A communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

A communication method, apparatus and system, the method can be executed by a second terminal device, or also can be executed by a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) of the second terminal device. In the method, the second terminal device receives first information from a first terminal device, the first information comprising an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; the second terminal device sends a first message to the first terminal device, the first message comprising first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure a first SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS. The above method can solve the problem that a relay terminal device does not forward data of an MBS broadcast by a network device to a remote terminal device, resulting in the remote terminal device being unable to receive data of the MBS of the network device.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems support the transmission of Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS). Network devices can broadcast MBS configuration information and MBS data within their coverage area. Terminal devices located within the coverage area of ​​these network devices can receive the MBS configuration information and determine the identifier of the MBS data transmitted by the network device based on this information. If the MBS transmitted by the network device includes one that a terminal device is interested in, the terminal device can establish a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Point to Multipoint Radio Bearer (MRB) with the network device based on the MBS configuration information to receive the MBS data that the terminal device is interested in.

[0003] User Equipment-to-Network Relay (UE-to-Network relay) technology is an effective way to improve network coverage. The network elements involved in a UE-to-Network relay scenario include network devices, relay user equipment (relay UE), and remote UE. A radio resource control (RRC) connection exists between the network device and the relay user equipment, while a sidelink (SL) unicast connection exists between the relay user equipment and the remote UE. The remote UE can access the network device through the relay user equipment to obtain services. Taking downlink transmission as an example, the network device can send data that needs to be sent to the remote UE to the relay user equipment, which then forwards it to the remote UE.

[0004] For MBS data, network devices send it via broadcast or multicast. If the remote terminal device is outside the coverage area of ​​the network device, no unicast connection is established between the remote terminal device and the network device for MBS. The relay terminal device will not forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the remote terminal device, and the remote terminal device cannot receive MBS data from the network device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system that enables remote terminal devices to receive MBS data broadcast by network devices through relay terminal devices.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a second terminal device or by a component of the second terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the second terminal device receives first information from a first terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; the second terminal device sends a first message to the first terminal device, the first message including first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure a first SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0007] In the above technical solution, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can listen for and receive the MBS data broadcast by the network device based on the identifier of the first MBS. The second terminal device can send first configuration information to the first terminal device, which enables the first terminal device to establish a first SL radio bearer with the second terminal device based on the first configuration information. The first SL radio bearer is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, so that the first terminal device can successfully receive the data of the first MBS of the network device through the first SL radio bearer. For example, the above technical solution can solve the problem in the UE-to-Network relay scenario where the relay terminal device, as an intermediate node between the network device and the remote terminal device, only passively forwards the data and does not actively forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the remote terminal device, resulting in the remote terminal device being unable to receive the MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0008] In one possible design, the method further includes: when the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device sends first indication information to the first terminal device, the first indication information indicating that the first cell supports the first MBS, wherein the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; or, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the second terminal device sends second indication information to the first terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the first cell does not support the first MBS, wherein the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can notify the first terminal device via first indication information (or second indication information) whether the first cell supports the first MBS (or does not support the first MBS), which can reduce the latency of the first terminal device waiting for the feedback response from the second terminal device. For example, if the first cell does not support the first MBS, and the second terminal device does not send the second indication information to the first terminal device, the first terminal device may time out while waiting for the feedback response from the second terminal device.

[0010] In one possible design, the method further includes: a second terminal device receiving second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to receive data of a second MBS, wherein the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; the second terminal device determining, based on the second configuration information, whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS by receiving second configuration information from the network device. For example, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the second terminal device can determine that the first cell supports the first MBS. Alternatively, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the second terminal device can determine that the first cell does not support the first MBS.

[0012] In one possible design, before receiving the first information from the first terminal device, the method further includes: the second terminal device receiving second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to receive data from a second MBS, wherein the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; the second terminal device sending second information to the first terminal device, the second information including an identifier of the second MBS.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can send the identifier of the MBS supported by the first cell to the first terminal device, so that the first terminal device can determine whether there is an MBS of interest to the first terminal device based on the MBS supported by the first cell. For example, before the first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a unicast connection, the second terminal device can broadcast second information to the surrounding area during the discovery process. After receiving the second information, the first terminal device can determine whether there is an MBS of interest to it, and determine and / or select the second terminal device to establish a unicast connection with the first terminal device. Furthermore, after the first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a unicast connection, the first terminal device can send first information to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can listen to and receive the data of the first MBS broadcast by the network device, and forward the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device.

[0014] In one possible design, the method further includes: a second terminal device sending a second message to a network device, the second message including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate a first MBS; the second terminal device receiving a third message from the network device, the third message including third configuration information, the third configuration information being used to configure a first SL radio bearer.

[0015] In the above technical solution, regardless of whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not, the second terminal device can indicate the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in to the network device, so that the network device can configure third configuration information for the first terminal device to establish the first SL radio bearer. The second terminal device receives the third configuration information from the network device for configuring the first SL radio bearer. Then, the second terminal device can send first configuration information to the first terminal device according to the third configuration information, so that the first terminal device can establish the first SL radio bearer according to the first configuration information to receive data from the first MBS broadcast by the network device. The third indication information can be the identifier, index, or number of the first MBS, etc. Optionally, the third configuration information is the first configuration information.

[0016] In one possible design, the third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure the first radio bearer between the network device and the second terminal device, and the first radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0017] In the above technical solution, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can further configure fourth configuration information for the second terminal device to establish the first radio bearer, so that the second terminal device can receive data from the first MBS. For example, the third message sent by the network device to the second terminal device may also include the fourth configuration information. Alternatively, the network device can also send the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device via dedicated signaling (such as RRC signaling or MAC signaling). Furthermore, the second terminal device can send the received data from the first MBS back to the first terminal device.

[0018] In one possible design, the method further includes: a second terminal device receiving data from a first MBS from a network device; and the second terminal device transmitting the data of the first MBS to a first terminal device via a first SL radio bearer.

[0019] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can transmit the received data from the first MBS to the first terminal device through the first SL wireless bearer.

[0020] In one possible design, the method further includes: the second terminal device obtaining at least two copies of the first MBS data from a first protocol layer entity based on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of a first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity, a radio link control layer protocol (RLC) entity, or an adaptation layer entity; and the second terminal device sending one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to an upper layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

[0021] In the above technical solution, when the second terminal device is also interested in the first MBS, or when at least two first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device can perform a copying operation on the first MBS data received from the lower-level entity by the first protocol layer entity to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data. For example, when the second terminal device is interested in the first MBS, it can send one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to the upper-level entity of the first protocol layer entity, so that the second terminal device can complete the reception of the first MBS data. Furthermore, the second terminal device can also send the remaining first MBS data to the first terminal devices, so that the first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data. As another example, when at least two first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device can send each of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to the at least two first terminal devices respectively, so that the at least two first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data.

[0022] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, information of the first time-frequency resource, or information of the first multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, the first MRB is used to transmit data of the second MBS, the information of the first MRB includes first PDCP configuration information, the first PDCP configuration information is used to configure the second PDCP entity, and the second PDCP entity is used to receive data of the second MBS.

[0023] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can receive the second MBS data broadcast by the network device through the second configuration information.

[0024] In one possible design, the first message also includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0025] In the above technical solution, the first message may further include second PDCP configuration information for configuring the third PDCP entity, enabling the first terminal device to successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device. For example, if the first MBS data broadcast by the network device is processed by the PDCP entity, the first terminal device needs to establish a peer third PDCP entity so that the first terminal device can successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0026] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the network device receives a second message from a second terminal device, the second message including third indication information, which indicates a first MBS, the first MBS being of interest to the first terminal device; the network device sends a third message to the second terminal device, the third message including third configuration information, which configures a first sidelink SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0027] In one possible design, the third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure a first radio bearer between the second terminal device and the network device, and the first radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0028] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device sending second configuration information to the second terminal device, the second configuration information being used to receive data from the second MBS, the second MBS being an MBS supported by the first cell, and the first cell being the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0029] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, information of the first time-frequency resource, or information of the first multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, the first MRB is used to transmit data of the second MBS, the information of the first MRB includes first PDCP configuration information, the first PDCP configuration information is used to configure the second PDCP entity, and the second PDCP entity is used to receive data of the second MBS.

[0030] In one possible design, the third message also includes second PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the third PDCP entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0031] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first terminal device or by a component of the first terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the first terminal device sends first information to a second terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; the first terminal device receives a first message from the second terminal device, wherein the first message includes first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure a first sidelink (SL) radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0032] In one possible design, before sending the first information to the second terminal device, the method further includes: the first terminal device receiving second information from the second terminal device, the second information including an identifier of a second MBS, the second MBS being an MBS supported by the first cell, and the first cell being the serving cell of the second terminal device; the first terminal device determining, based on the second information, whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes: a first terminal device receiving first indication information from a second terminal device, the first indication information indicating that a first cell supports a first MBS and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; or, the first terminal device receiving second indication information from the second terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the first cell does not support the first MBS and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0034] In one possible design, the first message also includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0035] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0036] The beneficial effects of the second and third aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect and its implementation methods.

[0037] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a second terminal device or by a component of the second terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the second terminal device receives first information from a first terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; the second terminal device sends the first information to a network device; the second terminal device receives fifth configuration information from the network device, the fifth configuration information being used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS; and the second terminal device sends the fifth configuration information to the first terminal device.

[0038] In the above technical solution, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the second terminal device. The second terminal device then sends the identifier of the MBS of interest to the network device, enabling the network device to determine the MBS of interest. After receiving the identifier of the MBS of interest, the network device can send fifth configuration information to the first terminal device through the second terminal device. This fifth configuration information is used by the first terminal device to receive the data of the first MBS, thereby enabling the first terminal device to receive the data of the first MBS broadcast by the network device according to the fifth configuration information. For example, the above technical solution can solve the problem in UE-to-Network relay scenarios where, because the relay terminal device, as an intermediate node between the remote terminal device and the network device, only passively forwards data and does not actively forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the remote terminal device, the remote terminal device cannot receive the MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0039] In one possible design, the method further includes: the second terminal device receiving sixth configuration information from the network device, the sixth configuration information being used by the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0040] In the above technical solution, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can further configure sixth configuration information for the second terminal device to receive the first MBS data. After receiving the sixth configuration information from the network device, the second terminal device can receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device according to this sixth configuration information. Furthermore, the second terminal device can send the first MBS data to the first terminal device, thereby enabling the first terminal device to receive the MBS data broadcast by the network device through the second terminal device.

[0041] In one possible design, the method further includes: the second terminal device receiving data from the first MBS from the network device according to the sixth configuration information; and the second terminal device sending the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device according to the fifth configuration information.

[0042] In the above technical solution, the second terminal device can send the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device through the fifth configuration information.

[0043] In one possible design, the method further includes: the second terminal device obtaining at least two copies of the first MBS data from a first protocol layer entity based on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of a first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity, a radio link control layer protocol (RLC) entity, or an adaptation layer entity; and the second terminal device sending one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to an upper layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

[0044] In the above technical solution, when the second terminal device is also interested in the first MBS, or when at least two first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device can perform a copying operation on the first MBS data received from the lower-level entity by the first protocol layer entity to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data. For example, when the second terminal device is also interested in the first MBS, it can send one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to the upper-level entity of the first protocol layer entity, so that the second terminal device can complete the reception of the first MBS data. Furthermore, the second terminal device can also send the remaining first MBS data to the first terminal devices, so that the first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data. As another example, when at least two first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device can send each of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to the at least two first terminal devices respectively, so that the at least two first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data.

[0045] In one possible design, the sixth configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, the information of the second time-frequency resource, or the information of the second multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS, the second MRB is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, and the information of the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the first PDCP entity, and the first PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS.

[0046] In the above technical solution, the sixth configuration information may include third PDCP configuration information for configuring the first PDCP entity, which enables the second terminal device to successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device. For example, if the first MBS data broadcast by the network device is processed by the PDCP entity, the second terminal device needs to establish a peer first PDCP entity so that the second terminal device can successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0047] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0048] In the above technical solution, the fifth configuration information may include second PDCP configuration information for configuring the third PDCP entity, enabling the first terminal device to successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device. For example, if the first MBS data broadcast by the network device is processed by the PDCP entity, the first terminal device needs to establish a peer third PDCP entity so that the first terminal device can successfully receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0049] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the network device receives first information from a first terminal device through a second terminal device. The first information includes an identifier of a first MBS, which is an MBS of interest to the first terminal device. The network device then sends fifth configuration information to the first terminal device through the second terminal device. The fifth configuration information is used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0050] In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device sending sixth configuration information to the second terminal device, the sixth configuration information being used by the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS;

[0051] In one possible design, the sixth configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, the information of the second time-frequency resource, or the information of the second multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS, the second MRB is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, and the information of the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the first PDCP entity, and the first PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS.

[0052] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0053] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first terminal device or by a component of the first terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system). In this method, the first terminal device sends first information to a network device through a second terminal device. The first information includes an identifier of a first MBS, which is an MBS of interest to the first terminal device. The first terminal device receives fifth configuration information from the network device through the second terminal device. The fifth configuration information is used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0054] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0055] The beneficial effects of the fifth and sixth aspects and their implementation methods mentioned above can be found in the description of the beneficial effects of the method and its implementation methods in the fourth aspect.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method executed by the second terminal device in the first aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the second terminal device in the first aspect described above. The communication device may also include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other devices are a first terminal device or a network device.

[0057] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving first information from a first terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and for sending a first message to the first terminal device, the first message including first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure a first SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0058] In one possible design, a transceiver is included, which, when the first cell supports the first MBS, is used to send first indication information to the first terminal device, the first indication information indicating that the first cell supports the first MBS, wherein the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; or, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, is used to send second indication information to the first terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the first cell does not support the first MBS, wherein the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0059] In one possible design, a transceiver and a processor are included, wherein the transceiver is used to receive second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to receive data of a second MBS, wherein the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; the processor is used to determine, based on the second configuration information, whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS.

[0060] In one possible design, a transceiver is included, which, before receiving first information from a first terminal device, is configured to receive second configuration information from a network device, the second configuration information being used to receive data from a second MBS, wherein the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; and to send second information to the first terminal device, the second information including an identifier of the second MBS.

[0061] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for sending a second message to a network device, the second message including third indication information for indicating a first MBS; and for receiving a third message from the network device, the third message including third configuration information for configuring a first SL radio bearer.

[0062] In one possible design, the third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure the first radio bearer between the network device and the second terminal device, and the first radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0063] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving data from a first MBS from a network device; and for transmitting the data of the first MBS to a first terminal device via a first SL radio bearer.

[0064] In one possible design, a transceiver and a processor are included, wherein the processor is configured to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data in a first protocol layer entity based on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of a first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity, a radio link control layer protocol (RLC) entity, or an adaptation layer entity; and the transceiver is configured to send one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to an upper layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

[0065] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, information of the first time-frequency resource, or information of the first multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, the first MRB is used to transmit data of the second MBS, the information of the first MRB includes first PDCP configuration information, the first PDCP configuration information is used to configure the second PDCP entity, and the second PDCP entity is used to receive data of the second MBS.

[0066] In one possible design, the first message also includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0067] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor for implementing the method executed by the network device in the second aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the network device in the second aspect described above. The communication device may also include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other device is a second terminal device.

[0068] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving a second message from a second terminal device, the second message including third indication information for indicating a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and for sending a third message to the second terminal device, the third message including third configuration information for configuring a first sidelink SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0069] In one possible design, the third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure a first radio bearer between the second terminal device and the network device, and the first radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0070] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for sending second configuration information to a second terminal device. The second configuration information is used to receive data from a second MBS, where the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0071] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, information of the first time-frequency resource, or information of the first multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, the first MRB is used to transmit data of the second MBS, the information of the first MRB includes first PDCP configuration information, the first PDCP configuration information is used to configure the second PDCP entity, and the second PDCP entity is used to receive data of the second MBS.

[0072] In one possible design, the third message also includes second PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the third PDCP entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0073] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method executed by the first terminal device in the third aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the first terminal device in the third aspect described above. The communication device may further include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other device is a second terminal device.

[0074] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for sending first information to a second terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and for receiving a first message from the second terminal device, wherein the first message includes first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure a first sidelink SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, the first SL radio bearer being used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0075] In one possible design, a processor and a transceiver are included, wherein, before sending the first information to the second terminal device, the transceiver is used to receive second information from the second terminal device, the second information including an identifier of a second MBS, the second MBS being an MBS supported by a first cell, and the first cell being the serving cell of the second terminal device; the processor is used to determine, based on the second information, whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0076] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for a first terminal device to receive first indication information from a second terminal device, the first indication information indicating that a first cell supports a first MBS and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device; or, to receive second indication information from the second terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the first cell does not support the first MBS and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0077] In one possible design, the first message also includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0078] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0079] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method executed by the second terminal device in the fourth aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the second terminal device in the fourth aspect described above. The communication device may also include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other devices are a first terminal device or a network device.

[0080] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving first information from a first terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and sending the first information to a network device; and receiving fifth configuration information from the network device, the fifth configuration information being used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS; and sending the fifth configuration information to the first terminal device.

[0081] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving sixth configuration information from a network device, the sixth configuration information being used by a second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0082] In one possible design, a processor and a transceiver are included, wherein the processor is configured to receive data from a first MBS from a network device via the transceiver according to a sixth configuration information; and the processor is configured to send the data of the first MBS to a first terminal device via the transceiver according to a fifth configuration information.

[0083] In one possible design, a processor and a transceiver are included, wherein the processor is configured to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data in a first protocol layer entity based on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of a first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) entity, a radio link control layer protocol (RLC) entity, or an adaptation layer entity; and the transceiver is configured to send one of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to an upper layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

[0084] In one possible design, the sixth configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, the information of the second time-frequency resource, or the information of the second multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS, the second MRB is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, and the information of the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the first PDCP entity, and the first PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS.

[0085] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0086] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method executed by the network device in the fifth aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the network device in the fifth aspect described above. The communication device may also include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other device is a second terminal device.

[0087] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for receiving first information from a first terminal device via a second terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and for sending fifth configuration information to the first terminal device via the second terminal device, the fifth configuration information being used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0088] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for sending sixth configuration information to a second terminal device, the sixth configuration information being used by the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS;

[0089] In one possible design, the sixth configuration information includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, the information of the second time-frequency resource, or the information of the second multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB), wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS, the second MRB is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, and the information of the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure the first PDCP entity, and the first PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS.

[0090] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0091] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device including a processor for implementing the method executed by the first terminal device in the sixth aspect described above. The communication device may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the methods executed by the first terminal device in the sixth aspect described above. The communication device may also include a transceiver for communicating with other devices. Exemplarily, the other device is a second terminal device.

[0092] In one possible design, a transceiver is included for sending first information to a network device via a second terminal device, the first information including an identifier of a first MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; and receiving fifth configuration information from the network device via the second terminal device, the fifth configuration information being used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0093] In one possible design, the fifth configuration information includes the second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0094] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a terminal device or a device within a terminal device. The communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions performed by the second terminal device in any of the design examples of the first aspect or any of the design examples of the fourth aspect described above.

[0095] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a network device or a device within a network device. The communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions performed by the network device in any of the design examples of the second aspect described above, or in any of the design examples of the fifth aspect described above.

[0096] In a fifteenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which may be a terminal device or a device within a terminal device. The communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions performed by the first terminal device in any of the design examples of the third aspect or any of the design examples of the sixth aspect described above.

[0097] In a sixteenth aspect, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, can implement the method executed by the second terminal device in any of the design examples of the first aspect or any of the design examples of the fourth aspect.

[0098] In a seventeenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, can implement the method executed by the network device in any of the design examples of the second aspect or any of the design examples of the fifth aspect.

[0099] In the eighteenth aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, can implement the method executed by the first terminal device in any of the design examples of the third aspect or any of the design examples of the sixth aspect.

[0100] In a nineteenth aspect, this application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the second terminal device in any of the design examples of the first aspect or any of the design examples of the fourth aspect.

[0101] In a twentieth aspect, this application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the network device in any of the design examples of the second aspect or any of the design examples of the fifth aspect.

[0102] In a twentieth aspect, this application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method executed by the first terminal device in any of the design examples of the third aspect or any of the design examples of the sixth aspect.

[0103] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the method executed by a second terminal device in any of the design examples of the first aspect or the fourth aspect described above. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0104] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the method executed by a network device in any of the design examples of the second aspect or the fifth aspect described above. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0105] In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the method executed by a first terminal device in any of the design examples of the third aspect or the sixth aspect described above. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0106] In a twentieth aspect, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the communication device in any of the design examples of the seventh aspect, and / or the communication device in any of the design examples of the eighth aspect, and / or the communication device in any of the design examples of the ninth aspect.

[0107] In a twentieth aspect, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the communication device in any of the design examples of the tenth aspect, and / or the communication device in any of the design examples of the eleventh aspect, and / or the communication device in any of the design examples of the twelfth aspect.

[0108] The beneficial effects of the seventh to twenty-sixth aspects and their implementation methods can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the first or fourth aspects and their implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0109] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0110] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the control plane protocol stack in a UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0111] Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack in a UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0112] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between UEs via the PC5 interface in an embodiment of this application;

[0113] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which a terminal device receives data from an MBS of interest in an embodiment of this application.

[0114] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0115] Figure 6 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0116] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an MRB in an LTE system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0117] Figure 8A This is another schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack in the UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0118] Figure 8B This is another schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack in the UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0119] Figure 8C This is another schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack in the UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0120] Figure 8D This is another schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack in the UE-to-Network relay scenario in this application embodiment;

[0121] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a data forwarding method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0122] Figure 10 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0123] Figure 11 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0124] Figure 12 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0125] Figure 13 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0126] Figure 14 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0127] Figure 15 Another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0128] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0129] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0130] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0131] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0132] Figure 20 A schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0133] Figure 21 Another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0134] Figure 22 Another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0135] Figure 23 Another schematic block diagram of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0136] To facilitate understanding, the specific concepts and terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained below.

[0137] (1) Network equipment can be access network equipment, such as radio access network (RAN) equipment, which is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal equipment. Access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication devices. thIn 5G, next-generation base stations (gNB), evolved node B (eNB), remote radio units (RRU), baseband units (BBU), transmitting and receiving points (TRP), transmitting points (TP), base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access points in WiFi systems can be included. Access network equipment can also be radio controllers, central units (CU), and / or distributed units (DU) in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, or network equipment can be relay stations, vehicle-mounted equipment, and network equipment in future evolved networks.

[0138] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In this application embodiment, taking a network device as an example, the technical solution provided by the embodiments of this application is described.

[0139] (2) A terminal device, often simply referred to as a terminal, such as a user equipment, is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can be deployed on land (e.g., in vehicles, high-speed trains, or bullet trains); on water (e.g., ships); or in the air (e.g., on airplanes, drones, balloons, and satellites). The terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality terminal device, augmented reality terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in autonomous driving, wireless terminal device in telemedicine, wireless terminal device in smart grids, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart cities, or wireless terminal device in smart homes. The terminal device can also be a relay terminal device, such as a mobile phone, router, or an access device similar to a router deployed by an operator. This application does not limit this aspect.

[0140] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the terminal's functions can be a terminal device; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. In this application embodiment, taking the terminal device as an example to illustrate the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application, we will describe the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application.

[0141] (3) In the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. Therefore, in the embodiments of this application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, such as one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and it does not limit which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then it can include A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0142] Unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," and "third" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0143] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, the term "exemplary" is used to indicate that it is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner.

[0144] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0145] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system to which the embodiments of this application are applicable is described below.

[0146] This application uses a UE-to-Network relay scenario as an example for illustration. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 1 , Figure 1The diagram shown is a schematic representation of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 100 includes network equipment, at least one relay terminal device, and one remote terminal device. The communication system 100 may include one or more relay terminal devices. Figure 1 Taking a relay terminal device as an example; similarly, the communication system 100 may include one or more remote terminal devices. Figure 1 Taking a remote terminal device as an example. The network device and the relay terminal device have an RRC connection, and they can communicate via the Uu interface. The relay terminal device and the remote terminal device have an SL connection, and they can communicate via the PC5 interface. The remote terminal device can access the network through the relay terminal device to obtain services from the network. Taking downlink transmission as an example, the network device can send data that needs to be sent to the remote terminal device to the relay terminal device, and the relay terminal device will forward it to the remote terminal device.

[0147] From the perspective of the user plane protocol stack, the relay process can be implemented through two protocol architectures: layer 3 (L3) relay and L2 relay. The following description will use the L2 relay architecture as an example to illustrate the embodiments of this application.

[0148] In an L2 relay architecture, the control plane protocol stack between the remote terminal device and the network device is as follows: Figure 2A As shown. Among them, Figure 2A This illustration uses the New Radio (NR) protocol stack as an example.

[0149] In the L2 relay architecture, user data can be relayed below the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. The user plane protocol stack diagram is as follows: Figure 2B As shown. Among them, Figure 2B It is an L2 architecture designed based on the NR system. The user plane protocol stack includes the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, which is above the PDCP layer and below the IP layer.

[0150] The following describes some of the technical features involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0151] In a wireless communication system, terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 can communicate via a network or directly without the aid of a network device. The interface between terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 is called the PC5 interface. Communication between terminal device 1 (or terminal device 2) and the network device can be achieved through the Uu interface. The PC5 interface is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the link between terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 is called a sidelink (SL). A typical application scenario for sidelink communication is the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system. In a V2X system, each vehicle can be regarded as a terminal device, and terminal devices can transmit data directly with each other through the sidelink without going through network devices, thus effectively reducing communication latency.

[0152] Sidelink communication supports broadcast, unicast, and multicast communication. Broadcast communication in Sidelink is similar to a network device broadcasting system information to terminal devices; the sending terminal device broadcasts service data directly without encryption, and any other terminal device within its effective reception range can receive this data if interested. Unicast communication in Sidelink is similar to data communication after a terminal device and network device establish an RRC connection; a unicast connection must first be established between the two terminal devices. After establishing the unicast connection, the two terminal devices can communicate based on a negotiated communication identifier. During communication, the transmitted data can be encrypted or unencrypted. Compared to broadcast communication, in unicast communication, only two terminal devices that have established a unicast connection can communicate. Multicast communication in Sidelink refers to a terminal device within a communication group sending multicast service data, which can be received by other terminal devices within the group.

[0153] As mentioned earlier, network devices can broadcast MBS configuration information and MBS data within their coverage area. Terminal devices within the network device's coverage area can receive MBS data of interest to them. Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the process by which a terminal device receives data from an MBS it is interested in.

[0154] S401: Broadcast system of network equipment, broadcast system of terminal equipment.

[0155] For example, a terminal device listens to the system broadcast of its serving cell, which may include indication information that can be used to obtain MBS configuration information. The MBS configuration information is used to receive data from the MBS.

[0156] S402: The network device broadcasts the configuration information of MBS, and the terminal device receives the configuration information of MBS.

[0157] Terminal devices can receive MBS configuration information broadcast by network devices based on the system broadcasts they hear. For example, the MBS configuration information may include information about the MBS data currently being transmitted in the cell, and this information may include service indication information, such as temporary mobile group identity (TMGI) or session identifier.

[0158] Among them, the MBS that the terminal device is interested in can refer to the MBS that the terminal device wants to obtain, the MBS that the terminal device supports, or the MBS that the terminal device needs, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0159] If the MBS transmitted in the current cell includes an MBS that the terminal device is interested in, then step S403 is executed. Alternatively, if the MBS transmitted in the current cell does not include an MBS that the terminal device is interested in, then the configuration information of the received MBS is discarded. Discarding can refer to operations such as deletion or not processing.

[0160] S403: Network devices broadcast MBS data, and terminal devices receive MBS data.

[0161] For example, a terminal device can receive data from an MBS it is interested in based on the MBS's configuration information.

[0162] It should be noted that, Figure 4 The execution order of the steps shown is merely an example, and this application embodiment does not limit this. For example, the network device may first broadcast the system broadcast and then broadcast the MBS configuration information, or it may broadcast both the system broadcast and the MBS configuration information simultaneously, or it may only broadcast the MBS configuration information, etc. As another example, the network device may only broadcast the system broadcast, and this system broadcast may include the MBS configuration information.

[0163] exist Figure 4In the illustrated process, the terminal device can directly receive MBS data broadcast by the network device. However, when the terminal device is outside the coverage area of ​​the network device, or at the edge of its coverage (e.g., in a UE-to-Network relay scenario), the terminal device needs to establish control plane and user plane connections with the network device via a relay terminal device to enable communication between them. In this case, the terminal device can be referred to as a remote terminal device. Signaling and / or data between the remote terminal device and the network device are transmitted unicast. That is, the signaling and / or data from the network device to the remote terminal device reaches the relay terminal device via RRC radio bearer, and then the relay terminal device forwards the signaling and / or data to the remote terminal device via SL radio bearer. During this process, the relay terminal device, acting as an intermediate node between the network device and the remote terminal device, is unaware of the nature of the signaling and / or data exchanged between the remote terminal device and the network device; it merely passively forwards the data. For MBS data, network devices send it via broadcast or multicast. When the remote terminal device is outside or at the edge of coverage, no unicast connection is established between the remote terminal device and the network device for MBS. The relay terminal device will not actively forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the remote terminal device, and the remote terminal device cannot receive the MBS data broadcast by the network device.

[0164] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and system that enable a remote terminal device to receive MBS data broadcast by a network device through a relay terminal device. This can solve the problem, for example, in a UE-to-Network relay scenario, where no unicast connection is established between the remote terminal device and the network device for MBS, and the relay terminal device does not forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the remote terminal device, resulting in the remote terminal device being unable to receive MBS data.

[0165] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system 100 shown, the network device in this embodiment can be... Figure 1 The network device shown can have the first terminal device as follows: Figure 1 The remote terminal device shown can be a second terminal device. Figure 1 The relay terminal device is shown. It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the steps performed by the network device can also be specifically performed by a module or component of the network device, such as by a chip or chip system within the network device; similarly, the steps performed by the terminal device can also be specifically performed by a module or component of the terminal device, such as by a chip or chip system within the terminal device. Figure 5As shown, the method may include:

[0166] S501: The first terminal device sends first information to the second terminal device, and correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first information from the first terminal device.

[0167] For example, the first information may include the identifier of the first MBS, such as TMGI and / or session identifier. The first MBS is the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in. The MBS that the first terminal device is interested in may refer to the MBS that the first MBS wants to obtain, or the MBS supported by the first terminal device, or the MBS required by the first terminal device, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited in this respect.

[0168] For example, after the first terminal device and the second terminal device establish an SL unicast connection, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in (i.e., first information) to the second terminal device via dedicated signaling (such as SL RRC signaling or SL MAC signaling). The first terminal device receives the first information, enabling the second terminal device to listen for and receive data of the MBS it is interested in broadcast by the network device based on the first information. Alternatively, a user's operation to obtain data of the first MBS triggers the first terminal device to send the first information to the second terminal device. The second terminal device receives the first information, enabling it to listen for and receive data of the first MBS it is interested in broadcast by the network device based on the first information. Alternatively, before establishing an SL unicast connection between the first and second terminal devices, the first terminal device can broadcast the identifier of the MBS it is interested in during the discovery process to discover at least one second terminal device supporting the first MBS. The first terminal device can then determine (and / or select) one of these second terminal devices as the second terminal device to establish an SL unicast connection with.

[0169] The specific implementation process of step S501 can be found in step S603 of Example 1, or step S1005 of Example 2, or step S1102 of Example 3, or step S1206 of Example 4, or step S1303 of Example 5.

[0170] S502: The second terminal device sends a first message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the first message accordingly.

[0171] For example, the first message may include first configuration information, which is used to configure a first SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The first SL radio bearer is used to transmit data from the first MBS. For example, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: logical channel configuration information, configuration information of a first radio link control (RLC) entity, configuration information of a first media access control (MAC) entity, or configuration information of a first physical (PHY) layer. The logical channel configuration information includes at least a logical channel identifier, which is used to identify the logical channel. The configuration information of the first RLC entity is used to configure the first RLC entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS. The configuration information of the first MAC layer is used to configure the first MAC entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS. The configuration information of the first PHY layer is used to configure the first PHY layer, which is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0172] As an example, after receiving the first information from the first terminal device, the second terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not. For example, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS; or, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the second terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS. When it is determined that the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device can send a first message to the first terminal device to enable the first terminal device to establish a first SL radio bearer and receive the first MBS data forwarded by the second terminal device according to the first SL radio bearer. In this case, the specific implementation process of step S502 can be found in step S607 of Example 1 below, or step S1106 of Example 3 below. Here, the second MBS is either an MBS supported by the first cell or an MBS supported by the second terminal device, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device. The following description will take the example of the second MBS being an MBS supported by the first cell. Optionally, when it is determined that the first cell does not support the first MBS, the second terminal device may report the identifier of the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in (i.e., first information) to the network device. The network device receives the first information, and can then initiate the first MBS based on the first information, and configure third configuration information for the first terminal device to establish the first SL radio bearer. After receiving the third configuration information from the network device, the second terminal device may send a first message to the first terminal device based on the third configuration information, so that the first terminal device establishes the first SL radio bearer, and receives the data of the first MBS forwarded by the second terminal device based on the first SL radio bearer. In this case, the specific implementation process of step S502 can be found in step S1308 of Example 5 below.

[0173] The network device initiating the first MBS based on the first information can be understood as the network device broadcasting the first MBS data based on the first information. In other words, the first cell (or the second terminal device) originally did not support the first MBS, but after the network device receives the first information reported by the second terminal device, it starts broadcasting the first MBS data based on the first information, thus enabling the first cell (or the second terminal device) to support the first MBS. The third configuration information is used to establish the first SL radio bearer. Optionally, the third configuration information can be the first configuration information.

[0174] As another example, after receiving the first information from the first terminal device, the second terminal device can directly send a first message to the first terminal device to enable the first terminal device to establish a first SL radio bearer and receive the first MBS data forwarded by the second terminal device according to the first SL radio bearer. In this case, the specific implementation process of step S502 can be found in step S1006 of Example 2 below, or step S1207 of Example 4 below.

[0175] As another example, regardless of whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not, after receiving the first information from the first terminal device, the second terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in to the network device through the Uu interface, so that the network device can configure third configuration information for the first terminal device to establish the first SL radio bearer. After receiving the third configuration information from the network device, the second terminal device can send a first message to the first terminal device according to the third configuration information, so that the first terminal device can establish the first SL radio bearer and receive the data of the first MBS forwarded by the second terminal device according to the first SL radio bearer. In this case, the specific implementation process of step S502 can be found in step S1308 of Example 5 below.

[0176] The following examples 1 to 5 illustrate... Figure 5 The communication method shown is described in detail.

[0177] Example 1

[0178] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein... Figure 6 The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. This method can be executed by the terminal device and the network device, or by a chip in the terminal device and a chip in the network device. Figure 6 The network devices in the above can be the above Figure 1 The network equipment in the process, the first terminal equipment can be the above-mentioned Figure 1 The remote terminal device in the middle, the second terminal device can be the above-mentioned Figure 1 The relay terminal device in the method. In this method, the second terminal device determines whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS based on the first information reported by the first terminal device. When the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device can configure first configuration information for the first terminal device to receive the first MBS data, so that the first terminal device can receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device based on the first configuration information, such as... Figure 6 The methods shown may include:

[0179] S601: The network device broadcasts the second configuration information, and the second terminal device receives the second configuration information.

[0180] For example, the second configuration information is used to receive data from a second MBS, where the second MBS is an MBS supported by a first cell or a second terminal device, and the first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device. For instance, the network device may periodically or non-periodically broadcast the second configuration information within its coverage area. A second terminal device located within the network device's coverage area can receive the second configuration information. When the second terminal device is interested in the second MBS broadcast by the network device, it can receive the data from the second MBS according to the second configuration information.

[0181] For example, the second configuration information may include one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, the identifier of the second MBS data (such as a group-radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI)), information about the first time-frequency resource, or information about the first MRB. The first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, the first MRB is used to transmit the second MBS data, and the identifier of the second MBS data can be understood as the identifier used by the second terminal device to receive the second MBS data. Further, the information of the first MRB may include first packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) configuration information and / or configuration information of the first logical channel, etc. The first PDCP configuration information is used to configure the second PDCP entity, which can be used by the second terminal device to receive the second MBS data. The first logical channel configuration information is used to configure the first logical channel, which can be used to transmit the second MBS data. For example, when the second MBS data is processed by a PDCP entity, the second terminal device needs to establish a peer PDCP entity to successfully receive the second MBS data. In this case, the first MRB information includes the first PDCP configuration information.

[0182] S602: The first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device.

[0183] For example, the first terminal device may select a relay terminal device (which may be referred to as the second terminal device) and establish an SL unicast connection with the second terminal device. For instance, the first terminal device may measure the SL reference signal with at least one relay terminal device, and based on the measurement result, determine the relay terminal device with the best communication quality from among the at least one relay terminal devices as the relay terminal device for establishing the unicast connection. Here, "best communication quality" can be understood as the maximum measurement result; for example, the measurement result could be the reference signal received power or the received signal strength indication.

[0184] S603: The first terminal device sends first information to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the first information.

[0185] The first information may include the identifier of the first MBS, such as TMGI and / or session identifier. The first MBS is the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in. The MBS that the first terminal device is interested in may refer to the MBS that the first MBS wants to obtain, or the MBS supported by the first terminal device, or the MBS required by the first terminal device, etc., and this application embodiment is not limited in this respect.

[0186] As an example, after establishing an SL unicast connection with a second terminal device, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the second terminal device via SLRC signaling or SL MAC signaling. The second terminal device receives the identifier of the MBS of interest from the first terminal device, enabling it to listen to the first MBS based on the identifier, receive the first MBS data from the MBS data broadcast by the network device, and forward the first MBS data to the first terminal device. This solves the problem that, because the second terminal device acts as an intermediate node between the first terminal device and the network device (e.g., in a UE-to-Network relay scenario), it is unaware of the signaling and / or data transmitted between the first terminal device and the network device, thus preventing the second terminal device from actively forwarding the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the first terminal device.

[0187] As another example, a user's operation to retrieve data from a first MBS on a first terminal device triggers the first terminal device to send first information to a second terminal device. For instance, if the first terminal device has an application (APP) corresponding to the MBS installed, the user's operation on the APP (such as voice operation and / or touch screen operation) can trigger the first terminal device to send first information to the second terminal device. After receiving the first information, the second terminal device can listen for the first MBS based on its identifier, receive the first MBS data from the MBS data broadcast by the network device, and forward the first MBS data to the first terminal device. This solves the problem that when the first terminal device needs to retrieve the first MBS data, the second terminal device, acting as an intermediate forwarding node between the first terminal device and the network device, is unaware of the signaling and / or data transmitted between the first terminal device and the network device, thus preventing the second terminal device from forwarding the first MBS data to the first terminal device.

[0188] Optionally, before step S603, the first terminal device may establish a connection with the network device through the second terminal device, or the first terminal device may not establish a connection with the network device through the second terminal device. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0189] S604: The second terminal device determines whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0190] For example, the second terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS based on the second configuration information. For instance, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the second terminal device can determine that the first cell supports the first MBS. Alternatively, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the second terminal device can determine that the first cell does not support the first MBS.

[0191] Optionally, if the second terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS, then the steps shown in step S605 are executed. Alternatively, if the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS, then the steps shown in steps S606 to S610 are executed. Alternatively, if the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS, then the steps shown in steps S607 to S610 are executed.

[0192] S605: The second terminal device sends a second instruction message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the second instruction message.

[0193] For example, the second indication information can be used to indicate that the first cell does not support the first MBS. For instance, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the second terminal device can send the second indication information to the first terminal device, so that the first terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS. Further, after determining that the first cell does not support the first MBS, the first terminal device can choose to establish an SL unicast connection with other relay terminal devices and execute the steps shown in S603 to obtain data for the MBS it is interested in.

[0194] S606: The second terminal device sends a first instruction message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the first instruction message.

[0195] For example, the first indication information can be used to indicate that the first cell supports the first MBS. For instance, when the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device can send the first indication information to the first terminal device so that the first terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS. Further, after receiving the first indication information, the first terminal device can execute the contents shown in steps S607 to S610.

[0196] As an example, the first indication information can also be used to indicate the first MBS supported by the first cell and / or the first MBS not supported by the first cell. For example, when there are multiple first MBS and the second MBS includes some of the multiple first MBS, the second terminal device can send the first indication information to the first terminal device to indicate the first MBS supported by the first cell and / or the first MBS not supported by the first cell. Optionally, after receiving the first indication information, the first terminal device can send a fourth indication information to the second terminal device. The fourth indication information can be used to instruct the first terminal device to acquire the data of the portion of MBS (i.e., to execute the content shown in steps S607 to S610), or to instruct the first terminal device to give up acquiring the data of the portion of MBS. Further, when the first terminal device gives up acquiring the data of the portion of MBS, the first terminal device can choose to establish an SL unicast connection with other relay terminal devices and execute the content shown in step S603 to acquire the data of the MBS it is interested in.

[0197] S607: The second terminal device sends a first message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the first message.

[0198] The first message may include first configuration information, which can be used to configure a first SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The first SL radio bearer can be used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0199] For example, after determining that the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device can configure first configuration information for establishing the first SL radio bearer. For instance, the second terminal device can configure the first configuration information for establishing the first SL radio bearer based on the second configuration information. After configuring the first configuration information, the second terminal device can send a first message to the first terminal device via SL RRC signaling or SL MAC signaling. The first terminal device receives the first message, enabling it to establish the first SL radio bearer for the first MBS and receive the first MBS data based on the first SL radio bearer. This solves the problem that, in UE-to-Network relay scenarios, the first terminal device cannot receive MBS data broadcast from network devices. Optionally, the first message can be an SL RRC reconfiguration message.

[0200] As an example, the first message may also include second PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure a third PDCP entity, which can be used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS.

[0201] In LTE systems, the MRB does not include the PDCP entity, such as Figure 7 As shown. Figure 7 As shown, the bearer established between the terminal device and the network device is an MRB. This MRB does not include the PDCP entity, but only involves the RLC entity, MAC entity, and PHY layer. In an NR system, the MRB may include a PDCP entity, which can be used to transmit MBS data. In this case, there are two scenarios for the second terminal device: Scenario 1: The second terminal device is not interested in the MBS broadcast by the network device; when establishing the MRB based on the network device, the second terminal device does not need to establish a PDCP entity. Scenario 2: The second terminal device is interested in the MBS broadcast by the network device; in this case, the second terminal device will establish a complete MRB, i.e., a PDCP entity needs to be established.

[0202] As described above, if the first MBS data sent by the network device is processed by a PDCP entity, then correspondingly, when receiving the first MBS data, the second terminal device and the first terminal device also need to have equivalent PDCP entities for processing. That is, the second terminal device establishes a first PDCP entity, and the first terminal device establishes a third PDCP entity. At this time, the user plane protocol stack used to transmit MBS is as follows: Figure 8A As shown. For example, the second terminal device can establish a first PDCP entity for receiving data from the first MBS to ensure that the second terminal device can successfully receive the data from the first MBS and / or successfully forward the data from the first MBS to the first terminal device. Specifically, the second terminal device can obtain third PDCP configuration information from the second configuration information, or obtain the third PDCP configuration information configured by the network device for the second terminal device through dedicated signaling (such as RRC signaling or MAC signaling). The second terminal device establishes the first PDCP entity according to the third PDCP configuration information, thereby ensuring that the second terminal device can successfully receive the data from the first MBS and / or successfully forward the data from the first MBS to the first terminal device. The third PDCP configuration information is used to configure the first PDCP entity, and the first PDCP entity is used by the second terminal device to receive the data from the first MBS. For example, the first terminal device can establish a third PDCP entity for receiving the data from the first MBS to ensure that the first terminal device can successfully receive the data from the first MBS. Specifically, the second terminal device can determine the second PDCP configuration information according to the third PDCP configuration information and send the second PDCP configuration information to the first terminal device. After receiving the second PDCP configuration information, the first terminal device can establish a third PDCP entity based on the second PDCP configuration information, thereby ensuring that the first terminal device can successfully receive data from the first MBS of the network device. Optionally, the second PDCP configuration information can be this third PDCP configuration information.

[0203] It should be noted that, Figure 8AThe user plane protocol stack shown is only one example and may involve other protocol layer entities. For example, there may be an SDAP entity between the first PDCP entity and the APP layer, which is used to perform the mapping of Quality of Service (QoS) flow to bearer. As another example, in the protocol stack of the MRB of the second terminal device, there may be an adaptation layer entity between the first PDCP entity and the RLC entity, which can be used to distinguish different remote terminal devices.

[0204] As another example, the first message can be used to indicate the correspondence between the first SL radio bearer and the first MBS. For example, when there are multiple first MBS, the first message can be used to indicate the correspondence between the first SL radio bearer and each of the multiple first MBS, so that the first terminal device can successfully receive the data of the multiple first MBS forwarded by the second terminal device according to the correspondence between the first SL radio bearer and each of the multiple first MBS. For example, the multiple first MBS include first MBS_1 and first MBS_2, and the first SL radio bearer includes first SL radio bearer 1 and first SL radio bearer 2. The first message can indicate that first SL radio bearer 1 is used to transmit the data of first MBS_1, and first SL radio bearer 2 is used to transmit the data of first MBS_2. The first terminal device can receive the data of first MBS_1 and the data of first MBS_2 forwarded by the second terminal device through first SL radio bearer 1 and first SL radio bearer 2 respectively, according to the content indicated by the first message.

[0205] Optionally, after the second terminal device sends the first message to the first terminal device, the content shown in step S608 can also be executed; of course, the content shown in step S608 can also be omitted.

[0206] S608: The first terminal device sends a fourth message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the fourth message.

[0207] For example, the fourth message can be used to instruct the first terminal device to complete the establishment of the first SL radio bearer. For instance, the fourth message could be an SL RRC reconfiguration completion message. For example, after receiving the first message, the first terminal device can establish the first SL radio bearer based on the first message. After completing the establishment of the first SL radio bearer, the first terminal device can send the fourth message to the second terminal device to indicate that the configuration is complete.

[0208] S609~S610: The network device broadcasts the data of the first MBS, and the second terminal device receives the data of the first MBS. The second terminal device sends the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the data of the first MBS.

[0209] For example, a network device periodically or non-periodically broadcasts the data of a first MBS within its coverage area. After detecting the first MBS, a second terminal device can receive the broadcast data of the first MBS via the Uu interface. After receiving the first MBS data, the second terminal device can send the first MBS data to the first terminal device via the PC5 interface. The first terminal device receives the first MBS data via the PC5 interface.

[0210] In the above embodiments of this application, the first terminal device reports the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the second terminal device, so that the second terminal device can listen to and receive the data of the first MBS broadcast by the network device. After receiving the first information from the first terminal device, the second terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS by combining the second configuration information sent by the network device. When it is determined that the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device sends the first configuration information to the first terminal device. The first configuration information is used to configure the first SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first SL radio bearer can be used to transmit the data of the first MBS, so that the first terminal device can establish the first SL radio bearer for transmitting the data of the first MBS according to the first configuration information. This means that after the second terminal device receives the data of the first MBS broadcast by the network device, it can send the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device through the first SL radio bearer, so that the first terminal device can receive the data of the MBS from the network device.

[0211] The following is combined Figure 9 The contents shown in steps S609 and S610 above will be described in detail. Figure 9 The diagram shown is a flowchart illustrating a data forwarding method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or it can be executed by a chip within the terminal device. Figure 9 The first terminal device can be the above Figure 1 The remote terminal device in the middle, the second terminal device can be the above-mentioned Figure 1 relay terminal equipment, such as Figure 9 The methods shown may include:

[0212] S901: The first protocol layer entity receives the data of the first MBS from the underlying entity.

[0213] like Figure 8AAs shown, a complete MRB protocol stack is established between the second terminal device and the network device, and a first SL radio bearer is established between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. This first SL radio bearer involves at least one of the SL RLC entity, SLMAC entity, or SL PHY layer. Simultaneously, the first terminal device establishes a third PDCP entity to receive data from the first MBS. The second terminal device establishes a first PDCP entity to receive data from the first MBS.

[0214] For example, a network device broadcasts data from a first MBS, and a first protocol layer entity in the MRB of a second terminal device can receive the data from the underlying entity. The first protocol layer entity can be an RLC entity, an adaptation layer entity, or a first PDCP entity in the MRB of the second terminal device, etc., and this embodiment is not limited to these. The underlying entity can be a MAC entity or a PHY layer.

[0215] Optionally, if the second terminal device is also interested in the first MBS, then the steps S902 to S903 can be executed. Alternatively, if there are multiple first terminal devices interested in the first MBS, then the steps S902 to S903 can be executed. Alternatively, if only one first terminal device is interested in the first MBS, the first protocol layer entity can send the first MBS data received from the underlying entity to the first terminal device through the SL RLC entity or the adaptation layer entity on the right, without needing to execute the steps S902 to S903.

[0216] S902: The first protocol layer entity obtains at least two copies of the first MBS data.

[0217] For example, a first protocol layer entity can obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data based on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity, to ensure that the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device can receive the first MBS data, or to ensure that each of a plurality of first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data. For instance, when the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, or when a plurality of first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the first protocol layer entity performs a copy operation on the first MBS data received from the underlying entity to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data. As another example, when the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, or when a plurality of first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the first protocol layer entity copies at least one copy of the first MBS data from the first MBS data received from the underlying entity to obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data.

[0218] S903: The first protocol layer entity sends one of the at least two sets of data for the first MBS to the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity, and sends the remaining set to the first terminal device. Alternatively, the first protocol layer entity sends each of the at least two sets of data for the first MBS to at least two first terminal devices respectively.

[0219] For example, if a second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, the first protocol layer entity can obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data through the aforementioned copying operation. The first protocol layer entity sends one copy of the first MBS data to its upper-layer entity so that the second terminal device can receive the first MBS data, and sends the remaining copy to at least one first terminal device so that at least one first terminal device can receive the first MBS data. As another example, if at least two first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, then the first protocol layer entity can obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data through the aforementioned copying operation. The second terminal device sends each of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to at least one first terminal device so that each of the at least two first terminal devices can receive the first MBS data. For example, the second terminal device can send each copy of the first MBS data to the at least one first terminal device according to the correspondence between the first MBS and the first terminal devices.

[0220] As an example, the first protocol layer entity can be an RLC entity, and correspondingly, the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity can be any one of the first PDCP entity, adaptation layer entity, SDAP entity, or APP layer. For example, when both the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, the RLC entity can parse the RLC protocol data unit (PDU) received from the MAC entity, parse out the RLC service data unit (SDU), and then perform a copying operation on the RLC SDU to obtain at least two RLC SDUs. The RLC entity sends one of these at least two RLC SDUs to the upper-layer entity of the RLC entity so that the second terminal device can complete the reception of the data of the first MBS. Further, the RLC entity sends the remaining RLC SDU to at least one SL RLC entity on the right so that at least one first terminal device can receive the RLC SDU, such as... Figure 8B As shown ( Figure 8B (Including two first terminal devices).

[0221] The upper-layer entity of the RLC entity can be an adaptation layer entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes an adaptation layer entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the RLC entity can be a first PDCP entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes a first PDCP entity but does not include an adaptation layer entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the RLC entity can be an SDAP entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes an SDAP entity but does not include the first PDCP entity and the adaptation layer entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the RLC entity can be an APP layer, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes an APP layer but does not include the first PDCP entity, the adaptation layer entity, and the SDAP entity.

[0222] Optionally, the RLC entity may send the remaining RLC SDU directly to at least one SL RLC entity on the right, or the remaining RLC SDU may be sent to at least one first terminal device through the adaptation layer entity. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0223] As another example, the first protocol layer entity can be a first PDCP entity, and correspondingly, the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity can be either an SDAP entity or an APP layer. For example, when both the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, the RLC entity can parse the RLC PDU received from the MAC entity to obtain the RLC SDU (i.e., PDCP PDU) and send the RLC SDU to the first PDCP entity. The first PDCP entity receives the RLC SDU and performs a copy operation on the received RLC SDU to obtain at least two copies of the RLC SDU. The first PDCP entity sends one of the at least two RLC SDUs to the upper-layer entity of the first PDCP entity so that the second terminal device can complete the reception of the data of the first MBS. Further, the first PDCP entity sends the remaining RLC SDU to at least one SL RLC entity on the right so that at least one first terminal device can receive the RLC SDU, such as... Figure 8C As shown ( Figure 8C (Including a first terminal device).

[0224] The upper-layer entity of the first PDCP entity can be an SDAP entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes an SDAP entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the first PDCP entity can be an APP layer, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device does not include an SDAP entity.

[0225] Optionally, the first PDCP entity may directly send the remaining RLC SDUs to at least one SL RLC entity on the right, or may send the remaining RLC SDUs to at least one first terminal device through the adaptation layer entity. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0226] As another example, the first protocol layer entity can be an adaptation layer entity, and correspondingly, the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity can be any one of the first PDCP entity, SDAP entity, or APP layer. For example, when both the second terminal device and at least one first terminal device are interested in the first MBS, the RLC entity can parse the RLC PDU received from the MAC entity, parse out the RLC SDU, and send the RLC SDU to the adaptation layer entity. The adaptation layer entity receives the RLC SDU and performs a copy operation on the received RLC SDU to obtain at least two copies of the RLC SDU. The adaptation layer entity sends one of the at least two copies of the RLC SDU to its upper-layer entity so that the second terminal device can complete the reception of the data of the first MBS. Further, the adaptation layer entity sends the remaining RLC SDU to at least one SL RLC entity on the right so that at least one first terminal device can receive the RLC SDU, such as... Figure 8D As shown ( Figure 8D (Including a first terminal device).

[0227] The upper-layer entity of the adaptation layer entity can be the first PDCP entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes the first PDCP entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the adaptation layer entity can be the SDAP entity, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes the SDAP entity but does not include the first PDCP entity; or, the upper-layer entity of the adaptation layer entity can be the APP layer, for example, the MRB of the second terminal device includes the APP layer but does not include the first PDCP entity and the SDAP entity.

[0228] Optionally, the adapter layer entity may send the remaining RLC SDUs to at least one SL RLC entity on the right, or it may directly send the remaining RLC SDUs to at least one first terminal device respectively. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0229] In the above embodiments of this application, a complete MRB protocol stack is established between the second terminal device and the network device. The first protocol layer entity in the MRB of the second terminal device can obtain at least two copies of the first MBS data based on the first MBS data received from the lower-level entity. When the second terminal device is also interested in the first MBS, the first protocol layer entity in the MRB of the second terminal device can send one copy of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to the upper-level entity, enabling the second terminal device to complete the reception of the first MBS data, and then send the remaining at least one copy of the first MBS data to at least one first terminal device, so that at least one first terminal device can receive the first MBS data. Alternatively, when the second terminal device is not interested in the first MBS, and the number of first terminal devices interested in the first MBS is at least two, the first protocol layer entity in the MRB of the second terminal device can send each of the at least two copies of the first MBS data to at least two first terminal devices, so that at least two terminal devices can receive the first MBS data.

[0230] Example 2

[0231] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application embodiment, wherein... Figure 10 The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. In this method, before the first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device, the second terminal device can broadcast the MBS supported by the first cell, so that the first terminal device can determine whether to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device based on the MBS supported by the first cell. For example, when the MBS supported by the first cell includes the first MBS, the first terminal device can establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device, thereby saving the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell because the initially accessed serving cell does not support the MBS of interest to the first terminal device. Steps S1001, S1004 to S1009 are respectively related to… Figure 6 Steps S601, S602, S603, S607 to S610 are the same, except that:

[0232] S1002: The second terminal device sends a fifth message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the fifth message.

[0233] For example, the fifth message may include second information, which includes the identifier of the second MBS. For instance, the second terminal device may broadcast the fifth message periodically or aperiodically. Before establishing a unicast connection between the first and second terminal devices, the first terminal device may receive the fifth message broadcast by the second terminal device during the discovery process. Accordingly, when selecting a relay terminal device, if the fifth message broadcast by the second terminal device includes an MBS of interest to the first terminal device, then the second terminal device has a higher priority; that is, under the same conditions, the first terminal device may preferentially choose to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device. Optionally, this fifth message may be called a discovery message, used to discover remote terminal devices.

[0234] S1003: The first terminal device determines whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0235] For example, the first terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS based on the fifth message. For instance, when the second MBS includes the first MBS, the first terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS and establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device, i.e., it executes the steps shown in S1004. Alternatively, when the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the first terminal device can determine that the first cell does not support the first MBS. Optionally, when the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the first terminal device can determine the relay terminal device from the other relay terminal devices that will establish the unicast connection based on the discovery message received from the other relay terminal devices. For another example, the first terminal device can establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device to obtain data from a portion of the first MBS, or it can determine the relay terminal device from the other relay terminal devices that will establish the unicast connection based on the discovery message from the other relay terminal devices, for example, if the first terminal device is interested in multiple MBS, and the second MBS includes that portion of the first MBS.

[0236] For example, the first terminal device can also measure the SL reference signal between itself and the second terminal device, and further select a second terminal device to establish a unicast connection or determine whether to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device based on the measurement results. For instance, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, but the communication quality of the second terminal device is poor, the first terminal device can determine not to establish a unicast connection with that second terminal device. As another example, if there are multiple second terminal devices, the first terminal device can select one of the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection based on the measurement results of each of the multiple second terminal devices. For example, the second terminal device can select the second terminal device with the best communication quality from the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection.

[0237] In the above embodiments of this application, before the second terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the first terminal device, the first terminal device can select the highest priority relay terminal device according to the fifth message broadcast by the surrounding relay terminal devices, and establish a unicast connection with the highest priority relay terminal device. Here, "highest priority" means that the serving cell of the relay terminal device supports the MBS (Multi-Level Cell) that the first terminal device is interested in. In this way, after the first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device, the second terminal device can directly send a first message to the first terminal device, enabling the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS from the network device. This saves the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell because the initial access serving cell does not support the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in, and improves data transmission efficiency.

[0238] Example 3

[0239] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application embodiment, wherein... Figure 11 The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. In this method, before the first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device, the first terminal device can broadcast its MBS of interest to discover at least one second terminal device that supports the first MBS. Thus, the first terminal device can determine one of the at least one second terminal devices supporting the first MBS to establish a unicast connection, saving the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell if the initially accessed serving cell does not support the MBS of interest of the first terminal device. Steps S1101 and S1105 to S1109 are respectively related to… Figure 6 Steps S601, S602, S607 to S610 are the same, except that:

[0240] S1102: The first terminal device sends a sixth message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the sixth message.

[0241] For example, the sixth message includes the first information or the identifier of the first MBS. Before the first terminal device and the second terminal device establish a unicast connection, the first terminal device may broadcast the sixth message during the discovery process, and the second terminal device receives the sixth message. Optionally, the sixth message may be a discovery request message used to discover relay terminal devices that support the first MBS.

[0242] S1103: The second terminal device determines whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0243] For example, the second terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS based on the second configuration information. For instance, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS and executes the steps S1104 to S1109, or steps S1105 to S1109. Alternatively, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the second terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS and discards the sixth message. As another example, if the first terminal device is interested in multiple MBS, and the second MBS includes a portion of the first MBS, the second terminal device can also execute the steps shown in step S1104 to allow the first terminal device to obtain data from that portion of the first MBS, or the second terminal device can discard the sixth message. Discarding can refer to deletion or non-processing, and this embodiment is not limited to this.

[0244] Optionally, when the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device may execute the content shown in step S1104, or may not execute the content shown in step S1104. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0245] S1104: The second terminal device sends a seventh message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the seventh message.

[0246] For example, the seventh message can be used to indicate that the first cell supports the first MBS. For instance, when the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS, the second terminal device can send the seventh message to the first terminal device to indicate that the first cell supports the first MBS. Alternatively, the seventh message can also be used to indicate whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS. For instance, when the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports a portion of the first MBS, the second terminal device can also send the seventh message to the first terminal device to indicate the first MBS supported by the first cell and / or the portion of the first MBS that is not supported. Optionally, the seventh message may also include at least one of the following: an identifier of the second MBS, an identifier of the first MBS supported by the first cell, or an identifier of the first MBS not supported by the first cell. Optionally, the seventh message may be a discovery response message, used to respond to the sixth message from the remote terminal device.

[0247] For example, after receiving the seventh message from the second terminal device (i.e., after step S1104), the first terminal device can measure the SL reference signal between itself and the second terminal device, and further select a second terminal device to establish a unicast connection or determine whether to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device based on the measurement result. For example, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, but the communication quality of the second terminal device is poor, the first terminal device can determine not to establish a unicast connection with that second terminal device. As another example, if there are multiple second terminal devices, the first terminal device can select one of the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection based on the measurement results of each of the multiple second terminal devices. For example, the second terminal device can select the second terminal device with the best communication quality from the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection.

[0248] In the above embodiments of this application, before the second terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the first terminal device, the first terminal device actively broadcasts a sixth message to the surrounding area to discover relay terminal devices that support the first MBS. When the serving cell of the second terminal device supports the first MBS, the second terminal device sends a seventh message to the first terminal device in response to the sixth message. The first terminal device receives the seventh message from at least one second terminal device in the surrounding area, and selects one of the at least one second terminal devices to establish a unicast connection with the first terminal device based on the seventh message or the communication quality between the seventh message and the second terminal device. After the unicast connection is established, the second terminal device can send a first message to the first terminal device to enable the first terminal device to establish a first SL radio bearer. The first terminal device can then receive MBS data from the network device through the first SL radio bearer, saving the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell due to the initial serving cell not supporting the MBS of interest to the first terminal device, thus improving data transmission efficiency.

[0249] Example 4

[0250] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application embodiment, wherein... Figure 12The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. In this method, before the first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second terminal device, the first terminal device can broadcast an eighth message to obtain the MBS supported by surrounding relay terminal devices. Therefore, the first terminal device can determine the relay terminal device to establish the unicast connection based on the MBS supported by the surrounding relay terminal devices. For example, the first terminal device can select a relay terminal device that supports the first MBS to establish a unicast connection, thereby saving the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell because the initially accessed serving cell does not support the MBS of interest to the first terminal device. Steps S1201, S1205 to S1210 are respectively related to… Figure 6 Steps S601, S602, S603, S607 to S610 are the same, except that:

[0251] S1202: The first terminal device sends the eighth message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the eighth message.

[0252] For example, the eighth message includes a fifth indication message, which indicates the MBS supported by the serving cell of the relay terminal device. For instance, the first terminal device may broadcast the eighth message during the discovery process, and nearby relay terminal devices may receive the eighth message to obtain the MBS supported by the serving cell of the nearby relay terminal devices.

[0253] S1203: The second terminal device sends a ninth message to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the ninth message.

[0254] For example, the ninth message includes an identifier of the second MBS. For instance, after receiving the eighth message, the second terminal device, in response, sends the ninth message to the first terminal device so that the first terminal device can determine the MBS supported by the serving cell of the second terminal device.

[0255] S1204: The first terminal device determines whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0256] For example, the first terminal device can determine whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS based on the ninth message. For instance, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the first terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS and executes the steps S1205 to S1210. Alternatively, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the second terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS and discards the ninth message. Optionally, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the first terminal device can determine the relay terminal device to establish a unicast connection from the other relay terminal devices based on the ninth message fed back by other relay terminal devices. For another example, if the first terminal device is interested in multiple MBS, and the second MBS includes part of the first MBS, the first terminal device can establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device to obtain the data of that part of the first MBS, or it can determine the relay terminal device to establish a unicast connection from the other relay terminal devices based on the ninth message fed back by other relay terminal devices.

[0257] For example, after the first terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS (i.e., after step S1204), the first terminal device can also measure the SL reference signal between itself and the second terminal device, and further select a second terminal device to establish a unicast connection or determine whether to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device based on the measurement results. For example, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, but the communication quality of the second terminal device is poor, the first terminal device can determine not to establish a unicast connection with the second terminal device. As another example, if there are multiple second terminal devices, the first terminal device can select one of the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection based on the measurement results of each of the multiple second terminal devices. For example, the second terminal device can select the second terminal device with the best communication quality from the multiple second terminal devices as the terminal device to establish a unicast connection.

[0258] In the above embodiments of this application, before the second terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the first terminal device, the first terminal device may broadcast an eighth message to surrounding second terminal devices to obtain the MBS supported by the serving cell of the surrounding second terminal devices. Based on a ninth message sent by the surrounding second terminal devices, the first terminal device determines that at least one second terminal device supports the first MBS and selects one of the at least one second terminal devices to establish a unicast connection with the first device. After the first terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the second device, the first terminal device may send a first message to the second terminal device, enabling the second terminal device to receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device according to the first message, and to forward the first MBS data to the first terminal device. After receiving the first message from the first terminal device, the second terminal device sends a first message to the first terminal device, enabling the first terminal device to receive the first MBS data from the network device. This method solves the problem that the first terminal device cannot receive MBS data because the second terminal device does not forward the MBS data broadcast by the network device to the first terminal device. It also saves the latency caused by reselecting another serving cell because the initially accessed serving cell does not support the MBS of interest to the first terminal device, thus improving data transmission efficiency.

[0259] Example 5

[0260] Figure 13 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in this application embodiment, wherein... Figure 13 The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. In this method, regardless of whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS, the second terminal device can report first information from the first terminal device to the network device, so that the network device can configure third configuration information for the first terminal device to receive the first MBS data. This allows the first terminal device to receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device based on the third configuration information, demonstrating good adaptability. When the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can also initiate the first MBS based on the first information and configure fourth configuration information for the second terminal device to receive the first MBS data, enabling the second terminal device to receive the first MBS data and forward the first MBS data to the first terminal device. Steps S1301 to S1304 and S1308 to S1311 are respectively related to… Figure 6 Steps S601 to S604 and steps S607 to S610 are the same, except that:

[0261] S1305: The second terminal device sends a second message to the network device, and the network device receives the second message.

[0262] For example, the second message may include third indication information, which indicates the first MBS. This third indication information may implicitly instruct the network device to configure third configuration information for the first terminal device to establish the first SL radio bearer. For example, regardless of whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not, the second terminal device may send this second message to the network device, and the network device may receive the second message. The third indication information may be an identifier, index, or number of the first MBS, etc. For example, before step S1305, the second terminal device may receive MBS information supported by the network device, such as an MBS identifier list. The MBS identifier list includes the identifier of the first MBS, and the second terminal device may indicate the position of the first MBS in the MBS identifier list using the first MBS number or index, etc. Alternatively, the second terminal device may directly send the identifier of the first MBS to the network device.

[0263] For example, the second message can be used to request third configuration information, or to request both third and fourth configuration information. For instance, when the second terminal device determines that the first cell supports the first MBS, a first radio bearer may be established between the second terminal device and the network device (or a first radio bearer may not be established), and the second message can be used to request third configuration information (or third and fourth configuration information). As another example, when the second terminal device determines that the first cell does not support the first MBS, the second message can be used to request both third and fourth configuration information.

[0264] The third configuration information can be used to configure the first SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first SL radio bearer can be used to transmit data of the first MBS. Optionally, the third configuration information can be the first configuration information. For example, after receiving the third configuration information from the network device, the second terminal device directly forwards the third configuration information to the first terminal device. In this case, the third configuration information is the first configuration information. Another example is that after receiving the third configuration information from the network device, the second terminal device further processes the third configuration information, such as adding the correspondence between the first SL radio bearer and each of the multiple first MBS, or removing information such as the network device's identifier. In this case, the third configuration information is not the first configuration information. The fourth configuration information can be used to configure the first radio bearer between the second terminal device and the network device. The first radio bearer can be used to transmit data of the first MBS.

[0265] S1306: The network device sends a third message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the third message.

[0266] For example, after receiving the second message, the network device can send a third message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the third message, which includes third configuration information. Optionally, the third message may also include fourth configuration information. For example, when the first cell supports the first MBS, but a first radio bearer has not been established between the network device and the second terminal device, the third message may also include fourth configuration information; or, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the third message may also include fourth configuration information.

[0267] Optionally, the third message may or may not include the fourth configuration information. For example, if the network device is configured with fourth configuration information but the third message does not include it, the network device can send the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device via dedicated signaling (such as RRC signaling or MAC signaling), i.e., execute the content shown in step S1307. As another example, if the network device is configured with fourth configuration information and the third message includes this fourth configuration information, the network device does not need to execute the content shown in step S1307. Furthermore, if the network device is not configured with fourth configuration information, the network device also does not need to execute the content shown in step S1307.

[0268] S1307: The network device sends the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the fourth configuration information.

[0269] For example, the network device can send fourth configuration information to the second terminal device via RRC signaling or MAC signaling, and the second terminal device receives the fourth configuration information. After receiving the fourth configuration information, the second terminal device can establish a first radio bearer between the second terminal device and the network device according to the fourth configuration information, in order to receive data from the first MBS from the network device.

[0270] For example, the fourth configuration information may also include the identifier of the first terminal device. For instance, when multiple first terminal devices are interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device may forward the data of the first MBS from the network device to each of the multiple first terminal devices according to the identifier of each of the multiple first terminal devices, so that the multiple first terminal devices can receive the data of the first MBS from the network device.

[0271] In the above embodiments of this application, the second terminal device sends a second message to the network device to inform the network device of the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in. When the first cell supports the first MBS, the network device can send third configuration information to the first terminal device so that the first terminal device can receive the first MBS data from the network device through the second terminal device. When the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can send third configuration information to the first terminal device and fourth configuration information to the second terminal device so that the first terminal device can receive the first MBS data through the second terminal device. That is, regardless of whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not, the network device can enable the first terminal device to receive the MBS it is interested in by configuring the first SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, or by configuring the first radio bearer between the network device and the second terminal device. This solves the problem in UE-to-Networkrelay scenarios where the remote terminal device cannot receive MBS data because no unicast connection for MBS is established between the remote terminal device and the network device, and has good adaptability.

[0272] Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, which can be applied to... Figure 1 In the communication system 100 shown, the network device in this embodiment can be... Figure 1 The network device shown can have the first terminal device as follows: Figure 1 The remote terminal device shown can be a second terminal device. Figure 1 The relay terminal device is shown. It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the steps performed by the network device can also be specifically performed by a module or component of the network device, such as by a chip or chip system in the network device; the steps performed by the terminal device can also be specifically performed by a module or component of the terminal device, such as by a chip or chip system in the terminal device.

[0273] like Figure 14 As shown, the method may include:

[0274] S1401: The first terminal device sends first information to the network device through the second terminal device, and the network device receives the first information from the first terminal device through the second terminal device.

[0275] For example, the first information may include the identifier of the first MBS, such as TMGI and / or session identifier. The first MBS is the MBS that the first terminal device is interested in. The MBS that the first terminal device is interested in may refer to the MBS that the first MBS wants to obtain, or the MBS supported by the first terminal device, or the MBS required by the first terminal device, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited in this respect.

[0276] For example, after the first terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device through the second terminal device, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the network device through the second terminal device, so that the network device can configure the first terminal device with fifth configuration information for receiving data from the first MBS. Alternatively, after the first terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device through the second terminal device, a user's operation to obtain data from the first MBS triggers the first terminal device to send first information to the network device through the second terminal device, so that the network device can configure the first terminal device with fifth configuration information for receiving data from the first MBS. The protocol stack through which messages between the network device and the first terminal device are exchanged via the second terminal device can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2A (This can be understood as the first information being transmitted from the remote UE's RRC entity in the diagram to the gNB's RRC entity via the PC5 interface and the Uu interface).

[0277] The specific implementation process of step S1401 can be found in steps S1503 and S1504 in Example 6 below.

[0278] S1402: The network device sends the fifth configuration information to the first terminal device through the second terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the fifth configuration information from the network device through the second terminal device.

[0279] For example, the fifth configuration information is used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS. For instance, after receiving the first information, the network device, in response, can send this fifth configuration information to the first terminal device via the second terminal device, so that the first terminal device can receive data from the first MBS from the network device via the fifth configuration information. The protocol stack through which messages are exchanged between the network device and the first terminal via the second terminal device can be referenced. Figure 2A (This can be understood as the fifth configuration information being transmitted from the gNB's RRC entity in the diagram to the remote UE's RRC entity via the Uu interface and the PC5 interface).

[0280] For example, the fifth configuration information may include second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS. For instance, if the data from the first MBS sent by the network device is processed by the PDCP entity, the first terminal device needs to establish a peer PDCP entity to ensure successful reception of the data from the first MBS from the network device.

[0281] The specific implementation process of step S1402 can be found in steps S1507 and S1508 in Example 6 below.

[0282] The following example 6 is used as a reference. Figure 14 The communication method shown is described in detail.

[0283] Example 6

[0284] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein... Figure 15 The dashed lines in the diagram indicate that this step is optional. This method can be executed by the terminal device and the network device, or by a chip in the terminal device and a chip in the network device. Figure 15 The network devices in the above can be the above Figure 1 The network equipment in the process, the first terminal equipment can be the above-mentioned Figure 1 The remote terminal device in the middle, the second terminal device can be the above-mentioned Figure 1 The relay terminal device in the method. In this method, regardless of whether the first cell supports or does not support the first MBS, after the first terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device through the second terminal device, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the first MBS to the network device through the second terminal device. This allows the network device to configure the first terminal device with fifth configuration information for receiving the first MBS data, so that the first terminal device can receive the first MBS data broadcast by the network device based on the fifth configuration information, thus providing good adaptability. When the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can also initiate the first MBS and configure the second terminal device with sixth configuration information for receiving the first MBS data, so that the second terminal device can receive the first MBS data and forward the first MBS data to the first terminal device. Among them, steps S1501, S1509, and S1510 are respectively related to... Figure 6 Steps S602, S609, and S610 are the same, except that:

[0285] S1502: The network device establishes an RRC connection with the first terminal device through the second terminal device.

[0286] For example, after a unicast connection is established between the first terminal device and the second terminal device, the network device can establish an RRC connection with the first terminal device through the second terminal device, thereby enabling the network device to provide services to the first terminal device through the second terminal device. Specifically, there is an RRC connection between the network device and the second terminal device, and an SL unicast connection between the second terminal device and the first terminal device.

[0287] S1503~S1504: The first terminal device sends the tenth message to the network device through the second terminal device, and the network device receives the tenth message from the first terminal device through the second terminal device.

[0288] The tenth message includes first information, which includes the identifier of the first MBS. The protocol stack through which the network device and the first terminal exchange the tenth message via the second terminal device can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2A (This can be understood as the tenth message being sent from the remote UE's RRC entity in the diagram via the PC5 interface and the Uu interface to the gNB's RRC entity).

[0289] For example, after the first terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device through the second terminal device, the first terminal device can report the identifier of the MBS it is interested in to the network device through the second terminal device, so that the network device can configure the first terminal device with fifth configuration information for receiving data from the first MBS. Alternatively, after the first terminal device establishes an RRC connection with the network device through the second terminal device, if the user performs an operation to obtain data from the first MBS on the first terminal device, it triggers the first terminal device to send first information to the network device through the second terminal device, so that the network device can configure the first terminal device with fifth configuration information for receiving data from the first MBS. Specifically, the first terminal device can send a tenth message to the second terminal device through the PC5 interface, and the second terminal device can receive the tenth message through the PC5 interface. After receiving the tenth message through the PC5 interface, the second terminal device forwards the tenth message to the network device through the Uu interface, and the network device receives the tenth message through the Uu interface. Optionally, the tenth message may also include the identifier of the first terminal device.

[0290] For example, the tenth message can be used to request the fifth configuration information, or to request both the fifth and sixth configuration information. For instance, when the first cell supports the first MBS, the network device may have already configured the sixth configuration information (or may not) for the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS; in this case, the tenth message can be used to request the fifth configuration information (or both). As another example, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the tenth message can be used to request both the fifth and sixth configuration information.

[0291] S1505: The network device determines whether the first cell supports the first MBS or does not support the first MBS.

[0292] For example, if the second MBS includes the first MBS, the network device can determine that the first cell supports the first MBS; or, if the second MBS does not include the first MBS, the network device can determine that the first cell does not support the first MBS.

[0293] Optionally, when the first cell supports the first MBS, the network device can send the fifth configuration information to the first terminal device through the second terminal device, i.e., execute the content shown in steps S1507 and S1508. Alternatively, when the first cell does not support the first MBS, the network device can send the fifth configuration information to the first terminal device and the sixth configuration information to the second terminal device through the second terminal device, i.e., execute the content shown in steps S1506 to S1508.

[0294] S1506: The network device sends the eleventh message to the second terminal device, and the second terminal device receives the eleventh message.

[0295] For example, the eleventh message may include the identifier of the first terminal device, enabling the second terminal device to forward the data of the first MBS to the first terminal device based on the identifier of the first terminal device. Optionally, the eleventh message may be used to indicate the correspondence between the first MBS and the identifier of the first terminal device. For example, when there are multiple first terminal devices interested in the first MBS, the second terminal device may forward the data of the first MBS to each of the multiple first terminal devices according to the correspondence between the identifier of each of the multiple first terminal devices and the first MBS, so that the multiple first terminal devices can successfully receive the data of the first MBS.

[0296] For example, the eleventh message may also include sixth configuration information, which is used by the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS. For instance, the sixth configuration information may include one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, information about the second time-frequency resource, or information about the second MRB. The second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS, the second MRB is used to transmit the data of the first MBS, and the information of the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information. This third PDCP configuration information is used to configure a first PDCP entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS.

[0297] For example, the sixth configuration information can be used to indicate the correspondence between each of the multiple first MBS and the first PDCP entity. For instance, when there are multiple first MBS, the second terminal device can receive data from the multiple first MBS through the correspondence between each of the multiple first MBS and the first PDCP entity. For example, the multiple first MBS include first MBS_1 and first MBS_2, and the first PDCP entity includes first PDCP entity 1 and first PDCP entity 2. The sixth configuration information can be used to indicate that first PDCP entity 1 is used to receive data from first MBS_1, and second PDCP entity 2 is used to receive data from first MBS_2. The second terminal device can receive first MBS_1 and first MBS_2 from the network device through first PDCP entity 1 and first PDCP entity 2 respectively, according to the content indicated by the sixth configuration information.

[0298] S1507~S1508: The network device sends the twelfth message to the first terminal device through the second terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the twelfth message from the network device through the second terminal device.

[0299] The protocol stack through which the network device and the first terminal exchange the twelfth message via the second terminal device can be referenced. Figure 2A (This can be understood as the twelfth message being sent from the RRC entity of the gNB in ​​the diagram to the RRC entity of the remote UE via the Uu interface and the PC5 interface).

[0300] For example, the twelfth message may include fifth configuration information used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS. For instance, the network device can send the twelfth message to the second terminal device via the Uu interface, and the second terminal device can receive the twelfth message via the Uu interface. After receiving the twelfth message via the Uu interface, the second terminal device can forward the twelfth message to the first terminal device via the PC5 interface, and the first terminal device can receive the twelfth message via the PC5 interface.

[0301] For example, the fifth configuration information may also include second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, which is used to receive data from the first MBS. For instance, if the data from the first MBS sent by the network device is processed by the PDCP entity, the first terminal device needs to establish a peer PDCP entity to ensure successful reception of the data from the first MBS from the network device.

[0302] For example, the fifth configuration information can be used to indicate the correspondence between each of the multiple first MBS and the third PDCP entity. For instance, when the first terminal device is interested in multiple MBS, it can receive data from these multiple first MBS according to the correspondence between each first MBS and the third PDCP entity. For example, if the multiple first MBS include first MBS_1 and first MBS_2, and the third PDCP entity includes third PDCP entity 1 and third PDCP entity 2, the fifth configuration information can be used to indicate that third PDCP entity 1 is used to receive data from first MBS_1, and third PDCP entity 2 is used to receive data from first MBS_2. The first terminal device can then receive first MBS_1 and first MBS_2 from the network device through third PDCP entity 1 and third PDCP entity 2, respectively, according to the content indicated by the fifth configuration information.

[0303] In the above embodiments of this application, after the network device establishes a connection with the first terminal device through the second terminal device, the first terminal device can send first information to the network device through the second terminal device. After receiving the first information, the network device can configure fifth configuration information for the first terminal device to receive data of the first MBS. Thus, the first terminal device can receive data of the first MBS from the network device through the second device based on the fifth configuration information, solving the problem that, in UE-to-Network relay scenarios, remote terminal devices cannot receive data of the MBS they are interested in.

[0304] It should be noted that the execution order of the steps in Examples 1 to 6 above is only one example, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, in Example 1, the network device may send the second configuration information to the second terminal device before the second device establishes a unicast connection with the first terminal device; or, it may send the second configuration information to the second terminal device after the second terminal device establishes a unicast connection with the first terminal device. As another example, in Example 5, the network device may send the third message to the second terminal device first, and then send the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device; or, it may send the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device first, and then send the third message to the second terminal device; or, it may send the third message and the fourth configuration information to the second terminal device simultaneously. As yet another example, in Example 6, the network device may send the eleventh message to the second terminal device first, and then send the twelfth message to the second terminal device; or, it may send the twelfth message to the second terminal device first, and then send the eleventh message to the second terminal device; or, it may send the eleventh message and the twelfth message to the second terminal device simultaneously.

[0305] In the embodiments provided above, the methods provided by this application are described from the perspectives of network devices, relay terminal devices, remote terminal devices, and the interaction between the three. To implement the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the positioning server, access network device, and at least one terminal may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0306] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of a communication device 1600 is shown. The communication device 1600 can be as described above. Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figures 9-15 The second terminal device (or first terminal device) in any of the illustrated embodiments can implement the functions of the second terminal device (or first terminal device) in the method provided in this application embodiment; the communication device 1600 can also be a device capable of supporting the second terminal device (or first terminal device) to implement the functions of the second terminal device (or first terminal device) in the method provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1600 can be a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. The communication device 1600 can be implemented by a chip system. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0307] The communication device 1600 may include a processing module 1601 and a communication module 1602.

[0308] For example, processing module 1601 can be used to perform, for example, Figure 6 Step S604 in the illustrated embodiment, or Figure 11 Step S1103 in the illustrated embodiment, or Figure 13 Step S1303 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0309] For example, communication module 1602 can be used to perform, for example, Figure 5 Steps S501 and S502 in the illustrated embodiment, or as shown in the figure Figure 6 Steps S601, S602, S605 to S610 in the illustrated embodiment, or as shown Figure 10 Steps S1001, S1002, S1005 to S1009, etc., in the embodiments shown, and / or other processes used to support the technology described herein.

[0310] For example, processing module 1601 can be used to perform, such as Figure 10 Step S1003 in the illustrated embodiment, or as shown in the example Figure 12 Step S1204, etc., in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0311] For example, the communication module 1602 can be used to perform tasks such as... Figure 6 Steps S603, S605-S608, and S610 in the illustrated embodiment, or Figure 11 Steps S1102, S1104, S1106, S1107, and S1109 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0312] The communication module 1602 is used for communication between the communication device 1600 and other modules. It can be a circuit, device, interface, bus, software module, transceiver or any other device that can realize communication.

[0313] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0314] It should be noted that the processing module may also be called a processing unit, processor, processing device, or processing board, etc., and the communication module may also be called a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver circuit, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited in this respect.

[0315] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of a communication device 1700 is shown. The communication device 1700 can perform the aforementioned... Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figures 9-15 The network device in any of the illustrated embodiments can implement the functions of the network device in the method provided in this application embodiment; the communication device 1700 can also be a device that supports the network device in implementing the functions of the network device in the method provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1700 can be a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. The communication device 1700 can be implemented by a chip system. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0316] The communication device 1700 may include a processing module 1701 and a communication module 1702.

[0317] For example, processing module 1701 can be used to perform, such as Figure 15 Step S1505 in the illustrated embodiment, or for controlling the communication module 1702 to execute. Figure 5, Figure 6 , Figures 9-15 The steps in any of the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0318] For example, communication module 1702 can be used to perform tasks such as Figure 6 Steps S601 and S609 in the illustrated embodiment, or as shown in the figure Figure 10 Steps S1001 and S1008 in the illustrated embodiments, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0319] The communication module 1702 is used for communication between the communication device 1700 and other modules. It can be a circuit, device, interface, bus, software module, transceiver or any other device that can realize communication.

[0320] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0321] It should be noted that the processing module may also be called a processing unit, processor, processing device, or processing board, etc., and the communication module may also be called a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver circuit, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited in this respect.

[0322] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in each embodiment of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0323] like Figure 18 The diagram shows a communication device 1800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1800 may be... Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figures 9-15 The second terminal device (or first terminal device) in any of the illustrated embodiments can implement the functions of the second terminal device (or first terminal device) in the method provided in this application embodiment; the communication device 1800 can also be a device capable of supporting the second terminal device (or first terminal device) in implementing the functions of the second terminal device (or first terminal device) in the method provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1800 can be a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0324] In terms of hardware implementation, the aforementioned communication module 1602 can be a transceiver, which is integrated into the communication device 1800 to form the communication interface 1810.

[0325] The communication device 1800 includes at least one processor 1820, which is used to implement or support the communication device 1800 in implementing the functions of the second terminal device in the method provided in the embodiments of this application. For example, the processor 1820 can determine whether the first cell supports the first MBS or not based on second configuration information, as detailed in the method examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0326] The communication device 1800 may further include at least one memory 1830 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1830 is coupled to the processor 1820. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1820 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1830. The processor 1820 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1830. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0327] The communication device 1800 may further include a communication interface 1810 for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling devices in the communication device 1800 to communicate with other devices. For example, the communication device 1800 may be a first terminal device, and the other device may be a network device or a second terminal device; alternatively, the communication device 1800 may be a second terminal device, and the other device may be a second terminal device. The processor 1820 may use the communication interface 1810 to send and receive data. Specifically, the communication interface 1810 may be a transceiver.

[0328] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1810, processor 1820, and memory 1830. This application embodiment... Figure 18 The memory 1830, processor 1820, and communication interface 1810 are connected via a bus 1840. Figure 18 The connections between other components are shown in bold and are for illustrative purposes only, not as limiting information. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 18 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0329] In the embodiments of this application, the processor 1820 may 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 device, or a discrete hardware component, capable of implementing or executing the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0330] In this embodiment, the memory 1830 can be non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or it can be volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM). Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in this embodiment can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0331] like Figure 19 The diagram shows a communication device 1900 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1900 can be... Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figures 9-15 The network device in any of the illustrated embodiments can implement the functions of the network device in the method provided in this application embodiment; the communication device 1900 can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the functions of the network device in the method provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1900 can be a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0332] In terms of hardware implementation, the aforementioned communication module 1702 can be a transceiver, which is integrated into the communication device 1900 to form the communication interface 1910.

[0333] The communication device 1900 includes at least one processor 1920 for implementing or supporting the communication device 1900 in implementing the functions of the network device in the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. For example, the processor 1920 can determine whether a cell supports a first MBS or not based on first information, as detailed in the method examples, which will not be repeated here.

[0334] The communication device 1900 may further include at least one memory 1930 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1930 is coupled to the processor 1920. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1920 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1930. The processor 1920 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1930. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor.

[0335] The communication device 1900 may further include a communication interface 1910 for communicating with other devices via a transmission medium, thereby enabling the devices in the device 1900 to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the other device may be a second terminal device. The processor 1920 may use the communication interface 1910 to send and receive data. Specifically, the communication interface 1910 may be a transceiver.

[0336] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1910, processor 1920, and memory 1930. This application embodiment... Figure 19 The memory 1930, processor 1920, and communication interface 1910 are connected via a bus 1940. Figure 19 The connections between other components are shown in bold and are for illustrative purposes only, not as limiting information. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 19 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0337] In the embodiments of this application, the processor 1920 may 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 device, or a discrete hardware component, capable of implementing or executing the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0338] In this embodiment, the memory 1930 can be non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or it can be volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM). Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in this embodiment can also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0339] This application also provides a communication device 2000, which can be a terminal device or a circuit. The communication device 2000 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first terminal device or the second terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0340] When the communication device is a terminal device Figure 20 A simplified schematic diagram of a terminal device is shown. This is for ease of understanding and illustration. Figure 20 In this context, the terminal device is taken as a mobile phone. For example... Figure 20 As shown, the terminal device includes a processor, memory, radio frequency (RF) circuitry, antenna, and input / output devices. The processor is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the terminal device, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of terminal devices may not have input / output devices.

[0341] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outward as electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the terminal device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor then converts the baseband signal back into data and processes it. For ease of explanation, Figure 20Only one memory and processor are shown in the illustration. In actual terminal device products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. Memory may also be referred to as storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory may be set up independently of the processor or integrated with the processor; this application does not limit this.

[0342] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be considered as the transceiver unit of the terminal device, and the processor with processing functions can be considered as the processing unit of the terminal device. For example... Figure 20 As shown, the terminal device includes a transceiver unit 2010 and a processing unit 2020. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, transceiver machine, transceiver device, etc. The processing unit can also be called a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit 2010 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as a receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit 2010 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitting unit; that is, the transceiver unit 2010 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The transceiver unit can sometimes also be called a transceiver machine, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc.

[0343] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 2010 is used to perform the sending and receiving operations on the first terminal device (or the second terminal device) side in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 2020 is used to perform other operations on the first terminal device (or the second terminal device) in the above method embodiments besides the sending and receiving operations.

[0344] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver unit 2010 is used to perform... Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving operation on the second terminal device side in steps S602 and S608, and / or the transceiver unit 2010 is also used to execute other transceiver steps on the second terminal device side in this embodiment. The processing unit 2020 is used to execute... Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S604 and / or processing unit 2020 are also used to perform other processing steps on the second terminal device side in the embodiments of this application.

[0345] For example, in another implementation, the transceiver unit 2010 is used to perform... Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, the receiving operation on the first terminal device side in steps S1002 and S1006, and / or the transceiver unit 2010 is further used to execute other transceiver steps on the first terminal device side in this embodiment. The processing unit 2020 is used to execute... Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, step S1003 and / or processing unit 2020 are also used to perform other processing steps on the first terminal device side in the embodiments of this application.

[0346] When the communication device is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip.

[0347] When the communication device in this embodiment is a first terminal device (or a second terminal device), it can be referred to Figure 21 The device shown. As an example, this device can perform similar tasks. Figure 18 The functionality of the 1820 processor. Figure 21 The device includes a processor 2110, a data transmission processor 2120, and a data reception processor 2130. The processing module 1601 in the above embodiment may be... Figure 21 The processor 2110 in the above embodiment performs the corresponding functions. The transceiver module 1602 in the above embodiment can be... Figure 21 The transmitting data processor 2120 and / or receiving data processor 2130 are included. Although Figure 21 The diagram shows a channel encoder and a channel decoder, but it is understood that these modules are not limiting to this embodiment and are merely illustrative.

[0348] Figure 22 This illustrates another form of the present embodiment. The processing device 2200 includes modules such as a modulation subsystem, a central processing subsystem, and a peripheral subsystem. The communication device in this embodiment can serve as the modulation subsystem. Specifically, the modulation subsystem may include a processor 2203 and an interface 2204. The processor 2203 performs the functions of the aforementioned processing module 1601, and the interface 2204 performs the functions of the aforementioned communication module 1602. As another variation, the modulation subsystem includes a memory 2206, a processor 2203, and a program stored in the memory 2206 and executable on the processor. When the processor 2203 executes the program, it implements the method on the terminal device side in the above method embodiment. It should be noted that the memory 2206 may be non-volatile or volatile, and its location may be inside the modulation subsystem or within the processing device 2200, as long as the memory 2206 can be connected to the processor 2203.

[0349] As another embodiment of this invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which instructions are stored, which, when executed, perform the method on the terminal device side of the above method embodiment.

[0350] As another form of this embodiment, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when executed, perform the method on the terminal device side of the above method embodiment.

[0351] When the device in this embodiment is a network device, the network device can be as follows: Figure 23 As shown, device 2300 includes one or more radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) 2310 and one or more baseband units (BBUs) (also referred to as digital units, DUs) 2320. The RRU 2310 can be referred to as a communication module, and... Figure 17 Corresponding to the communication module 1702, optionally, this communication module can also be called a transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver unit, etc., and may include at least one antenna 2311 and radio frequency unit 2312. The RRU 2310 part is mainly used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals and converting radio frequency signals to baseband signals, such as for sending indication information to terminal equipment. The BBU 2310 part is mainly used for baseband processing and controlling the base station, etc. The RRU 2310 and BBU 2320 can be physically set together or physically separated, i.e., a distributed base station.

[0352] The BBU 2320 is the control center of the base station, also known as the processing module, and can communicate with... Figure 17 The corresponding processing module 1701 is mainly used to complete baseband processing functions, such as channel coding, multiplexing, modulation, spreading, etc. For example, the BBU (processing module) can be used to control the base station to execute the operation process of the network device in the above method embodiment, such as generating the above-mentioned indication information.

[0353] In one example, the BBU 2320 can be composed of one or more single boards. Multiple single boards can collectively support a single access standard wireless access network (such as an LTE network), or they can each support different access standard wireless access networks (such as LTE, 5G, or other networks). The BBU 2320 also includes a memory 2321 and a processor 2322. The memory 2321 is used to store necessary instructions and data. The processor 2322 is used to control the base station to perform necessary actions, such as controlling the base station to execute the operation procedures related to the network device in the above method embodiments. The memory 2321 and the processor 2322 can serve one or more single boards. That is, each single board can have its own memory and processor, or multiple single boards can share the same memory and processor. Furthermore, each single board can also have necessary circuitry.

[0354] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0355] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the first terminal device or the second terminal device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0356] This application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0357] This application also provides a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method executed by the first terminal device or the second terminal device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0358] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of the second terminal device described in the aforementioned method. The chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0359] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of the network device described in the aforementioned method. The chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0360] This application provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the functions of the first terminal device described in the aforementioned method. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0361] This application provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device, first terminal device, and second terminal device.

[0362] The methods provided in this application can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this invention are 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 device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (e.g., digital video disc (DVD)), or semiconductor media (e.g., SSD), etc.

[0363] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The system receives second configuration information from a network device. The second configuration information is used to receive data from a second multicast broadcast service (MBS). The second configuration information includes information from a first multimedia broadcast multicast service point-to-point radio bearer (MRB). The first MRB is used to transmit data from the second MBS. The information from the first MRB includes first packet data aggregation protocol (PDCP) configuration information. The first PDCP configuration information is used to configure a second PDCP entity. The second PDCP entity is used to receive data from the second MBS. Send second information to the first terminal device, the second information including the identifier of the second MBS, the second MBS being an MBS supported by the first cell, and the first cell being the serving cell of the second terminal device; Receive first information from the first terminal device, the first information including the identifier of the first MBS, the first MBS being the MBS of interest to the first terminal device, and the second MBS including the first MBS; A first message is sent to the first terminal device. The first message includes first configuration information and second PDCP configuration information. The first configuration information is used to configure a first sidelink SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The first SL radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS. The second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity. The third PDCP entity is used to receive data of the first MBS.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message to the network device, the second message including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the first MBS; A third message is received from the network device, the third message including third configuration information, the third configuration information being used to configure the first SL radio bearer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure a first radio bearer between the network device and the second terminal device. The first radio bearer is used to transmit data of the first MBS.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive data from the first MBS of the network device; The data of the first MBS is transmitted to the first terminal device through the first SL wireless bearer.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the data of the first MBS received from the underlying entity, at least two copies of the data of the first MBS are obtained in the first protocol layer entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of the first packet data convergence protocol PDCP entity, radio link control layer protocol RLC entity, or adaptation layer entity. Send one of the at least two sets of data from the first MBS to the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second configuration information also includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, or the information of the first time-frequency resource, wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send second configuration information to the second terminal device. The second configuration information is used to receive data from the second MBS. The second MBS is an MBS supported by the first cell. The first cell is the serving cell of the second terminal device. The second configuration information includes information from the first MRB. The first MRB is used to transmit data from the second MBS. The information from the first MRB includes first PDCP configuration information. The first PDCP configuration information is used to configure a second PDCP entity. The second PDCP entity is used to receive data from the second MBS. Receive a second message from the second terminal device, the second message including third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate a first multicast broadcast service MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; A third message is sent to the second terminal device. The third message includes third configuration information and second PDCP configuration information. The third configuration information is used to configure the first sidelink SL radio bearer between the first terminal device and the second terminal device. The first SL radio bearer is used to transmit the data of the first MBS. The second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity. The third PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The third message also includes fourth configuration information, which is used to configure a first radio bearer between the second terminal device and the network device, and the first radio bearer is used to transmit the data of the first MBS.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The second configuration information also includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the second MBS, or the information of the first time-frequency resource, wherein the first time-frequency resource is used to carry the second MBS, and the first MRB is used to transmit the data of the second MBS.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive second information from the second terminal device, the second information including the identifier of the second MBS, the second MBS being an MBS supported by the first cell, and the first cell being the serving cell of the second terminal device; Send first information to the second terminal device, the first information including the identifier of a first multicast broadcast service MBS, the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device, and the second MBS including the first MBS; Receive a first message from the second terminal device, or receive fifth configuration information from the network device through the second terminal device; The first message includes first configuration information and second PDCP configuration information. The first configuration information is used to configure the first side link SL radio bearer between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The first SL radio bearer is used to transmit the data of the first MBS. The second PDCP configuration information is used to configure the third PDCP entity. The third PDCP entity is used to receive the data of the first MBS. The fifth configuration information is used to receive data from the first MBS. The fifth configuration information includes second PDCP configuration information, which is used to configure a third PDCP entity. The third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Before sending the first information to the second terminal device, the method further includes: Based on the second information, it is determined that the first cell supports the first MBS.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The second terminal device receives sixth configuration information from a network device. The sixth configuration information is used to receive data from the first MBS. The sixth configuration information includes information about the second MRB. The information about the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information. The third PDCP configuration information is used to configure a first PDCP entity. The first PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS. Receive first information from a first terminal device, the first information including the identifier of a first multicast broadcast service (MBS), the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; Send the first information to the network device; The first terminal device receives fifth configuration information from the network device. The fifth configuration information is used to receive data from the first MBS. The fifth configuration information includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS. The fifth configuration information is sent to the first terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the data of the first MBS received from the underlying entity, at least two copies of the data of the first MBS are obtained in the first protocol layer entity, wherein the first protocol layer entity is any one of the first packet data convergence protocol PDCP entity, radio link control layer protocol RLC entity, or adaptation layer entity. Send one of the at least two sets of data from the first MBS to the upper-layer entity of the first protocol layer entity.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The sixth configuration information also includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, or the information of the second time-frequency resource, wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS.

15. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A sixth configuration information is sent to a second terminal device. The sixth configuration information is used by the second terminal device to receive data from the first MBS. The sixth configuration information includes information about the second MRB. The information about the second MRB includes third PDCP configuration information. The third PDCP configuration information is used to configure a first PDCP entity. The first PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS. The second terminal device receives first information from the first terminal device, the first information including the identifier of a first multicast broadcast service (MBS), the first MBS being an MBS of interest to the first terminal device; The second terminal device sends fifth configuration information to the first terminal device. The fifth configuration information is used by the first terminal device to receive data from the first MBS. The fifth configuration information includes second PDCP configuration information, wherein the second PDCP configuration information is used to configure a third PDCP entity, and the third PDCP entity is used to receive data from the first MBS.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The sixth configuration information also includes one or more of the following: the identifier of the first MBS, or the information of the second time-frequency resource, wherein the second time-frequency resource is used to carry the first MBS.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, or includes a module for performing the method as described in claim 10 or 11, or includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, or includes a module for performing the method as described in claim 15 or 16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, or the method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, or the method as claimed in claim 15 or 16.

19. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes means for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and / or means for performing the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, and / or means for performing the method as described in claim 10 or 11.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes means for performing the method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, and / or means for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, and / or means for performing the method as claimed in claim 15 or 16.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

22. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes a processor configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, or to perform the method as described in claim 10 or 11, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, or to perform the method as described in claim 15 or 16.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 10 or 11, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in claim 15 or 16.

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