from the plurality of routing paths between the first node and the target node according to preset proportion information, where the preset proportion information is proportion information of a number of data packets corresponding to the plurality of routing paths respectively; or, the first path is a routing path determined by the first node according to indication information carried in the data packet.

[0016] With the above design, the first node can determine a routing path between the first node and the target node, and send the data packet to the target node based on the routing path between the first node and the target node, so that data packet splitting in the IAB network can be implemented.

[0017] In a possible design, the first node determining the BAP header in the data packet can mean that the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs in the first path, and there is a second node other than the target node, and the first node changes a BAP address of the target node to a BAP address of the second node in the BAP header in the data packet; where the data packet is an uplink data packet, and the second node is a distributed unit of another IAB donor node that belongs to a same IAB donor node as the target node before the change.

[0018] With the above design, when the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs in a routing path of the data packet to the target node, the first node can re-determine a BAP address of the target node of the data packet, and perform routing based on the new BAP address of the target node, so that the data packet can be sent to the new target node in time, without waiting for the wireless link to recover, and the requirement of service latency can be better met.

[0019] In a possible design, the first node determines that the BAP header in the data packet can mean that the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs in the first path, and a second node exists in addition to the target node, and the first node changes the BAP address of the target node to the BAP address of the second node in the BAP header in the data packet; wherein the data packet is a downlink data packet, and the second node is another IAB node accessed by a terminal device receiving the data packet.

[0020] With the above design, when the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs in a routing path of the data packet to the target node, the first node can re-determine the BAP address of the target node of the data packet, and route based on the new BAP address of the target node, thereby ensuring that the data packet can be sent to the new target node in time, without waiting for the wireless link to recover, and better meeting the service latency requirement.

[0021] In a possible design, the first node sends the data containing the BAP header to the target node according to the BAP header can mean that the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs in a routing path of the data packet, and the first node sends the data packet containing the BAP header to the target node using a second path, the second path being a path between the first node and the target node.

[0022] With the above design, when the first node determines that a routing path of the data packet cannot be used, the first node can re-determine a new routing path between the first node and the target node as the routing path of the data packet, thereby ensuring that the data packet can be sent to the target node in time through other routing paths, without waiting for the wireless link to recover, and better meeting the service latency requirement.

[0023] In a possible design, the method further includes: if the data packet is a downlink data packet, the first node determines the BAP address of the target node according to a mapping relationship between the IP address of the target node and the BAP address of the target node.

[0024] With the above design, the first node determines the BAP address of the target node, enables routing of the data packet, and implements distribution of the data packet in the IAB network.

[0025] In a possible design, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the method further includes: the first node configuring, as the BAP address of the target node, a BAP address of a distributed unit of an IAB donor node to which a centralized unit of the IAB donor node is configured by the first node; or, the first node determining the BAP address of the target node according to a mapping relationship between the target CU-CP and the BAP address of the target node.

[0026] With the above design, the first node determines the BAP address of the target node, enables routing of the data packet, and implements offloading of the data packet in the IAB network.

[0027] In a possible design, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the target node is a distributed unit of an IAB donor node, the first node is an access IAB node or an intermediate IAB node between the access IAB node and the IAB donor node, and the source node is the access IAB node; where the access IAB node is a node accessed by a terminal device that transmits the uplink data packet.

[0028] In a possible design, if the data packet is a downlink data packet, the target node is an access IAB node, the first node is a distributed unit of an IAB donor node or an intermediate IAB node between the distributed unit of the IAB donor node and the access IAB node, and the source node is the distributed unit of the IAB donor node; where the access IAB node is a node accessed by a terminal device that receives the downlink data packet.

[0029] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, for example, a first node, which can be an IAB node, or a chip in the IAB node, or the apparatus can be a donor DU, or a chip in the donor DU. The apparatus can include a processing unit, a sending unit and a receiving unit. It should be understood that the sending unit and the receiving unit can also be a transceiver. When the apparatus is an IAB node or a donor DU, the processing unit can be a processor, and the sending unit and the receiving unit can be a transceiver; the IAB node or the donor DU can further include a storage unit, which can be a memory; the storage unit is configured to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the terminal device executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect. When the apparatus is a chip in the IAB node or the donor DU, the processing unit can be a processor, and the sending unit and the receiving unit can be an input / output interface, a pin or a circuit, etc.; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit, so that the chip executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect. The storage unit is configured to store instructions, and the storage unit can be a storage unit (for example, a register, a cache, etc.) in the chip, or a storage unit (for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, etc.) outside the chip in the IAB node or the donor DU.

[0030] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method in the first aspect.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product containing a program, and when the program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method in the first aspect.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a source node, a target node and at least one first node, wherein the first node is an intermediate node between the source node and the target node in a routing path of a data packet, and the first node executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a first node and a target node, wherein the first node is a source node in a routing path of a data packet, and the first node executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0034] In a possible design of the method, the communication system further includes at least one intermediate node, the intermediate node being an intermediate node between the first node and the target node in a routing path of the data packet, and the intermediate node performs the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a mobile communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a protocol architecture to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an IAB networking scenario to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram in which a first node uses a second node for routing to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0039] Figure 5a and Figure 5b is a schematic diagram of a format of a BAP header to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0040] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a routing method to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0041] Figure 7 is one of schematic diagrams of a routing scheme for IAB uplink transmission to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0042] Figure 8 is another of schematic diagrams of a routing scheme for IAB uplink transmission to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0043] Figure 9 is one of schematic diagrams of a routing scheme for IAB downlink transmission to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0044] Figure 10 is another of schematic diagrams of a routing scheme for IAB downlink transmission to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0045] Figure 11 is one of schematic diagrams of an apparatus structure to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0046] Figure 12 is another of schematic diagrams of an apparatus structure to which embodiments of the present application are applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a mobile communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication system includes a first node 100, a target node 200, and a second node 300. Figure 1As shown, the mobile communication system includes a core network device 110, a radio access network device 120, a wireless backhaul device 130, and at least one terminal device (such as terminal device 140 and terminal device 150 in Figure 1 The terminal devices are connected to the wireless backhaul device in a wireless manner, and are connected to the radio access network device through one or more wireless backhaul devices, in addition, some terminal devices can also be directly connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner. The radio access network device is connected to the core network device in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the radio access network device can be independent and different physical devices, can be integrated into the same physical device, or can be a physical device integrated with part of the functions of the core network device and part of the functions of the radio access network device. The present application does not limit this. The terminal device can be fixed or mobile. It should be understood that Figure 1 The mobile communication system shown is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can also include other network devices, such as a wireless relay device or a wireless backhaul device, which are not shown in Figure 1 The present application does not limit the number of core network devices, radio access network devices, wireless backhaul devices, and terminal devices included in the mobile communication system.

[0049] The radio access network device is an access device through which the terminal device accesses the mobile communication system in a wireless manner, and can be a base station NodeB, an evolved base station eNodeB, a base station in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the radio access network device. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, UE, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0050] The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, and the like.

[0051] The wireless access network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the wireless access network device and the terminal device.

[0052] The wireless access network device and the terminal device can communicate with each other and the terminal device with the terminal device through licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum or both. The wireless access network device and the terminal device can communicate with each other and the terminal device with the terminal device through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz or both. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used by the wireless access network device and the terminal device.

[0053] Each of the above network elements can be a network element implemented on a dedicated hardware, a software instance running on a dedicated hardware, or an instance of virtualized function on a suitable platform. In addition, embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to other communication technologies facing the future. The network architecture and service scenarios described in the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0054] Considering the small coverage of high frequency bands, in order to guarantee the coverage performance of the network, multi-hop networking can be used in the IAB network. Considering the requirement of service transmission reliability, the IAB node can support dual connectivity (DC) or multi-connectivity to cope with abnormal situations that may occur in the backhaul link (for example, interruption or blockage of the wireless link and load fluctuation, etc.), and improve the reliability of transmission. Therefore, the IAB network can support multi-hop and multi-connection networking, and there can be multiple routing paths between the terminal device and the donor base station. Among them, on one path, there is a certain hierarchical relationship between IAB nodes, and between IAB nodes and donor base stations serving IAB nodes. Each IAB node regards the node providing backhaul service for it as a parent node, and correspondingly, each IAB node can be regarded as a child node of its parent node.

[0055] It should be understood that the outage or blockage of the wireless link can both cause the radio link failure or congestion. For example, when there is a building blocking between the UE and the IAB donor node, the wireless link between the UE and the IAB donor node can be blocked. In the prior art, the reasons for radio link failure mainly include that the physical layer indicates that the wireless link has a problem and exceeds a certain time length, or random access fails or radio link layer control (RLC) fails. It should be understood that there can be other reasons for radio link failure, which are not limited by the embodiments of the present application. The wireless link congestion can mean that the amount of uplink or downlink buffered data to be transmitted by a certain IAB node on a certain link exceeds a certain threshold.

[0056] Among them, the IAB node can include a mobile termination (MT) part and a distributed unit (DU) part. When the IAB node faces its parent node, it can be regarded as a terminal device accessing the parent node, i.e., as an MT role; when the IAB node faces its child node, it can be regarded as a network device providing backhaul service for the child node, i.e., as a DU role, where the child node here can be another IAB node or a terminal device.

[0057] The IAB donor node can be an access network element with full base station functions, such as a host base station DgNB, and can also be an access network element in a centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) separation form. The IAB donor node is connected to a core network element (for example, connected to a 5G core network) serving terminal devices, and provides wireless backhaul functions for IAB nodes. For ease of description, the centralized unit of the IAB donor node is referred to as donor CU, and the distributed unit of the IAB donor node is referred to as donor DU. The donor CU can also be in a form of separation of control plane (CP) and user plane (UP), for example, the CU can be composed of one CU-CP and one (or more) CU-UP.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present application, the access IAB node refers to the IAB node accessed by the terminal device, that is, the IAB node providing services for the terminal device. In the IAB uplink transmission process, the access IAB node transmits the uplink data packet sent by the terminal device to the target donor DU through one or more other IAB nodes, and the target donor DU transmits the uplink data packet to the corresponding donor CU-UP. In the IAB downlink transmission process, if the data packet is sent to the terminal device, the donor CU-UP transmits the downlink data packet sent to the terminal device to the corresponding donor DU, and transmits the downlink data packet to the access IAB node corresponding to the terminal device through one or more other IAB nodes or through a direct backhaul link. The access IAB node transmits the received downlink data packet to the terminal device; if the data packet is sent to an IAB node, the donor CU-UP transmits the downlink data packet sent to the IAB node to the corresponding donor DU, and transmits the downlink data packet to the parent node of the IAB node through one or more other IAB nodes or through a direct backhaul link. The parent node of the IAB node transmits the received downlink data packet to the IAB node.

[0059] It should be understood that in the IAB downlink transmission process, if the node (hereinafter referred to as the terminal node) where the data packet finally arrives is a terminal device, the target node is the access IAB node corresponding to the terminal device. If the terminal node is an IAB node, the target node is the parent node of the IAB node. In the IAB uplink transmission process, the terminal node is the donor CU-UP, and the target node is the donor DU corresponding to the donor CU-UP. The target node can also be referred to as the target receiving node.

[0060] Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the target node is a donor DU, the first node is an access IAB node or an intermediate IAB node between the access IAB node and an IAB donor node (hereinafter referred to as an intermediate IAB node), and the source node is an access IAB node. Among them, the access IAB node here is the IAB node accessed by the terminal device sending the uplink data packet. If the data packet is a downlink data packet sent to a terminal device, the target node is an access IAB node, the first node is a donor DU or an intermediate IAB node, and the source node is a donor DU. Among them, the access IAB node here is the node accessed by the terminal device receiving the downlink data packet; or if the data packet is a downlink data packet sent to an IAB node, the target node is the parent node of the IAB node, and the first node is a donor DU or an intermediate IAB node.

[0061] The backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) is a new protocol layer introduced in the IAB network, and its main function is to complete routing and bearer mapping in the IAB network. A possible protocol architecture is shown in Figure 2 The BAP layer exists on the DU side of the IAB donor node, the intermediate IAB node, and the MT side of the access IAB node, and the BAP layer is located above the RLC protocol layer. In addition, the MT and DU of the intermediate IAB node (for example Figure 2 IAB node 1 in FIG. 1) may share one backhaul adaptation layer entity, or the MT and DU may have a separate backhaul adaptation layer entity.

[0062] As shown in Figure 3 , it is a schematic diagram of an IAB networking scenario. Among them, the parent node of IAB node 1 is DgNB, IAB node 1 is the parent node of IAB node 2 and IAB node 3, IAB node 2 and IAB node 3 are the parent nodes of IAB node 4, and the parent node of IAB node 5 is IAB node 3. The uplink data packet sent by UE1 can be transmitted to DgNB through one or more IAB nodes, and then transmitted to the mobile gateway device (for example, the user plane function unit in the 5G core network) by DgNB. The downlink data packet will be received by DgNB from the mobile gateway device, and then transmitted to UE1 through one or more IAB nodes. The same applies to UE2.

[0063] There are two available paths for data packet transmission between UE1 and DgNB. Among them, path 1: UE1→IAB node4→IAB node3→IAB node1→DgNB; path 2: UE1→IAB node4→IAB node2→IAB node1→DgNB.

[0064] Among them, IAB node4 is the access IAB node of UE1, IAB node3 and IAB node1 are intermediate IAB nodes in path 1, and IAB node2 and IAB node1 are intermediate IAB nodes in path 2. DgNB is the target node.

[0065] There are three available paths for data transmission between UE2 and DgNB. Among them, path 3: UE2→IAB node4→IAB node3→IAB node1→DgNB; path 4: UE2→IAB node4→IAB node2→IAB node1→DgNB; path 5: UE2→IAB node5→IAB node2→IAB node1→DgNB.

[0066] Among them, in path 3, IAB node4 is the access IAB node of UE1, IAB node3 and IAB node1 are intermediate IAB nodes, in path 4, IAB node4 is the access IAB node of UE1, IAB node2 and IAB node1 are intermediate IAB nodes, and in path 5, IAB node5 is the access IAB node of UE1, IAB node2 and IAB node1 are intermediate IAB nodes. DgNB is the target node.

[0067] It should be understood that, Figure 3 The IAB networking scenario shown is only exemplary, and there are many other possibilities in the multi-hop and multi-connection networking IAB network, which are not listed one by one here.

[0068] Based on this, in order to realize the routing of the IAB node to the data packet, the present application provides the following embodiments:

[0069] Embodiment 1:

[0070] The present application provides a method for determining the target node identifier of a data packet, which can be used to realize that the first node determines the BAP address of the target node of the received data packet. The method includes but is not limited to the following possible designs:

[0071] In a possible design, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the first node determines a BAP address of a target node for the data packet according to a mapping relationship between a target CU-CP and the BAP address of the target node, where the mapping relationship between the target CU-CP and the target node is configured by the donor CU.

[0072] In another possible design, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the first node determines a BAP address of a target node according to a mapping relationship between a target CU-CP and the BAP address of the target node. The mapping relationship between the target CU-CP and the target node is configured by the donor CU.

[0073] For example, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the first node determines a BAP address of a target node according to a mapping relationship between an IP address of a target CU-UP and the BAP address of the target node. The mapping relationship between the IP address of the target CU-UP and the target node is configured by the donor CU.

[0074] In yet another possible design, if the data packet is an uplink data packet or a downlink data packet, the first node determines a BAP address of a target node according to a UE identifier or a UE bearer identifier or a tunnel endpoint identifier in a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol-User plane (GTP-U) or a differentiated services code point (DSCP) or a flow label or a traffic class in an IP packet header, or a mapping relationship between any of the above identifiers and the BAP address of the target node, where the mapping relationship between any of the above identifiers and the BAP address of the target node is configured by the donor CU for the first node.

[0075] In yet another possible design, if the data packet is a downlink data packet, the first node determines the BAP address of the target node according to a mapping relationship between an IP address of the target node and the BAP address of the target node. When the downlink data packet is sent to a terminal device, the IP address of the target node is an IP address of an IAB node to which the terminal device accesses. When the downlink data packet is sent to an IAB node, the IP address of the target node is an IP address of a parent node of the IAB node. The mapping relationship between the IP address of the target node and the BAP address of the target node is configured for the first node by a donor CU. In an example, if the data packet is a downlink data packet, the first node determines the BAP address of the target node according to the IP address of the target node carried in the downlink data packet and the mapping relationship between the IP address of the target node and the BAP address of the target node that has been saved. Optionally, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, the BAP address of the target node is a BAP ID of a donor DU. If the data packet is a downlink data packet, the BAP address of the target node is a BAP ID of an access IAB node of a terminal device receiving the downlink data packet or a BAP ID of a parent node of an IAB node receiving the downlink data packet. It should be understood that the BAP address of the target node herein can also be replaced by the following identifiers: a DU ID allocated by the donor CU for each IAB node, an MT ID allocated by the donor CU for each IAB node, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system land mobile access network cell global identifier (ECGI), an NR cell global identifier (NCGI), an IP address of an IAB node, an IP address of an IAB DU, an IP address of an IAB MT, and the like.

[0076] In the above several designs, the first node enables routing of the data packet by determining the BAP address of the target node. Further, different BAP addresses of the target node can be configured for data packets of different service requirements or data packets of different terminal nodes, so as to achieve offloading of the data packet in the IAB network.

[0077] Embodiment 2

[0078] The present application also provides a method for an IAB node to re-determine a target node identifier of a data packet. The method can be used to implement the first node to re-determine the BAP address of the target node of the received data packet. It should be understood that embodiment 2 can be used alone or in combination with embodiment 1.

[0079] The method includes but is not limited to the following several possible designs:

[0080] In one possible design, the donor CU configures the first node with an identity of one or more second nodes, and when the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs on a routing path of the data packet to the target node, and the first node is configured with the identity of the one or more second nodes, the first node routes the data packet to the target node using the identity of the one second node or one of the identities of the multiple second nodes as a BAP address of the target node.

[0081] In another possible design, the data packet received by the first node includes a BAP address of the target node, and optionally, an identity of one or more second nodes, and when the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs on a routing path of the data packet to the target node, and the received data packet includes the identity of the one or more second nodes, the first node routes the data packet to the target node using the identity of the one second node or one of the identities of the multiple second nodes as a BAP address of the target node. Optionally, the first node can replace the BAP address of the target node in a BAP header of the received data packet with the identity of the second node, or the first node can use the identity of the second node as the BAP address of the target node when generating the BAP header.

[0082] For both of the above possible designs, the second node can be understood as a backup target node of the target node. The second node can also be referred to as a second target node, and the target node determined by the first node before the first node determines that a wireless link failure or congestion occurs on a routing path of the data packet to the target node can be referred to as a first target node. If the data packet is an uplink data packet, the second node is a distributed unit of another IAB donor node that belongs to a same IAB donor node as the target node before the change. If the data packet is a downlink data packet, the second node is another IAB node accessed by a terminal device receiving the data packet or another parent node of an IAB node receiving the data packet.

[0083] It should be understood that the wireless link failure or congestion on the routing path of the data packet to the target node refers to a wireless link failure or congestion occurring on any one or more hops of one or more wireless backhaul links between the first node and the target node, and a specific scheme for the first node to determine the wireless link failure or congestion on the routing path of the data packet to the target node can not be limited in this embodiment.

[0084] It should be understood that even if the first node determines that the radio link of the route path for the data packet to the target node is failed or congested, it may not be necessary to modify the target node's BAP address. For example, if the first node determines that there are multiple routes between itself and the target node, and the first node determines that the currently selected route path between itself and the target node is experiencing a radio link failure or congestion, then the first node can choose an alternative route path between itself and the target node. In this case, the first node does not need to use the second node for routing. Alternatively, the first node may choose to wait for the radio link to recover; in this case, the first node also does not need to use the second node for routing.

[0085] For example, if the data packet is an uplink data packet, such as Figure 4 As shown, IAB node 1 can obtain the next-hop node information (IAB node 2) by querying the routing table, and the uplink backhaul link between IAB node 1 and IAB node 2 experiences a radio link failure (RLF) or congestion. If there are other (one or more) routes in the routing table that can reach the same destination node gNB-DU 1, (such as...) Figure 4 If the path passes through IAB node3, then IAB node 1 does not need to modify the BAP address of the target node. If there are no other routes to the same target node gNB-DU 1 in the routing table, but gNB-DU 2 belongs to the same IAB donor (or IAB donor CU-UP) as gNB-DU 1, then IAB node 1 determines gNB-DU 2 as the new target node and uses the identifier of gNB-DU 2 as the target node's BAP address. The fact that gNB-DU 2 and gNB-DU 1 belong to the same IAB donor (or IAB donor CU-UP) can be configured by the IAB donor to IAB node 1. Alternatively, the IAB donor can directly configure one or more alternative target node BAP addresses for each target node's BAP address (for example, the IAB donor configures the BAP address of the alternative target node as the identifier of gNB-DU 1, which is the identifier of gNB-DU 2). If there are no other routes in the routing table that can reach the same target receiving node as gNB-DU 1, and there are no nodes belonging to the same IAB donor (or IAB donor CU-UP) as gNB-DU 1, IAB node 1 will not modify the target node's BAP address and will wait for the radio link to be restored.

[0086] With the method provided in the above embodiments, when the first node determines that the wireless link of the routing path of the data packet to the target node fails or is congested, the first node can re-determine the BAP address of the target node of the data packet and route based on the new BAP address of the target node, thereby ensuring that the data packet can be sent to the new target node in time without waiting for the wireless link to recover, and better meeting the service latency requirement.

[0087] Embodiment 3

[0088] The present application provides a method for determining the routing path of a data packet, which can be used to determine the routing path of a data packet by a first node. It should be understood that Embodiment 3 can be used alone or in combination with at least one of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2.

[0089] The routing path between the first node and the target node can have multiple paths, and the routing path of the data packet is the first path between the first node and the target node. The first node can determine the first path in the following manner, but is not limited thereto:

[0090] Manner 1: The first path is the first default routing path between the first node and the target node.

[0091] The first default routing path between the first node and the target node can be configured by a donor CU for the first node. The donor CU can specify a certain routing path for the first node as the first default routing path.

[0092] Manner 2: The first path is the routing path with the highest priority among at least one routing path between the first node and the target node in the routing table of the first node. The routing table information of the first node is configured by the donor CU for the first node.

[0093] For example, the routing table of the first node includes the priority information (priority value) of one or more routing paths between the first node and the target node, and if there is a routing path with the highest priority, it is the first path.

[0094] Manner 3: The first path is a routing path determined by the first node from multiple routing paths between the first node and the target node based on a preset relationship between the amount of data cached by the first node and a preset threshold.

[0095] Exemplarily, if the amount of cached data is less than or equal to a preset threshold, the first node can select a routing path with the highest priority among the routing paths between the first node and the target node as the first path, and if the amount of cached data is greater than the preset threshold, the first node can select a routing path with the second highest priority among the routing paths between the first node and the target node as the first path. It should be understood that this is only an example and does not limit the present application, and the first node can also select other routing paths.

[0096] Option 4: The first path is a routing path determined by the first node from the plurality of routing paths between the first node and the target node according to preset proportion information, wherein the preset proportion information is proportion information of the number of transmitted data packets corresponding to the plurality of routing paths respectively.

[0097] Exemplarily, the plurality of routing paths between the first node and the target node are configured with a preset proportion information by the donor CU. The first node transmits data packets through the plurality of routing paths according to the preset proportion information. For example, the routing paths between the first node and the target node are 3, which are path 1, path 2 and path 3. The preset proportion information is: the number of data packets transmitted through path 1: the number of data packets transmitted through path 2: the number of data packets transmitted through path 3 is 2:3:5. Therefore, the first node transmits data packets through path 1, path 2 and path 3 according to the preset proportion information.

[0098] Option 5: The first path is a routing path determined by the first node according to indication information carried by the data packet.

[0099] Exemplarily, if the data packet is a downlink data packet or an uplink data packet, the first node determines the first path according to the UE identifier or the UE bearer identifier or the tunnel endpoint identifier in the GTP-U or the DSCP or the flow label or the traffic classes field in the IP packet header carried in the data packet, wherein the relationship between the above-mentioned fields and the first path can be CU-CP configuration or protocol predefinition.

[0100] Optionally, the routing path identifier of the first path can include ID information of all IAB nodes on the first path, or the routing path identifier of the first path can adopt an index form, and the donor CU needs to configure the association relationship between the index and the routing path, wherein N path identifiers correspond to N routing paths between the same access IAB node and the same target node, and different access IAB nodes or target nodes can reuse the same routing path identifier. Alternatively, each routing path has a globally unique or CU-unique routing path identifier.

[0101] For example, in the case of Figure 3In the specific embodiment, for the routing path between the IAB node 4 and the DgNB, the association between the index and the routing path is: path 1 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 3→IAB node 1→DgNB; path 2 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB; path 3 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 3→IAB node 1→DgNB; and path 4 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB. For the routing path between the IAB node 5 and the DgNB, the association between the index and the routing path is: path 1 corresponds to IAB node 5→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB.

[0102] For example, the first node can be configured with a plurality of routing paths between the first node and the target node, and the first node can determine the first path from the plurality of routing paths. Figure 3 In the specific embodiment, each routing path can correspond to a globally unique path identifier. The association between the index and the routing path is: path 1 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 3→IAB node 1→DgNB; path 2 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB; path 3 corresponds to IAB node 4→IAB node 3→IAB node 1→DgNB; path 4: IAB node 4→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB; and path 5 corresponds to IAB node 5→IAB node 2→IAB node 1→DgNB.

[0103] Optionally, if duplication is configured at the first node for the uplink data packet or the downlink data packet, the first node needs to determine a first path and a third path for the two duplicated data packets respectively. The first path is a routing path of one of the two duplicated data packets, and the determination method is as described above, which will not be described again herein. The third path is a routing path of the other of the two duplicated data packets, and the first node can determine the third path in the following manner, but is not limited thereto:

[0104] Manner 1: The third path is a second default routing path between the first node and the target node.

[0105] The second default routing path between the first node and the target node can be configured by the donor CU for the first node. The donor CU can specify a certain routing path as a default path for the first node. Optionally, the second default routing path can be configured simultaneously with the first default routing path.

[0106] Option 2: The third path is a routing path with the second highest priority among the routing paths between the first node and the target node in the routing table of the first node. The routing table information of the first node is configured for the first node by the donor CU.

[0107] Optionally, the routing table of the first node includes priority information (priority value) of one or more routing paths between the first node and the target node. If there is a routing path with the second highest priority, the third path is the routing path with the second highest priority.

[0108] With the above embodiments, the first node can determine the routing path between the first node and the target node, and send the data packet to the target node based on the routing path between the first node and the target node, so as to realize the data packet splitting in the IAB network.

[0109] Embodiment 4

[0110] The present application provides a method for re-determining the routing path of the data packet, which can be used to realize that the first node re-determines the routing path of the data packet. It should be understood that Embodiment 4 can be used alone, or in combination with at least one of Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2 and Embodiment 3.

[0111] In some possible scenarios (for example, radio link failure or congestion), the routing path of the data packet cannot be used, at this time, the first node needs to determine a new routing path between the first node and the target node as the routing path of the data packet.

[0112] Optionally, the routing table of the first node can include multiple routing paths between the first node and the target node, and the routing path of the current data packet can be a routing path with the highest priority among the multiple routing paths between the first node and the target node. When the first node determines that the routing path with the highest priority cannot be used, the first node can select a routing path with the second highest priority as the routing path of the data packet.

[0113] Optionally, the routing table of the first node can include multiple routing paths between the first node and the target node. If the first node determines that the routing path of the current data packet cannot be used, the first node can randomly select a routing path other than the routing path of the current data packet from the multiple routing paths between the first node and the target node as the routing path of the data packet.

[0114] It should be understood that when the first node determines that the routing path of the current data packet cannot be used, the first node can re-determine a routing path of the data packet in the above manner, but is not limited thereto, which is only an example and is not limited by the present application.

[0115] Using the above embodiments, when the first node determines that the routing path of the data packet is unusable, the first node can re-determine a new routing path between the first node and the target node as the routing path of the data packet. This ensures that the data packet can be sent to the target node in a timely manner through other routing paths without waiting for the wireless link to recover, thus better meeting the service latency requirements.

[0116] Example 5:

[0117] This application provides a method for designing a BAP header format. It should be understood that Embodiment 5 can be used alone or in combination with at least one of Embodiments 1, 2, 3, and 4.

[0118] The BAP header includes the BAP address of the destination node of the data packet and first information; the first information is used to determine whether the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0119] The first information in the BAP header can include, but is not limited to, the following two possible designs:

[0120] In one possible design, the first piece of information is the routing path identifier of the data packet. If the routing path identifier of the data packet is the first value, the routing path identifier of the data packet is disabled. That is, if the node receiving this data packet reads the routing path identifier as the first value, it can ignore this routing path identifier. This design ensures that the BAP header has a uniform format regardless of whether the data packet has a routing path identifier, and maintains the same length of the BAP header.

[0121] For example, such as Figure 5a As shown, the BAP header includes the BAP address of the target node (e.g., ...). Figure 5a The BAP header contains the BAP ID of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet. If the routing path identifier of the data packet is the first value, the routing path identifier of the data packet is disabled, which means that the routing path identifier of the data packet is not included in the BAP header.

[0122] In another possible design, the first information includes an indication field indicating whether the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet. If the indication field indicates that the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet, the first information also includes the routing path identifier of the data packet. This design reduces header overhead when the routing path identifier of the data packet is not included in the BAP header.

[0123] For example, such as Figure 5b As shown, the BAP header includes a 1-bit indicator field and the BAP address of the target node (e.g., ...). Figure 5bThe BAP header further includes a routing path identifier of the data packet if the indication field indicates "1", and does not include the routing path identifier of the data packet if the indication field indicates "0".

[0124] Optionally, the BAP address of the target node included in the BAP header can be a BAP ID or a BAP address of the target node, or the BAP header can further include a BAP address of the source node, for example, a BAP ID or a BAP address of the source node.

[0125] Optionally, the routing path identifier included in the BAP header can be a routing path identifier unique to the target node; it can also be a routing path identifier unique to the source node and the target node, in which case the BAP header further includes a BAP address of the source node, for example, a BAP ID or a BAP address of the source node.

[0126] For example, in an IAB network, IAB node A can be a target node of N routing paths, where the N routing paths are routing paths between IAB node A and multiple donor DUs, and there are M routing paths between IAB node A and one of the donor DUs, M ≤ N, M and N are both positive integers. If the data packet is a downlink data packet, the routing path identifier included in the BAP header can be a routing path identifier unique to IAB node A as the target node, or a routing path identifier unique to IAB node A as the target node and the one of the donor DUs as the source node.

[0127] Optionally, the BAP header further includes a length indication of the routing path identifier field. Since the corresponding field of the routing path identifier included in the BAP header can be different for different IAB nodes, and the length of the corresponding field of the routing path identifier depends on the number of routing paths or whether the routing path identifier includes a BAP ID or a BAP address of the source node.

[0128] For example, in an IAB network, IAB node A can be a target node of N routing paths, where the N routing paths are routing paths between IAB node A and multiple donor DUs, and there are M routing paths between IAB node A and one of the donor DUs, M ≤ N, M and N are both positive integers. If the data packet is a downlink data packet, the length of the routing path identifier field in the BAP header is different in the following two cases. Therefore, the BAP header can further include a length indication of the routing path identifier field.

[0129] Case 1: the routing path identity included in the BAP header is the unique routing path identity targeting IAB node A;

[0130] Case 2: the routing path identity included in the BAP header is the unique routing path identity targeting IAB node A with the one of the donor DUs as the source node.

[0131] For another example, in an IAB network, IAB node A can be the target node of N routing paths, and IAB node B can be the target node of K routing paths, K≠N, K and N are both positive integers. If the data packet is a downlink data packet, the length of the routing path identity field in the BAP header is different in the following two cases. Therefore, the BAP header can further include the length indication of the routing path identity field.

[0132] Case 1: the routing path identity included in the BAP header is the unique routing path identity targeting IAB node A;

[0133] Case 2: the routing path identity included in the BAP header is the unique routing path identity targeting IAB node B.

[0134] Optionally, the BAP header described above further includes the length indication of the field of the BAP address of the target node. Since the field corresponding to the BAP address of the target node contained in the BAP header can be different for different IAB nodes or can also be different for uplink and downlink transmission directions. For example, for a downlink data packet, the BAP address of the target node corresponding thereto is the BAP address of the IAB node to which the terminal device accesses, and the BAP address of the target node of all uplink data packets is the BAP address of the donor DU. In general cases, the number of IAB nodes is much larger than the number of donor DUs. Or the BAP header described above further includes the uplink and downlink indication of the data packet, and the length of the field of the BAP address of the target node is determined implicitly through the uplink and downlink indication information.

[0135] It should be understood that whether the donor DU or each IAB node carries the routing path identity of the data packet or the BAP address of the source node in the BAP header can be determined by configuration, wherein the configuration message can be carried by the RRC message (used to configure the MT part in the IAB node) or the F1-AP message (used to configure the donor DU or the DU part in the IAB node) sent by the donor CU-CP.

[0136] Referring to Figure 6 The embodiment of the present application provides a routing method, the method comprises:

[0137] S601: The first node receives a data packet.

[0138] Exemplarily, if the data packet is an uplink data packet and the first node is an access IAB node of a terminal device sending the uplink data packet, the first node receives the uplink data packet from the terminal device. If the data packet is a downlink data packet and the first node is a donor CU, the first node receives the downlink data packet from a CU-UP. If the data packet is an uplink data packet and the first node is an intermediate IAB node, the first node receives the data packet from a previous-hop IAB node, where the previous-hop IAB node is a child node of the first node. If the data packet is a downlink data packet and the first node is an intermediate IAB node, the first node receives the data packet from a previous-hop IAB node, where the previous-hop IAB node is a parent node of the first node.

[0139] S602: The first node determines a BAP header in the data packet and a next-hop node.

[0140] The BAP header includes a BAP address of a target node of the data packet and first information; the first information is used to determine whether the BAP header includes a routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0141] The first node determines that the BAP header in the data packet includes the following cases:

[0142] Case 1: The first node adds a BAP header to the data packet.

[0143] In an example, if the data packet is an uplink data packet and the first node is an access IAB node of a terminal device sending the uplink data packet, the first node adds a BAP header to the data packet.

[0144] In another example, if the data packet is a downlink data packet and the first node is a donor CU, the first node adds a BAP header to the data packet.

[0145] In a possible design, if the first node is an intermediate IAB node, the first node removes a BAP header in the data packet before adding a BAP header to the data packet.

[0146] Exemplarily, the header removal and the header addition can be completed by two BAP entities, and interlayer interaction of a BAP ID and / or a path ID (i.e., a routing path identifier of the data packet) is also needed, for example, for a downlink data packet, when a BAP of an MT of an IAB node receives a data packet from a parent node, the BAP header is removed first, and when the MT of the IAB sends the data packet to a DU of the IAB and reaches the BAP layer of the DU, the BAP layer of the DU adds the BAP header again.

[0147] Case 2: The first node modifies a BAP header of the data packet.

[0148] It should be understood that case 2 is generally for the scenario that the first node is an intermediate IAB. If the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet are included in the BAP header, the intermediate IAB node can determine the BAP address of the target node and the routing path of the data packet by using the method provided in embodiments 1-4, and if the determined BAP address of the target node and the routing path of the data packet are the same as the BAP address of the target node and the routing path of the data packet in the current BAP header, the intermediate IAB node does not need to modify the BAP header of the data packet. Similarly, if the BAP address of the target node is included in the BAP header and the routing path identifier of the data packet is not included, the intermediate IAB node can determine the BAP address of the target node by using the method provided in embodiment 1, and if the determined BAP address of the target node is the same as the BAP address of the target node in the current BAP header, the intermediate IAB node does not need to modify the BAP header of the data packet. Or if the intermediate IAB node determines that the wireless link of the routing path of the data packet fails or is congested, it may be necessary to determine a new target node and take the BAP address of the new target node as the BAP address of the target node, and it may be necessary to determine a new routing path of the data packet, which can be referred to in embodiments 1-4.

[0149] In particular, if the BAP header includes the routing path identifier of the data packet, the first node can choose to modify the BAP header by using the newly determined routing path of the data packet, or modify the routing path identifier of the data packet in the first information to the first value, or modify the indication field in the first information to indicate that the BAP header does not include the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0150] Case 3: The first node continues to use the BAP header.

[0151] In one example, whether it is an uplink data packet or a downlink data packet, when the first node is an intermediate IAB node, the first node receives a data packet containing a BAP header from the previous hop node, and continues to use this BAP header when the first node transmits the data packet to the next hop node.

[0152] The first node determines the next hop node of the first node in the routing path of the data packet based on the BAP header in the data packet and according to the common fields in the BAP header and the routing table. Wherein, the first node determining the next hop node can include but is not limited to the following scenarios:

[0153] Scenario 1: The BAP header includes the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet or the first node has determined the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet according to embodiments 1-4.

[0154] If the routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node, the next hop node corresponding to the target node, and the routing path identifier corresponding to the target node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node according to the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0155] If the routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node and the next hop node corresponding to the target node, but does not include the routing path identifier corresponding to the target node, there are two cases: if the target node corresponds to only one next hop node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node; if the target node corresponds to multiple next hop nodes, the first node needs to perform a selection operation, that is, to select one next hop node from the multiple next hop nodes, and the specific selection method can not be limited. For example, the first node can select the next hop node with the highest priority according to the priority parameter corresponding to each next hop node. Wherein, the donor CU can configure a priority parameter for each next hop node of the first node, and assuming that the number of next hop nodes is N, the priority parameter of the i th next hop node in the N next hop nodes is used to indicate the priority of the i th next hop node in the N next hop nodes.

[0156] Optionally, if the BAP header includes the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet, but the routing table does not find the routing path identifier corresponding to the BAP address of the target node, the first node can remove or set the routing path identifier in the BAP header to the first value of the disabled state.

[0157] Scenario 2: The BAP header includes the BAP address of the target node, and does not include the routing path identifier of the data packet, or the first node has only determined the BAP address of the target node according to embodiment 1-2.

[0158] The routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node and the next hop node corresponding to the target node. If the target node corresponds to only one next hop node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node; if the target node corresponds to multiple next hop nodes, the first node needs to perform a selection operation, that is, to select one next hop node from the multiple next hop nodes, and the specific selection method can not be limited. For example, the first node can select the next hop node with the highest priority according to the priority parameter corresponding to each next hop node.

[0159] Scenario 3: The first node determines the BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet according to embodiment 1-4.

[0160] If the routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node, the next hop node corresponding to the target node, and the routing path identifier corresponding to the target node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node according to the determined BAP address of the target node and the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0161] If the routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node and the next hop node corresponding to the target node, but does not include the routing path identifier corresponding to the target node, there are two cases: if the target node corresponds to only one next hop node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node; if the target node corresponds to multiple next hop nodes, the first node needs to perform a selection operation, that is, to select one next hop node from the multiple next hop nodes, and the specific selection method can not be limited. For example, the first node can select the next hop node with the highest priority according to the priority parameter corresponding to each next hop node.

[0162] Scenario 4: The first node has determined the BAP address of the target node according to embodiments 1-2. The routing table of the first node includes the BAP address of the target node and the next hop node corresponding to the target node. If the target node corresponds to only one next hop node, the first node can uniquely determine one next hop node; if the target node corresponds to multiple next hop nodes, the first node needs to perform a selection operation, that is, to select one next hop node from the multiple next hop nodes, and the specific selection method can not be limited. For example, the first node can select the next hop node with the highest priority according to the priority parameter corresponding to each next hop node.

[0163] Scenario 5: If the routing table of the first node is not configured, or the routing table of the first node does not include the next hop node corresponding to the target node, or the BAP packet header does not include the BAP address of the target node, at this time, the first node has and only has one next hop node, the data packet is directly routed to the unique next hop node.

[0164] It should be understood that the above scenarios 1-5 are only examples and do not limit the present application, and the present application does not limit the order of the first node determining the BAP packet header and the next hop node in the data packet.

[0165] S603: The first node sends the data packet containing the BAP packet header to the next hop node determined in S602.

[0166] The first node transmits the data packet containing the BAP packet header to the determined next hop node according to the determined next hop node, and the next hop node can repeat the above S601-S602 until the data packet containing the BAP packet header is sent to the target node. After the target node receives the data packet containing the BAP packet header, the target node can read the BAP address of the target node in the BAP packet header to determine that the target node is itself, and then remove the BAP packet header. Optionally, the target node can read the first information in the BAP packet header or not read the first information in the BAP packet header.

[0167] It should be understood that the method for the first node to determine the target node of the data packet can refer to the content of embodiments 1-2, and the method for the first node to determine the routing path of the data packet can refer to the content of embodiments 3-4, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] In addition, it should be understood that the above embodiments can also be applied to the routing between different IAB nodes. For example, as shown in Figure 3 , the IAB node4 generates a data packet, the target node of the data packet is the IAB node1, the IAB node4 adds a BAP packet header to the data packet, and determines the next hop node as the IAB node2, and sends the data packet containing the BAP packet header to the IAB node2, the IAB node2 determines that the BAP packet header does not need to be modified, and determines the next hop node as the IAB node1 based on the BAP packet header, and sends the data packet containing the BAP packet header to the IAB node1. The IAB node1 reads the BAP packet header and determines that the target node is itself, and then removes the BAP packet header to parse the data packet.

[0169] By using the above method, after the first node receives the data packet, the BAP packet header in the data packet is determined, and the data packet containing the BAP packet header is sent to the target node according to the BAP packet header, thereby enabling the routing of the data packet and realizing the shunting of the data packet in the IAB network.

[0170] Based on the above embodiments, the routing scheme for IAB uplink transmission and the routing scheme for IAB downlink transmission are described in detail.

[0171] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , it is a schematic diagram of the routing scheme for IAB uplink transmission.

[0172] S701: The UE sends a data packet to the IAB node1 accessed by the UE.

[0173] S702: The IAB node1 adds a BAP packet header to the data packet.

[0174] The BAP header includes a BAP ID of the donor DU and first information, the first information including an indication field indicating "1", and the first information further including a routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0175] Specifically, the IAB node 1 determines an IP address of the IAB node 1 and a mapping relationship between the IP address of the IAB node 1 and the BAP ID of the donor DU, and determines the BAP ID of the donor DU.

[0176] The routing path of the data packet is a first path between the IAB node 1 and the donor DU, and the first path can be a routing path with the highest priority in a routing path between the IAB node 1 and the donor DU in a routing table of the IAB node 1.

[0177] S703: The IAB node 1 determines a next-hop node.

[0178] Specifically, the routing table of the IAB node 1 includes the BAP ID of the donor DU, a next-hop node corresponding to the donor DU, and a routing path identifier corresponding to the donor DU, and the IAB node 1 can uniquely determine a next-hop node IAB node 2 according to the BAP ID of the donor DU and the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0179] S704: The IAB node 1 sends the data packet including the BAP header to the IAB node 2.

[0180] S705: The IAB node 2 removes the BAP header of the data packet and adds a BAP header again.

[0181] The BAP header includes a BAP ID of the donor DU and first information, the first information including an indication field indicating "1", and the first information further including a routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0182] Specifically, the IAB node 2 determines an IP address of the IAB node 1 and a mapping relationship between the IP address of the IAB node 1 and the BAP ID of the donor DU, and determines the BAP ID of the donor DU.

[0183] The routing path of the data packet is a first path between the IAB node 2 and the donor DU, and the first path can be a routing path with the highest priority in a routing path between the IAB node 2 and the donor DU in a routing table of the IAB node 2.

[0184] S706: IAB node2 determines the next hop node.

[0185] Specifically, the routing table of IAB node2 includes the BAP ID of the donor DU, the next-hop node corresponding to the donor DU, and the routing path identifier corresponding to the donor DU. Therefore, IAB node2 can uniquely determine a next-hop node donor DU based on the BAP ID of the donor DU and the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0186] S707: IAB node2 sends a data packet including a BAP header to the donor DU.

[0187] S708: The donor DU reads the BAP packet header, determines that it is the target node, removes the BAP packet header, and sends the data packet to the donor CU-UP.

[0188] like Figure 9 and Figure 10 The diagram shown is a schematic of the routing scheme for IAB downlink transmission.

[0189] S901: The donor CU-UP transmits data packets to the donor DU via wired connection.

[0190] S902: Donor DU adds a BAP header to the data packet.

[0191] The BAP header includes the BAP ID of IAB node1 and first information. The first information is the routing path identifier of the data packet, and the routing path identifier of the data packet is the first value, which disables the routing path identifier of the data packet.

[0192] Donor DU determines the BAP ID of IAB node1 based on the IP address of IAB node1 and the mapping relationship between the IP address of IAB node1 and the BAP ID of IAB node1.

[0193] S903: Donor DU determines the next hop node.

[0194] The Donor DU's routing table includes the BAP ID of IAB node1 and the next-hop node corresponding to IAB node1. Here, IAB node1 corresponds to a next-hop node, IAB node3, so the Donor DU determines IAB node3 as the next-hop node.

[0195] S904: Donor DU sends a data packet including a BAP header to IAB node3.

[0196] S905: If IAB node3 determines that the wireless link between IAB node3 and IAB node1 has failed, it modifies the BAP packet header and uses the BAP ID of IAB node2 as the BAP address of the target node.

[0197] The IAB nodes accessed by the UE that received the data packet include IAB node1 and IAB node2.

[0198] S906: IAB node3 determines the next-hop node.

[0199] Specifically, the routing table of IAB node3 includes the BAP ID of IAB node2 and the next-hop node corresponding to IAB node2. Therefore, IAB node3 can determine a next-hop node IAB node2 based on the BAP ID of IAB node2.

[0200] S907: IAB node3 sends a data packet including the BAP header to IAB node2.

[0201] S908: If IAB node2 reads the BAP packet header and determines that it is the target node, it removes the BAP packet header and sends the data packet to the specified UE.

[0202] For example, IAB node2 determines the target UE based on the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID) in GTP-U.

[0203] In the embodiments provided above, the communication methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described from the perspectives of each network element itself and the interaction between each network element. It is understood that each network element, such as the source node, target node, and first node, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules to perform the above functions in order to achieve the aforementioned functions. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, 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 and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0204] Similar to the above concept, such as Figure 11 As shown in the figure, this application embodiment also provides an apparatus 1100, which includes a transceiver unit 1102 and a processing unit 1101.

[0205] In an example, the apparatus 1100 is configured to implement the functions of a first node in the above method. The apparatus can be an IAB node, or a chip in an IAB node, or the apparatus can be a donor DU, or a chip in a donor DU. The transceiver 1102 receives a data packet; the processing unit 1101 determines a backhaul adaptation protocol layer (BAP) header in the data packet; the BAP header includes a BAP address of a target node of the data packet and first information; the first information is used to determine whether the BAP header includes a routing path identifier of the data packet; and the processing unit 1101 sends, to the target node, the data packet containing the BAP header via the transceiver 1102 according to the BAP header.

[0206] For specific implementation processes of the processing unit 1101 and the transceiver 1102, refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments. The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division mode can be used. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module.

[0207] As another optional variant, the apparatus can be a chip system. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. Illustratively, the apparatus includes a processor and an interface, which can be an input / output interface. The processor implements the functions of the above processing unit 1101, and the interface implements the functions of the above transceiver 1102. The apparatus can further include a memory for storing a program executable on the processor, and the processor implements the methods of the above embodiments when executing the program.

[0208] As another optional variant, the apparatus can be a chip system. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. Illustratively, the apparatus includes a processor and an interface, which can be an input / output interface. The processor implements the functions of the above processing unit 1101, and the interface implements the functions of the above transceiver 1102. The apparatus can further include a memory for storing a program executable on the processor, and the processor implements the methods of the above embodiments when executing the program. Figure 12 As another optional variant, the apparatus can be a chip system. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. Illustratively, the apparatus includes a processor and an interface, which can be an input / output interface. The processor implements the functions of the above processing unit 1101, and the interface implements the functions of the above transceiver 1102. The apparatus can further include a memory for storing a program executable on the processor, and the processor implements the methods of the above embodiments when executing the program.

[0209] Exemplarily, when the apparatus is the first node, the memory 1203 is configured to store the computer program; the processor 1202 invokes the computer program stored in the memory 1203 to execute the method performed by the network device in the above embodiments through the communication interface 1201. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication interface 1201 can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module or other types of communication interfaces. The processor 1202 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, and can implement or execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied in the execution of the hardware processor, or executed by the combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The memory 1203 can be a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), and can also be a volatile memory such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device capable of realizing the storage function. The memory 1203 and the processor 1202 are coupled. The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is the spaced coupling or communication connection between the devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for the information interaction between the devices, units or modules. As another implementation, the memory 1203 can also be located outside the apparatus 1200. The processor 1202 can operate in cooperation with the memory 1203. The processor 1202 can execute the program instructions stored in the memory 1203. At least one of the at least one memory 1203 can also be included in the processor 1202. The connection medium between the communication interface 1201, the processor 1202 and the memory 1203 in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. For example, the communication interface 1201, the processor 1202 and the memory 1203 in the embodiments of the present application can be connected through a bus, which can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. Figure 12

[0210] It can be understood that the apparatus in the embodiments shown in the above Figure 11 may be implemented by the apparatus 1200 shown in Figure 12 . Specifically, the processing unit 1101 can be implemented by the processor 1202, and the transceiver unit 1102 can be implemented by the communication interface 1201.​

[0211] The application further provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method shown in each of the above embodiments.

[0212] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the method can be implemented in the form of a computer program product entirely or partially. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the entire or partial process or function described in the embodiments of the present application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (Solid State Disk, SSD)) and the like.

[0213] The above embodiments are only used to describe the technical solutions of the present application in detail, but the above embodiments are only used to help understand the method of the embodiments of the present application, and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application. Changes or replacements that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art should be covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An uplink data transmission method, characterized by, The method comprises: The first node obtains a mapping relationship between an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a target Centralized Unit (CU)-User Plane (UP) configured by a donor-CU and a Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) address of a target node, the first node being an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node; The first node determines the BAP address of the target node according to the mapping relationship; The first node determines a first path between the first node and the target node according to a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U carried by the uplink data packet; The first node sends the uplink data packet to the target node on the first path according to the BAP address of the target node; The first node determines a first path between the first node and the target node according to a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U carried by the uplink data packet, comprising: The first node obtains a mapping relationship between the TEID configured by the donor-CU and the first path; The first node determines the first path according to the TEID of the GTP-U carried by the uplink data packet and the mapping relationship.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: The first node determines to add a BAP header in the uplink data packet, the BAP header comprising the BAP address of the target node and an identifier of the first path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first path is a routing path with a routing path identifier unique in the whole network or unique in the donor-CU.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The target node is a donor-Distributed Unit (DU).

5. A method of downlink data transmission, characterized by, The method comprises: The first node obtains a mapping relationship between an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a target Centralized Unit (CU)-User Plane (UP) configured by a donor-CU and a Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) address of a target node, the first node being an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node; The first node determines the BAP address of the target node according to the mapping relationship; The first node determines a first path between the first node and the target node according to a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U carried by the uplink data packet; The first node sends the uplink data packet to the target node on the first path according to the BAP address of the target node; The first node determines a first path between the first node and the target node according to a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP)-U carried by the uplink data packet, comprising: The first node obtains a mapping relationship between the TEID configured by the donor-CU and the first path; The first node determines the first path according to the TEID of the GTP-U carried by the uplink data packet and the mapping relationship. Further comprising: The first node determines to add a BAP header in the uplink data packet, the BAP header comprising the BAP address of the target node and an identifier of the first path.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, ​ The first node determines to add a BAP header in the downlink data packet, the BAP header including a BAP address of the target node and an identifier of the first path.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The first path is a routing path having a routing path identifier unique in the whole network or unique in the donor-CU.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The target node is an access IAB node of a terminal device receiving the downlink data packet.

9. An uplink data transmission apparatus, characterized by comprising: The device is a first node or a chip in the first node, the first node being an IAB node, and the device includes: a transceiver unit configured to obtain a mapping relationship between an IP address of a target CU-UP configured by a donor-CU and a BAP address of a target node; a processing unit configured to determine the BAP address of the target node according to the mapping relationship, and determine a first path between the first node and the target node according to a tunnel endpoint identifier of a GPRS tunneling protocol user plane carried by an uplink data packet; the transceiver unit is configured to send the uplink data packet to the target node on the first path according to the BAP address of the target node; when the first path between the first node and the target node is determined according to the tunnel endpoint identifier of the GPRS tunneling protocol user plane carried by the uplink data packet, the transceiver unit is configured to obtain a mapping relationship between the tunnel endpoint identifier and the first path configured by the donor-CU; and the processing unit is configured to determine the first path according to the tunnel endpoint identifier of the GPRS tunneling protocol user plane carried by the uplink data packet and the mapping relationship.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The processing unit is further configured to determine to add a BAP header in the uplink data packet, the BAP header including the BAP address of the target node and the identifier of the first path.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The first path is a routing path having a routing path identifier unique in the whole network or unique in the donor-CU.

12. The device of any one of claims 9-11, wherein, The target node is a donor-DU.

13. An apparatus for downlink data transmission, the apparatus comprising: The device is a first node or a chip in the first node, the first node being a donor-DU, and the device includes: a transceiver unit configured to obtain a mapping relationship between an IP address of a target node configured by a donor-CU and a BAP address of the target node; a processing unit configured to determine the BAP address of the target node according to an IP address of the target node carried in a downlink data packet and the mapping relationship, and determine a first path between the first node and the target node according to a differentiated services code point (DSCP) or a flow label carried in the downlink data packet; the transceiver unit is configured to send the downlink data packet to the target node on the first path according to the BAP address of the target node; when the first path between the first node and the target node is determined according to the DSCP or the flow label carried in the downlink data packet, the transceiver unit is configured to obtain a mapping relationship between the DSCP and the first path configured by the donor-CU; and the processing unit is configured to determine the first path according to the DSCP and the mapping relationship. Alternatively, the transceiver unit is configured to obtain a mapping relationship between the flow label configured by the donor-CU and the first path; and the processing unit is configured to determine the first path according to the flow label and the mapping relationship.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, The processing unit is further configured to determine to add a BAP header in the downlink data packet, the BAP header including a BAP address of the target node and an identifier of the first path.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The first path is a routing path with a routing path identifier unique in the whole network or unique in the donor-CU.

16. The apparatus of any one of claims 13-15, wherein, The target node is an access IAB node of a terminal device receiving the downlink data packet.

17. A chip, characterized by The chip is coupled with a memory in an electronic device, so that the chip invokes program instructions stored in the memory during runtime to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 4 or the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium includes program instructions which, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4 or the method of any one of claims 5 to 8.

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